Cologne was an unusual destination for us. Niether of us really ever wanted to go here and we didn't really know that much about it let alone the sights it had. The reason we picked it was because it seemed like the easiest place to do a Rhine River cruise from which is what we were after.
We arrived in to Cologne train station in the afternoon from Caen, France. Upon arrival we realized that we weren't the only ones headed here for the weekend. Cologne was hosting a "Gay Pride Parade" the same weekend we had booked. There were men and women hugging and kissing everywhere which is fine by me but then it turned into men in fishnets, mini skirts, six inch heals and a hell of a lot more.
Cologne is home to Germany's biggest cathedral, the Dom. It's free to enter and check out the church but if your wanting to climb the 509 stairs to the top you have to pay 2.5 euros. We decided to take it easy that afternoon and just walked through. The church itself is more than impressive but it's also home to an interesting shrine. The Shrine of the Magi. This shire was bought here centuries ago from Milan and is supposed to hold the bones of the three wise men. Interesting! You can't see them in the shrine so it's kind of up to you if you believe it. That evening we went down to the parade area where food stalls and beer tables were set up and tried our first German sausage. I know that sounds suss but it is what it is. After dinner we just sat back and had a few long over due beers whilst looking at the sceanery.
The next day we just went for a walk around Cologne and enjoyed the small streets, parks and Gingerbread houses. On the way back home were ended up walking into the Gay Parade. There was leather, skin and undies flying everywhere as they all danced to the mega loud techo that belted from there floats.
On our last day we got up at the crack of dawn and caught the train down to the small town of Koblenz where our boat would departfor our Rhine River cruise. Taking us down the river was the Grand Old Dame Paddlesteamer Goethe. She was a lovely boat!After taking a nice leasurily walk along the shore we boarded our boat with 15 minutes to spare. As we grabbed our seats on the front of the boat it was then that I realized I left my sunglasses 700 meters down stream. Now I must say that I'm a little dissapointed with my Fitness World membership as the three sessions I did, did not prepare me for a 1.4 kilometer run in 10 minutes. But the good news is I have my glasses.
The cruise itself was amazing. Something worth doing! The boat just snakes it's way down the Rhine Valley past Wine Fields, lush mountains, small towns and dozens of castles. We finished our trip at the small town of St Goar which is home to the biggest and best castle on the Rhine, Berg Reinfels. After exploring the castle it started to rain. So what else do you do in Germany when it rains? We sat on a covered veranda and had a few local brews. What a pefect end to Cologne. That afternoon we caught the train back to Koln.
We left for Berlin the next day.