Day #7: Kukenhof Gardens

 I'm gonna let the pictures tell the story on this one, because oh my goodness.......   

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! 

Day #6: Koln (Cologne)

 

.....and, I finally have consistent wifi! Granted, it's in the lounge in Philadelphia, but I've got time and I've got wifi! Day #6 was Cologne, the biggest city we had visited so far. 

Those who have been to bigger European cities already know this, but the bicyclists are dangerous! I give everyone who cycles credit - they're way healthier than me. But....those of us from CLT know the cyclists on the booty loop and Queens Rd West stop for no one. Think of it that way - on steroids. 

If you zoom in on the white / iron railing, you'll see lots and lots of love locks. I asked the tour guide if they were having the same problem they did in Paris - the weight of the locks became too much for the bridge and they had to remove them. He laughed and answered "These bridges were built by German engineers. It's not a problem." 

St Michaels, the second largest church in the region. It became a running joke during the cruise - if the building had a clock on the face, it was a church. No clock? Castle. Regardless of the type of building, they were all beautiful. The amount of craftsmanship and effort that goes into building is amazing. We don't do that here in America, it's sad. 

It's me, it's me!  :)

More of the church. 

See the pulley at the top? A lot of times the stairs were too narrow to get furniture and other big items up. So......they used the pulley system. Still do, according to the guide. 

Köln was mostly destroyed during WWII, so they had to do a lot of rebuilding. This has led to an interesting mix of new and old architecture, which makes for a fascinating landscape. Here - old Koln on the left, a modern building on the right. 

Statue of gentlemen I cannot remember the names of. However, one is supposed to represent the simpler life, one is supposed to represent the fancy townsperson. Legend has it if you rub the nose of the simple man, you'll have luck. Rub the hand of the townsperson and you'll have financial success. But.....you can only choose one. 

More art to protest the government. It's worth zooming in to see exactly what the little boy is doing in the direction of the town hall. Upsetting enough that the government planted a tree to block the view.  :). 

Koln Cathedral! When I say this church is massive...... 

Towel art by my cabin steward. No idea what animal he is, but he's cute.....  

22 people from the Bob Jones Senior Center in Anderson, SC who were part of our cruise. They were a trip, and the leader was a dynamo. I don't think she slept the entire cruise..... 

Day #5: Koblenz and the Rhine (Part II)

 

....and the adventure continues! After a chilly morning on the sundeck, we docked in Koblenz and walked through the city on a guided tour. I'm still debating which version I like better. If you explore on your own, it's easier to blend in and not be one of "those" tourists. But, if you're on a tour you get lots of good stories and history that you wouldn't get on your own. 

These guys wouldn't fit in my suitcase, but I definitely need one for my front porch. I see an Amazon search happening soon......

The original Jesuit school in Koblenz. It was scandalous at the time because the priests taught in German instead of the preferred Latin. Now home to city buildings. The neat part of the building....there are exactly 24 windows at the top, making it a terrific advent calendar. (the tour guides have the jokes) 

Zoom in on this one if you can. This statue was built in 1942, right as Hitler was gaining power. If you look closely, the boy at the top is spitting water. He does this every two minutes. It was a protest that surprisingly was allowed to remain. 

Two notes on this one: 

1. The middle window is the three wise men. It's been a theme for this trip - keep seeing them. 

2. The numbers and letters on the window represent the year the building was built. It's interesting to realize some of these buildings have been standing since the 1700's and beyond. Just doesn't happen in Charlotte. 

Memorial for the Berlin Wall

Statue for Wilhelm the First. To give you an idea of the size, look at the melon color blob in the third opening on the right. That's a person. 

Was surprised to see an American flag on display with all the German state flags. The guide mentioned it was put up after 9/11 "in solidarity with the American people".  I thought it was a nice thing to do. 

TJ Maxx - the German version. No idea how TJ is different from TK, but it makes me laugh....... 

Hanging with Joyce and Allen, some friends from the cruise. When you have an afternoon free, what else is there to do besides eat pastry and thrift shop? 

Meet Lily (pictured with Jenn, the cruise director in training). Lily is a shop dog at one of the many souvenir / drink shops along the cruise ship docking area, and looooooooves to greet her adoring public. Such a cute little snuggle bear!