Because over 90% of the city of Cologne was destroyed by over 14 bombings during WWII, the main and miraculously surviving attraction here is the gothic DOM cathedral. It took over 600 years to complete, finished in 1880. I climbed to the top of the tower, a grueling 509 steps and over 157 meters! Thank goodness I am in good shape and a non-smoker! Just as with every tower so far, it was totally worth the effort! I met my friend Hale (we lived in San Diego at the same time last summer and didn't even know it) and we went out to a club. I am not used to partying or I am getting old! Lets just say Patrick had little too much fun.
One of the first things I didn’t expect to see in Germany were African dancers. Below are the Umoja dancers from Africa, who are on tour. They gave a little preview outside the Dom. Wish I could've gone to the show! See the accompanyng video clip to see why!
FIERCE!
I so want to go to Africa!
I loved the colorful costumes, bright smiles, and soul of the dance troupe!After watching the dancers, I went on a little stroll down from the Dom and I came upon this...
It's the Rhine! I was going to go on a Rhine river cruise but ran out of time. I can always go back I suppose. On the way to the Rhine, I saw the second thing I didn't expect to see in Cologne...
A statue of a nude man!!! And yes, for those of you who are curious (I know who you are!!!), he is VERY anatomically correct in the front.
This is the front of the nude man with the cathedral in the background.
It's the Rhine! I was going to go on a Rhine river cruise but ran out of time. I can always go back I suppose. On the way to the Rhine, I saw the second thing I didn't expect to see in Cologne...A statue of a nude man!!! And yes, for those of you who are curious (I know who you are!!!), he is VERY anatomically correct in the front. 
This is the front of the nude man with the cathedral in the background. I tried to keep it PG-13.
This is the third thing I wasn't expecting to see...
So, did an architect really get paid for proposing to put an ice cream cone on the top of a building??? Hmmm. Yes, cologne was full of surprises! 
Down from the House of Cologne, I came upon this cute fountain which had three sculptures attached to it.
Pretty fun! 
Front View. 
One of the doors to the Dom.
This is the Shrine of the Three Magi. It supposedly houses the remains of the three kings from the nativity story! It has been housed here since the 12th century, when it moved here from Italy. I headed up to the tower next.
The hike up took my breath away, but then again, so did the view once I got up!
Rhine View
So, did an architect really get paid for proposing to put an ice cream cone on the top of a building??? Hmmm. Yes, cologne was full of surprises!And now, we come to the namesake of this wonderful city:
The House of Cologne! You could smell the sweetness from down the block! It's also known as House no. 4711, from when Napoleon had all the houses counted and got rid of street names and addresses.
Down from the House of Cologne, I came upon this cute fountain which had three sculptures attached to it.
Pretty fun!I finally headed back to the Dom to check it out.
In the foreground is a life size replica one of the capitals on top of the spires. You can't tell, but it was over 15 feet high!
Side view of the Dom cathedral.
Front View. I really liked this particular sculpture on the front of the Dom. It's as if she was really glaring at you.
One of the doors to the Dom.This is the Shrine of the Three Magi. It supposedly houses the remains of the three kings from the nativity story! It has been housed here since the 12th century, when it moved here from Italy. I headed up to the tower next.The hike up took my breath away, but then again, so did the view once I got up!View on the way up
Rhine ViewLooking up at the very top spire!
The exit.
Sunset.
One of the fun things I like about Germany is seeing all the latest cars! I've seen some Mercedes', BMWs, and Audi's (like the one pictured below) that aren't in the states yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment