Travel Adventures for Grown-Ups
Cologne, Germany
Info
Web:
www.koeln.de/tourism/welcome
Still More Cologne Options
It’s difficult to experience an entire city in two days. But, some of Cologne’s other activities include:
Guided City Tour on Bikes. Three-hour bike sightseeing tours.
Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour. Board and exit the bus when and where you want.
Sea Life Underwater World. A look underwater starting with the Rhine and continuing to the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Museum for Applied Arts. Everything from furniture, ceramics and glass to jewelry and modern designer stuff.
German Sports & Olympics Museum. All things Olympic in permanent and changing exhibitions—and engage in various kinds of action yourself.
Cologne Carnival Museum. Carnival is an annual city-wide bash. But, if you’re not here at the right time, this museum shows you the history and pageantry of Carnival from ancient times and the Middle Ages to today.
Rhine River Tours. Float leisurely down the Rhine to see superb scenery and castles, castles, castles.
Web:
www.koeln.de/tourism/welcome
Still More Cologne Options
It’s difficult to experience an entire city in two days. But, some of Cologne’s other activities include:
Guided City Tour on Bikes. Three-hour bike sightseeing tours.
Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour. Board and exit the bus when and where you want.
Sea Life Underwater World. A look underwater starting with the Rhine and continuing to the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Museum for Applied Arts. Everything from furniture, ceramics and glass to jewelry and modern designer stuff.
German Sports & Olympics Museum. All things Olympic in permanent and changing exhibitions—and engage in various kinds of action yourself.
Cologne Carnival Museum. Carnival is an annual city-wide bash. But, if you’re not here at the right time, this museum shows you the history and pageantry of Carnival from ancient times and the Middle Ages to today.
Rhine River Tours. Float leisurely down the Rhine to see superb scenery and castles, castles, castles.
Cologne, Germany: Cathedral, Chocolate and More
by Mitch Kaplan
photos by Mitch Kaplan
The scene: a room in Cologne, Germany’s Hotel Coellner Hof.
Cologne was nearly 90 percent destroyed
during
World War II. Today, it’s a vibrant, bustling city of one million that
makes a fine stopover and jumping off point for other explorations—like
the Rhine or France’s Alsace Region.
I sat reading the brochure that accompanies my Cologne Welcome Card, the passport card that affords visitors free rides on transportation and discounts at various attractions and museums.
And, museums, I learn, there are plenty. Some 36 of them, altogether. Historical, classical art, modern art, social, sports, chocolate . . .
Wait a minute. Chocolate?
There’s a chocolate museum in Cologne? I’m salivating already.
But, it’s Sunday morning, Chocolate must wait. First, Cologne’s centerpiece—its cathedral.
Cologne Cathedral
Early on a Sunday morning the Cathedral and its surrounding plaza proved a calm, almost empty place. Indoors, an early service was in progress, but we few tourists wandered around freely gawking at the Gothic architecture. I stood rapt for several minutes studying a wild and colorful ceiling fresco tucked into a small cove-like area.
Outside, people stretched necks and backpedaled fruitlessly, trying to photograph the entire edifice. Can’t be done. These are Europe’s tallest Gothic towers.
Cologne Cathedral during mid-afternoon Sunday presents an entirely different scene, however.
Modern Art
We left the cathedral and wandered to the Museum Ludwig. What a wonderful building. Expansive, yet warm and welcoming . . .
But—we have our Welcome Cards . . . oh well.
By the time we emerged from the Ludwig, it was late morning in what had turned out to be a beautiful day—bright sunshine and warm temperatures.
The crowds were building. We strolled the riverside promenade, dodging bicyclists, skaters and hand-holding couples, while idly watching the famous Rhine River barges make their way up- and downstream.
But, we weren’t idling. Our destination was the Chocolate Museum.
Chocolate
Set on a small river island, the museum’s modernist glass and steel structure, shaped like a ship, contrasts sharply to the adjacent, classically styled Old Customs House.
Inside, exhibits cover the gamut of chocolate: from farming to production to history to antique advertisements. But, face it—people come here to see the miniature chocolate factory in action. Only a few folks were perusing the history and farming exhibits. The production area was packed.
