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| Köln, Germany At Night |
More than a year ago in Netherlands, while I was
debating myself of what to do for the upcoming long weekend because I was
starting to get bored, I made my last minute decision to go on a trip southeast
of Netherlands, in Köln Germany. At first, I was undecided to which city to
visit but after checking the possible options, Köln is the most realistic and
practical choice. It is the closest though still required me to travel by train
for approximately 4hours and 3 transfers. There were direct routes but It can
give me only a 30minutes difference but will cost me almost three times
more.
That’s the thing I learned as I started to get used
to the planning of all my travels. Traveling can actually be cheap! After all,
traveling is all about going to new places, exploring new things, learning new
culture and meeting new people. It is not about staying in expensive hotels,
taking a first class train/plane ticket or shopping (unless you are traveling
to shop). Why would you spend hundred bucks per night in a 4-star hotel well in
fact you’re staying there only to sleep and to take shower? It doesn’t make
sense to me. But, maybe am a guy. It is a different story for women of course.
But what I am saying is, you can save by being practical. Again, traveling
doesn’t have to be expensive. But, there is one thing that I would normally
splurge on...food! I can be very fancy on food.
And so, I bought my ticket online and am all set
for my next adventure. I board the train from Rotterdam Central Station and
below was my exact route:
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| Train Route to Köln, Germany |
* Rotterdam Central Station - breda
* Breda - Venlo
* Venlo - mönchengladback Hbf
* Mönchengladback Hbf - Köln Hbf
I arrived Köln Central Station late in the
afternoon and I headed straight to my Hotel (Günnwig Kommerz Hotel). Since it
was a last minute decision, looking and booking for a cheaper hotel is already
difficult. August is the summer vacation in Europe so every hotel is fully
booked. I had no choice but to spend more than what I would normally spend. The
only take out from this hotel, it’s just a walking distance from the central
station. Once I get out of the station, I just needed to cross the street and
it’s there right in front of me. The additional bucks I spent weren’t bad after
all!
In all of my travels, I only have one go-to site
for booking my hotel(s). Booking.com is my reliable source of hotel options in
every city I’d been to. Aside from the fact that they don’t charge you right
away, it also allows you to cancel the booking within specific time frame
without costing you a penny. The reviews and comments from different travelers
provide the most accurate information in choosing hotel that fits my needs and
budget. And being a registered member entitles me for some exclusive
rates.
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| The Köln, Cathedral |
After Checking-in the hotel, I took a short rest then
freshen-up myself and I went out. I headed to a huge building situated right
next to the central station, an iconic building that dominates Köln Skyline -
The Kölner dom or Cologne Cathedral. The cathedral is a renowned monument of
German Catholism, A Gothic architecture and a World Heritage Site. In the whole
of Germany, the Cologne Cathedral is the most visited landmark. It also holds
the record of the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and 2nd tallest
spires. The foundation stones of the cathedral was laid on 15 August 1248 and
finally completed on 14 August 1880, exactly 632 years from the time the
cathedral was commenced.
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| The Giant Spires |
The outside of the church is already impressive and
its two spires facade is considered the largest in the world. The inside of
course didn't disappoint me as it is equally grand from the Glass stained
windows, the altar art pieces and the details and craftsmanship of the whole
structure.
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| Stained Glass Window |
I often hear and read the Baroque and Gothic
churches before but I had no idea of how to distinguish one from the other. Having
been to a number of churches and after doing some research, I somehow
acquainted myself of the distinct differences of the two. Gothic always has rib
vault, buttresses, large windows, rose windows, towers, spires, pinnacles and
orate facade while Baroque often have large scale ceiling frescoes, broader
naves and sometimes given oval forms. From the outside, the distinct
differences of these two styles are very obvious. After strolling around and taking my dinner, I decided to go back
to my hotel and rested.
Day 1
I started the day with a heavy breakfast knowing
the fact that I will be doing alot of walking around the city. McDonalds is
everywhere in the world and Köln is no exception. So, McDonalds it is for my
breakfast.
