Crazy for Cologne

Rub for good luck

I'm having such a good time I'm neglecting my blog duties. After such a stressful few weeks I finally hit my stride in Cologne. I LOVE this place. There is just enough crazy to keep you on your toes but not too much to discourage you from walking out the hostel door.
I arrived here Weds afternoon. I sat next to a man who was older but spoke really good English. He had lived in Dallas Texas of all places. He had plenty of suggestions for my visit to this area. It isn't hard to find things to do though really. I got checked into the hostel, showered and cleaned up and then headed out for a walk and some food. On the other side of the train station (which is huge!) I found the Dom (Cathedral) its huge! Really cool.
The train station here is so big, has everything you need. Food all types, clothes, accessories, souvenirs, Burger King and McDonalds, outside on the one side is a curry wurst stand if you're hungry for cheap street meat. Its great. I like to go there and just watch the insanity as people change platforms and figure out their next move, and do they go this way or that. Its so crazy.
I walked around the Dom at first but was followed by a guy who wanted to know all the details of my entire life, which made me really uncomfortable so I told him to get lost. Lets see, I didn't get far that evening

because I was tired and hungry and tired. So I went back to the hostel and went to bed.
Thursday though, Oh, I should mention I bought a city map at the train station and studied it...preparation!! Yeah!
I got up eventually and made my way out the door to see as many sights as I could manage. Eight hours roughly I saw a lot of stuff!! This place is great. I walked to the river and found every tour group in Cologne there starting their city tour...wow. I wandered along taking photos, circling the blocks trying to find things they recommend I see etc and had such a great time. That was bout 9/9:30am and nothing was open, no one

was around, I had the place to myself. I went back later and found it FULL of people!
I'm trying to think what else that day but it was full of amazing things and I took tons of photos of course. I paid to climb the steps up to the 'top' of the cathedral for the view. Awesome. 533 steps altogether. It wasn't so bad until coming down when all those tour groups (think Washington DC in May~nightmare) coming up the stair case built for barely one...it wasn't fun. But I did it and then I went back to my favorite part of town and had a few beers....oh another thing! I went to a place called Bier Esel, its supposed to famous for its mussels (according to my map) I get there and the waitress says "its finished". Well, what does that even mean?! She brings me a menu in English after that and it says mussels are in season September to February. Ugh. So I ordered "Kolsch fast food" which was bread, cheese, onion rings. I get a plate with a hard rye roll, cheese and actual slices of red onion (typical American thinking onion rings was fried onion rings, haha) so I graciously ate it and left. Fail.
Thursday night I bought some food at the grocery store for dinner and talked with some people in the hostel. One kid from Croatia had a ton to say about every place. He was really entertaining! Lots of advice.
This morning (Friday May 3) I got up wondering what to do as I'd done most of the things on my list. So I walked back to the Roman tower because I took a picture of something I thought was it Thursday and then realized it wasn't it so had to go back. I also visited the Eau de Cologne 4711 building. Cool place. Love the

fragrance.
I did finally give up and go back to the Rhine Garden (area at the river) my favorite place. Grassy area near the beer gardens. I had come prepared today and brought my shawl for sitting on the grass. I ended up taking a nap, it was awesome! I layed there and thought about nothing.
This afternoon I got stopped by a man who wanted to know where I was from and then take a photo of my shoes. I mean really? I was in flip flops which people think is just the weirdest thing! Why is that so weird. Today I wore, shorts flip flops strapless top. It was enough to put people over the edge. Like its cold here? Its not! Sheesh!
I finally went back to the hostel and changed tonight. Sheesh. I wanted to go back to Fruh (U with two dots) they have a cool cellar area. Turns out its really the place to be so there was a huge group of people waiting for tables. I had no idea! So I sat there all alone, had a few tiny beers (why do they only serve Kolsch in .2L glasses there? Seriously, lame. But the waiter was really nice and the atmosphere was worth it, I guess.

3 little marks are for keeping track...

Eventually the pressure to give up a mostly empty table to the waiting masses was too much! So on the way back to the hostel I pass through the train station (its enroute to everywhere from here) I bought a Fruh .5L size for way less than I'd bought my three little ones...but hey experience right?!
Tomorrow I pack up and head out to new places. Yeah.