We asked the hotel staff for the best way to get into Cologne and were told that the best way was to drive to Legenfeld (3.5 kms away) and catch the S-Bahn. Well as it transpired it was 7 kms into Legenfeld, and another 10 kms driving around in circles trying to find the S-Bahn. Then two trains went through while we were trying to understand how to extract tickets from the automatic machine. Some of these machines are very easy, others are a challenge to say the least. However we finally made it to Cologne.
As soon as you get off the train, the thing that hits you is the Cathedral. The Cologne Cathedral is magnificent. It is one of the largest churches that we have seen with vaulted ceiling reaching over 45 meters high. At one end there are a number of chapels (for various saints) set in a semicircular pattern around the main alter, which is the shrine to the three magi (the three wise men). A very intricate shrine made out of ornate gold, and it houses the relics of the three magi.
The cathedral is a visual feast from top to bottom, from the ceiling, to the fantastic stained glass windows all around, to the very intricate mosaics on the floor. It really was a spectacular experience, but the whole ‘relic’ thing brought up the discussion with us, about how did the Catholic church manage to get a monopoly on the relics. Were they the only ones that could afford them? Was it because of their power and wealth in times of old? Was it their means of generating revenue, or swaying the masses towards the Catholic way? Whatever the answer we had our eyes set on higher things. We climbed the tower, through the belfry (with it’s eight huge bells) and beyond. This took us up over 100 meters via the 533 spiral steps. After sitting down to steady our spinning heads we walked out around the walkway, looked down on the masses below, and looked up the remaining 57 meters to the top of the steeple. The top stone alone is 9.5 meters high. This really is an impressive cathedral.
What has been quite noticeable since we got back into Germany, is that we are back into the territory of the beggars. They were strangely absent in Denmark, but then that is a welfare state. But here in Germany, they even had them inside the church. Well to be fair, they were actually priests in their red garb, floating around with their alms boxes. The first time we have seen that.
Beside the cathedral there are the remains of the Roman gate to the city dated 50 AD. This is a reminder that this is where the Goths and the Germanic tribes med the Romans, and the Romans used the Rhein as a natural border between their territories, and set up the city Cologne. They did have a trading relationship, but this was tenuous at best. But this does explain the Roman remains around the central city, in fact some of these remains had to be demolished to put in the footings for the cathedral when it was first built.
We spent the rest of the day browsing the city before taking the half hour train journey back to Legenfeld, and then Monheim am Rhein. We grabbed a quick dinner on way through the train station, and we have to say that there is nothing funnier than seeing an angry German vegetarian who thinks that he has been served chicken. The ruckus died down when he discovered that it was indeed tofu.
As soon as you get off the train, the thing that hits you is the Cathedral. The Cologne Cathedral is magnificent. It is one of the largest churches that we have seen with vaulted ceiling reaching over 45 meters high. At one end there are a number of chapels (for various saints) set in a semicircular pattern around the main alter, which is the shrine to the three magi (the three wise men). A very intricate shrine made out of ornate gold, and it houses the relics of the three magi.
The cathedral is a visual feast from top to bottom, from the ceiling, to the fantastic stained glass windows all around, to the very intricate mosaics on the floor. It really was a spectacular experience, but the whole ‘relic’ thing brought up the discussion with us, about how did the Catholic church manage to get a monopoly on the relics. Were they the only ones that could afford them? Was it because of their power and wealth in times of old? Was it their means of generating revenue, or swaying the masses towards the Catholic way? Whatever the answer we had our eyes set on higher things. We climbed the tower, through the belfry (with it’s eight huge bells) and beyond. This took us up over 100 meters via the 533 spiral steps. After sitting down to steady our spinning heads we walked out around the walkway, looked down on the masses below, and looked up the remaining 57 meters to the top of the steeple. The top stone alone is 9.5 meters high. This really is an impressive cathedral.
What has been quite noticeable since we got back into Germany, is that we are back into the territory of the beggars. They were strangely absent in Denmark, but then that is a welfare state. But here in Germany, they even had them inside the church. Well to be fair, they were actually priests in their red garb, floating around with their alms boxes. The first time we have seen that.
Beside the cathedral there are the remains of the Roman gate to the city dated 50 AD. This is a reminder that this is where the Goths and the Germanic tribes med the Romans, and the Romans used the Rhein as a natural border between their territories, and set up the city Cologne. They did have a trading relationship, but this was tenuous at best. But this does explain the Roman remains around the central city, in fact some of these remains had to be demolished to put in the footings for the cathedral when it was first built.
We spent the rest of the day browsing the city before taking the half hour train journey back to Legenfeld, and then Monheim am Rhein. We grabbed a quick dinner on way through the train station, and we have to say that there is nothing funnier than seeing an angry German vegetarian who thinks that he has been served chicken. The ruckus died down when he discovered that it was indeed tofu.
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