Road Trip: Cologne

I went into Cologne with my eyes closed. I didn't know what to expect and for some reason had envisioned a little town that just happened to be on our route to Brussels (it happens to be the 4th largest city in Germany). I had discovered that there was a Schokoladenmuseum and there was no way I was missing that! Arriving into town on a Sunday and the museum being closed on Mondays, I was on a mission.

Imhoff Schokoladenmuseum

   The chocolate museum was built in 1993 by Hans Imhoff, a man who's life was centered around chocolate. In 2006, Lindt stepped in with exhibits on chocolate production and marketing including a large chocolate fountain where visitors are handed freshly dipped wafers. The museum begins with a walk through the process of the cocoa bean. Everything from the farming of the bean itself (including a crazy hot and humid green house with cocoa trees and other tropical trees and plants that you can walk through) to the production and economics. And most importantly, how the chocolate tastes...

   With Lindt chocolate being molded right in front of you, the aroma grabs you right at the entrance. The entire walk over the three museum floors helps you to remember just how great life is. And the perfect part of the museum, it comes complete with automation enough to keep the mind of the nerd with you entirely entrenched. Everything from how the chocolate is molded, wrapped and packaged happens right in front of you.

    You can hardly make it out in the picture above, but we even got to see the robotic device make a big chocolate malfunction. Troy was like a kid at the circus trying to figure out what would happen next. The anticipation had him almost shaking. I was just concerned as to what would happen to the glorious pieces of delight. Turns out they're dumped in a bucket. My guess is that they get to go through the process again. My hope is that the lady watching over the line gets to put them in her pocket.

   Above is a very small portion of the chocolates at the store in the museum; a daunting selection of chocolates and bars are available from an array of chocolatiers. Next time I will arrive early enough to end my tour with a latte and piece of cake from the museum's cafe whilst sitting at a table outside along the river.



Great Saint Martin Church

   A beautiful and romantic city, I cannot wait for a return visit. Only spending one night here is not enough and next time I would aim for three days.

   The city is divided by the Rhine which makes for a lovely cityscape. While walking along the river, the hands of passersby were topped with a pizza on an ever-so classic crinkled-edge paper plate. Either a wonderful marketing ploy or just good pizza, I was determined to find out. Venturing in the direction that for a ways everyone was walking away from, through cobblestone alleys, we found the hole-in-the-wall joint that these paper plate masterpieces were flowing out of. Pizzeria Pinocchio. We ordered our pies and made the walk, like everyone else, back to the river.

   The will that it takes to walk through cobblestone alleys to get to your grassy sit-spot along the river with the pizza warmth interrogating your sole through the palm of your hand. Indulgent.

Prosciutto Pizza from Pinocchio's

   When Troy had mentioned his previous visit of the Dom, I had no idea of it's surreal wonder. If you are reading this and have a bucket list, I can tell you that your list will not be complete without standing in front of this. 

   The Cologne Cathedral, otherwise known as the Dom is a Roman Catholic church, was built in High Gothic style and is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne. The cathedral was built over six centuries and finished in 1880. Through nothing short of a miracle, after World War II, the masterpiece was still standing.

   Visitors can venture into the church where the interior is as grand as the exterior and the stained-glass windows are nothing short of amazing. You will also find the Shrine of the Magi which is said to hold the remains of the Three Kings. For a small charge you can climb the South Tower and visit the treasure room below the church.

   View from the very tight, 509 step, spiral climb up the inside of the tower. The fact that someone built that staircase and the fact that people like us excitedly climb up a tower of a building that was built beginning in 1248 still mystifies me. At the delight of other climbers, Lottie did climb up a bit of the tower on her own. With the number of people taking her picture as she completed the feat, she should be in a scrapbook or two.

Graffiti atop the South Tower.

   Still not the home to any butter bretzels, I would return to this city in a heartbeat. And we did find Berliners... A person could settle for that.

Berliners on the streets of Cologne.