I was super excited when  Noël wanted to go to Cologne. I had not been since I was a teenager. Noël doesn’t really like big cities. But since he didn’t have to drive he was looking forward to it. And there is the rub, we couldn’t find any public transportation. To be fair there are trains but they were fully booked, there are taxis but they were too expensive. So after an hour Noël said he would drive. 

We parked just across from the cathedral on the other side of the Rhine River. We crossed the Hohenzollernbrücke. It was destroyed during WWII. Cologne was one of the most heavily bombed cities. The bridge is covered in locks. 

The cathedral is magnificent. We were surprised that there was no fee to go inside. Many of the large cathedrals in Spain cost to go in. While we were looking around we heard an announcement that a service was about to start. And then there were bagpipes playing “O Come All Ye Faithful”. I’m not sure if it was the cathedral, the song, the bagpipes but I found myself getting emotional.

We went to two different Christmas Markets.  The one at the cathedral is supposed to be the largest. And it was crowded. It was almost impossible to see anything or move. We decided to get lunch and then went to the market in the old town. Really enjoyed that. And also got these cute cups with glühwein. 

A brisk walk back across the bridge and back to Oberwinter before sundown. Another really great day. 

Fun fact Cologne is over 2000 years old. It gave its name to eau de cologne. 

If ever in Germany Cologne is a gem. 

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