Kicking It In Köln (Cologne) - Germany

We visited the beautiful city of Köln, or Cologne, back in May. Köln is an ancient Roman city on the Rhein River in Northern Germany.

Köln is the German name for the city, and Cologne is the French and English name for the city. Yeah, after Napoleon flexed his muscles in Germany, Köln became Cologne and officially part of France. Obviously Germany eventually got it back. That happened in 1815. 

The "thing" to see in Köln is the Cologne Cathedral, or Kölner Dom. And when I say it's the thing to see, it really is THE THING to see. It is the most visited spot in all of Germany.

And this is why. It is ginormous. I couldn't even fit the whole thing in my camera viewfinder. It has the largest facade of any church in the world and the second tallest spires of any church in Europe. That's why 20,000 people a day visit it.

Well, if 20,000 people a day are going to visit it, we better too.

Construction started in 1248, but it stopped 1473 with only the nave (main body of church) completed. In the 1800's, Germany went through this romantic fascination for the Middle Ages and a desire to have the cathedral finished swept through the country. Kölner Dom was completed in 1880, 632 years after it was begun. 

The Cologne Cathedral is immense and fantastic and a great box to check off on your travel list. But there really isn't too much more to see in Köln. That's because after World War II, Köln looked like this.

Köln was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany and was virtually destroyed. Major projects took place to restore sections of the city along with large areas of new construction. The mix of the restored old and the newly built give Köln special and unique look and feel.

Even though most of the areas of Köln are restored and not original, they are still cute and quaint and provide an idea of what life was like here in the Middle Ages. The church in this picture, the Great St. Martin church, dates from 1150 AD. 

There is also a chocolate factory located in Köln that is worth seeing. We didn't include it in our travel itinerary. Our visit to Köln was during the World Cup 2014 and Germany was playing that night. Matt wanted to book it home so he could scream and yell in excitement or terror as Germany played. (Germany went on to win the World Cup that year. Go Germany!)

A quick fun fact about this beautiful city is that this is where the original Eau de Cologne or as it is known in German, Kölnisch Wasser, was developed. Cologne (the stuff that smells good that people wear, not the city) was invented 1709 by an Italian immigrant. People went freaking nuts over the stuff it smelled so good. Probably because nobody really bathed except for once a year back then, but eventually every royal house in Europe had a stock of Eau de Cologne. The name cologne stuck around and is now used to describe mainly men's scents. But, it all started here!

As we hurried back to our car (can't miss any of the World Cup, heaven forbid), we turned a corner and came upon this excavation site of ancient Roman ruins dating to 2,000 years ago. They weren't even looking for Roman ruins. A construction company was tearing down an old building that had sustained damage clear back in World War II and when they got down to the foundation, they found all these Roman ovens, and rooms, and stone pathways.  I love that about Europe! There is so much history here that they can't even stop from finding it when they are just cleaning up an old building. It's everywhere. It's in the basements, and the fields, and in old castles on the hill. Everywhere has a story. I could have spent hours sitting at this site imagining a life in Köln 2,000 years ago. BUT. Matt had to get home for the World Cup. (If you are picking up a little annoyance in my post about having to get back, believe me, the annoyance was intended.) Good bye, Köln!

A Rhein (Rhine) River Cruise - Germany

First, let me start out with the fact that I wasn't sure how to spell Rhein for the title of this post. I know how to spell it, it's just that there are two spellings. The American spelling of R-H-I-N-E and the German spelling, R-H-E-I-N. I am an American, but I live in Germany. Which is correct? As you can see, I totally went with the German spelling (when in Rome, after all), unlike what I do in my blog with most places. I usually use the American spelling of European places because that is what most people type in to Google. And I want to be searchable! Okay, on to the river cruise.

Matt and I went on a Rhein river cruise for the day clear back in April for our anniversary. There are several companies that offer a day cruise up and down the Rhein where you can just sit back and enjoy the scenery and a meal. Here is where we got on in Rüdesheim. You can also start your cruise in nearby Bingen which in on the other side of the river. HERE is a link for the website for the boat we used to go up and down the river. All in English and great!

This here is Ehrenfels Castle. It was built in the 1200's and destroyed in 1689. It is open for tours.

The real appeal to going on a Rhein (Rhine) River day cruise are the castles. This section of the Rhein is sprinkled liberally with castles and the ruins of castles. 

All these castles and picturesque villages are in the little section of the Rhein from Rüdesheim to the Lorelei rock. That's a lot of castles in a little place.

Next up is Rheinstein Castle. It is privately owned by an opera singer, but still open for tours March through November.

Right across form Rheinstein Castle is a quaint little town with an even quainter name.

Yes, that is really the name of the town. 

Even though it has a funny name it is just a normal German river village. I didn't notice any ass men walking around the streets.

