I Don't Normally Drink Beer, but When I Do, it's German.

My flight left Dublin at 6:55 AM for Germany. You may remember I met many international students from Germany my first semester here, and they all spoke very highly of Cologne, Germany. Unfortunately, Cologne doesn't have a large airport (which we'll cover more of later in this blog) so I flew into the Dusseldorf International Airport - the only place Aer Lingus will fly to in Germany.

April 6th:

I landed in Dusseldorf around 9:00 AM and made my way to immigration and baggage claim. I was the only person on the plane without an EU passport, meaning I breezed through immigration and quickly went to grab my bags. Afterwards, I headed out towards arrivals. I had a couple of things on my agenda: take out cash (because Germany is very cash heavy) and get to the Dusseldorf train station. I was able to easily find an ATM to get some Euros, and then I began looking for a way to get to the station.

The way to get to the station from the terminal was called a skytrain. Imagine a metro but it's attached to the top lines rather than just riding upon it. I rode three stops to the train station before visiting the ticket desk to get a ticket to Cologne Central Station. One thing I learned about Germany while I was there is that you don't really have the option of buying tickets online. Tickets are bought in person and validated before you get on a train and if tickets aren't validated then you'll be fined. You also typically have to pay for tickets with exact cash.

I took the approximately 45 minute train ride to Cologne Central Station, and was able to easily navigate my way out. Fun fact: the bridge taking you into the station is the busiest one in Europe, with over 6,000 trains crossing it daily. When you exit the station, the first thing you see is the absolutely, jaw-droppingly stunning Cologne Cathedral. I'm not kidding - my jaw literally dropped.

First thing I did was take some time to observe the outside of the cathedral before I began the 10-ish minute walk towards the hotel I was staying at. It was Easter weekend, so I had trouble finding a hotel or hostel to stay in. When I reached the hotel, I realized they opened at 1, and I still had a couple of hours to kill until I could check in. I headed towards a McDonald's - some place I knew I could bring my luggage - for lunch.

German McDonald's is one of the best (but not the best) of the McDonald's I've had, so if you're ever looking for a quick meal in Germany, that's always something to try. I had been told about how Germans will just come and join you at a table, and that did happen to me while I was eating lunch. Afterwards, I went and got some postcards and a hand painted mini beer mug as a souvenir and sat outside the Cathedral to enjoy the scenery until I could check into my hotel.

Once I could check in, I dropped off my bags and went out to explore some of the religious monuments in the city that would be closed on Good Friday. I went on a tour of the Cologne Cathedral first, seeing the catacombs and hiking up approximately 2 billion stairs to the top of the tower, which is almost 500 meters in the air. The cathedral was stunning, and it took 600 years to build the entire thing.

Next I walked through Alter Market to see Great St. Martin Church, which wasn't opened but you were able to see the outside, the gardens, and the small fountain. It was cool to see some of Alter Market, though most shops were closed and the restaurants and breweries were slammed.

Finally, I went to visit Gereonsdriesch and St. Gereon, a park and basilica from Roman times. It was beautifully decorated with quite a bit of stained glass. Outside, there were little trees that reminded me of cherry blossoms, but I wasn't 100% sure if that's what they were. I spent times exploring the different parts of St. Gereon and all of the statues outside before heading back to my hotel to get read for a guided tour I had at 7:00 PM.

One of the things I was able to book on Easter weekend was a brewery tour, which took a small group of us through four different breweries and we tried different types of Kolsch. I learned all about Kolsch and can rattle off a lot of facts about the beer if anybody is curious.

It's important to note that I don't like beer. You will never find me picking beer over a good wine or cocktail. But I knew how important beer was to German culture, and so I wanted to make sure to include it in my time. I was surprised to find I actually enjoyed Kolsch and the tour we went on. After the tour ended, the tour guide and another couple invited me to stay with them for drinks (more Kolsch) and I left the tour with more German friends that I had to begin with.

April 7th:

Good Friday! I only had one thing on my agenda around mid-day, so I spent some time exploring the city. First up, the Ludwig museum, a contemporary art museum located right near the Cologne Cathedral. It was three stories, and I was able to see everything in about an hour. After the museum, I headed for an early lunch at Slavia where I enjoyed a cappuccino and some chicken.

After lunch, I went for a walk along the river, where I was able to see most of Alter Market, some fancy bridges, people enjoying an afternoon bike ride, and a kid playing with some bubbles that I man was blowing. I walked all the way down to the Schokoladenmuseum, which is the Cologne Chocolate Museum, and realized it was opened! I didn't have enough time to go in yet, so I headed back into Alter Market to go to my next activity.

One of the things I booked was a TimeRide VR Time Travel Experience. I had done something similar with my family in France, and thought it may be fun. You got to learn about the history of Carnival - a very important part of German culture and a very big part of Cologne culture - see what Cologne looked like 100 years ago, and have a fun VR experience. I also was able to find a German duck for Jack that he could add to his collection.

After my VR experience, I headed back down to the Chocolate Museum, which was a Lindt Chocolate Factory turned museum. I walked through the museum, watched how the chocolate was made, sampled some of the freshly-made chocolate, and the process of making intricate chocolate designs. After the museum, I stopped by Chocolat Grand Cafe for a mini fondue (made from Lindt chocolate) and then headed to the gift shop. I got specially flavored Lindt chocolate for my family as some German souvenirs and headed out.

After my trip to the chocolate factory, I headed back down the river banks to take a guided boat tour around the river to see some different parts of Cologne - on both sides of the river. I ordered a glass of wine that allegedly rose but was orange and far too sweet to be enjoyable, but it was fun to try something new.

Finally, I headed back towards Alter Market to find some place to eat dinner. I ended up going to RheinZeit and ordered pork, potatoes, and a salad. It was absolutely delicious and one of the best meals I've had in Europe. Afterwards, I went to enjoy a Tiramisu gelato at Gelato 4D Caffe, which was absolutely delicious (but not as good as it was in Italy). I headed back towards my hotel afterwards to repack my bags and prepare for my flight the next day.

April 8th:

I slept in a bit and woke up to the sounds of Cologne outside the window. I had been playing catch-up on sleep since I left Dublin. When I checked out of the hotel, I went a couple blocks over to a pastry shop called Epi Boulangerie Patisserie and ordered some creme brulee Madeleines for breakfast before headed back towards Cologne Cathedral to eat them.

On Saturday's it seems that outside the cathedral is a gathering place. Chalk artists gathered drawing huge murals. There were musicians, dogs playing, children running around, and people feeding pigeons. It was nice to watch and enjoy the chilly morning with such a beautiful sight. Soon, it was time for me to head to the train station to get my ticket to the airport.

I purchased my ticket to the Cologne airport, explored the station for a bit, and then boarded the train for a short ride to the airport. The Cologne airport has two terminals, and my flight was leaving out of terminal one. However, I had to check in at terminal two. I headed to terminal 2, checked in, grabbed a quick lunch at some random airport shop, and then made my way through security.

Security was quick, with only two lines that were moving fast. Immigration was the same way - quick. Before I knew it, I was at my gate and waiting to board my flight to London for a quick pitstop on my way to my third and final country over break: Albania.

In order: The Streets of Cologne, Cologne Cathedral, Blooming Trees by the Gereonsdriesch, Inside the Gereonsdriesch, Me at the Cologne Cathedral, Kid Playing with Bubbles Outside the Ludwig Museum, Daily Chocolate Counter in the Cologne Chocolate Museum, The Cologne Cathedral, View of Cologne from the Water.