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It might have been because of the sunny weather (better than forecast) but Cologne really appealed to me. Set by the gracefully flowing Rhine, Cologne has two thousand years of history going for it, back from when the Romans established their Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippenensium here on the banks of the mighty river.

The city thrived during the Middle Ages and became renowned for its twelve Romanesque churches, as well as a few markets in the bustling old town. The churches and the markets are still there, but the bustling nowadays bustles between modern buildings. Cologne was one of the most bombed cities anywhere during the Second World War, and the city was completely destroyed. They chose not to restore the market places or the old town, just the churches.

One place that just about survived was the city’s symbol, the Dom.

Cologne Cathedral.

In 1248 they wanted somewhere to store a reliquary of the Three Kings. And in those days, for that sort of thing you tended to go large. That way the Amazon delivery people would know where to leave it.

They went so large that the money ran out in 1560. In 1814 they found something behind an equally big sofa and started up again. By 1880 they’d finally finished. The towers are 157 metres high, making it the third tallest church in the world. Truly impressive, visible for miles around, and built to the original plan.

Unfortunately, members of the Allied air forces in the 1940s had strong views about the German ecclesiastical architectural ascetic. In general, towers were good for navigation purposes, but the rest really had to go. So the Dom was bombed fourteen times, but repaired over subsequent decades. And of course Air Vice-Marshalls Erosion and Pollution are still scrambling their forces, and the work goes on.

As you see, I took lots of photos but stayed outside so as to avoid the queues and enjoy the city a little more. I did get inside the porch of the Church of the Assumption nearby…

…but the gate to the nave was locked. A pity because the church houses some works by one of Rembrandt’s pupils…

…Bernhard Fuckeradt.

And after that, it was time for even more of the local Kölsch beer, before packing my stuff, catching the train and heading to Bavaria.