Saturday 15th April - Cologne, Germany

We arrived in Cologne yesterday.  We had forgotten that it was a Bank Holiday and, having contacted several campsites that were fully booked, we were afraid we'd left it too late to find a space.  Then, having successfully booked a pitch, we wondered what the site might be like.  Happily, it turned out to be a lovely little campsite in the woods on the outskirts of the city.  Perfect.

All our worldly goods

In the woods at Camping Walbad outside Cologne

Roland had been to Cologne before on a number of occasions on business, but these trips are never the same as you don't get much opportunity for sight seeing. We met a guy on the train going in to the city and he suggested that we get off at the Hohenzollern bridge and walk across to the Cathedral.  It was a great idea and, although it was raining, we did get some great views across the Rhine.  The bridge itself was adorned with thousands if not hundreds of thousands of love locks, a sight we had seen elsewhere in Germany.

View of the Rhine from the Hohenzollernbrücke

towards Deutzer Brücke and Severinsbrücke 

View of  Cologne Cathedral

from the Hohenzollernbrücke

When we got to the Cathedral the heavens opened, but there was a peace protest taking place outside so the least we could do was brave the downpour and join in the silent protest.  Well, our part was silent.  People were making impassioned speeches in German, presumably in favour of nuclear disarmament and peace.  The cathedral literally dominates the area, towering above with its dark Gothic facade, although Roland says it didn't look as dark as he had remembered it.

When we came out we were stopped by two young and very evangelical christian women.  One was from Algeria and had been converted by her boyfriend, so it was interesting to hear about her life journey.

Peace Protest outside the Cologne Cathedral 

Cologne Cathedral

Spectacular vaulted ceiling
inside Cologne Cathedral

There was much to see and do in Cologne and again we were not in a position to do the city justice.

Heinzelmännchen Fountain
The moral of the story -
"Don't mess with the little men"

Fish market - Martinswinkel
Great Saint Martin Church in background

Roland was adamant that he was not going to leave Cologne without tasting the local Kölsch beer, so we had to traipse around a bit to find a suitable bar that served Kölsch.  We settled into an Inn in the Fish Market that not only served Kölsch but also delicious fish and chips.

Well, you can't come to Cologne without having a Kölsch

Ice Cold in Cologne - Worth waiting for

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