The plan was to stay in Cologne overnight and catch a flight to Barcelona the next day to meet up with Pedi. I checked out of the hotel at 11, left my bags there and decided to explore the city some more.
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| Window and view from my hotel room in Cologne |
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| The Cathedral was jaw-dropping at any angle |
Summer was ending and so there was a definite nip in the air. Cologne seemed to be more chill and laid-back, at least, more so than frenetic, high-energy Berlin. My problem is that, while traveling, I very rarely interact with people, especially the locals and it's something I know I need to work on. People in Cologne, however, seemed more cheerful and outgoing, I observed.
I went inside the Dom for a quick see-through and decided that the four-euro charge to go up the tower was worth it.
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| Stained glass inside the Cologne Cathedral |
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| Inside the Köln Dom |
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| Were the pet dogs buried with their master? |
I was panting and heaving about a quarter of the way up the 533-step tower. For a time, during the last bit of stairs near the top, I felt the beginnings of acrophobia. But I thought of myself as a brave little boy and kept going.
The view up top was breathtaking, as expected. I just wished there weren't any metal bars to ruin the effect. But I could imagine the use for it, though. There must have been a few people throughout its history who thought it was the best idea to climb up the tower and then take the easier way down.
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| 533 steps up the Köln Dom |
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| Gorgeous view from the top |
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| Well-deserved photo on top of the Cologne Cathedral |
I had planned on having lunch at one of those Asian food places again, but I walked past a Rewe food store, saw a chocolate donut, plucked it from the shelf then picked up a sandwich by the cashier. I ate everything there. Convenient and fast.
I thought that was it for lunch until I walked further down the main shopping street of Hohenstrasse and found a currywurst stand on one of the side streets. I meant to order just the curry sausages, but the attendant's question of whether I wanted bread or fries to go with it got me a little flustered and so I said fries, which I really didn't want, but I said it anyway and so I got a serving of steamy currywurst with potato fries.
It was after I finished off the sausages (and threw away most of the fries) and while I was walking towards the Ludwig Museum that I realized I lost my glasses. I retraced my steps back to Rewe and the currywurst stand but I could't find it, so I just offered it up to the travel gods as a sacrifice of some sort.
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| So there were these three monkeys I saw in Cologne... |
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| Roy Lichtenstein painting at the Ludwig Museum |
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| Pop art room inside the Ludwig |
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| Here's a Picasso |
They apparently weren't appeased because I found out then that my flight to Barcelona had been canceled, just a few hours before I needed to be at the airport. The next couple of hours were a blur of me trying to rebook my flight, find a place to stay in Cologne, then make my way over there from the previous hotel.
It was a stressful afternoon, but I figured that, if that was the worst that could happen on this trip, then I'd be grateful.
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| Messy hair don't care selfie |
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