My stay in Köln continues

I have extended my stay in Köln for another day. I could not get a reservation in the Rhine Valley – pity. (Ok, ok.. the issue is that I did not begin to search for a room for tomorrow until today!!)

Köln is a big city and I could see myself living here, but not ‘roaming’ here!! Wanting to conserve my limited resources for eating experiences in the hinterlands, I bought a chicken barbeque sandwich and a Bauern (farmer’s) salad from a well-known grocery store chain. I could not detect a single bit of barbeque chicken in the sandwich (it was so bland!!) and the salad had lots of olives, zucchini, peppers and onions… but not a bit of salad greens. Really disappointing!!  Yes, I know I should have been able to see that through the clear plastic wrap… and I did .. but I just convinced myself that it would be delicious nonetheless! As I was leaving the parking garage, I scratched the under-body of my car on the curb. I hate these garages which apparently were built for teeny, tiny cars.. like VWs or Smarts. It is always so difficult getting down those spiral exit passages without scratching my car!!

Also, big, big news!! I talked with my daughter and grand-daughters  - in the USA – via Skype. It really works and I was able to turn on the video so I could see them and they could see me. I have been told that this service is free. So if that is true WOW!!! If not, at least we had a great time. The only problem is: how to let them know I am calling. Apparently the call is placed via the internet, which means that their telephone does not ring but their computer does. So unless you have 'loved ones' who sit at their computer 24 hours per day… you need to tell them exactly what time you will call. 

 Oh by the way, if you need a ‘chip fix’, try Tyrrell’s Hand Cooked English Crisps. They are quite good, I bought a bag last night, finished it and then bought 2 more today.  The chips are British!!  (Sorry to say, the Germans just do not make a good potato chip.)

As I sit here in my hotel room, I can hear a lonely bird cursing out the world. He keeps calling and calling but no one answers!! What a life, at least I can go to a local bar, talk to the locals... and pretend..

the big city

Well, I am still in Köln (Cologne, to you)… one of Germany’s largest cities (10 million inhabitants). It seems as if it would be a fun city to live in, but I think visiting it can be quite problematic. I had an appointment on Ludwig Str.  As usual, I simply punched the letters into my GPS. I drove for about 45 minutes, quickly passing by the Alt Stadt (old city) and the main business center. Finally, following my GPS instructions, I ended up in someone’s driveway.  Turns out there are several Ludwig Strs in Köln and my navigation system could not discern which one I wanted... and neither could I. Then, I called the office of the person I was supposed to meet and asked for the names of parallel streets, landmarks, etc.  The instructions were quite good (drive to the Innenstadt – inner city… can’t miss it). She was right I could not miss it. But, as a traffic ticket lady informed me,  I could not drive through  it either…  which my GPS - apparently - was not aware of!!  I tried to drive around, only to be foiled by road repairs and construction.   Finally, after driving in circles for several minutes, I was able to get to the far side of the Dom (the cathedral) and low and behold, I drove right into Ludwig street. Ok, ok, I found it by accident, I was merely driving from 1 one-way street into the next. Köln seems to be full of tiny, tiny streets, lots of parked cars, lots of traffic and road construction!!!

 The next day I tried to find the club chair maker. Since he was not in the central business district / inner city, my GPS functioned properly. But the street was quite small and there no parking spaces available for blocks on end… so I abandoned the idea of visiting him. Pity!!

My suggestion: park the car somewhere, whip out your smartphone, key in your destination, then take the train or bus or walk!!

FYI: Köln was founded by the Romans (what city in Germany wasn’t!!) As a result, Romans artifacts are constantly being discovered. By law, all excavation must cease until the archeologists can examine the finds. The saying throughout most of Germany is ‘dig a meter and find a ruin… or an unexploded WWII bomb'. (If it is a bomb, the bomb squad – not the archeologists – are called. I find it a bit unsettling!!)

 

 

Köln

Yesterday, I drove to Köln (Cologne). I will stay here until Saturday. Then I will return to report on the other side of the Rhine (the Wiesbaden side).The two sides are totally different.

While the Bingen side is perfect for hiking, biking, visiting fortress-like structures and driving through the countryside, the Wiesbaden side is much more destination-oriented and affluent.  Drive to wonderful vineyards and restaurants, enjoy classical or jazz concerts in castles and former cloisters, take a short walk in the vineyard before you have a sunset dinner while sipping the local wine. In late spring and early summer – because the daylight period is so long – you can enjoy long, long dinners while enjoying the sunset... until 10pm or so.   

During my stay here in Köln I am going to try to find an artisan who makes leather club chairs by hand. I think it would be interesting to talk to him.