Day 12, Koln, Germany or Cologne as we westerners know it. And yes, this is where eau de cologne comes from. The most famous 4711 is still available for purchase, though I did not sample any.
My reason for being here was to see the cathedral that dates to 1248 and took 632 years to finish. The cathedral is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
My first view of the cathedral, left, and St. Peter's Gate (from 1370-1390)
Above, an interior stained glass window, one of many, and the crossing tower, damaged in the war and reconstructed in 1965. Ninety-five percent of the city was destroyed by bombs in World War II.
A side entrance:
The cathedral cross which has stood for 700 years:
The statue of Emperor Wilhelm II along the Rhine River:
And a shop selling Berliners, jelly doughnuts. Yes, I managed not to eat any while I was there, mostly because I do not care for jelly donuts. Don't get me started on how much gelato I ate. It seems Germans like it as much as Italians.
My brother lived in Cologne during his high school years - American Field Service thing - but the closest I get is 4711 which is a lovely fresh scent. I hope you are enjoying the A to Z. I did it last year and it was great fun.
ReplyDeleteI am already thinking about next year's A to Z. It helps me to have them written in advance, especially when I have so much to do outside in my garden.
DeleteIs that a clock on the side of the tower - very odd placement, assume it was added later than the original building.
ReplyDeletePity about the bombing, but they started it LOL.
I am not seeing a clock anyplace. As for who started it, we need to remember that there were people living in all these areas. I cannot justify what either side was doing, but guess that is the price of war. To kill a monster you need to cut off its head, not its fingers. That is what Von Staufenberg understood.
DeleteThe top picture on the left. It looks like scaffolding, but if you look closer it looks like a clock.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely scaffolding.
DeleteThis is on my wish list because my favourite architecture is Gothic. I am amazed by the sheer ability the people had in building this and others. So much of Germany was destroyed and what I find wonderful is how fast they rebuilt, not just tearing down but bringing the old back to life and in such a short time. I wonder why it has taken so long for New Orleans-made me think about that. Beautiful pictures!!
ReplyDeleteI've lived here all my life and watched the City of Detroit just rot away. No bombs. No earthquakes. No hurricanes. And seemingly no interest in rebuilding it. Such a shame. I marveled at every city I saw in Germany knowing what they had gone through. Destruction and re-creation.
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