Köln, Germany

Nate's parents came out to visit in March of 2006.  We spent the first night sort of relaxing after their long trip, then went out to an Italian restaurant and planned out the weekend.  They had a Mozart concert in mind for Sunday night, so we decided to do some traveling on Saturday.

We went to the Wiesbaden hauptbahnhauf on foot a little after 10am.  The short 2,10 euro trip to Mainz took us to the hauptbahnhauf and presented us with a dilemma - the tickets to Köln were 26 euro each, one way.  More than we wanted to spend, needless to say.  So we went to the "Reise Control" where a man greeted us and led us to an employee who spoke English.  He showed us whwat is proving to be the most handy purchase we discovered in Germany: the "schönes wokenende" karte.  For 30 euro, up to 5 people can travel all day using the regional trains.  It seemed too good to be true.

Our itenerary involved one transfer for a total 3hr trip.  It seemed long at first, but after we reached Mainz, the trip itself became exciting.  The track we were on followed the Rhein from Mainz to Koblznez, and along the way we were able to see the beatiful, steep cliffs along the river and the ornate castles atop the hill.  It was like taking a Rhein river cruise only cheaper and warmer.

By the time we reached Köln, the temparature had dropped ten degrees and it had started snowing.  But when we stepped out of the train station the very first thing we saw was the cathedral.  After taking several pictures, we went inside and walked through the church.  I found the walla and windows to be the most extraordinary part. The cathedral itself was not as large as the one in Worms (maybe not even the one in Mainz) but it was taller and far more elaborate - especially on the outside.

  

Before leaving the cathedral, we purchased the 2 euro tickets that permitted us to climb the 509 stairs that led up to the top of the "südturm" - the south bell tower.  The 475ft climb was not exactly easy.  The staircase was stone and no more than 3ft across.  It was definitely not built to handles such traffic, and with the unchanging scenary, the climb was frankly dizzying.  

About 3/4 of the way up, we stopped to see the bells, which rang while we were up there.  Though they only rang one small one, it was still enough to startle us and make our ears ring.  Supposedly the large bell was one of the largest operational bells in existence.

After our brief stop there, we climbed to the very top of the tower and got a wondreful view of the city. It was quite work the 2euro, despite the exercise and light-headedness.

When we left the cathedral, Nate and I decided to split up from his parents.  Between the cold and the stairs (and me being pregnant), we were tired.  We headed to a cafe for crepes and cherry topped waffles, then headed to a a bookstore and the display at the Roman museum (we only saw the outside though as it was closed).  We retired early to the train station, where we ate döner, Nate had a kölner beer, and I snuck out to grab a few night shots of the cathedral.  

 

We arrive back in Wiesbaden around midnight.  Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Lola didn't leave us any presents while were away.  :-p