And why not? People love to see how things are made. Here were
tared
with their noses pressed against the protective glass as candies made
their way down the line. Adults looked on, no less transfixed.
Better still, however, was lunch on the outdoor deck, overlooking the river and featuring an alarming range of chocolate choices. How we settled on the chocolate tort we chose, I have no idea. Oh, just in case you think it was all-desert-all-the-time, we ate sandwiches, as well.
Cologne is a somewhat gritty city, "Not so much like Munich or Frankfurt, which are cleaner and a bit more orderly," said our German companion Sibylle. "Cologne is more wide open, more radical."
Indeed, in many ways the city seemed rather American, with its fair share of panhandlers and litter. Add an innate energy, plus a multi-cultural population, and a dynamic liveliness emerges.
The outdoor cafes overflowed with patrons. The ice cream stands were busy. Bicyclists were abundant—whole families p
edaling along the river.
In fact, one wonderful touring option is to take a guided tour by bike.
Come Monday, when all museums were closed, we took advantage of another sunny day with a trip to Skulpturenpark Köln (Cologne Sculpture Park), an outdoor sculpture garden, and the Cologne Zoo.
We circled the entire Skulpturenpark before finding the entrance. Expansive lawns were populated by scattered modern artworks. As with any modern art, some things you love, some you just don’t get. Here stood some of both in very pleasant surroundings.
A zoo always works, bringing out the kid in everyone. Here, one of the challenges was to identify animals in English when the signs were entirely in German. Not hard for an elephant, say, or a lion. But, some of the more esoteric species had us stumped.
But, the shopping didn’t stump us. According to the Cologne Tourism, Hohe Strasse ranks as "Germ
any’s No. 1 Shopping Mile, averaging more than 17,000
visitors per hour. That city center grand pedestrian mall is rife with
all types of stores. But, on a Sunday—deserted. On a Monday afternoon?
Like a bee hive.
Beer
When in Cologne, do as the Colognites do—drink Kölsch, a top-fermented beer, typically served in cylindrical glasses known as stangen. This beer is locally famous, and is seemingly served by the barrel.
Sybille and boyfriend Michael led us to a typical bierstube, a classic combination restaurant-beer hall serving typical German fare (schnitzel, sausage, kraut, etc.) and an endless supply of Kölsch. The place was noisy, energized, casual to the extreme and fun.
But, beware: your stangen is constantly refilled unless you request that the waiter stop. If you don’t just say "no," you could be there drinking forever.
Also beware: for novices, Kölsch tends to come back to haunt you the following day. Running for bathrooms to counteract the runs became part of our tourist experience.
by Mitch Kaplan
photos by Mitch Kaplan
The scene: a room in Cologne, Germany’s Hotel Coellner Hof.
Cologne was nearly 90 percent destroyed
during
World War II. Today, it’s a vibrant, bustling city of one million that
makes a fine stopover and jumping off point for other explorations—like
the Rhine or France’s Alsace Region.I sat reading the brochure that accompanies my Cologne Welcome Card, the passport card that affords visitors free rides on transportation and discounts at various attractions and museums.
And, museums, I learn, there are plenty. Some 36 of them, altogether. Historical, classical art, modern art, social, sports, chocolate . . .
Wait a minute. Chocolate?
There’s a chocolate museum in Cologne? I’m salivating already.
But, it’s Sunday morning, Chocolate must wait. First, Cologne’s centerpiece—its cathedral.
Cologne CathedralEarly on a Sunday morning the Cathedral and its surrounding plaza proved a calm, almost empty place. Indoors, an early service was in progress, but we few tourists wandered around freely gawking at the Gothic architecture. I stood rapt for several minutes studying a wild and colorful ceiling fresco tucked into a small cove-like area.
Outside, people stretched necks and backpedaled fruitlessly, trying to photograph the entire edifice. Can’t be done. These are Europe’s tallest Gothic towers.
Cologne Cathedral during mid-afternoon Sunday presents an entirely different scene, however.
- Street artists decorate the pavement.
- Street performers juggle, mime and turn acrobatics.
- Hawkers sell.
- In-line skaters negotiate courses defined by mini traffic cones.
