Neuss, Dusseldorf and Cologne

At Frankfurt, I was to change to another train to go to Dusseldorf. I asked the info desk which platform the next train was, not realizing I should specify exactly which train I wanted... turns out I was on the train that stopped at each and every little town along the way... it was, at least, a very scenic train ride, with the prettiest little villages along the Rhine river (spelling?). I arrived just over an hour late, and had no way of letting Frank know ahead of time! But he came back to pick me up! (I felt so bad!)

He gave me a tour of Dusseldorf, and of Neuss, where he lives. It was so nice to have a "tour guide" and not have to think of it all myself, or read it from a book. After some lunch, he took me into Cologne, and again, the christmas lights were all up and it just felt so nice and holiday-ish. This is where I finally purchased myself a pair of jeans (yes, a slight splurge!)... The shopping district is something we could take a hint or two from over here. We have nothing quite like it, and we should. We made our way to the Dom (the Cathedral) and when I first saw it come around the corner, I stopped briefly and was amazed by it's sheer size! It was amazing! It was what they call French Gothic architecture, and what that means to me now is extremely detailed! It was already getting dark out, but that just made it seem more mysterious...

That evening we had a christmas dinner with friends at an asian restaurant (and I was finally able to have soup! which i had been craving for so long!) It was a wonderfully social evening, and the gift exchange was quite fun - i got a christmas tin with apple-cinnamon smelly soaps... Afterwards, we visited their infamous street, where many people were walking around with drinks in their hands. Public drinking is allowed remember, but it was odd to see people carrying beer bottles, etc, walking around in public... and we visited the harbour. It was a beautiful night.

Sunday was a nice relaxing day, we went for breakfast with a friend (tobias), and then I caught up on emails and rested while Frank had a previous engagement... that night we headed out to see a movie - here, when they purchase a movie ticket, there is actually assigned seats! You chose your seats when you buy the ticket, and everyone actually sits in their assigned seats! Interesting concept. (and they have sweet popcorn!)

On Monday I took the train back to Cologne, and went back to the Dom cathedral. I climbed up to the highest point - it was 509 stairs to the top! There were a few instances when I had to stop to convince myself I had to keep going - at one point the staircase opens up and this little metal cage continues up in the middle of this large room, and you really get a feel for how far up you are when you see the little city below you! Had to catch my breath! But it was so worth it! Especially when you could see the little christmas trees and red awnings of the christmas market down below!

My train ride back to Neuss was once again during the sunset - I have been so lucky to catch so many sunsets on this trip! Brilliant pink skies! And the town of Neuss was bustling with christmas markets and was so pretty!

The next morning I was to catch the train to Amsterdam! I was meeting my friend Mer there (from London)! I hated to leave Germany so soon...