Cologne, Germany
50° 56' N 6° 56' E
Dec 13, 2007 14:12
Distance 185km

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Weinachtsmarkt

Text written in: English

This weekend we got the train to Köln for the Christmas Markets and Shane's 30th Birthday.

The train journey was good, although we did have to be up very early to get to St Pancras for an early Eurostar. The Eurostar wasn't as comfy as the Thalys train we had for the Brussels- Köln leg, but the scenery was beautiful through frosty Kent. The countryside east of Belgium is also lovely, with the train line following a river winding through hills. In all, much less stressful than flying. We arrived in Köln at about 3:45.

We splashed out a bit for Shane's birthday and stayed at the 5* Excelsior Hotel Ernst, right across the road from the cathedral. It's a beautiful hotel, the room was really big and we got bath robes and everything :) The breakfast was also really good!

We spent Friday and Saturday wandering around the 6 or so markets scattered around the city centre, and dodging the shopping crowds in the very modern shopping district and going into the odd church. The city centre is quite compact (at least the parts we went to were). A lot of the city was destroyed by bombs during WWII, but they rebuilt all the churches, often with little decoration.  A lot of the churches were 800-1000 years old, but were rebuilt in the 1950s, so they aren't really that old anymore.  The stained glass windows in these churches are all modern designs now.  They look almost chaotic and not quite right for a church.  The architecture is all beautiful though.

We climbed the towers of the massive gothic cathedral (called the Dom - sooo many stairs!) for a wintery view of the city, and took loads of pics of it from both sides of the Rhine. It was quite chilly the whole time we were there, with temps around 0 the whole time but unfortunately no snow. We considered catching the train to Heidelberg, hoping for snow on Saturday but it was going to be really expensive. Ah well, another time.

We ate and drank a lot, including sausages, Bäckfisch (battered fish), Waffles, Sugared almonds, Glühwein (with amaretto), and plenty of different types of Kölsch (local beers). We sampled the local steakhouses too but it was tough because the city was soooo crowded it was often easier to eat market food than try to get in anywhere to eat.

On Sunday morning, the sun was shining brightly, so we ducked back into the cathedral for a peek to find it filled with incense and light. The sunlight streaming through the stained glass threw rainbows everywhere, it was like a different building from the gloomy space of the previous day.

We got the train from Köln at about 5:30 and were home in Windsor at 11:30. We don't think that's much different from flying really!

No more holidays now until next year - but I am at home over christmas so I can have a nice rest (and/or play world of warcraft the whole time) while poor Shane has to work.

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Photos / videos of "Weinachtsmarkt":

St Martin's church and the best restaurant name we saw Cologne across the Rhine the Dom and the rail bridge the Dom and the rail bridge Weinachtsmarkt near the Dom Weinachtsmarkt near the Dom Banks of the Rhine, from the exhibition grounds Weinachtsmarkt near the Dom The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) Stalls at Rudolphplatz Anni buys an eggnog and a language barrier means she gets one with amaretto and rum in it! Rudolphplatz Stalls in Neumarkt Stalls in Neumarkt Food at the markets Shane enjoys a 1/2 metre Mettwurst Inside the cathedral spire Climbing up to see the view View from the Dom from the Dom towers Markets from above Churches from above Our hotel from above Brass playing Santas? The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) Another of the churches nearby. This one has a decagonal nave. Odd stained glass at a church The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Rhine flows really fast! The Rhine The Rhine The Old Town The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) The Dom (Cologne Cathedral) Anni and Shane do the Weinachtsmarkt Weinachtsmarkt near the Dom Anni enjoys a Gluhwein by the Dom Roman walls (it was one a roman colony, hence the name...) The Old Town
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