A slightly edgy start to our trip was caused by the threat of a "super storm" drawing in from the Atlantic... All through the day the wind has been picking up and it was a case of whether we would take off before it got really bad, with the resultant risk of delays cancellations etc, etc. We met Sally at Heathrow, she had travelled from her place in London, and waited for the flight...
Being indoors means that you're not aware of the elements outside and when our boarding time came and went with no announcements or apparent progress we feared the worst. "Massive chaos at Heathrow as countless flights cancelled in Hell Storm drama!" was my imagined explanation. But no worries, with typical Germanic efficiency our flight, (delayed for 25 minutes), was loaded in extra quick time, and our pilot, (Baron Von Richthofen?), promises that we'll make up the time in the air, the flight time being "50 minutes" - (Jan: "50 minutes!")
Almost a problem at the station, the platform was about 400 metres long and unbeknownst to us our train was stopping way up the other end... This friendly chap warned us with just moments to go that we needed to move or we'd miss the train! Nice "random act of kindness"!
For our first day we did our usual routine, after savouring a leisurely breakfast naturally, went to the Tourist Information centre and gathered a load of leaflets, maps, coupons etc. Sally had this notion of visiting a "Torture museum" and so we had a strained conversation with the least helpful or friendly assistant in Western Europe. Non the wiser we left to explore...
Cologne, (or "Koln" as I will refer to it from now on), is famous for it's cathedral, (or "Dom" as it is called locally), and as it was near we went inside it, (or "entered" it if you prefer)! It's a very impressive building, during the war 70% of Koln was destroyed by Allied bombing, but in the same way as St Paul's in London, this church was relatively unscathed, amazing to think it took over 600 years to complete!
We explored the old town and found the river, (Rhine), the storm referred to earlier was still in slight evidence because it was very blowy! We found a nice bar/cafe and drank some welcome coffee. It seems that a lot of attractions, like the river boats and museums, are closed on Mondays, so we were thwarted on several occasions when we found places to visit.
German bakeries are often very tempting places, (as good as French patisseries), and we surrendered to some bread and doughnuts. More exploring, we found a Chocolate museum and a mustard museum and a load of shops, before a sharp shower drove us into a pub for more refreshment!
More walking, exploring and a bit of shopping, (Jan bought some "Eau de Cologne" from the 4711 shop), and we returned to the hotel for a chill - oh yes we also spent more time at the Tourist info and the Train station sorting a plan for tomorrow.
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