SPECIAL....BREAKING NEWS!!!
In case you're wondering why I'm travelling while everyone is supposed to be in lockdown, I'm not (travelling, that is). I'm actually writing this on April 12th....27 days into the 'lockdown' as a result of the CoronaVirus. The orders to 'stay in place' came only 6 days after I returned from Cologne!!!
Friday, March 6, 2020
My flight from Palma direct to Cologne was supposed to leave at 8am which meant getting up before the crack of dawn. Though it rarely occurs at the Palma airport, we were bussed from the terminal across the tarmac to the plane. We were all aboard and settled in, ready to taxi and take off. BUT, we sat for an hour on the tarmac presumably due to the affects of a French air traffic controllers strike.
It was a beautiful day and we were lucky to take off over the bay which affords fantastic views. I presumed we would continue straight out over the sea so I closed my eyes to snooze. But, we turned and headed across to the other end of the island. I almost missed the opportunity to take fotos of the Formentor and Victoria peninsulas. Gorgeous sites!!
Formentor peninsula is the longer one.
Victoria peninsula the closest.
The town of Alcudia in front of the engine.
The town of Alcudia in front of the engine.
That's Marseille, France in the upper portion of the photo.
We were being followed by this UFO!!!
Stunning views flying over the Swiss Alps.
There was no jetway at the Cologne airport. We disembarked via the stairs built into the airplane, then walked across the tarmac, then up stairs into the terminal. No escalators. No moving sidewalks. My knee was screaming at me! I needed to find the train station which I knew was located in the airport, but were there signs?? Sometimes a sign would point 'that way' and after going 'that way' for a while could I find another prominent sign continuing to direct me? No, of course not! So, I asked. I had to walk to the next terminal and then down a few levels. When I got there, the escalators were being worked on, so I walked over to the elevators and stood there until I realized they weren't moving either!!! I took the stairs.
I needed to buy a train ticket to take me into the central station in Cologne. At the ticket machine, I chose the English language. Big help THAT was! In my past profession, I used to DESIGN computer interfaces and one of the most critical requirements was for it to be INTUITIVE!! This was NOT!! I tried to find the tourist ticket that allows use of all the transportation systems for XX days for a fixed price. It didn't exist or I couldn't tell which one it was. So, I opted to buy a single ticket for now. To where? The list of destinations were all in German and I didn't recognize any of them to be the central station so I just selected any ol' ticket and went with that.
The Google maps on my cell phone said I needed train S19 but didn’t mention which platform I needed to go to find it. So, I picked one. I saw an S19 on the overhead monitor and figured the train that was waiting was S19 and it was 2 seconds away from departing so I quickly hopped on. I've always had a good sense of direction so I quickly discovered it was not the correct train and I was headed to who knows where and in the wrong direction. I got off at the next stop. I switched over to the other side to go back the other direction. I hopped on S19 but somehow it was the wrong direction going BACK to the airport!!! I got off again. In most subways, if you have to switch direction, you have to go down and under and up and over to switch to the other side. Again, it was all stairs, no escalators, no elevators. Finally, I got on the S19 going the RIGHT direction.
5 stops later I got off. Next, I needed to connect to bus 140. I just missed it so I had to wait 20 minutes for next one in the freezing cold and no shelter. Every transit system is different in every city. In Cologne, instead of paying the bus driver, there’s a machine on board to buy your ticket based on your destination. I was trying to stand and brace myself while doing the transaction while the bus was moving. At one point he turned a corner and I was flung to the other side and nearly landed on my ass.
11 stops later and a 2 block walk and I arrived at my host's townhouse in the boonies. Normally, with home exchanges, you don't get to meet your host/guest because they're on the way to your home when you're on the way to theirs. But, this time, Sonja (my hostess) had an evening flight, so I was able to meet her, enjoy a chat, and a tour of her home. She lives in a 4-level townhouse with STEEP stairs. My knee spasm'd with joy!!
In the early evening, I decided to walk to the nearest grocery store which was about 1 km away. By the time I arrived, I knew there was NO WAY I was going to walk back AND be carrying groceries at the same time.
