Day trip to Cologne- Saturday, April 29

Last Saturday, three of my friends and I traveled to Cologne, Germany via train. It took us a little over 3 hours before we got to the main train station there. Along the way, we enjoyed a scenic route by the Moselle River and through many small towns and not so small (Bonn).

As soon as we walked through the doors of the train station and into the outside world of Cologne, we were taken back by the size and grandeur of the Dom, or Cathedral. Being Germany’s largest cathedral you can probably imagine what it was like to be on the steps of this church looking up. It was amazing and even more so inside.

Supposedly the ashes of the three wise men are kept just behind the high altar of the church. Also, the stained glass windows (gifts from such people as King Ludwig) are so intricate that it is unbelievable to think just how much work was put into the construction and design of the Dom. I guess that makes sense that it took nearly 600 years to finish.

And for only a Euro, we were able to climb the eastern tower’s winding staircase to the very top. The view was incredible from up there and we could literally see in all directions. I have never been one to be scared of heights, but being that high up and looking down upon the specks of people, almost made be ‘height-o-phobic’ (and yes, in my dictionary, that is a real word.)

Beyond seeing the Dom and countless tourists (price you get for going on a Saturday), we were able to see the altstadt (where the infamous, ‘Karneval’, begins each year), the Rhein River, and the chocolate museum.

Before catching the last train to Trier for the day (9pm), we relaxed in a nice café…’Café Elefant’. It seemed more French than German, but I still found the atmosphere charming. Their specialty was Russian crepes, but we didn’t have enough time to eat.

I was exhausted by the time we got back to Trier at about 1am…

Sunday, I went to a Lutheran church service in the Roman Basilika (first used in 300 AD as a throne room to Constantine) on Sunday morning. It is actually the only Lutheran church in Trier now because this region is predominantly Catholic.

Monday was a holiday here (I believe it is kinda like our labor day), and therefore, neither the University nor any stores were open. It was relaxing to say the least.

Also….I have seen two movies recently in German: Good Night, Good Luck and Ice Age 2. The latter was hilarious and the first was just a bit difficult to understand in German, but still glad I went.

CLASSES, by the way, are going good. I am taking one lecture in Media Studies and then primarily German classes to improve my grammar and such.

Will update soon.