Day 1 Cologne

The Dom from the main square
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We arrived at around 8 pm weary and a little overwhelmed.  This was the first day on our big adventure to China and beyond.  Having wheeled out packs out of the Haup Bahn Hoff (main train station) we made our way to the hotel. We were greeted by an eccentric but very welcoming man who gushed advice and information.  We were told this was a carnival night and all accommodation was booked up luckily we had booked out stay long in advance.  Our rooms were clean and tidy, the decor was a little basic but no complaints.

The Dom from the cable car over the Rhine
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Next on the list was food we were hungry after our long day so we took the hotels advice and made our way out to one of the city gates and decided on "Spitz" one of he better looking street cafe/bars.  We made our way inside, sat at the bar and ordered beer.  We thought this a good way to see what the food was like.  Having seen several excellent looking meals leave the kitchens, we decided to order.  The temperature was probably around the low twenties so we wanted to sit outside.  The waiter showed us to a table where we shared with a couple of German ladies who kindly agreed to let us use the spare space.  We ordered lime cocktails with vodka then steaks with roast potatoes and beer to drink. All was excellent.

Having seen several excellent looking meals leave the kitchens, we decided to order

Willy Wonka style Chocolate Factory
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There was great excitement in Cologne that night as there was a festival (for no apparent reason). It seemed that the whole of Cologne and large part of the population of Germany was out on the streets, drinking and having a good time.  The sheer number of people and the heady atmosphere was enough to exhaust us after a short time but is was good to share in the happy vibe.  There was a promise of fireworks we waited till around 11.30 pm then gave up and collapsed in the hotel.  At about 11.45 pm we were woken by loud bangs and crashes, it seems we missed the pyrotechnics by a few minutes.

Excellent tourist bus
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The next day we woke to a new day, sticky hot but excited. We set out after the usual continental style breakfast braced for the hot day.  We visited the Roman Museum and looked at some interesting exhibits but the best thing was the powerful air conditioning.  The Dom is the most obvious and striking building in Cologne.  The spire dominates the skyline and serves as a useful landmark from just about anywhere in the city.  The ornate gothic stonework is exceptional and has to seen to be believed.

Cable car caught from near the zoo in Cologne
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We wandered about soaking up the buildings and everyday life of the city getting increasingly hot and uncomfortable for a couple of hours.  We had seen some rather naff looking tourist buses driving around.  These yellow and green trailers pulled tourists about the city giving commentary (in German).  By this time we just wanted somewhere to sit down so we thought we would give them a try, purely in an ironic way you understand.  This turned out to be a good decision, not only was it refreshingly cool but it was a great way to see the city without pounding the streets.  The bus wound its way around the city sights stoping a half way point.  This stop turned out to be the zoo, we had no interest in trolling around there in 35 degrees of heat but we had seen cable cars heading over the Rhine.  We queued for a short time then were treated to inspiring views of the river and city.

We joined the the bus again and returned to the main square around 30 minutes later.  Having found the first trip so agreeable we decided to take another, this time to the chocolate factory.  It took around 15 minutes to get there after the breif tour.  The first rooms were pretty boring about the history of chocolate from south america and all that.  The next part however was much better, a cut down factory had been installed as an exhibit.  The whole process was on show from the preparation of the cocoa beans at one end to the moulding and packing machines at the other. Great vats of chocolate invited you to go hedonistic swimming like the character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I am not sure but I think I caught a glimpse of an Umpa Lumpa...

Back in the main square we were hot and sweaty after the temperature controlled environment of the Chocolate Factory.  We saw a fountain and some of the kids were splasing around, we decided to dip our feet, this small thing will be remembered as a real highlight.  Our feet cooled and a chilled out feeling it was just one of those moments to be savoured.

We headed of to the square in the north of the city and had some good food to get us ready for the night train to Warsaw, the Jan Kiepura.