Day 18 Köln

We had breakfast at the hotel in Bremen. Dave was very excited to have a soft-boiled egg which is a typical German breakfast food. The hotel's presentation was especially charming.




We arrived in Köln after a 3 hour train ride. As we exited the the train station we were overwhelmed by the cathedral. It rises from a plaza on the other side of the train station. Though we were tempted to explore right away we knew we would last longer after a little lunch. We found a nice Italian restaurant just a few blocks away. The waiter, having heard us speak to each other, offered to speak in English or German. We agreed that English would be better for the boys (all three). He proceeded to introduce the specials in a version of English that consisted mainly of Italian. We figured it would be a great preparation for our visit to Italy in a few weeks. We never saw a menu but more or less negotiated various pizza and pasta dishes with the waiter. Everything was delicious and the bill was reasonable.

The cathedral is truly magnificent. It is really indescribable. The pictures of course don't even come close. Perhaps the best way to imagine what we saw is to look at the expressions of Johnny and Nicky as they looked up. The relics of this cathedral include the remains of the Three Wise Men. That is the main reason that pilgrims made the trip to Köln. In the crypt, there are the remains of an archbishop from the 300s. Clearly, Köln was one of the earliest Christian cities. One of the crosses on display dates back to 970. The age of these buildings and artifacts defies understanding.