Cologne

On the way to Frankfurt is Cologne, the largest city in the North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany. (Isn't Europe great? One and a half hour drive and we are in a different country!)


Cologne is a very old city, founded by the Romans around 50 AD on a pre-existing Germanic settlement. It was called Colonia in Latin, which means an outpost of the Roman Empire, or simply, colony. (The city is still called Colonia in Romance languages)

Cologne is famous for its cathedral, the Kolner Dom, with its impressive two towers and its gothic interior. One can see the towers from far away.

One interesting fact about the cathedral is that it survived the alied bombing during World War II. Some say it was a miracle. Others say that it was spared since its towers served as navigation sign for the bombers. Well, no miracle happens by accident!

Something funny happened on our way to the Cathedral. The GPS unit told me to turn left on an ilegal intersection. Denise and Thales saw the sign and warned me, but I had already moved the car the wrong way before going to the right direction. After a long return, we were stopped by a policeman who was waiting for us. He started to call my attention in a very fast German, even though I told him I could not speak German. I remained calm and serious during his rebuke, even though I was laughing inside: listening to him was like listening to Charlie Chaplin imitating German.