- Little kids ride trainer bikes or run joyously in circles.
Modern Art
We left the cathedral and wandered to the Museum Ludwig. What a wonderful building. Expansive, yet warm and welcoming . . .
- here, a huge Picasso adorning a wide entry to a photography wing;
- there, a tiny, odd-shaped window through which a cathedral tower can be glimpsed, artfully juxtaposing old and new;
- and, downstairs, an exhibit of mostly American modernists, including all the big names—Warhol, deKoonig,
whomever.
But—we have our Welcome Cards . . . oh well.
By the time we emerged from the Ludwig, it was late morning in what had turned out to be a beautiful day—bright sunshine and warm temperatures.
The crowds were building. We strolled the riverside promenade, dodging bicyclists, skaters and hand-holding couples, while idly watching the famous Rhine River barges make their way up- and downstream.
But, we weren’t idling. Our destination was the Chocolate Museum.
Chocolate
Set on a small river island, the museum’s modernist glass and steel structure, shaped like a ship, contrasts sharply to the adjacent, classically styled Old Customs House.
Inside, exhibits cover the gamut of chocolate: from farming to production to history to antique advertisements. But, face it—people come here to see the miniature chocolate factory in action. Only a few folks were perusing the history and farming exhibits. The production area was packed.
And why not? People love to see how things are made. Here were
- huge stainless steel vats
- pristine conveyor belts
- shiny grated platforms on which to climb and peek into the processing machinery
- and, at the very end, a pair of young women dressed in chefs attire handing out samples—wafer cookies with a fresh chocolate coating.
tared
with their noses pressed against the protective glass as candies made
their way down the line. Adults looked on, no less transfixed.Better still, however, was lunch on the outdoor deck, overlooking the river and featuring an alarming range of chocolate choices. How we settled on the chocolate tort we chose, I have no idea. Oh, just in case you think it was all-desert-all-the-time, we ate sandwiches, as well.
More Options
Cologne is a somewhat gritty city, "Not so much like Munich or Frankfurt, which are cleaner and a bit more orderly," said our German companion Sibylle. "Cologne is more wide open, more radical."
Indeed, in many ways the city seemed rather American, with its fair share of panhandlers and litter. Add an innate energy, plus a multi-cultural population, and a dynamic liveliness emerges.
The outdoor cafes overflowed with patrons. The ice cream stands were busy. Bicyclists were abundant—whole families p
edaling along the river.In fact, one wonderful touring option is to take a guided tour by bike.
Come Monday, when all museums were closed, we took advantage of another sunny day with a trip to Skulpturenpark Köln (Cologne Sculpture Park), an outdoor sculpture garden, and the Cologne Zoo.
We circled the entire Skulpturenpark before finding the entrance. Expansive lawns were populated by scattered modern artworks. As with any modern art, some things you love, some you just don’t get. Here stood some of both in very pleasant surroundings.
A zoo always works, bringing out the kid in everyone. Here, one of the challenges was to identify animals in English when the signs were entirely in German. Not hard for an elephant, say, or a lion. But, some of the more esoteric species had us stumped.
But, the shopping didn’t stump us. According to the Cologne Tourism, Hohe Strasse ranks as "Germ
any’s No. 1 Shopping Mile, averaging more than 17,000
visitors per hour. That city center grand pedestrian mall is rife with
all types of stores. But, on a Sunday—deserted. On a Monday afternoon?
Like a bee hive.Beer
When in Cologne, do as the Colognites do—drink Kölsch, a top-fermented beer, typically served in cylindrical glasses known as stangen. This beer is locally famous, and is seemingly served by the barrel.
Sybille and boyfriend Michael led us to a typical bierstube, a classic combination restaurant-beer hall serving typical German fare (schnitzel, sausage, kraut, etc.) and an endless supply of Kölsch. The place was noisy, energized, casual to the extreme and fun.
But, beware: your stangen is constantly refilled unless you request that the waiter stop. If you don’t just say "no," you could be there drinking forever.
Also beware: for novices, Kölsch tends to come back to haunt you the following day. Running for bathrooms to counteract the runs became part of our tourist experience.
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