I know the last post was titled Energy, and ironically I have none right now after a weekend in Cologne. I should've worn my fitbit because I believe I walked more than 10 miles. It was a 5 hr drive from Grafenwoehr to begin with, but at least I was able to drive on the autobahn.
For many of you that don't know, there are sections of the Autobahn (german highway) that have no speed limit. I was driving at around 80-100 mph and it was great! Don't worry Mom, I was cautious and knew my limit :)
Friday:
My sponsor Faiza and I arrived in Cologne at around 10:30 pm and checked into our hostel. The hostel was not the greatest, but at least we had a private room that was clean and that we could lock. We had communal showers and toilets, which I'm not used to, but it will do. Once we got settled, we headed to a bar the host of the hostel recommended. I'm not sure what he was thinking, but he sent us right into the heart of the Red light district (concentrated area of prostitutes, strip clubs, and adult theatres). As we approached the street using our gps, we noticed a large group of men on the left side of the street and another crowd of people on the right. We hesitated at first, but decided we would continue walking and forget about the bar. As we hurried passed the crowd, we were stared down by the different groups of germans- homeless, goths, prostitutes and all I could think was I hope we make it out alive haha Trying to avoid walking back down the street we came from, we walked around the area adding 30 more minutes. The streets were lonely and dark and the city seemed to be sleeping around 12:30 am. We took a train to where the famous cathedral is at and there were so many more weirdos we just decided to go back home and call it a night. By the time we got our train back and walked the wrong way back to our hostel, it was 3:30 am.
Saturday
The next morning we woke up around 9:30 a.m. and headed into the town center hoping Cologne would be better than when we found it the previous night. We got lunch by the rhine river and saw people posted up by the river preparing for the Light Festival, "Cologne Lights", at night. One of the reasons we decided to go to Cologne this weekend was because they hold an annual fireworks festival on the Rhine river. Cologne is one of the oldest towns in Germany and is known for trade fairs and is an important centre for art and culture with museums, historic buildings, and art galleries. Most people associate Cologne with the big Cathedral, Kolner Dom. It really is breathtaking in person. Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to climb the 533 stairs because we were too tired from walking around town. Before we headed to the Chocolate museum, we made a few pit stops buying german gummies and grilled salmon with lemon dill sauce and Kölsch beer (brewed in Cologne).
P.S. Check out photos on slideshow below
For many of you that don't know, there are sections of the Autobahn (german highway) that have no speed limit. I was driving at around 80-100 mph and it was great! Don't worry Mom, I was cautious and knew my limit :)
Friday:
My sponsor Faiza and I arrived in Cologne at around 10:30 pm and checked into our hostel. The hostel was not the greatest, but at least we had a private room that was clean and that we could lock. We had communal showers and toilets, which I'm not used to, but it will do. Once we got settled, we headed to a bar the host of the hostel recommended. I'm not sure what he was thinking, but he sent us right into the heart of the Red light district (concentrated area of prostitutes, strip clubs, and adult theatres). As we approached the street using our gps, we noticed a large group of men on the left side of the street and another crowd of people on the right. We hesitated at first, but decided we would continue walking and forget about the bar. As we hurried passed the crowd, we were stared down by the different groups of germans- homeless, goths, prostitutes and all I could think was I hope we make it out alive haha Trying to avoid walking back down the street we came from, we walked around the area adding 30 more minutes. The streets were lonely and dark and the city seemed to be sleeping around 12:30 am. We took a train to where the famous cathedral is at and there were so many more weirdos we just decided to go back home and call it a night. By the time we got our train back and walked the wrong way back to our hostel, it was 3:30 am.
Saturday
The next morning we woke up around 9:30 a.m. and headed into the town center hoping Cologne would be better than when we found it the previous night. We got lunch by the rhine river and saw people posted up by the river preparing for the Light Festival, "Cologne Lights", at night. One of the reasons we decided to go to Cologne this weekend was because they hold an annual fireworks festival on the Rhine river. Cologne is one of the oldest towns in Germany and is known for trade fairs and is an important centre for art and culture with museums, historic buildings, and art galleries. Most people associate Cologne with the big Cathedral, Kolner Dom. It really is breathtaking in person. Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to climb the 533 stairs because we were too tired from walking around town. Before we headed to the Chocolate museum, we made a few pit stops buying german gummies and grilled salmon with lemon dill sauce and Kölsch beer (brewed in Cologne).
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| painting by local artist |
The famous Chocolate museum is held in a ship made of glass and metal located in the Rheinau docks. Greeted with a sliver of chocolate upon entry, the aroma of Chocolate was so intense, I was hypnotized and could not focus on the exhibits. A great marketing tool I stumbled midway between the exhibits was having a custom Lindt's chocolate bar prepared within 35 minutes. I obviously couldn't resist. It was interesting learning about the origins of chocolate and its impact on history.
Fun Facts:
- The production of chocolate in Germany was restricted rapidly during the two world wars and almost ceased completely. The main reason was a lack of necessary raw materials due to war. During the First World War, the chocolate manufactures first managed to deal with this scarcity by importing cocoa via Denmark and Sweden. However, the Swedish ban on the export of unprocessed cocoa at the beginning of 1916 meant temporary end of german chocolate production. And during the Second World War, food containing cocoa was completely prohibited by the state on September 1, 1942.
- For the soldiers fighting in the war, chocolate was an important element of their food rations as it had high nutritional value, but also caffeine and theobromine that provided stimulating effect and increased alertness. The hershey company began to develop a chocolate bar in 1937 to serve the US Army as an emergency ration.
As we continued to explore and walk around Cologne, we waited until 10:30 pm when the Fireworks began. The show had synchronized classical music and some fireworks. My view wasn't as great, but I honestly have been to better firework shows (Macy's Fourth of July at Liberty State Park). This was nothing spectacular, but still nice to experience. I was so tired after this long day, that as soon as I arrived at the hostel I went to sleep.
Sunday
I was awake by 7:00 am and got ready to head to breakfast. We went to a spot called Bastians and it was amazing. They had baskets full of varieties of breads and endless cakes and pastries. After a hearty breakfast of sunny side eggs, gouda, bacon, and salad, we set out to the Hohenzollern Bridge. This bridge is known for all of the happy lovers who honor their love by attaching locks on this bridge signifying commitment and everlasting love. The collection of colorful locks were beautiful and I made sure to add my addition to this historic bridge. Even though Mark couldn't be here to close this lock with me, distance only matters to the mind, not the heart. As they say, "Love knows not its depth, till the hour of separation has arrived."
-Good bye Cologne
P.S. Check out photos on slideshow below
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