Cologne

I had my first European trip away since being back in London. It was actually a work trip to Cologne, Germany. We arrived on the Thurs morning and then the bulk of the people left on Friday evening. Rob arrived on the Friday morning to join me for the weekend, so we had a few extra days there.

Cologne itself was fairly uneventful. It just so happened to be hosting the biggest event of it's annual calendar the weekend we were there! It is basically a massive firework show up and down the Rhine River. This is accompanied by, in true German style, copious amounts of beer and sausages - all sold at the hundreds of street vendors on the riverbanks.

It also happened to be one of the hottest weekends on record while we were there as well!! OK, slight exaggeration, but after getting used to the awful 'summer' weather we are getting in London at the moment, we both sweltered as we meandered around the old town.

Luckily, there are also numerous bars and restaurants - all with outdoor seating - where we could quench our thirst every now and again!

The old town is exactly what you would expect from a European city - albeit a very small one! Cologne was almost completely destroyed in the War. Amazingly, about the only thing that survived is the massive cathedral that Cologne is famous for. Apparently, the allies spared the cathedral as it provided a good navigational aide to their pilots!

Unfortunately, it is difficult to get the whole cathedral into photos due to it's massive size and the build up of buildings around it. However, here are a few shots from the weekend.

One of the Old Town squares

The Cathedral - well, part of it!

The Cathedral from across the Rhine

These ones are for you Dad - the tourist trains!!