Cologne-Secret of Rhineland

"A what?"

"Stroopwafel", the lady repeats."How we eat, we take a piece...yes? Place it over your cup of coffee. The heat will warm up the sugar syrup filling inside the waffle."

A dutch pastry is the perfect way to bid goodbye to the Netherlands as Sunil and I head south towards Germany. 

Stroopwafels in hand, we find comfortable seats on the swanky Intercity Express #105 scheduled to leave Amsterdam for Cologne at 8.04am. Barely have we put settled in that our train slithers from the station, silently and swiftly. Our watches show 8.04am. So far, we have been using our smartphones to set morning alarms and check local times. The smartphones could very well rely on German trains for their own precision.

At 10.45am, not a minute late, our train pulls into Koln Hauptbahnhof-Cologne Central Station.

Cologne is the oldest city in Germany and the 4th largest after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.  Situated on the Rhine river, it is also the 2nd busiest port in the country after Hamburg. Occupied by Romans and the Ubii tribe in the first century, Cologne has a grand history that it chooses not to flaunt. Instead, it invites the planned tourist and uninformed visitor with equal warmth to discover its past and admire its present. 

For several centuries, Cologne was a major political and trade center for the Roman empire before the Franks took control. In 1475, the city became a free  imperial city. By this time, it had also become an important pilgrimage center when relics of the Three Magi were donated to its cathedral. Cologne remained free until the 18th century when the French took over.  Public life was modernized and Napoleonic code existed until 1900. In the early part of the 19th century, Cologne became a part of the Kingdom of Prussia.

World War I didn't cause much damage to the city but World War II practically wiped it out. Thousands of people were moved and as many died, reducing its population by 95%. Major churches and buildings downtown were destroyed, causing the architect tasked with its resurrection to call it 'the world's greatest heap of rubble'. Since then, an impressive transportation infrastructure and a growth in media companies here have helped the city rise from rubble to become incredibly prosperous with a thriving cultural scene. 

Sunil and I step out of the train station and fall to our knees. Right next to the station and soaring to the skies with the city's history is the Kolner Dom-Cologne Cathedral. The seat of the Archbishop of Cologne, this church enjoys the distinction of being the most visited landmark in all of Germany. It is a magnificent construction of Gothic architecture, 632 years in the making. 

 

Cameras cannot do justice to this cross-shaped building and its intricate architectural details. At a time when the entire city was in ruins, this church alone stood mighty and defiant. Its interiors, though subdued, are just as magnificent as its exteriors. Among its many treasures includes the Shrine of Three Kings, a gilded sarcophagus said to contain the remains of the Three Magi. 

Panting our way up the narrow, spiral staircase in the  tallest tower, we are presented with splendid views of the architecture as well as the expanse of the city on either side of the Rhine.  The St.Petersglocke (Bell of St.Peter) that hangs here is the largest free-swinging bell in the world.  

 

Cologne spreads out around the Dom

Just a short distance away from the Dom is the Gross Sankt Martin (Great St.Martin Church) - a Roman Catholic church built on the remnants of a Roman temple in the 10th and 11th centuries.  This also happens to be one of the 12 Romanesque churches in Cologne.

 The sun welcomes us as we step out of the church after finishing our visit. Our next visit is to the waterfront just a few blocks away. The waters of the Rhine surround Cologne's InnenStadt like a moat, turning its Dom magical at night. The river is one of the longest in Europe, originating in Switzerland and flowing into the North Sea near the Netherlands. The stretch near Cologne's InnenStadt is beautiful and doesn't look too dissimilar from downtown Portland's own Willamette river waterfront.

The Rhine with the Hohenzollern Bridge in the backdrop

The Hohenzollern Bridge is probably the most scenic of the many bridges across the Rhine. We are tempted to cross it by foot and enjoy a cable car ride over the river but time doesn't permit us to do so. Instead, we walk along the waterfront, enjoying the sunshine and admiring the many luxury boats docked here which are gearing up for New Year's Eve festivities.

Our walk is rewarded when we arrive at the Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum - yep, the museum of chocolate! Said to be the best of its kind, the Schokoladenmuseum provides a spectacular tour and tons of exhibits on the origins of chocolate, the growth in trade and a comprehensive look at chocolate production and consumption around the world. The museum also has lots of interesting information about trade practices in top suppliers of cocoa around the world, health information and several other unknown facts about chocolate. Currently supported by Lindt, the museum is truly a delight for the senses and for people of all ages. When we visit, the museum has a special holiday exhibit on display-Europe's most famous saints as well as scenes from religious scriptures all carved in massive blocks of chocolate

 

The museum also features a tropical greenroom to simulate the exact environment where cocoa typically grows. It is here that I find out the scientific name for the cocoa tree is Theobroma Cacao. Cacao comes from the MesoAmerican word for the cocoa bean which Spanish conquerors first learned after defeating the Aztecs and Mayans. Theobroma stands for "Food for the Gods" in Greek. Any arguments?

           The complete production cycle of a bag of Lindt chocolates happens right in front of our eyes. Sheets of cocoa goodness roll out, ready to be cut into squares. I feel no shame in pushing kids away to plaster my face against the glass walls that stand between me and those Lindt squares.  Unfortunately, I have to satisfy myself with wafers dipped in chocolate which a kind lady is distributing to visitors. Care to make your own bar of chocolate? Go right ahead and fill out a card! You pick the cocoa content you want, the ingredients in your bar as well as the toppings that finish it. Wait for a few minutes and your bar of chocolate is prepared per your custom taste!