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| Inside the Cathedral |
I want to explore the church more so I decided to
start my day going to the Kölner Dom for the second time. The church is so huge
and to appreciate it more, one needed to stay a little longer. As expected, the
church was full or tourists both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Inside the church, everyone is dwarfed by its high ceilings and the vastness of
the space. But it made me think why it needs to be this high, huge and
expensive. I read somewhere a rather eloquent explanation for such. The writer
explains and I quote “religious architecture and art were to medieval feudalism
what advertising and commercialism are to modern capitalism: A rather effective
way to build support for the status quo using aesthetics instead of
argument. My claim, in short, is that Notre Dame played the same role
during the Middle Ages that fashion magazines play today. Notre Dame was not an
argument for feudalism and Elle is not an argument for capitalism. But both are
powerful ways to make regular people buy into the system.” In my personal
opinion, it is also a way of showing power by the elites who built them.
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| Hohenzollern Bridge |
A walking distance from the church is Hohenzollern
Bridge which crosses the Rhine River. Originally, the bridge caters both the
railway and street bridge. However, after its reconstruction due to destruction
from WWII, it is now only accessible to rail and pedestrian traffic. While I
was crossing the bridge, I noticed the thousands of love padlocks on the fence
which is very similar to the ones in Paris. Surely, in this time
and age, people are becoming more innovative of expressing and
immortalizing their love for each other. A symbol of Everlasting love indeed!
(Not unless someone got the key at the bottom of the Rhine River!). Going
further to the other side of the bridge is a commanding view of the bridge and
the cathedral at the further end; a view that has became a promotional
landscape of Köln.
On my way back, I stopped by the Museum Ludwig
which is considered the most comprehensive Pop Art Collection outside of the
United States. It also housed the third largest Pablo Picasso collection in the
world (next to Paris and Barcelona). Me being a museum buff, I cannot miss this
opportunity of seeing some of Picasso’s art pieces. I am no expert about
paintings but visiting museums allowed me to expand my appreciation and
knowledge about art and its artist. Since I was a kid, I always love looking at
pictures of different paintings not thinking that someday, I will be able to
see some of the most famous art pieces by renowned artists.
It is important to note though the restrictions
when visiting the museums. Some museums may allow photography and some don’t.
Just be cautious and check the signs. Museums are normally heavily guarded with
security cameras so even if you try to steal a shot, you’ll just be surprised
by a security personnel approaching and asking you to delete the photo. Museum
Ludwig luckily allows photography but without flash. I spent an hour or two to
explore its unique collections. After the museum tour, I headed to the
oldest fragrance factory in the world.
One Interesting information I learned during my
trip to Cologne was the fact that “Eau de Cologne” was named in honor of the
city of Cologne by an Italian perfume maker Giovanni Maria Farina. When
Farina found a fragrance that reminds him of the Italian spring morning,
of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain, he named it Eau de
Cologne ( or Water of Cologne). I love collecting different perfumes and having
the chance to visit the world’s oldest fragrance factory made me really
excited. I was just in time for the next English tour inside the factory. The
tour started with the narration of history of Eau de Cologne and followed by
the explanation on the processes of perfume making. The tour is normally done
in small groups to allow everyone to appreciate the whole experience since part
of it is the chance to smell the different types of oil essences and ask to
guess the origin. It was a very interesting experience indeed. As a souvenir
item, I purchased “Eau de Cologne by Farina opposite the Jüllichplatz”, a
perfume that was once used only as a perfume and delivered to nearly all royals
in Europe including Napoleon Bonaparte.
During that short tour also, the difference of
fragrances was briefly explained by the guide. Fragrances are always catergorized
as “Eau de Cologne”, “Eau de Toilette” and “Eau de parfum” but for those who
aren’t very much familiar, the simplest explanation is related to the
concentration of the essential oils contained on it. Eau de Cologne has the
lowest from 2-5%, followed by Eau de Toilette with 5-10% and then the Eau de
Parfum with 10-15% and being the most expensive but the scent stays
longer. So next time you buy a fragrance, you know already what you’re buying.
