Cologne

A case of pink eye forced us out of wrestling this past weekend, and not wanting to lose a bit of unexpected free time, we set out for Cologne.  To view pictures from the trip, click here.  Because I was asked why I'm not posting as many pictures on the blog itself, I'll tell you that I'm running out of space!  

While in Cologne, we spent a great deal of time in the Cathedral; used the most expensive restroom that I've seen in Europe thus far (1 Euro per person at the Main Train Station's 'McClean'); visited the Chocolate, Roman and Gestapo Museums, and walked about.  

My last visit to the Cathedral occurred after my unfortunate French detention (my concealed weapons charge), so this visit was less marred and allowed me to enjoy myself a bit more:  I hadn't noticed how beautiful the stained glass was on my last visit.  The cathedral is one of the only buildings in Cologne left largely in tact after the bombings during World War II left nearly 95% of the city in rubble.  The Cathedral's relics are said to the be the skulls of the Three Magi.  Bop commented that one of the stained glass windows looked like a television channel that had lost its signal!  Look at the pictures on Shutterfly and see if you can guess the one to which she is referring!  I was surprised that Littlest was most interested in the statues and she seldom looked at the windows.  Log and Matty enjoyed scanning the windows for knights, kings and coats of arms.  

The chocolate museum took itself quite seriously and chronicled the history of the cocoa bean in punctilious detail.  On-site was a Lindt production line, and the river of chocolate that flowed through the machines and fondue fountain looked much like Wonka's chocolate river. We enjoyed a hot drinking chocolate on the terasse, though the kiddos noted that there was too much cream on top for their tastes.  

Log was chomping at the bit to go to the Roman Museum.  Inside were myriad displays of antiquities found in the Rhein Valley including the Dionysus Mosiac, which dates from about 220 A.D. and is the museum's star exhibit (in fact, the museum was built around the brightly colored mosaic).  Log is all things Roman these days and likes to drape towels and sheets around himself in the fashion of a toga.  

The one-time Gestapo headquarters , EL-DE Haus, was a staid building and not much touted as an attraction.  The museum's exhibits focusing on socialism were stellar but the building's history cast a heavy pall.   The museum also doubles as a memorial to victims of Fascist Germany.  

A day and a half was not quite enough to enjoy all that Cologne has to offer as I was not afforded the opportunity to visit the museum dedicated to Käthe Kollwitz's arresting art (I'll always be indebted to Robert Sumser for introducing me to Kollwitz's work), the Kolumba Art Museum or the Wallraf-Richartz Museum.  Maybe next time and with J!