Day 9: Cologne

Miles logged: 4599
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Yesterday wasn't the most exciting day on my trip so far, but still a solid travel day.

The first stop in Cologne was to its Cathedral, which was probably the most magnificent church I have ever seen. Absolutely breathtaking. How this church was built in the 1200s with the technology available at the time seems impossible, but it was spectacular. I took a few photos, but not many because capturing the Cathedral's height and stain glass windows properly would take a camera far better than mine and would still fail to convey the building's magnificence. Ninety percent of Cologne was bombed and destroyed in World War II, but somehow the Cathedral survived fully intact. A miracle? Divine intervention? Luck? Whatever the reason, thank goodness for all of humanity that such an marvelous landmark survived for future generations to better understand this incredible architectural achievement.

The Cathedral

A doesn't-do-it justice shot of inside the cathedral

After touring the Cathedral, I paid the entrance fee to climb the 533 claustrophobic stairs to the Belfry. The climb up was a tad painful and I'm not sure the views completely offset the climb, but it was off the tourist to-do checklist.

View from the belfry

I only had a couple of hours to spend in Cologne, and I was hoping to get my first introduction to the German art scene. Cologne is known as a pretty hip city and very progressive, so I was expecting some good art browsing and shopping opportunities. I hit up the main shopping thoroughfare, which was bland collection of multiple H&M stores and other similar mega Euro-department stores. The area was so packed with Saturday shoppers that I didn't last long, as the area looked much like any major European shopping district.

I had read that there was a hip area called Agnesviertel, a "bohemian" district not far from the main train station. I headed over to check out the neighborhood, but left disappointed. While the area did look like a hip place to live, I didn't find the funky art galleries and shops that I had expected from the tour guide descriptions. So I headed back to the train station at about 4pm to make my way for a long ride to Berlin. The trains are very nice, and I'm riding in first class because at the ripe age of 28, I no longer qualified for a 2nd class Eurorail pass. The doors on my train were just like those in Star Trek - these Germans definitely know how to travel.

Which way to the Bridge?

Since I don't have any great stories from today, I'll respond here to a question I've gotten a lot lately: how I'm liking traveling alone. It's been a great experience, although I'm not so sold on it that I'd only ever travel this way again. Loneliness certainly hasn't been a problem; in fact, I've actually been having the opposite problem - sometimes I wish I could have some more down time. Traveling alone, I can't seem to avoid conversations on trains, at restaurants, or in the hostels. The fact that I'm traveling solo, which makes me completely approachable, and the unusual spanse of my travels immediately leads to conversations that I wish I could sometimes shorten. Both today and yesterday, I ended up in conversations on train rides with German men with noooo sense of humor that just would not stop providing very opinionated thoughts on my destinations, American politics and culture, the economy, and my job prospects. The only way I got out of the second conversation is when the man fell asleep, but then I had to listen to his loud snoring instead. I decided I preferred the snoring.

Finally, I get some time to write my blog!