I was surprised of the variety of things that one
can do in Köln. And really, the interesting thing is, all the tourist
places are located within walking distance and that's very important for those
taking a short visit to the city as it allows you to see more for even a short
time. Touring on-foot is actually fun as you got to see more places along the
way as opposed to taking the subway for example. Whenever I travel, I see to it
that I always have my travel body, my iphone. My phone has been my reliable
travel companion from maps to best recommended places to see. The Google map
provides an accurate direction from point A to B at and the estimated duration
of travel. As for the useful information about a particular city, my favorite
application is "triposo".
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| View of the Square from the Cathedral |
I’ve seen a lot already for the day so I just
relaxed and enjoy the passerbys at the square right next to the cathedral. The
stairs up the cathedral façade is good place to hang-around and sit while
watching and observing people. Street performers doing different kind of tricks
to attract attention of everyone abound but there is one that stands out. There’s
this one middle eastern or Indian perhaps holding a pole with his body seating on an invisible chair and appears floating in the air. A trick that for some
especially the kids may look unreal and that person possess some unworldly
power. But by careful examination, is a deception hidden inside his loose
costumes. Nonetheless, it serves his purpose to attract people and get some
money for it. I, for one fell for his tricks as well because he caught my attention.
It was a very
interesting day but going out at night gave me another excitement because I
will be doing my night photography. The weather is good hence a perfect night
to capture the beauty and glitter of Cologne. And the for night photography, there
is only one place in my mind. The daytime view is already beautiful but all the
more when all the lights on the bridge and the cathedral are on. It will be a
breathtaking view for sure. With my SLR camera and tripod, I headed to the
other side of the Rhine River to get a perfect view of the Hohenzollern Bridge
and the Cologne Cathedral. When I arrived the place, I saw a number of photo enthusiasts like me trying capture that one perfect shot. Taking a picture perfect shot at night is not an
easy task as it requires a lot of trial and error. I stayed for two hours and headed back to my hotel.
The Last day in Cologne
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| The Golden Chamber |
I still have a day in Cologne
because my train back to Netherlands is late in the afternoon. And for this
day, I have two places planned: The Basilica of Saint Ursula and The Chocolate
Museum. The Basilica is unique in a sense that it is built in the ancient ruins
of a Roman Cemetery. The one interesting please inside the church is the Golden
Chamber or Golden Kammer where it contains the alleged remains of St. Ursula
and her 11,000 virgins who were said to have been killed by the Huns. The
chamber is decorated and covered by bones arranged in designs of letter along
with the skulls.
There wasn’t a better a place
to end my 3-day tour in cologne but to visit a Chocolate Museum (SChokoladen
Museum). A structure built on the left bank of the Rhine River directly in
front of the old town and a walking distance to the Cologne Cathedral. A
building that resembles like a futuristic ship made of glass and aluminium. The
museum has three levels and took me into a journey through the 3000 years
history of chocolate making from the “Food of Gods” for the Aztec to the modern
product that can be a symbol of expressing love to another person. The
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| The Chocolate Fountain |
two main
attractions that interested me more were the chocolate fountain, a 3-meter
high foundation where the employee can
dip a wafer into the liquid chocolate and distribute it to the visitors and the mini chocolate factory in full working
condition producing real small chocolate bars which are given out at the
entrance. With the museum partnership to Lindt & Sprüngli, I was able to watch my own customized Lindt chocolate bar being made for only 5euros a piece.
Like any other museums, the gift shop at the ground level has the assortments
of different chocolates and flavors.
My 3-day trip to Cologne
maybe short, but the length was actually immaterial. At the end of the day, it
is all about the memories that I will forever remember and the stories that I
can share to my family and friends.
Next in my European Tour
Series the City of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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| Facade of Kölner Dom |
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| The Trick |
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| Scuplture Outside of the Cathedral |
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| The Ludwig Museum Architecture |
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| Kölner Dom At Night |
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| The Cologne Cathedral |
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| Lovelocks at the Bridge |
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| The View of Cologne |
