Germany: A Beautiful Detour to Cologne
Although Germany wasn’t officially part of our BENELUX tour, we decided to add a stop in Germany. With over 83 million people, Germany is the most populous country of the European Union. We chose to visit the city of Cologne because of its proximity to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. And I’m so glad we did!
Cologne gave us a little taste of Germany during our European adventure, and in just a short visit, we managed to experience the charm, history, architecture, food, chocolate, beer, and plenty of walking.
Our first stop was the magnificent Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom), and WOW!
Pictures really don’t do this cathedral justice. It is massive—absolutely breathtaking. Standing in front of it, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that construction began in 1248 and wasn’t completed until centuries later. It took roughly 600 years to complete!
The cathedral was definitely one of those travel moments where you simply have to stop and take it all in.
From there, we explored Cologne’s Old Town, which is located right on the Rhine, near the cathedral. We strolled along the historic, picturesque, colorful, narrow houses with steep gables taking in the architecture and atmosphere. Upon further exploration we were able to go through winding cobblestone alleys, backyards and romantic squares.
We also visited the Lindt Chocolate Museum, which was a fun stop for two people who certainly don’t need much convincing when chocolate is involved! The Chocolate Museum in the heart of Cologne offers the world’s most comprehensive exhibition of the history of cocoa. Of the multi-country tour of the BENELUX region and Germany, I must say that the chocolate from the Lindt Museum was my favorite!
We made our way to the Hohenzollern Bridge, one of Cologne’s most recognizable landmarks. Since 2008, individuals have been placing locks on the bridge. And of course, we were spontaneously inspired to add our own little lock to the collection! We found our lock at a tourist stand nearby who provided us with a sharpie to place our names. We headed back to the bridge. What made that moment even more special was the kindness of strangers we encountered along the way. A few people helped us capture photographs, turning what could have been just another sightseeing stop into one of those unexpected travel memories that stays with you.
We spent some time strolling along the Rhine River promenade. We also enjoyed some of the simple pleasures of traveling—Peter had his pretzel, I had my for ice cream, and we wandered around without feeling the need to rush from one attraction to the next. Of course, we couldn’t visit Germany without sampling some local beer.
Sometimes, those are the best travel days.
Travel Tip: One thing we discovered after this trip was that Germany can be one of the places where tourist travelers encounter passport stamping at a border crossing although most countries in the European Union have gotten rid of it.
We were traveling by train, so it didn’t apply to us. If you’re a passport-stamp collector like we are, it’s definitely something worth researching before your trip and asking about at the appropriate border-control point.
