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| The World Renowned Dom in downtown Cologne |
My wife and I took an overnight to Cologne, Germany. Meeting old friends, seeing an old city for
the first time.
I expected the usual:
old buildings, a cathedral, beer, sausages, and a view of the Rhine
River. What I didn’t expect was to be
enchanted. Cologne, or Köln (Kul-n) in
German, sports the past like an old and favorite dress, yet has a young and
vibrant feel. People, young and old,
stroll the cobblestone streets, stop for a beer at an outdoor pub, view the
flowers and the majestic Rhine, and while away the time in some wonderful
cafés. The old city, Altstadt, is a
walking wonderland of things to see and do.
Cologne is used to being both old and new and certainly
adept at starting over. An ancient tribe
founded the city; then came the Romans in the first century and stayed for over
four hundred years. They built sewer
systems, palaces, and baths, all of which are slowly being uncovered and
displayed to the public.
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| The Roman World |
Hard to believe this city was 95% destroyed in World War
II. On the night of 13 May, 1942, the
first thousand plane raid hit Cologne. 90%
of the population fled.
Between Roman times and the National Socialist era, a lot of
folks took turns hammering this center of commerce that straddles the famous
Rhine River. Most, noticeably the French
under Napoleon Bonaparte and later the French after the First World War, tried
to make Cologne a permanent part of France.
The Brits had a lot to do with squashing both those misguided efforts.
Museums abound in this city, and two of my sudden favorites
are the Ludwig and the Wallraf. Art from
every age, but I usually key-in on the late nineteenth and twentieth Century. Impressionists. Cubists.
Both museums feature names you’ll recognize, no matter your preference. From Reuben and Rembrandt to Van Gogh,
Renoir, Picasso, and Pollack, you’ll find them here.
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| Picassos Inside the Ludwig Museum |
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| The large painting is an Edvard Munch inside The Wallraf Museum |
For me, viewing art is not only a question of time, but of
the ability to mentally digest what I’m seeing.
A museum is such an elaborate banquet of designs, styles, colors, and
subjects. Seeing all of it in one fell
swoop is like trying to eat your way through the full menu at a Michelin Three
Star restaurant.
My brother has taught me well. For every hour in a museum,
there must be an hour on either side at a pub.
Ale cleanses the mental palate and renews your spirit for living.
Thankfully, Cologne is dedicated to enjoyment of beer, as
evidenced by a word found few other places in Germany: Kölsch. This pale beer, with a taste much like a
smoother lager, has found its way down thirsty throats for centuries. Even today, Kölsch is strictly controlled
through an agreement between members of the Cologne Brewery Association, known
as the Kölsch Konvention.
The thing to remember when you park yourself at a café and
order a Kölsch, is that tall, slim glass in front of you will be refilled again
and again, until you either mumble to the waiter that “I dink I gad genuf…,” as
the beer dribbles down your shirt, or you put your beer coaster over the top of
your glass. In Cologne drinking beer is
serious and the waiters carry special little trays (Kranz or wreath) of little
glasses of beer, designed both to cut down on the spillage and to serve dozens of
customers at the speed of slosh.
Ok, you’ve had your beer and your museums and taken a look
at the mighty Rhine River, but there’s at least one thing left. You can’t leave this famous city without a
glimpse inside the magnificent cathedral.
You’re thinking, “This is my second week in Europe and if I see another
freaking cathedral, all this beer is going to trickle its way down my legs and between
the cobbles on the street!”
Slow down. This is
not just another cathedral, but one of the most famous and majestic in all of
Europe. It’s full name is Hohe Domkirche St Petrus, or in English,
High Cathedral of St Peter. Best known as
simply the Dom. I’m not going to spoil the fun by giving you
a full rundown. Besides, you need more
beer to really appreciate this edifice that’s been around in one form or
another since the 13th Century.
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| Inside the Cathedral |
But, I will answer a couple of questions before you even ask: Yes, the Dom was hit in World War II, but no
it was not destroyed. One reason is the
suggestion that it made an excellent visual checkpoint for bomb runs into other
parts of Germany.
And, who can think of speaking of Cologne without mentioning
Eau de Cologne? Giovanni Maria Farina,
an Italian, launched the citrus-scented original here in 1709 and the
collective cologne business has flourished ever since. Yes, there is a cologne museum and cologne
shops galore.
Don’t’ know about you, but I think all this sightseeing
calls for another beer. Now, if that
waiter would just hurry up!
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