My Western Eurotrip Galore: Germany - Cologne

Someone once asked me if I have ever been to Europe before. I said I have been to London and Dublin. That person replied, "You haven't really seen Europe?!" And that individual was right. However, this year in August I struck a bonanza when my friend asked me to join her on her latter part of her Europe excursion. My extemporaneous "yes" to my friend caused me scrambling to the bookstores and libraries in search of places to visit. There was no itinerary. We needed to do our own research and agree on where we wanted to go, within our budgets. Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Venice, are some of the places I initially thought. After all, those places seem to be most popular amongst tourists. But my friend had already been to many renown European destinations so we had to pick places she has never been, which meant selecting less popular areas. That criteria turned out to suit perfectly well with my idiosyncratic tendencies.

We chose our destinations by finding the cheapest air or train routes. I found online that it would be cheapest if I flew from NYC to Dublin, Ireland ($630) and transfer from there to our rendezvous. I made a bad judgment call. To save a few hundred bucks, I ended up transferring 4 times! I had spend 23hours in and out of airports and I almost missed my second transfer at Philadelphia. It would have been a disaster causing a domino effect of missing my next flight if I had missed even one flight. My lesson: pay extra for a direct flight. It's worth it in the end.

(Please feel free to use this itinerary. My friend and I have done some extensive research on our trip and we had a blast).

First Stop: Cologne, Germany
I landed in Cologne ecstatic. I couldn't believe I was in Europe, in Germany! After several attempts to find an English speaker to help me purchase a train ticket on the S-bahn S13 train to the main city center, I finally found an English speaking German. If you speak German, it is actually quite easy to get around Cologne. From the airport the S13 train can take you straight to the main city center, Hauptbahnhof station, in 20 minutes.   

My friend and I stayed at the Renaissance Cologne Hotel located on Magnusstrasse 20. From Hauptbahnhof station, I transferred to a local train and got off Friesenplatz station, which was only two stops away. Exhausted and famished, I beamed when I saw my friend at the hotel. It was great to see a familiar face at an unfamiliar place. The hotel that she picked was grand and fabulous. People at the front desk were amicable and patient. The room was clean and comfortable. On our pillows were complimentary gummy sheep which were deliciously tasty. Nearby along Magnusstrasse and Hohenzollernring streets are plenty of restaurants and stores. Perhaps it was good that we didn't opt for hostels. We had split the hotel costs so we were able to splurge a bit. Our own cozy bed, a nice shower, and a travel buddy were just the solutions I needed after my long ordeal. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cgnrn-renaissance-cologne-hotel/

There were three notable things that I've observed while I was in Cologne. First, majority of the people there are extremely tall and good looking. On average, I saw at least 3-5 handsome men in one day, that's more than I see in NY in one year! Second, there are many pre-wedding shower games. I'm not sure what they were doing, but I saw many brides dragging boxes of stuff while being taunted by the bridal team. And the grooms, dressed in pink tutu outfits and tiaras, boozed away with their boys. It was an amusing sight. And third, adult shops seem to be present in the most unexpected places. I saw one near a busy street where children could easily see photos of female parts.

SIGHTS:

The Dom:
One of the places we've visited was the Cologne Cathedral, or The Dom, located outside the Hauptbahnhof station. This Roman Catholic Church is dedicated to Saint Peter and Virgin Mary and had taken several hundred years to complete. This church is a UNESCO World Heritage culture sight, and one I recommend visiting. I felt I was staring at a Batman scene when I saw the building. The caliginous facade of the twin Gothic cathedral towers and intricate style of the architecture are absolutely intriguing. The nave is grand and resembled that of the Saint Patrick's Cathedral on 5th avenue in NYC. The largest free-swinging bell in the world is located inside the south spired tower. You can check out this bell and get a good view of Cologne by climbing up 509 steps in the south tower. Touring the cathedral is free but climbing the stairs to the top costs €2.50. Cheap! 509 steps might seem a lot but it's worth the exercise. There is an area after the bell stop where you can sit and rest before reaching the top.  
   
Museum Ludwig:

Next door to the Dom is Museum Ludwig. Museum Ludwig reminds me a lot of the MoMA in NYC. Museum Ludwig collects and covers mainly contemporary art work featuring themes such as Expressionism, Russian Avant-garde, Pop Art, Abstract Expressionism, Picasso, and Media Art. During our visit, we saw an exhibition of a collection by Roy Lichtenstein. Timing couldn't be more perfect because Roy Lichtenstein happened to be my friend's favorite artist. Moreover, after our visit to the Dom, the sky started to turn gray and began to rain. Spending time at the museum turned out to be educational, inspiring, and a great way to end our evening. The museum opening hours are 10am-6pm Tues-Sun. Admission fees for adults: €10 families: €20 http://www.museenkoeln.de/museum-ludwig/

Imhoff Chocolate Museum:

