Cologne

Off to Cologne today.  Woke to a cloudy, windy and cold morning.  The heavens opened on the drive there.  By the time we got to Cologne it must have got sick of raining and we had a rain free day in the city.  Some times the wind was very cold but we didn't get wet.
First stop was the Cologne Railway bridge where for for about 20 years people have been putting locks on the mesh walls on the walkway across the bridge.  There are millions of locks on this bridge - I'd be surprised if all these people can still be together.  Some of the lovers have gone to great lengths with unique locks and intricate designs.  Others have bought a 2 euro lock and scratched their names on it with a nail.  Very interesting to look at a few hundred before we had to get to the cathedral for a tour.
Did a 1 hour walking tour of the cathedral - Luke recommended it as he had done it a month or so ago with a mate.  It lived up to expectations and gave a very interesting history of the cathedral and the politics in the Cologne area.  The spires are so tall, it's hard to get a photo of them to indicate the height.  The building of the cathedral was commenced in about 1300 and wasn't finished until about 1880.  They still have scaffolding in lots of areas renewing and repairing bits and pieces.  When it was finished it was the highest building in the world for about 20 years.
The tour finished about 3.30 - time for lunch.  Went to a restaurant serving traditional German food, Luke had white sausages, I had blood sausages, Pam had weineschnitzel and Carolin had baked pork.  All very nice, didn't finish until about 5 o'clock.  Finally left Cologne and arrived home about 8pm and went straight to the ice-cream shop for spaghetti ice-cream with frozen cream, strawberries and topping.  A diet will no doubt be first consideration when we get home soon!!!

Bridge over the Rhine River.

Looking into the sun on the Rhine.

One panel of locks on the bridge.

Hundreds of panels on the bridge over the Rhine.

When love turns sour - get the master key.

Front of the Cathedral at Cologne.

One of the side entrances.

Couple of the stained glass windows.

Looking towards the altar.

Spires of the cathedral.

Looking from the river bank towards the cathedral.

Walking back from the bridge.

White sausage and pretzel for lunch.

Spaghetti ice-cream for tea.