The Cologne Cathedral 
Stefano and I in front of the Cathedral
The towers dominate the skyline
Alter Markt
Old Roman gate
Old roman watch tower
Stefano in front of a Steffie sign
Stefano and Francesco with Tunnes and Schal
View of St. Martin
The three of us in front of the CathedralI could see my breath even though I stood in the heated hallway of the Nachbahrhuis, waiting for Francesco to run back to his room to get his camera. The sliver of cold air, which snuck through the crack in the door, crept up the small of my back, sending goose bumps down the center of my spine and into my legs – not a good sign. It was about the time I was mounting my bicycle and turning on the light, seeing as how we were up before the sunrise, that I became fully aware of my surrounding and realized a common theme that would be at the heart of my day-long trip: it was going to be freakin’ cold.
Cologne (Köln in German) was the name, and a daytrip was our game. Two of the Italian students (Francesco and Stefano) and I had decided at the last minute to have a spur-of-the-moment trip to see Cologne. They had wanted to go see the city and I had wanted to take one last trip with Stefano who will be going home at the end of finals and won’t be with us for second semester.
As a result, we set out bright and early on the morning of the 27th in an attempt to take a daytrip to see the western German city. After three trains, and three hours, we arrived at the central station in Cologne, which lies right next the city’s most recognized landmark – the Cologne Cathedral. Taking up the panorama view through the windows, the dark gothic spires of the Cathedral cut into the misty overcast that we were welcomed with as we walked out of the clear glass doors. We had crossed into the land of snow – something I noticed between naps on the train ride in as the frost covered Belgian countryside turned into the snow covered German woodlands.
Though Cologne lies geographically almost due east of Leuven, the weather in the fourth largest German city was significantly colder than that of the Belgian college town. I’m not sure whether it’s the stone cities, or the twisting winds, but the cold weather in Europe, especially I suppose for a traveler who is outdoors trying to see as much as possible, has a way of seeping into your core, almost freezing you from the inside out. As a result, a majority of our five hours in the city (that’s right if you’re doing math we spent a total of 6 hours in transit for 5 hours of touring – the price of being a cheap college student I guess) was spent dodging between famous indoor and outdoor landmarks to warm our limbs and extremities.
Though the cold had a way of numbing your feet as they touched the ground outside, we managed to see a decent amount the city, which dates it roots back to 50 BC when it was founded under the Roman Empire. My two paisanos and I chose to see as much of the historical city as we could. Of course the Allied Forces made that a little bit easier for us, as most of the city was decimated during the bombings in WWII. Aerial photographs from 1945 are haunting to look upon as you stare at the skeletons of the buildings that once made up the center of the city.
Our tour of Köln mainly consisted of churches and ancient city walls. We started with the outside of the Cathedral, though we had to bypass the inside in the beginning due to the mass that was going on. We then traveled through the Alter Markt, which was the old city’s main town square. From there we headed to the Rhine river and walked along the waterfront for a bit, admiring the three famous bridges, Hohenzollernbrucke, Deutzer Bruck, and Severinsbrucke. We passed by the famous statues of Tunnes and Schal – two comical German folklore characters. Following the shops and smells of Hohe strasse, we wandered through the main shopping area of Cologne, dropping in and out of shops to warm up – I say smells because the perfume shops were overwhelming, each selling an “original” Cologne cologne. From the shopping center we headed over to the El De house (the Gestapo headquarters during WWII), the Cologne City museum, the City hall, and some of the remnants of the old Roman walls. After wandering past the tower, we made a quick trip up to the media park to admire some old bits of ancient roman city wall, and the tallest modern sky scraper in Cologne.
However, the beauty of the city revolved around the spires of the cathedral which could be seen from just about any point on our journey. It also made it easy to find our way back to the train (I wish all European cities were required to build landmarks next to their train stations). We popped into the poorly lit, and poorly heated, cathedral before we left. The dark towering insides were magnificent in their simple beauty. After having wandered through the crypts and interior of the Cathedral, we headed back to catch our train. Though the interior design was worth the wait, the beauty of the dark spire structure was found in its simple addition to the main skyline. It was as if the spires stood out distinctly in the skyline, but fit perfectly into the feeling of the city.