On the second day, we headed to Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum to indulge on chocolates. This museum located on the tip of Rheinauhafen port, was nothing like Museum Ludwig. At Imhoff, the place resembled that of a black Friday sale in the states. Crowds of people continuously waved in and out of the building. Our noses whiffing in the pervasive aroma of cocoa, fudge, and berries. Our eyes gazing affixed to the multitude of choices and sizes. Our mouths salivating, waiting impatiently to stuff one of those morsels to sooth our frenzied souls. I am indifferent about chocolates but even I became a frantic member when we visited. The museum opening hours are 10am-6pm Tues-Fri, 11am-7pm on weekends, and closed on Mondays. Admission price for an adult is €7.50. If you have the money to splurge the admission fee is actually worth it. Throughout the tour, visitors can sample the chocolates during the production process. But my friend and I decided to simply visit the candy shop at the lobby instead.  http://www.chocolatemuseum-cologne.com/


Rheinauhafen

One of the Kranhausers

Art'otel

After checking out the chocolate museum we walked around Rheinauhafen, a former port near the city center. This area has become Cologne's top real estate location. From the chocolate museum we walked south toward the peninsula. Along the way housed many historical buildings. However, further on the path you will notice a drastic change. There were ambitious building projects lining up along the river, a thrilling sight for a modern architect enthusiast like myself. I love looking at buildings, especially structures made of glass and metals. The three Kranhauser (crane houses) shaped of industrial cranes and the Art'otel Cologne are most creative and artistically designed. An added bonus was a surrounding panoramic view of the Rhine River. There were many more contemporary constructions, some with balconies which had metal blinds to block the sun's ray. I was mesmerized with the buildings on this strip of land. If only I could afford to buy one of the apartments here one day. 

Shildergasse
What do women like to do best? Shop of course! We had spend our afternoon on our third day at the Shildergasse boulevard. To get here you can take a train and get off the Neumarket stop. However, we opted to walk from our hotel to here, which took us ~1hr (including stopping at various shops along the way). Shildergasse is Cologne's busiest shopping street with tons of familiar chain stores, local retail shops, bakeries, and cafes. We found a couple of cool shoe stores and a Forever 18?!  If shopping is not your sport then this attraction is not going to be interesting. However, if you are into checking out unique things then you should swing by to the nearby Neumarket Galerie. What makes this shopping center interesting is the artwork of an upside down ice cream cone on the top of its building.

FOOD:

I have to say German cuisine is not something I can eat every day. The food, hearty and rich, appeals to men's delight. We ate mostly sausages such as Flonz or blutwurst, bratwurst and weiswurst. There were probably many kinds of sausages to select from but we couldn't understand the menus. We also tried some schnitzel, which is pork covered in breadcrumbs with a slab of thick sauce on top. It reminded me of Japanese tonkatsu except drizzled with some German dressing. If you don't want German food there are also other cuisines to choose, from Turkish, Italian, to Asian. A great area to hang out, people watch, and eat is located near the Dom close to the Rhine River around Am Bollwerk/Am Frankenturm streets. Tip: Whenever I travel and am looking for low budget bites, I would find a supermarket. You can sometimes find good stuff at the supermarkets.

Though we ate at several restaurants, two were most memorable.

A) Paeffgen Das Brauhaus:
A brewery restaurant located near our hotel. This is a great place to check out a traditional brew house and enjoy what locals like. The place had a lot of energy. It was extremely busy with only one waiter running back and forth refilling cups of kolsch beers. It was boisterous and filled with testosterone. In fact, when we were there we were the only females. Initially, we felt extremely out of place. Two skinny oriental chicks at a full house packed with burly tall German men. No one seated us, we had to seat ourselves. But after sitting down an empty table that we later shared with four German men who offered to translate the menu, we relaxed and blended in with the scenery. After several glasses of beer, which we thought were free, we found out from the men that the waiter will continue to bring and refill our empty glasses until we tell him not to. Thanking us for sharing the table, they generously offered to pay for our unsought drinks. Such nice people. German men are hot! http://www.paeffgen-koelsch.de/

B) Engelbat:

Yummy crepes!

A cafe 20 minutes walking distance from our hotel at 2 Engelbertstrasse. It is a modest and casual place. The neighborhood is fairly quiet because it is not situated at a touristy location. But we had the most amazing crepes here. The crepe portions were huge, delicious, and reasonably priced! I bet this place is a local favorite. Truly a hidden gem, I recommend stopping by here for brunch if you happen to be around Zulpicher Platz station.



TRAVEL EXPENSE: (excluding attraction fees and food):
S-bahn S13: €2.40 one way
Hotel: just myself - $87usd for 3 nights
Flight: from Dublin to London to Cologne - $35usd on Ryanair; $67 on Easyjet


Second Stop: Italy - Bologna, Modena, Parma
Please check out that blog.