Assmannshausen, Germany. If you are wondering why the hills look a little brown that is because those parts are the vineyards and the grape vines were just getting their leaves. In two months these same hills will be lush with ripe grapes.

This is Sooneck Castle. Like most of the castles along the Rhein, it was built by a robber/baron. The Rhein was, and still is, a major shipping lane for this part of Europe. It is the easiest way to get goods from the south up to the ocean. Back in the 1200's, everybody wanted to stick their fingers in the shipping pie. They would build these castles on side of the Rhein gorge and stop anyone or anything going up or down the river, and of course, take a cut of whatever it was they were moving. There are so many toll stops on this part of the river, I am amazed that anyone arrived at their final destination with any cargo left at all.

Here is Heimburg Castle. It was destroyed in 1689 and is not open to visitors. It does sit above a cute and colorful town, though.

Right next to Heimburg Castle sits the Fürstenberg Castle ruin. It too is privately owned and not open for tours. Who are these people that own castles in Germany? And how can I be one of them?

Not only were the castles impressive, the little villages that sat on the banks of the river under steep hills were just as eye catching as the castles.

The next castle is Stahleck Castle.

Stahleck Castle was built in 1135 and then blown up in 1689. It has been restored and now is a popular youth hostel. You might be saying, 'Hey, a lot of these castles were destroyed in 1689. What happened then?' Funny you should ask. The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) was fought by almost every country in Europe, but mainly on German soil. By the end, a third of all Germans had died. France emerged from the war very powerful, but it was not enough for the French king, Louis XIV. He started the Nine Years' War and set out to take parts of Germany where he instituted a "scorched earth" policy where the French troops destroyed everything in their path. They made it as far as this section of the Rhein. Here the Rhein River sits in a deep gorge and is difficult to cross. His troops never made it across, but they decimated the left (west) side of the river. This is also the war that they destroyed the Heidelberg Castle. Read about that HERE. Okay, history lesson over. Okay, maybe it's not over. Germany ceased to be a major player after France had their way with them. The events of the 1600's and then the Napoleonic Wars of the 1800's directly influenced Germany's deep distrust (read hate) of France. This distrust and hate directly influenced the decision for Germany to invade France, and many the events leading up to WWI and WWII. Maybe if France had been nicer 400 years ago, certain events never would have happened. I'm just sayin...

Okay, NOW the history lesson is over.

This is Rick Steves favorite town along the Rhein, Bacharach, Germany. In fact, this town is the cover for his Germany travel book. 

More of the beautiful Rhein.

Up next is Gutenfels Castle. It too is privately owned and not open for tours. It is, however, a working hotel, as you can see by the paint on the wall. 

The end of the line is in St. Goar. That is where the boat turns around and makes the return trip to Rüdesheim or Bingen.

Beautiful Sankt Goar, Germany with the impressive Rheinfels Fortress in the background. The boats stop at several towns along the voyage where you can stay on or disembark to explore the village. Just make sure that there is another boat scheduled to come later on in the day and you aren't trapped in the quaint village without a way out. At least you know there are several castle/hotel/hostels to stay in along the river.

Katz Castle was built in the late 1300's and then destroyed in 1808 by Napoleon. It has since been restored and is, you guessed it, a hotel. Want to know more about the castles on the Rhein? Click HERE for a map and descriptions about all the castles including opening times and restaurant information.

Even though our river tour was over in Sankt Goar, it is not the end of the castles.

Off in the distance we could see Maus Castle, an intact castle built in the 1300's and open for tours and even weddings.

The castles continue on to Koblenz. The river cruise that we took can be completed in about five hours and is great way to spend an anniversary, or any day, just drifting down the Rhein. 

Christmas in Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Germany

Last year in 2013 on Christmas break (yes, I know how far behind I am in blogging) we traveled down to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, or the German travel Mecca (Mecca meaning everyone HAS to go there) as I call it. When people back home in America found out that we had lived here a year and a half and hadn't been down to Rothenburg, they basically freaked out. "Oh! You've just got to GO!" 

So we went because everyone said we had to. We couldn't continue to miss out on Rothenburg. Because everybody knows that each little German village is completely different from the next. I mean it's not like every German village has an old town wall, and an old church or cathedral, or half-timbered houses, or a fountain in the town square. Oh wait a minute...  They do. 

Don't get me wrong. Rothenburg is a very pleasant and cute town. I just didn't feel like I was going to die if I didn't get down to see it right away. 

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is very cute and very German. When traveling there, make sure you have the right Rothenburg because there are several in Germany and I don't think the other ones are as cute.

Rothenburg is down in Bavaria on the Tauber river. Things got really rough here in the 1600's after 40,000 troops from a neighboring city-state left the town with basically nothing. Then the Black Death did another sweep through and then the city was deserted. Left with no power or money the city was unable to grow or modernize. That is why it is so cute, because it has stayed frozen in time.

