On April 25th we set
off on our latest venture into the German-speaking world when we flew
to Cologne, Germany’s 4th largest city, famous for its
cathedral, its trade fairs and its “eau”. Arriving
quite late in the evening, we sped off in our taxis to Das Kleine
Stapelhaeuschen, the most romantic hotel in Cologne, according to
“The Independent”, and we quickly realised that we
were in the “in” place to be. The whole area was a
mass of bars and restaurants near the Rhine, where the merriment
continued into the early hours of the morning, causing some problems in
getting off to sleep to those guests who were not deaf. Still
the pluses outweighed the minuses. The hotel dates back to the 13th
century and was one of the few buildings in the old town that escaped
the wartime bombing. It is a very narrow building as wider buildings
were taxed quite heavily in the Middle Ages. Because of this, there is
a spiral staircase in the main restaurant area which some of us had to
use to get to our rooms.(There was also a lift for the majority of
guests). Our
first day was spent in getting to know Cologne. We visited the
cathedral (no entrance charge), took a coach tour and visited the only
chocolate museum in the world - not such a good idea on such
a hot day. We were able to get more hot and sticky by entering a
greenhouse representing the South American rain forest where the
chocolate beans grow. We decided on a more relaxed
day on Friday, cruising down the Rhine to Koenigswinter where we could
take a cog railway up the Drachenfels from where we had wonderful views
of the Rhine and the surrounding Siebengebirge. Those of us energetic
enough climbed further to the ruined castle at the top.
Saturday
was another full day. We visited the 4711 house where eau-de-cologne
was first produced and sold. When the French army occupied Cologne in
1796, they insisted on numbering all the houses and that’s
the origin of that particular brand. To commemorate that event the
Glockenspiel at the top of the house plays the Marseillaise on the hour
throughout the day - something that never happens in France!
We then visited the Documentation Centre where we saw an exhibition
about the Nazi period in Cologne. We were particularly moved by the
Gestapo cells in the cellar and the story of their inmates. The
afternoon took us on the short trip to Bonn where we enjoyed Kaffee und
Kuchen in the market square, admired the architecture and finally
visited Beethoven’s childhood home.
On
Sunday, we went our separate ways: 6 went off to the zoo, 2 on another
boat trip and 2 to the mediaeval walled town of Zons on the Lower
Rhine. We left our shopping until Monday and most of us managed to get
a few bargains in the very lively shopping centre, followed by a very
welcome ice cream sundae in one of the many attractive squares in the
city. We were sad to leave Cologne but glad to experience cooler
temperatures on our return. Our
lasting impression is of a vibrant, modern city where the locals really
know how to enjoy themselves. The fine weather brought them out in
their thousands to enjoy the food and drink, have fun and yet not get
drunk or cause any problems. Everything was so good-natured. We were
happy to have been a part of this, even though we needed a rest when we
got home.
A visit to Cologne
Zoo (June Gibbs)
Cologne
Zoo is the third oldest in Germany, created in 1860, housing over 700
species of animals (7000 in total) in an area of 48 acres. It was
virtually destroyed in World War II but reopened in 1947. The
enclosures give the animals plenty of space and provide them with
conditions they may encounter in the wild with natural
looking boundaries. The
collection of birds, reptiles and mammals is so large it is impossible
to write about all of them. The first animals we met were the meercats
and several species of bear from around the globe. We eventually found
the Rain Forest enclosure and house where we met our near relatives,
the Lowland Gorillas and Orang utans along with the cheeky chimps. The
highlight of the zoo is the Elephant Park and House which has about 20
elephants. This last year has seen the birth of 3 baby elephants, all
of which have survived. The elephants were absolutely delightful and
left a lasting impression on us. The babies were well protected by the
mothers and other females in the herd. The babies looked a little hairy
but I expect their mothers thought they were beautiful and we spent a
lot of time watching them. The gestation period is about 18 months to 2
years and the calf weighs approx. 220 lbs at birth. Whilst the females
are family orientated, the bull is a solitary animal. There’s
so much to see: the Aquarium with its fish and corals, the Terrarium
with a variety of reptiles – Nile crocodiles, boas,
chameleons and poison dart frogs. As
ever, all good things come to an end and so did our visit to the zoo,
and my lasting memory has to be those
elephants………….
(No
digital pictures available but there are pictures of the baby elephants
on the Cologne
Zoo website)