back to cologne

Kölner Dome+me. This was supposed to be my Christmas greeting card if I was not able to go home to Pinas

My first time in Cologne (Köln auf Deutsch) was during the last weekend before we had the Christmas 2011 holidays. I visited my friends Simi and Holger living in Bonn and they brought me to see Cologne for the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas bazaar) and the famous Dom. We drove from Bonn (after having a very nice vegetarian soup and Knödel) to catch the Dom before it closes.

Simi and Holger preparing our dinner. Colorful veggies to wonderful soup. Simi kneading Knödel

We made it while the priest was saying the final prayers and were able to sneak into the crowded Dom. Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) is a famous landmark of the city. This gothic church is the largest in the Northern Europe (see and google it for yourself!). You can go up through the spiral staircase with more than 500 steps to have a view of the whole city. But since the Dom was soon to be closed, I wasn't able to climb. 

But

we strolled along the River Rhein

walked in the old city and its quaint alleys

enjoyed the evening scenery of Germany's carnival city

and I had my first beer Gaffel Kölsch

Kölsch, just like water? Prost!

Quaint, e?

Now, after leaving Darmstadt, I am glad to live near Cologne. And for the past week that I am staying with a great German-Filipino family in Erftstadt, I had been to Cologne three times. Erftstadt is 20 kilometer southwest of Cologne, easy ride of less than 30 minutes between the two cities.

Hmmm.. now in a new town, I wonder how much of Cologne will I be able to know and understand in terms of its city development. I  hope to spend time to know more about the city beyond its High Street (Hohe Straße), Lindt Chocolate Musuem, and Dom.