There are stores that you can sell your first born for a nutcracker or a tree ornament. Yep, they're that expensive. But oh so cute and quaintly German. Germany is where most of the traditions or decoration ideas we use as Americans come from. Decorated pine tree in the house? Check. Nutcracker? Check. Anything super cute? Check. It's all German.

Here I am getting a little Christmas warmth from my hubby on this cold, German winter's day.

This is the view across the little valley Rothenburg is built near. Even in the winter I think Germany has got to be one of the most beautiful places. I am absolutely in love with green rolling hills and streams and forests and little cottages nestled next to them. I feel really lucky to call Germany home.

My kids put our dog, Minkie, up on the city wall to look down in the valley. They then realized she might jump so they held on to her for dear life. Minkie enjoys a good German view too.

The view of the walled city of Rothenburg.

The Nazis loved Rothenburg. There's something I don't think you will hear this town boasting about. The Nazis thought that it was the quintessential German home town and was the most German of Germany. They would send Nazi soldiers here for a little R'n'R. That's rest and relaxation for you non-military folks out there. 

When the Americans came into Germany at the end of WWII, they recognized the significance of Rothenburg and tried to inflict minimal damage in the taking of the town. Here is the town's castle still intact on a hill in the city.

My husband's mother was born in Bavaria so my kids feel right at home here. And we just found out that we are moving a half-hour away from Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria so now we can come here all the time. If we want to come here all the time, that is.

It started getting darker and that always means colder so it was time to go. Auf Wiedersehen for now Bavaria. We'll be seeing you again, very, very soon!

We are moving near the town of Ansbach, Germany in January 2015. Stay tuned to hear about our fun move! Because moving is always super fun, right? RIGHT?! 

Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau (You Know, Sleeping Beauty's Castle!) - Germany

Clear back in September, when my parents and brother and sister-in-law were visiting, we met them down in the village of Hohenschwangau for a visit to Schloss Neuschwanstein and  Schloss Hohenschwangau. Whew! Those are some mouthfuls. Let me tell you how to pronounce them first. Neuschwanstein = noy-shvawn-stine. Hohenschwangau = ho-hen-shvawn-gow. Rhymes with cow. Got it? After all that hard work, I now feel the need to reward you with a picture.

This is Neuschwanstein, which means new swan stone in English. It is the castle that Sleeping Beauty's castle was modeled after. It is absolutely breathtaking. I know it's overused, but the word awesome comes to mind. Built for Ludwig II of Bavaria (read more about that guy HERE) in 1882. Ultimately, it was never completed. Want to read more? Click HERE. Ludwig II, who was a little nuts it would seem, only lived in the castle for 172 days, having died in 1886. It was immediately opened for public viewing. 

Here are some shots from the castle grounds.

Spectacular. That little lake out there is Schwansee, or Swan Lake.

Here is the castle Hohenschwangau, Ludwig II's summer residence as a child. Not too shabby a place to summer.

Here are my children with their much missed Grammy. Or Graham, for short.

And we can't forget Uncle Rick and Aunt MaryAnn. We've missed you too! (This is the same brother that used to help me with my car! Read about him HERE! Psst... he is awesome!)

We drove down to this area of Germany from Wiesbaden, saw both castles, had dinner, and then drove back to Wiesbaden all in one day. It was one long, looooong, day.

We live up here.

And the castles are down here in Bavaria, close to the border of Austria. Kind of a far drive back and forth for one day. But to see my family? Totally worth it. In fact I would drive 10 times as far in one day just to see them for a precious minute. (Yeah, I kind of miss them. A lot.)

We bought a package called the King's Tickets that gets you into both castles. It was a great deal. You can find the website HERE. Look on the scroll on the left for the King's Tickets link.

I don't have any pictures of the inside of the castles as picture taking is a no-no. So I didn't take any pictures.

Except this one. He he he. I know, I know. But I was all alone in this room and just thought this was so beautiful and intricate. Yes, I am aware that this is evidence that I broke the rules. I am willing to risk it to show you how wonderful it is. So come and arrest me Polizei*.

Not only are the castles beautiful, but they are surrounded by beautiful scenery. Like here on the banks of the Schwansee.

Or this gorge near Neuschwanstein that you have to cross with a metal bridge. 

Or this view north into the farmland of Bavaria. Anyway you look at it, it is an amazing corner of the world. Get out there and explore a new corner of your world! Until next time!

Tchüss,

Kelly

* I was totally kidding when I said the Polizei (German police) could come and arrest me. I would rather they actually didn't come and arrest me. And if they think that picture of the inside of the castle is evidence, it really isn't. Somehow, when I got home and scrolled through my pictures, it was just there. Perfectly centered and everything. Hmmm... I wonder how that happened? Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Yeah, Matt did it!