Cologne

Just a bit of catching up.  We went to Cologne a couple of weeks ago for a long weekend.  We were disappointed that the Christmas markets weren't open yet--seems like you really should get them in exchange for the cold.  We climbed the big cathedral tower--509 steps to the top.  Everyone made it with no complaints.  Even Momma.  We enjoyed a large assortment of local kolsch beers at the brewhouses in town.  It was a bit like Munich in that respect--Catholics & beer.

Turns out our brand of tourism isn't all that much fun in the cold.  Our tendency is to wander around a bit to see what we can find.  It was cold.

We found lots of echos of the last war in Cologne.  Most blocks alternated every other house old building/new building.  This picture doesn't quite show it as well as I'd like.  The house on the far right had it's entire top half added back on.  It was interesting to see but rather horrifying that it was everywhere.   Sitting on the Rhine, Cologne was a major gateway into Germany and was bombed accordingly.