Cologne

We didn't know much about what to see in Cologne but one thing we had in mind - let's go and check out the place where Cologne Water (Eau de Cologne) originated. We boarded the high speed train from Brussels Midi and arrived in Cologne HBF(main train station) in two hours and twenty minutes.

After checking in to the hotel, we made a visit to the tourist information centre across the road from the train station and right in front of the landmark of Cologne - the Cathedral (Der Kölner Dom).

Cologne Cathedral, a famous Gothic structure and also the largest cathedral in Germany took 632 years(1248-1880) to complete. We spent quite a fair bit of time admiring the amazing two spired 157m high cathedral and the square (Frankenplazt) next to it.

For lunch we dropped by a restaurant along Am Hof to sample Kölsch(beers brewed in Cologne) and local sausages. We met friendly people and had great beers!

Next, we visited the Rathaus(Town Hall) those picturesque houses on Fischmarkt and took lots of photos. There's much to see in this city, so we decided to spend another night here. That night we walked along the romantic Rhine riverside - great views indeed!

The next day we vistied the original No.4711 Eau de Cologne shop (if you are there, check out the cologne fountain), highstreets, old town and a few of Cologne's picturesque squares as well as some churches of Romanesque architecture. Church of St. Martin is one of the more remarkable ones.

It was so nice that we went back to the riverside and spent a couple of hours there people-watching while enjoying the beautiful scenery. The following morning we took the early train to our next destination - Heidelberg.