Last weekend, I went to Köln, the fourth largest city in Germany and one of the most touristy. And, dare I say it, my favorite German city so far. (This is saying something, because Berlin is really, really cool.)
The weekend was planned as a girls' weekend out, not as anything particularly cultural. When we left Lüneburg, the only plans (aside from train tickets and hostel reservations) we had were to visit the chocolate museum and the Dom.
So after we got to the city and found our hostel, we headed straight to the world's most happiest place. And no, I'm not talking about Disney World. The Köln Schokoladen Museum combines a history of chocolate throughout the world, a description of the chocolate process from cocoa bean to chocolate bar, and a real, working Lindt factory. With samples.
The museum was not only fascinating (and tasty) but also well-designed. There was information clearly designed for adults, but underneath that information were sections written simply coupled with interactive exhibits. A museum that adults and kids can enjoy simultaneously. It was educational.
And just awesome. There were old people in white coats and chef hats hand-crafting some of the world's best chocolate. Sure, there were conveyer belts popping out truffles, but there were also pieces of chocolate being made by artists. It was artistry. I've always known that food can be art (I've tasted my brother Matt's cooking), but I was completely awed, watching those chocolatiers. It was absolutely amazing.
As we left the chocolate museum, we looked across the river and saw a carnival going on. We'll get back to that later.
The next morning, we went to the city's tourist office and asked the lady at the desk where we should eat breakfast. She immediately told us to go to Bastians, pulled out a map, and showed us how to get there. She estimated it was a ten minute walk, and we wondered why she was sending us out so far when we were already in the city center. Once we got there, we understood. Bastians is a bakery/brunch place. We went inside, and the place was packed. We got a table, somehow chose our breakfasts from a large and varied menu, and then just enjoyed the atmosphere. It was brunch, Köln-style. Everything was bustling and happy. And once we got our food, oh my. I had fruit and yoghurt and an egg and bread, and it was basically heaven. I love brunch.
After that, we headed up to the Kölner Dom, the most famous point in the city. We'd already seen the Dom a few times, given that it's visible from basically everywhere. But now we could appreciate its true grandeur. The Kölner Dom houses the world's largest working bell. Which makes sense, because its easily one of the largest cathedrals in Europe. And absolutely gorgeous.
It's amazing that the Dom still exists. In World War II, some 70% of the city was destroyed, including most of the area around the Dom. Yet, it survived the war with nary a shrapnel scratch. Truly a blessing, for this piece of architecture is not something that should be destroyed by something such as a war.
The interior of the Dom was as beautiful as its exterior, filled with detailed stained glass and ancient artifacts and everything beautiful. Every surface seemed decorated, from the tops of the rafters to the tiles of the floors. But it wasn't gaudy or too ornate. It was certainly a Medieval cathedral, but it wasn't oppressive. It was perfect.
After the Dom, we went to the Roman-German history museum which detailed the time in which Köln was under Roman rule. Interesting, but it paled in comparison both to the grand cathedral next door and the chocolate museum from the night before.
After the museum, we kind of moseyed out way back toward the river, and we crossed the Hohenzollern Bridge, which was absolutely covered in love padlocks. Most of the padlocks were inscribed with two names and a wedding date. And when I say the bridge was covered, I mean it. The Rhine River is quite wide at this point, and there were thousands or tens of thousands of locks attached across the entire river.
I considered the locks on the bridge almost as inspiring as the Dom. While it takes an awful lot of dedication and belief to build something like a cathedral, it also takes a lot of dedication and belief to truly love someone. And the bridge gave examples of thousands of people who have that dedication and belief. At one point along the bridge, someone had spraypainted "Liebe ist nur ein Traum," which means "Love is just a dream." In another color, someone else had crossed out the last four words of these statement and replaced them with "ist die Warheit," meaning "is the truth."
My absolute favorite addition to the bridge wasn't a lock, but a small plate attached instead. Translated, it means "Happiness is the only thing that doubles when shared."
After the bridge, we went to the previously mentioned carnival and rode a few rides. Also as previously mentioned, our trip didn't have any sort of educational experience. And having seen the ancient culture stuff, we thought it was very culturally appropriate to end the trip on roller coasters. And it was fantastic.
Our train back to Lüneburg that night was disrupted by people protesting against the moving of nuclear waste to nearby Gorleben, meaning Chaz and I didn't get back to Lüneburg until about 4:00 a.m. But, despite sitting on a stopped train for over two hours, I didn't mind the journey. Because the weekend was a complete success.
