Cologne, Germany

We drove to Koln on the weekend of April 5th with Brad and Natalia, a couple from Chicago. Natalia also works with GE where Radhika is located, but in a different department. Brad works for ABN-AMRO. There apartment is but a 5 minute walk from ours. They have been to Koln several times already. There is a theory that schnitzel, not blood, is in Brad's veins, as he has been found halfway to Koln on several occasions in the middle of the night, sleepwalking. That GPS planted in his skull was a great idea, Natalia. Anyway, we drove the almost 3 hour distance Saturday morning. It was a little tricky finding our hotel, as it was located on a street closed to traffic. After 15 minutes and exchanging pleasantries with an elderly local, we found our underground parking and checked in. Not as nice as the Hilton in Luxembourg, but still a good deal and close to the sights. We walked to the cathedral, where Radhika and I did some sightseeing and B&N went shopping for lamps (everything is less expensive outside of Amsterdam). It started to rain, so we took refuge in an underground metro station and then the tourist office where we received suggestions of what to see. The rain eventually stopped, and we walked around just soaking up the city. We stopped in a small bakery, where we had some refreshments and contacted B&N to see where and when we were meeting for dinner. They had their sights set on a schnitzel place, and we met them on the street nearby. No luck on the lamp search, as prices even in Koln were on the high side. Furniture and the like is very stylish in Europe, much more so then in the US, but you also pay for it (especially with the dollar so deflated). We squeezed into the restaurant, with it's eclectic decor, and placed our order. I had a "Bombay" schnitzel, that came with curry and pineapple sauce. It was very good!! And large. I couldn't finish, so I brought 40% of it back to the hotel with about 10% of Radhika's and placed them in the room fridge. The next morning, we checked out, eating brunch at a place that came recommended by B&N, and after some small excitement we found a place to park the car as we did a little more walking and exploring. It was a beautiful, clear day, so Radhika and I went up into the spires for a view. The spiral staircase reminded me of visiting the Statue Of Liberty with my family when I was a kid. People were huffin' and puffin' as they went up (keep smoking those cigarettes!) the stairs. The church is an amazing structure for it's sheer size and intricate workmanship inside and out. It is the "monument" in Cologne if not all of Germany. To see it up close and from a distance is to be in awe. We reconnected with B&N, crossing the bridge over the Rhine and hanging out in the sunshine for a spell watching several people practice rock climbing on the stone walls around the stairs from the riverbank to the bridge level. We walked back to our car after some time and headed back to Amsterdam after having another fun weekend exploring our immediate surroundings. More travels are planned as we take advantage of our weekends and location.