Rosie and The Operator said farewell to the family and after coffee and hugs we headed off for Cologne, only an hours drive away. Our Nav man was working like a dream and took us directly to the steps of the Cathedral which was where our accommodation was….the parking garage was across the road, under the Cathedral, it was a piece of cake.
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We had arrived too early to check into our apartment so we left the bags in the car and struck out for a nosey around. Standing in the shadow of the Cologne Cathedral it was hard not to start there. It is the largest Cathedral in Europe, the Mt Everest of churches dwarfing everything around it. You tilt your head back to look skyward to the top and you can see the sky moving making you feel dizzy. Its huge black carbon encrusted edifice was the only thing not destroyed in totality by the Allies during the Second World War….everything around it was flattened. Good on you old chaps for saving the precious historical monuments.
Inside the church…it was curiously disappointing…it didn’t give the illusion of the immenseness it purveyed from the outside, in true Gothic style it was stark and austere and lacked the grandness of the outside.
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It did have the most beautiful mosaic floors and heaps of cool tombs and crypts. Plus not to be outdone in the interned bones stake, in a golden casket was the bones of not just one but the three Kings that traveled to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. The bones were taken during the crusades from Milan and a church needed to be built to house them…I dont think anyone can beat that in the old bones stakes.
The foundation stone was laid in 1248.
The building can seat 20,000 people.
The tallest tower is 157 meters tall.
The cathedral lay unfinished for 500 years, partly due to lack of interest and partly due to lack of finance….in the 1840s building was revived and it was finished in 1880 to the exact original medieval plans. A team of over 80 stonemasons continue today to restore its immense facade.
The Operator climbed the Tower – 560 steps, to many for Rosie in the 28c heat and took some pics over the city.
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The Operator climbed past the bell chamber which holds the biggest free swinging bell in the world…weighing in at 24 tonnes! The Operator coming down the stairs at 3.00pm….the bell struck the hour and he said it was that loud he had to put his fingers in his ears…..
We are staying at First Domazil apartments, the location is fantastic, as I said we are basically at the steps of the Cathedral. We were on the 5th floor and had a balcony to ourselves, it was fab!
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Out on the balcony we had a wonderful view of the cathedral, the bells are bloody loud when they chime, it reminds you that you are here in Cologne! So exciting!
The Operator texted me from the top of the cathedral tower, I went out on the balcony and he took a photo sequence…thats Rosie in the red shirt standing on her balcony. These pics give you the perspective of our location, told you we were close to the action. The last pic is the square in front of the Cathedral.
Tomorrow Rosie and The Operator are up early and off to explore Cologne proper….its hot tonight, no air con in our ‘flash’ apartment….hope we have a good sleep…….
