World Germany Nordrheing Westfalen Cologne

John & Brenda's Excellent European Adventure - Part Deux

Cologne Aug 25, 2011

August 25, 2011 The Viking Danube cruised into Cologne around 9:00 a.m. on Thursday. The weather had cleared very nicely and mist was still rising from the river as we pulled into the dock. Our morning was very busy as we had to be packed with our bags tagged and ready to be picked up by 10:00 a.m. To cap it off, we had to join long lines of passengers trying to settle their accounts at the hospitality desk, complicated in no small part by several Americans paying out in US cash instead of credit cards while still others had to go over their accounts with a fine tooth comb even though they had 2 days in advance to review an interim copy. Happily avoiding the guided tours, we four rebels said goodbye to the Viking Danube for the final time as this was where she would head off for dry dock repairs and we took off for the streets of Cologne. Our first destination was the magnificent Cologne Cathedral (Dom), the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it took 632 years to complete between 1248 and 1880 and was under extensive renovation/restoration during our visit. We spent more time than we usually accorded churches on our trip as the hushed crowds allowed some time for peaceful contemplation and enjoyment of the art and reliquary. Across the cathedral square I noticed one of Europe’s ubiquitous rubber-tired tourist trains but we missed the scheduled departure and instead boarded the adjacent hop on/hop off bus for a tour of greater Cologne. We passed the huge Cologne Zoo and flower gardens, crossed the Rhine to the Exhibition Park and Science Centre, through the Old Town’s Hay Market and past the original home of the city’s famous brands of Eau de Cologne. Periodically we encountered remnants of Roman ruins and the original city walls and gates. Back at our starting point on the square, we left the bus to rejoin our fellow passengers for a traditional German lunch at the Brauhaus Früh, a huge beer hall with many dining rooms, all of them too warm. We were to meet up with the guides near the cathedral where they would take us to our night’s accommodation at the Marriott Hotel. Ever the rebels, we located the hotel on our own and checked in ahead of the crowds. The luxurious space and comfortable beds were not to be denied as we relaxed before dinner. The Viking people had promised to arrange internet access but they failed and the hotel’s 24-hour rate was €24…too rich for me although Cheryl signed up in order to do handle some business issues. The included dinner was a buffet and we arrived late, adding to our reputation as rebel/snobs when the staff placed us in a nice quiet booth some distance from the noisy crowd. Apparently we missed more controversy when the Program Director gave a speech wherein he alluded to the very low level of tipping that they had received, singling out the person who had given a paltry €7. We felt that by this time they were reaping the rewards of what they had sewn with all the inconvenience they had thrown our way. This was pretty much the last straw for our group of four and we decided to look into taking the train to Amsterdam on Friday rather than the Viking-provided motor coaches. Robert and I walked the two blocks to Cologne’s train station and bought 4 reserved seats on the 10:30 train for the next day. It meant we would miss the scheduled tour of the Kinderdijk but we had already seen the area on our earlier trip on the Elodie in June. We mentioned our escape plan to our Texan friends, Ken and Kay, but because they are not quite the seasoned travellers we seem to be, it was just a little too “out there” for them. It was too bad because we would have enjoyed their company and they really needed to split from the pack as much as we did.

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