 

It is sacrilegious to  leave the Chocolate Museum without stopping at their cafe where tantalizing treats await us. We finish a nice, relaxing meal while enjoying views of the promenade. Before stepping out into the cold, I decide to pop into the cafe's restroom. As in most places across Europe, public restrooms in Cologne have a usage charge and aren't always easy to find. Visitors are better off using the loo at cafes, museums or theaters where lines are shorter and no payment is required.  Here at the museum's bathrooms,  there are long lines. I finally get my turn and then I'm flabbergasted when  a woman walks right in. She is a part of the maintenance staff but that doesn't exactly comfort me! She goes about her business in the crowded men's room while I struggle to go ahead with mine. Apparently in Europe, a man's loo isn't always his castle.

It doesn't take us long to realize that Cologne has a variety of sights to satisfy as many interests. Had we been able to stay longer, Sunil would have liked to visit the Romisch-Germanisches Museum (Roman-Germanic Museum) near the Kolner Dom. The museum is an archaeological site in its own way since it protects the original site of a Roman villa and also houses a Dionysys mosaic from 220AD. Several artifacts from Cologne's Roman period are preserved here. If you are an art lover,  head to Museum Ludwig for one of the most impressive collections of Picasso's works. After a long day of sightseeing, soak your weary self in a heated pool at Claudius Therme. 

Our own time is limited. Before we head back to the Hauptbahnhof, we must pay homage to a treasure that became Cologne's claim to fame in the most significant way. In 1709, an Italian named Giovanni Maria Farina lived in this city and discovered a combination of citrus and ethanol which reminded him of Italian spring mornings, daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain. At that time, this aqua mirabilis (Miracle Water) was  sold only to royalty. A vial cost a man's salary and it wasn't until a 100 years later, when trade opened with the French, that lots of businessmen started selling their own versions of this classic fragrance under the generic name of Eau de Cologne (Water of Cologne). 

                                                       

 To this day, the formula for the original cologne (called Farina 1709) hasn't changed since that year and remains guarded at Farina 1709, its original home and our final destination in Cologne. The Museum here offers tours for fragrance-lovers but know that Eau de Cologne as such is traditionally marketed to men as an alternative to perfume.

Dusk drops a cold blanket on the city but shoppers fill the streets anyway. New Year's Eve is around the corner anyway. Hohestrasse, the city's busiest shopping street, comes to life near the Dom. We would have enjoyed shopping more if smoking in public wasn't so common here. Europeans definitely love their cigarettes and this mars the charm of walking down a lively street.

In an hour, we will be ready to catch our train and head further east. For the moment. we take a break and relax our feet at one of Cologne's many pubs. The most famous of Cologne's local beers is Kolsch, hoppy but less bitter than lager and more clear. Peter Joseph Fruh founded a private brewery for Kolsch in 1904 and his Colner Hofbrau Fruh is the brewery where we sit down to enjoy a glass of his golden concoction.

We head back to the bustle of Koln Hauptbahnhof where a  time table informs us that our EN 421 night train to Vienna will arrive on Platform 7. Collecting our bags from storage lockers, we reach our platform to see signs for seating assignments. A chart also tells us about the sequence of coaches for every train that will arrive on Platform 7. Simply put, you can use this chart and stand at the exact spot where your specific coach will open its doors for you when it is time to board. You know you are in Germany when trains run like clockwork.

At precisely 8.05pm, our train shunts out of the station. We share our chamber with a German family from outside Hamburg that is visiting relatives in Vienna. The parents, Georg and Mariana, speak perfect English besides German and French. They are very curious to learn about our travels while their 7-year old daughter, Sofie, is shy and utterly charming. Georg bears a striking resemblance to John Ritter and I tell him as much. He isn't familiar with the actor but is pleased to hear that he resembles a celebrity. Sunil slips into a conversation in French with Mariana while I try to practice what little German I remember with Sofie. Soon we discover that we both love the comic books of Asterix and Obelix. Georg asks me about the length and breadth of USA and then challenges her to calculate how big a country it is. This keeps her busy for a while.

In the distance, the canvas of darkness is interrupted by occasional patches of light in the distance. We are crossing the Rhine Valley whose hills are dotted with castles. Mariana tells us that we could have spotted the Lorelei rock on a cliff if we weren't traveling in darkness. According to local legend, Lorelei was a beautiful girl who once sat on this rock and combed her golden hair. Unwittingly, she distracted shipmen who crashed their boats on the rocks. Another story tells us that Lorelei was a beautiful girl betrayed by her lover. Accused of bewitching men, she is sentenced to a nunnery. On her way, she asks to climb this rock one last time and see the Rhine. She does so but falls to her death. Since then, the rock is said to murmur and echo her name (Lureln is German for 'murmering' and ley is Celtic for 'rock' so Lorelei roughly translates to 'Murmering Rock').

Soon, Sofie and the rest of us slip into a slumber. Our train speeds into the darkness towards Austria while the stars shine down on castles in Rhineland. Where legend ends and history begins in this land, it is hard to tell.