Getting Smelly in Cologne

2010 09 12

I arrived in Cologne with very little expectation. I wanted to go towards Luxemburg or Brussels but neither cities had any available room on that weekend (Sep 10 & 11). So Cologne was the lucky recepient of my presence. The hostel I booked was once again close to the Hauptbahnhof and upon arrival I was very pleased with the newly renovated facilities, including the much needed laundry service!!! Unfortunately, the dorm was in a converted old church and my room was on the fourth floor with no elevator! Going up and down 80 steps each time was a great workout.

My exploration of the town began with a walk through the Aldstadt, and then along the Rhein toward a more modern and industrial part of the town. On the way back, I stumbled upon the Schokoladenmuseum (Lindt chocolate museum) and thought I had to go in to check it out. The operation was not that interesting given I grew up next to the Hershey factory, but the complimentary wafer covered with the cholocate from the massive fountain was a good distraction. There were extras so the lady gave me two!!! The upstairs housed the playful interactive chocolate adventure for both adults and children. Okay, I added the adults part myself because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The next morning I went and explored the north end and the Technology City, with the radio and TV headquarters. I then went back through the centre town and just wandered through the city streets checking out the shops. The free map I got from the hostel was sponsored by Globetrotters so their marketing worked because I was curious. The flagship store in Cologne was gigantic and was nearly twice the size of the MEC store in Ottawa, including a water poolfor testing kayaks and canoes. I almost bought myself a pair of Adidas and a messenger bag, but luckily, I talked myself out of it due to the lack of space and the added load.

After visiting everything else, I did leave the major landmark for the end. The Dom, Germany's greatest cathedral, was a colossal High Gothic masterpiece right beside the train station. Built over the course of 6 centuries, it was completed in 1880 and survived WWII. Having already done my quota of stairs back at the hostel, I further punished myself by ascending the 533 pie-shaped steps spiralled to the top of the Sudturm (south tower). The challenge was further accentuated by the fact that these steps were also occupied with those descending as well, hence it was great way to meet other visitors as we fought for a foothold or fell to our death.

At the top to my disappointment, the view was partially obstructed by the so called security measure of a metal caging installed around the top. Nevertheless, I was able to peep through and take some great photos for my record. Hey, afterall, I did Stonehenge through a fence, so what's a little Dom?

In the end, the stopover in Cologne wasn't that bad at all. Of course, finishing a load of laundry before moving on was a big plus because I didn't want to leaving smelling badly from Cologne.