Koln

We spent yesterday in Koln. Ye gads. My trip is almost over, but I am tired. I do believe that by about 3 yesterday I was beat. It's true that I woke up at 6, but still. Anyhow, we caught the train to Koln and our first stop was the huge cathedral that Koln is famous for.

As soon as you get off of the train, you see the Gothic cathedral rising up into the sky. It is a sight to behold. It may not be as big as the church in Milan, and it may not be as clean, but both of these factors work towards making this church fit (in our minds) what a Gothic church should look like. The really cool gargoyles helped as well.


We were also able to walk up into the bell tower of the church. This trek involved walking up around 533 steps in a twisty circular stairwell. When we walked down, we were quite dizzy. But, the view at the top was spectacular. Yet it also made us gasp at the thought of constructing the building. It must have been so scary.

The inside of the church contained beautiful artwork and stained glass windows. In the church in Milan, Angelo talked about the effect of the stained glass windows on lighting in the church. Because windows only reached halfway up the height of the church, the upper part would have been dark, as if the church reached into the heavens.

In Koln, the church actually had windows that reached into the second floor of the church. They reached much higher, as if they were going to the sky.


Check it out, there is a Brad in the belfry. (sorry)


Here is a view from the top of the bell tower.


For lunch, I wanted to introduce Jeremy to the abundance of meat that can be found in Germany. We really wanted some sausages. Sadly, we had a really tough time finding them! We initially found a kiosk selling sausages, but we couldn't see them cooking so we passed. 45 minutes later when we had found nothing else, we came back. I am glad that we did. There is just something interesting about the lack of hot dog buns in Germany. It's as if they want you to know just how big the schniztels are.


Inside of the other packages are some treats we purchased earlier. I bought a delicious pretzel and Jeremy bought a pastry shaped like a pretzel.

We wanted to visit a museum in Koln, so we ended going to a place that was supposed to have a good history of the Rhineland. It didn't. There were many pots, mosaics, and other artifacts, but we didn't walk away from the museum with an understanding of Germanic history. What we did find out is just how odd and kinky the Romans could be.


We caught the train back to our hostel and I purchased this slightly less than respectable treat.
It was incredibly good but also very sweet. I had to drink an entire bottle of water due to the explosion of sugar!


We then settled in for two games of Mosaix before going out for dinner. We went to a breauhause to try the local Alt beer. Of course, we know as much about beer as we do about wine. But I wasn't going to leave Germany a second time without drinking any German beer! The place was named Schumaker Alt. Anyhow, we arrived and it was packed with people. This was around 6:30. Of course, if we had arrived at a restaurant at 6:30 in Italy, we would have been lucky if it was open. Oh, how things have changed. We had to wait about 20 minutes and then we were hustled into the restaurant. BUT, we were seated with two other people! Ack, we really just wanted a quiet dinner alone, but that is not what we got. We did, on the other hand, get a tremendous dinner. I took a picture of the menu, but I believe that our meal consisted of a leg of pork, a sausage, saurkraut, mashed potatoes, and something else that was purple and yummy. This was two meals, but we always try to split and share when we can.


That was yesterday. It is now today. Our last full day in Dusseldorf, Germany, Europe, and on this trip. How do I feel? I am both relieved and sad.

Relieved: the trip went brilliantly, Jeremy and I are closer than ever, the only thing (so far) that I lost/had stolen was my headlamp, I saw so many things, met so many people, had the time of my life, did something that few people have the opportunity to do, left a bad job, learned to live out of a hiking pack, learned to travel in Europe, learned to adjust and live on the fly better than before.....

Saddened: I am leaving Europe. This trip opened my eyes to so many things. But perhaps the best thing that I witnessed was the kindness of people all over the world. It was if I need to roll the credits right now and thank:

Günter Cornett
Jeff Allers
Mike Hibbert
Olav Müller and Kirsten Rolleke
Tom McCorry
Scott Fisher
Emanuele and Barbar Ornella
Massimiliano della Rovere
Paolo Robino
Angelo P0razzi
Stefano Castelli
Paul and Donna Lister
Kim

Many of the wonderful things that we accomplished on this trip were due to the help and kindness of the people listed above.

Ultimately, I know that it is time for the trip to end. When you can visit a place like Koln and decide that you are just tired by 2, then it is time to go home. It is time to rest and to return to a bit of normalcy. I wish that I knew what the future had in store for me, but I do not. I have discussed so many things. I could return to Europe and try to work here. I could go back to grad school (doubtful) and try to teach. I may simply return to the drudgery of state work or perhaps I will find something in the private sector. Though if the job listings are any indication, it may be more difficult to find work than I had anticipated.

Anyhow, I will return on Saturday 2 suitcases full of games and a brother from Africa. And it is time that I introduced him to Age of Steam.