How can I summarize my two week trip to Germany in one post? I can't, so today I will share with you our stop in Cologne (Koln) Germany...
I asked a friend if I could bring her anything back from my trip and she asked for one thing, a post card of the Cologne Cathedral. The what??? I Googled Cologne and quickly decided we definitely would visit the country's 4th largest city and tour Germany's largest cathedral.
On December 8th we hopped into the rental car and headed 2 hours north from Mainz to Cologne.
Here is just a bit of what we saw...
Yes, that's me with the Cathedral in the background
Wow, it is HUGE
The Cologne Cathedral is the greatest Gothic cathedral in Germany and it is the most famous landmark in Cologne. Construction began in the 13th century (1248) and was done in stages. It was completed in 1800, more than 600 years later!
We entered the 8000 square foot Cathedral and witnessed this...
And this, the most celebrated work of art and the main treasure of the Cathedral...
The Shrine of the Three Kings is thought to contain the remains of the Three Wise Men.
I was thankful for the sunshine on this day because without it we would not have witnessed the kaleidoscope of glowing multi-colored light from the most beautiful stained glass windows...
In 2007 this window, designed by 75 year old Gerhard Richter, was unveiled...
Designer: Gerhard Richter
Cost of material & mounting: $506,000
11,500 squares of glass
Height 65' 7"
72 colors
Would you believe that the Cathedral can hold 20,000 people?
Just outside the Cathedral is my second favorite Cologne tourist attraction: the Hohenzollern bridge...
Yes, that's me again on the other side of the
Rhine with the Cathedral in the background
A bridge??? Yes, but this is a very special bridge. Here is where you will find thousands of locked padlocks attached to the fence that spans across the Rhine River; the Love Lock Bridge...
Love Locks got their start in Italy, on the Milvlian bridge over the Tiber, and in 2008 this trend spread to Cologne Germany.
Like millions of others before us, my DH and I immortalized our love with an engraved padlock...
Inside the white outline
IS
THIS:
We then proceeded to toss the key into the Rhine River below....
Can you believe I was able to capture the key as it dropped to the cold water?...
When I return to Germany, possible in the summer, I would like to return to Cologne and affix another lock engraved with 08/10/87 and 06/01//89, two of the VERY best days of my life...G&D's birthday.
Next stop...
Imhoff-Stollwerck Museum
(The Chocolate Museum)
Ohhhh, the smell of chocolate...need I say more?
And of course we shopped at 4 of the 6 Christmas Markets in Cologne. Yes, some locations have multiple markets.
Cologne Christmas Market
Passing through one of these markets I saw (and loved) this...
Hearts
Can you see all the hanging hearts?
There you have it, a quick tour of one of my favorite tourist destinations:
Cologne, Germany
Next stop...Heidelberg.
Be sure to stop by Nicola's blog for info on her generous giveaway!
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time...
8 comments:
Beautiful cathedral, Marie, I am a historian so I really love posts like this. Thanks for taking us on a tour of Cologne.
GORGEOUS photos. Jeff and I would like to visit Germany one day. he's been there, but only to change planes in Frankfurt. But he does have family there, so we'd like to see it some day.
BTW, several other places do the Love Locks on bridges. If you ever find yourself on the Napa Valley Wine train, be sure to take a lock with you and affix it to their bridge.
What a wonderful trip! Loved seeing all your pictures ~ I really hope to one day travel to Germany.
Oh gosh...Cologne. I grew up not far from there. Love the Cathedral.
And Heidelberg - my home town for long years. When you come to the church at the End of the Hauptstrasse (and as a tourist you will do) that's where I lived, with my windows looking out to the castle. Gosh, I miss Heidelberg sometimes. Even after all those years.
Wishing you lots of fun there. It's a beautiful city.
OMG, Marie, you and I have never met but have done exchanges, and now you have visited some of the same places as when we were in Germany in Sept 2011! Small world.
Yes we visited the Cathedral and the bridge! It was sunny and warm (Sept) when we went but the Christmas markets must've been wonderful!
Looking forward to the Heidelberg photos too. We did a day trip from Stuttgart!
Looks like you had a wonderful time! I love the hanging hearts :)
What awesome pictures! It looks really really chilly there though.
One of the cities in Europe to live in Cologne. I traveled for a week and liked it very much. I have written here.
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