Cologne, Koblenz, and Aachen

For our drive to Germany, we had some possible stops along the way in Eindhoven or Essen, but both would have been more outdoor walking, and it proceeded to rain, so we opted to just push through to our Airbnb in Cologne. It was only 2 hours away, so we got there a little earlier than our host was expecting. Apparently, this is an old school Airbnb where the host actually lives in the place we were renting. So we followed her to the included parking spot in a claustrophobic underground garage and then met some of her neighbors, while we dropped off our bags, and she offered us some cake. We declined the cake, but she gave us a tour of the 1 bedroom, 2 bath flat with a loft and wonderful natural light.

To give her some more time, we decided to go exploring. We walked to the Rhine River and down a path that led to some playgrounds. Most of Cologne was damaged during WWII, so much of the architecture is modern and rather bland. But we did find a 12th century city gate that even had a portcullis.

The German public transit was fairly easy to navigate, and the famous Cologne Cathedral was on the agenda for the next day. It's difficult to put the scale of this building into perspective from a phone camera, but it seems to rise high above the rest of the city. It took over 600 years to be constructed and survived the bombing of the city in WWII, though it did sustain some damage. 

We got a brochure guide that hit the highlights of the interior, chief among them being the gold box behind the altar said to hold relics of the Three Wise Men. The main part of the church was very open and you could see from end to end pretty easily.  

We looked in detail at several of the beautiful stained glass windows, but were not really fans of the Richter window, a recent addition that looked like random pixellation (not pictured). Every niche had stunning artwork and centuries of history. It was a lot to take in. I thought for sure that the kids would want to climb the tower, but hunger got the better of us.

So we went in search of an authentic German brewhaus. Our host left recommendations for us, and Fruh was an easy walk from the cathedral. It's also apparently the second largest brewpub in Germany, second only to Munich's Hofbrauhaus. We got an assortment of schnitzel, sausage, and sauerkraut, with local Kolsch for the adults. We were expecting large steins, but they served beer in these dainty 200 ml glasses. Pretty delish, but nothing better than German food we've had in the States.

Rather than climb the stairs at the cathedral, we opted to walk around Cologne's Old Town instead. We ended up at Rathausplatz (we liked that the German word "Rathaus" fittingly meant city hall), with a central fountain surrounded by cafes, perfect for people watching while enjoying some ice cream. The 800-year old city hall had a clock tower that played Can Can music (Offenbach was born in Cologne) just before the hour and a face just below the clock stuck out his tongue and waggled his beard on the hour chimes. So charming!

One benefit to being in a flat, besides being able to spread out a bit, was access to laundry! Once I figured out the German instructions on the washer (you had to open the water valve manually), our clothes were able to air dry while we went exploring.

Hadley has been learning German on duolingo since last summer (can you say 'ausfahrt'?) and was very excited to try it out in Germany! Her one request for the trip was to go to a real German castle, so I got tickets for a tour of Marksburg Castle, about an hour south of Cologne in Braubach.

To get there, we drove through part of the Rhine Valley, which is dotted with hilltop castles next to the river. There are so many castles in this area that they say there's one castle every 2.5 km down the river! This is also wine country, so several hillsides were covered in vineyard rows. 

Marksburg is famous because it is the only hilltop castle along the Rhine that was never destroyed, despite its 800-year long existence. It only passed hands a few times and apparently played both sides of the Catholic-Protestant divisions that helped it to survive unscathed.

We got on an English speaking tour and were able to go inside, through hallways and gardens, up narrow winding stairs, and through the kitchen, wine cellar, and main bedroom.

Our favorite was probably the toilet, which was directly off the main dining hall, but had a door locked from the outside to prevent invaders from sneaking in through the loo.

They also had a pretty good collection of cannons, halberds, and suits of armor to tell the tale of castle defense and weaponry through the ages.

All in all, it was a good castle viewing, though we would have liked to explore a bit more! There were a lot more nooks and stairways to explore. We just don't have this kind of history in the States. Before beginning our descent back down the mountain, we ate at the cafe overlooking the castle and the Rhine on a warm, sunny afternoon.

As we headed back north, we stopped in Koblenz. We parked at the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, which overlooks the city across the river. Unbeknownst to us, they were having some sort of Ren Fair with all sorts of tents and people dressed up like medieval times, set up with bows and arrows, fire pits, and wares. Oh well, at least it was still free parking! The thing to do in Koblenz is to ride a cable car across the Rhine, so we did.

The cars go between the fortress and the Deutsches Eck (German Corner), which is that point jutting out into the water. Koblenz is where the Moselle River branches off from the Rhine.

It was Ascension Day, which is a national holiday, so there was a food truck festival happening in Koblenz in the park right where the cable cars land. There was an interesting mix of cuisines, including Texas barbecue! Needless to say, we did not try it.

It was a short walk to the Eck and we checked out the enormous statue of Kaiser Wilhelm on his horse. It was actually pretty warm, so we mostly stayed in the shade.

But we did admire the fortress from our new vantage point. This was also where the river cruise ships docked and passengers disembarked, so there was a lot going on. Luckily, several of the food trucks offered sweets, so we got some more ice cream for our cable ride back to the car.

After another night in Cologne, it was time for the Belgian leg of our trip, but first, Aachen. Aachen was the home of Charlemagne, and he was buried here over 1200 years ago. The style of the Cathedral is a bit disjointed as different parts were added on over the years, and the central octagonal dome limits the sight lines through the church, so it had a very different feel from the other cathedrals we'd seen on the trip. The interior is very ornate, like the mosaic ceiling, most of which had to be restored after the war.

We didn't make it to the treasury, but the shrine here is said to contain relics from St. Mary's cloak, John's beheading, and Jesus' swaddling clothes and loincloth. They are only brought out for viewing every seven years, so we just missed them in 2023. It was a fairly dark and solemn atmosphere.

After some time in the cathedral, we grabbed some gyros to go and headed west. A little piece of the Netherlands hangs down between Belgium and Germany, so we went through 3 countries today. Just east of Maastricht is the only American cemetery in the Netherlands where 8,200 American soldiers are buried. They had some of the local WWII history engraved in granite, including these elaborate battle maps.

There was a reflecting pool with a monument at the end, symbolizing the sacrifices made and the women left behind. The surrounding walls are covered in names of the missing, and the graves are marked by white crosses similar to Arlington National Cemetery. The local Dutch families adopt a soldier and tend to his grave through the years. It was a very peaceful, beautiful spot and a somber reminder of the cost of war.