After our romp through the cold Köln streets, both physically and mentally tired, we headed back to the train station, in preparation of our 3 hour ride home. Coupled with studying and napping, the train brought us back to Leuven just before 9, and soon enough, we were warming ourselves back in the confines of the one and only Nachbahrhuis. With the weather behind us, we concluded our spur-of-the-moment trip – a trip worth the weather.
Cologne (Köln in German) was the name, and a daytrip was our game. Two of the Italian students (Francesco and Stefano) and I had decided at the last minute to have a spur-of-the-moment trip to see Cologne. They had wanted to go see the city and I had wanted to take one last trip with Stefano who will be going home at the end of finals and won’t be with us for second semester.
As a result, we set out bright and early on the morning of the 27th in an attempt to take a daytrip to see the western German city. After three trains, and three hours, we arrived at the central station in Cologne, which lies right next the city’s most recognized landmark – the Cologne Cathedral. Taking up the panorama view through the windows, the dark gothic spires of the Cathedral cut into the misty overcast that we were welcomed with as we walked out of the clear glass doors. We had crossed into the land of snow – something I noticed between naps on the train ride in as the frost covered Belgian countryside turned into the snow covered German woodlands.
Though Cologne lies geographically almost due east of Leuven, the weather in the fourth largest German city was significantly colder than that of the Belgian college town. I’m not sure whether it’s the stone cities, or the twisting winds, but the cold weather in Europe, especially I suppose for a traveler who is outdoors trying to see as much as possible, has a way of seeping into your core, almost freezing you from the inside out. As a result, a majority of our five hours in the city (that’s right if you’re doing math we spent a total of 6 hours in transit for 5 hours of touring – the price of being a cheap college student I guess) was spent dodging between famous indoor and outdoor landmarks to warm our limbs and extremities.
Though the cold had a way of numbing your feet as they touched the ground outside, we managed to see a decent amount the city, which dates it roots back to 50 BC when it was founded under the Roman Empire. My two paisanos and I chose to see as much of the historical city as we could. Of course the Allied Forces made that a little bit easier for us, as most of the city was decimated during the bombings in WWII. Aerial photographs from 1945 are haunting to look upon as you stare at the skeletons of the buildings that once made up the center of the city.
Our tour of Köln mainly consisted of churches and ancient city walls. We started with the outside of the Cathedral, though we had to bypass the inside in the beginning due to the mass that was going on. We then traveled through the Alter Markt, which was the old city’s main town square. From there we headed to the Rhine river and walked along the waterfront for a bit, admiring the three famous bridges, Hohenzollernbrucke, Deutzer Bruck, and Severinsbrucke. We passed by the famous statues of Tunnes and Schal – two comical German folklore characters. Following the shops and smells of Hohe strasse, we wandered through the main shopping area of Cologne, dropping in and out of shops to warm up – I say smells because the perfume shops were overwhelming, each selling an “original” Cologne cologne. From the shopping center we headed over to the El De house (the Gestapo headquarters during WWII), the Cologne City museum, the City hall, and some of the remnants of the old Roman walls. After wandering past the tower, we made a quick trip up to the media park to admire some old bits of ancient roman city wall, and the tallest modern sky scraper in Cologne.
However, the beauty of the city revolved around the spires of the cathedral which could be seen from just about any point on our journey. It also made it easy to find our way back to the train (I wish all European cities were required to build landmarks next to their train stations). We popped into the poorly lit, and poorly heated, cathedral before we left. The dark towering insides were magnificent in their simple beauty. After having wandered through the crypts and interior of the Cathedral, we headed back to catch our train. Though the interior design was worth the wait, the beauty of the dark spire structure was found in its simple addition to the main skyline. It was as if the spires stood out distinctly in the skyline, but fit perfectly into the feeling of the city.
After our romp through the cold Köln streets, both physically and mentally tired, we headed back to the train station, in preparation of our 3 hour ride home. Coupled with studying and napping, the train brought us back to Leuven just before 9, and soon enough, we were warming ourselves back in the confines of the one and only Nachbahrhuis. With the weather behind us, we concluded our spur-of-the-moment trip – a trip worth the weather.
Nicely written...I always enjoy reading about your travels. It helps me to be there with you!
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