When I get stressed (like with this travel adventure) I want a booze buzz to relax! Buying booze, too, is different everywhere you go!! In this case, the hard alcohol was in a locked display case about the size of a coke machine. I had to waive somebody down for them to unlock the cabinet and give me what I wanted. As for groceries, naturally, everything was labeled in German. I had no idea what I was buying (ie; ingredients) unless it was obvious like ham, eggs, cheese. I purchased bread and small tubs of what I thought were spreads for crackers and such. One turned out to be egg salad.
On the corner near the store, I spotted a 'Lime' electric scooter ('Lime' being the company name). It's one of those that you can rent on the spot using an app on your cell phone. I decided to rent one to motor back to my apartment with my stash. It was pretty easy and got me right to my front door.
But....
A 'No Parking' message was flashing on the instrument panel. I didn't realize the scooters were only allowed to be driven and parked in specific zones highlighted on a map. I was not allowed to park in the area near my home exchange aparatment!! Sooooo....I put the groceries in the apartment and drove the scooter to the closest place where I was allowed to park....about 1/2 way back to the store....parked it and hoofed it back to the apartment!!! Oh well, at least I only had to walk HALF the distance and not carry a heavy bag of groceries!! Sighhhhhh.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
I took the 140 bus and a train to the central station in the heart of Cologne. I remember when I first went to Europe 32 years ago and pulled into this massive train station. When I walked outside, I gasped out loud because the Cathedral was right next door and it's HUUUUGE!!!! Not exactly your Assembly of God church located at 8th and Pine in Port Angeles, Washington!!
Here's some stats:
Here's some stats:
- Completed in 1880
- The cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world
- 474 ft long
- 283 ft wide
- Spires reach 515 ft
- Suffered 14 hits during WWII
- Note: approx 70% of Cologne was destroyed in the war
- The black discoloration is caused by the sandstone reacting with sulfuric acid during rainfall. The acidic rain is a consequence of air pollution.
- The largest of the 11 bells weighs 26 tons!!
32 years ago, I climbed the stairs (all 500+ ) to the top of one of the spires. Not THIS time....not with my knee 32 years older!!!
On the plaza in front of the Cathedral is a replica of the finials that top each of the spires.
Located at the very tippy toppy point of those spires!!
Also on the plaza is a pictorial history of the devastation to Cologne and the Cathedral from WWII.
Notice the collapsed bridge. The new bridge (which looks the same) carries all the trains coming into and leaving the Central Station.
It was an odd feeling realizing this wasn't done by the Germans...
It was US and the Allied Forces!!
Love this front door handle.
Shrine/tomb of the Three Kings (aka Three Wise Men)
Completed 1225
It is shaped like a basilica, made of wood with gold and silver overlay, and decorated with over 1000 jewels and beads.
Tombs of Archbishops
After touring the Cathedral I hunted for a pretzel!!
It was a nice, sunny day...but cccold.
The central train station next door to the Cathedral.
I walked over to the Tourist offices across the plaza from the Cathedral and puchased a 48 hour transit pass for $18. While there, I checked on a couple other venues I wanted to visit:
Telecommunications tower not open…only Wednesdays.
Teleferico (aerial cable car that crosses the Rhine river) not open…only April to Oct.
Next Up??
I visit the Chocolate Factory!!
I visit the Chocolate Factory!!
Dano
By the way, if you're interested in viewing any of my past entries about travelling around Europe and where I live in Mallorca, simply scroll down past my signature to the end. There, you'll see 'Blog History'. You can click on any Month/Year to see the titles I published at that time. Simply click on the title you're interested in and it will take you to that page.
Amazing photos! When I saw your note that 70% of Cologne was destroyed in World War II, I thought about who did that damage. And then there it was -- you said the same thing! The devastation in the photos is unbelievable, and to think it was rebuilt. One detail that stood out to me was the very narrow bridge in one of the photos spanning the river and full of vehicles, with destruction still almost everywhere else. Must have been at one step in the renovations to the city.
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