Cologne

When we awoke this morning we were still cruising from Amsterdam. It’s a long way to Cologne. We made coffee, showered, got ready for the day then made our way down for breakfast. After breakfast we explored the boat a bit. It’s pretty nice. Interestingly enough it has a pool that changes into a movie theatre in the evening. The lounge and dining room are very nice and so far the food and drink have been excellent. It was still early so we sat in the lounge and watched the scenery and river traffic. The amount of barge traffic has been really surprising to us. We’re used to seeing big semis on the road hauling all sorts of stuff. Here, the river is a main route for goods.
We arrived in Cologne around lunchtime. After the boat was docked we set off to visit the huge gothic cathedral of the city. We had decided not to do the boat’s guided tour. The cathedral was only a few minutes walk from the boat and it is so huge that it would be impossible to get lost finding it. It is an impressive building: the largest cathedral in Northern Europe. Construction was started in 1248, but it wasn’t completed until the 1800’s. We walked around the cathedral and took a few pictures. We then went in and wandered around. It is huge and quite dark. Besides its size, it is known as the site of the reliquary of the Three Kings. The stained glass was very impressive.
After the cathedral, we decided that a walk was in order, so we returned to the riverfront and walked along the path. It was great to see grass growing and leaves on the trees. We returned to the boat and relaxed in our room. In the late afternoon we departed from Cologne and continued sailing down the Rhine. Just before dinner we were treated to a concert of classical music by a cello and violin duet. After dinner, we came up to the lounge and enjoyed a nightcap before turning in. We were warned that tomorrow was to be a busy day.