Cologne, Germany - Day 5 - july 11, 2019

This morning we awoke and had a great breakfast before our docking in Cologne at 10 am. We docked across the rail bridge from the famous Cologne Cathedral, a great spot. We went on a morning walking tour of the cathedral and the area immediately around it. Most of the city of Cologne had been wiped out during the bombings of World War II, but the cathedral remained untouched because the Allied forces used it as a landmark for their bombing runs. Cologne is very famous for its Kolsch beer and after our tour, our tour guide gave us a recommendation to his favorite Kolsch place. We had a nice lunch and several Paffgen Kolsch beers at the Bierhaus am Rhein. Shelly ordered a sausage plate, but the water brought her “Heaven & Earth” which is a local dish made up of fried blood sausage, mashed potatoes, fried onions, and applesauce. The waiter encouraged her to at least try it, she did and thought it was good. The waiter brought us local schnapps for his mix-up! The process of ordering and drinking Kolsch in Cologne was a highlight of the trip for me. After lunch, we hiked back across the rail bridge to our ship – the rail bridge in Cologne is a love lock bridge and there are thousands of locks on the bridge with people’s names or initials on them.

Rail Bridge & Cathedral from the balcony of our ship

Many people inside the Cologne Cathedral - very hard to get a good photo - it is so large!

Kolsch server - small glasses in a crown to keep them crisp and cold!

Rail Bridge in Cologne - a lock bridge