Night view of Köln
Upside down view of Köln
Fischmarkt

Journey from Köln to Schönstatt

Actually, Köln was not the place I wanted to go this Easter. Everything changed at last minute. My initial plan was to go to Vosges for paragliding. Me and my friends were going to camp and fly there. However, this trip was cancelled due to the bad weather conditions at last minute. At the same time, my friend from Greece invited me to his trip to Schönstatt to celebrate and watch Easter Ceremony. This was a good idea for a 4-day-holiday. I searched for train tickets and found reasonable one from Amsterdam to Köln via DB. Then, I planned to go to Köln first and then meet with my friends in Schönstatt.

Köln welcomes you with its tall church – Cologne Cathedral at the station. I attempted to climb its 509 steps. I cannot say that it was easy. Whenever I see an amazing architectural design from the past, I think how they built it at those days with limited technology. Nowadays, people try to build fast and simple buildings which are totally away from aesthetics.

You can see the Hohenzollern Bridge over the Rhine River which is leading to Cologne Cathedral. The funny thing about this bridge is that the couples put locks which symbolizes their loves that will continue until that locks are opened. The creativity of locks make you laugh during your walk over the bridge. I saw one with Justin Bieber :)

I like the houses around Fischmarkt. Köln makes you feel you were in a doll-house with these houses and funny statutes around the city.

Tips:

  • Duration: One day is enough for sightseeing and museum visits
  • Transportation: I arrived to Köln from Amsterdam via Deutsche Bahn. It costed 60 euro. The city is suitable for walking and riding bikes.
  • Accomodation: I stayed in A&O Hostel which is around Neumarkt. It takes 10-15 mins to main station on foot. It costs around 20-25 euro. Bring your linens which is not included in room fare.
  • Eat: German wurst
  • Drink: German beer next to Rhine River

(Visne Kiraz April 2012)