Last weekend was spent with some friends in the city of Cologne. After getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning, and driving for about 5 hours, we reached Cologne on Saturday afternoon. We then spent the rest of the day (and night) exploring the many Christmas markets Cologne has to offer (I think there are 7 throughout the city!), sightseeing throughout the city, drinking Koelsch bier (a Cologne specialty), and trying to stay warm! :) Overall, a very fun day!
I truly enjoyed our visit to the city of Cologne... The city is so vibrant, the people are extremely friendly (by German standards! :)), its history is fascinating (the city dates back to 39 BC!), the historical landmarks are breathtaking, the shopping is incredible, and did I mention that the people are friendly (that's a big bonus here in Germany! :))?! Overall, it's definitely a place that I would love to return to! :)
And, without further ado, here's a quick recap of our weekend in Cologne... Enjoy! :)
A sign as we entered the first Christmas market in Cologne... It says "Christmas Post Office". :)
Some of the handcrafted items that can be found in many of the stalls at the Christmas markets...
Our lunch...
This was absolutely delicious!! It was called Knobibrot, and it was a piece of toasted bread with quark and cheese spread on one half, and ajyvar sauce with olives on the other half... YUM!! I have to admit, I love all the different types of foods that can be found at the Christmas markets... You never know what you'll find... And no matter what you decide to order, it's safe to say that it will most likely taste delicious! :)
White gluhwein or gluhwein mit Schuss (with a shot of rum)! :)
The crew attempting to stay warm with a mug of gluhwein... I have to admit, it definitely helps to chase away the chill! :)
Some of the hand-carved art that was displayed throughout the city... Gorgeous!
Larra and I taking a break from our explorations! :)
We found this rather entertaining! A McDonald's with a McFit gym located upstairs... Nice! :)
The Cologne Dom...
Stunning!
The Dom was partially destroyed during WWII, and it was reconstructed to look like the original building. The Dom was originally built between 1248 and 1880.
Inside the Dom...
Lighting of the candles...
Brian and I heading into the Koelner Dom Weihnachtsmarkt...
The Dom stood majestically over the Christmas Market... Gorgeous!!
Benjamin, Katrina, and Larra enjoying yet another mug of gluhwein! :) They were trying to stay as warm as possible! :)
Larra and I hanging out at the Christmas Market... It was so unbelievably cold that evening!!
There was live entertainment as well... How fun!
Trying out the infamous Koelsch Bier... Pretty tasty, I must say! :) Notice how small the glasses are? These glasses are known as Stange, and they are very traditional to Cologne. They are served in such small glasses (o.2 liter) because the special type of bier (Koelsche) is supposed to taste best when fresh on draught.
Cheers to Koelsch Bier! :)
The following day was spent exploring more Christmas markets! :) Doesn't Brian look happy to be posing with the Na-Tah-Ka sign here?! :)
Row upon row of handcrafted German goodies! :)
Wandering along the cobblestone streets of Cologne...
No comments:
Post a Comment