Calling on Cologne

Posted on Mumbai Mirror on May 31, 2010 at 03:52:19 PM

"There isn't much to see in Cologne, except the cathedral. You must climb up to its top," our Swiss friends tell us when we disclose that our next stop in Europe after Zurich would be Germany's fourth-largest city. "We have friends there," we speak in our defence. A few smiles in response and then the conversation veers onto the strength of the Swiss economy.

Cologne Rodenkirchen Bridge

We take the Intercity train from Zurich to Basel on the Switzerland-Germany border and then another to Cologne. We haven't reserved our seats in the first class (the Eurail pass allows first-class travel) but are lucky to find a couple with reservations from Cologne to Amsterdam. We take them.

Kölner Dom

Our host awaits us at the station. The train's late by 10 minutes, monumental by German-Swiss standards. I tell her this, she smiles in response. "German trains can be up to 10 minutes late." We step out of the station only to be dwarfed by the massive Hohe Domkirche St Peter und Maria aka the Kölner Dom. We marvel at the intricately carved spires of the cathedral that were at one point in time were the tallest structures in the world until the completion of the Washington Monument. "We'll have a closer look later. Let's go home now," our host suggests.

We take the underground to Ebertplatz station. Like most of the locals around us, we don't buy tickets. "No one's going to check and it's just one station," we are assured.

Neusser Strasse where our host's apartment is located is a quiet street full of shops of supermarkets. Our host points out to the numerous bakeries, the Donor Kebab (the Turkish version of MacDonalds), video parlours, etc.

(Top) Children's paintings at a Roman Catholic Church,
(Above) Ducks and flowers at the botanical gardens

We walk through the Neusser Strasse to a majestic old Roman Catholic church at the end of the road. We come across a plant with ribbons tied on it by young bachelors looking for suitable girlfriends or wives that reminds us of the 'wishing trees' in Indian shrines.

The Wishing Plant

We walk through Cologne's botanical gardens, a destination more for morning walkers, joggers and birds than for tourists. We take in the view of the the curves of the famed Cologne Rodenkirchen Bridge, the suspension rail bridge that was bombed in January 1945 (a picture of the bombing and reconstruction is displayed at the German History Museum at Bonn) from the Hohenzollern bridge.

The Hohenzollern bride over the Rhine itself is a monument of love, not because of its architecture, but because of the thousands of 'love locks' on its fence. The locks bear the names of the couples in love and the date their relationships were sealed forever. The tokens of love have become an attraction for tourists, who stop to take a closer look at the messages inscribed on them. Though some of the locks put there were manufactured in pre-War Germany, the dates they bear are not older than 1972.

A tribute to Jews

We walk down the bridge to an exhibition that pays tribute to Jews who were taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. Some of the photographs are still missing. It's a poignant reminder of Germany's past. The exhibition notes that Germany can never forget its Nazi history. In Germany, you can't say that you're proud to be German.

We walk down to Hohe Strasse which literally means the high street. This is the shopping district of Cologne where you'll find some of the biggest international brands. It is also the busiest street in Cologne with lots of German and Scandinavian tourists. We stop over to buy some souvenirs. We learn that in spite of all the modernisation, German shopkeepers here still prefer cash to credit cards. We discuss this over a lunch of sausages, bretzels, muffins and coffee.

The break gives us enough energy to climb the to the top of the cathedral. Construction of cathedral began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete. It is 144.5 metres long, 86.5 m wide and its towers are approximately 157 m tall. The cathedral is beautiful but is always in the process of renovation. Though it miraculously survived the WWII bombings, it still has had to deal with corrosion and graffiti. We spend a few moments inside the church before our trek. It's a 533-step spiral staircase. It's cold and steep and we have to climb in single file. We trudge on, with a few breaks. It takes half-hour to the top. And from there, we see the whole of Cologne.

At a German restaurant, we drink our first beer from Cologne, Kölsch. Germans love their beers and have great pride in their local brews. Don't make the mistake of telling a Cologne resident that you like Dusseldorf's Alt more than Kölsch. We did, regrettably. As for the food, it's basically meat with potatoes. The menus are always in German and you can't always be sure if you've got the translation right. Chicken is a little difficult to come by, vegetarian grub even more. But have no fear, the Germans love potatoes and you'll find them aplenty. If you're still not convinced, head to one of the hundreds of Ristorante Pizzerias for pasta.

                                Archive of chocolate boxes and wrappers

While there are over 30 museums in Cologne, what makes for a very interesting tourist attraction is the chocolate museum. Built by Lindt (a Swiss chocolate brand), this museum showcases the entire process of chocolate-making, from the cocoa plant to chocolate bars. The tantalising smell of chocolate wafts through the museum and you can also try out freshly made chocolate at the chocolate fountain. There is also a floor dedicated to chocolate moulds and wrappers too!

                              Chocolate Fountain!

Besides the cathedral and its museums, Cologne also hosts the famous Cologne Carnival, one of the biggest street festivals in Europe, in November, and the Cologne Gay Pride on July 4. It is also the city that has given the world Eau de Cologne!