Cologne

Hi, it's Kate again.

On Sunday I made my first trek to Cologne (spelled Köln, in German). Martin's sister lives there, and his mom wanted to go for a visit, so all three of us hopped in the car and set out. Jane had just returned from Paris and wasn't up for another day of traveling, so she stayed back and kept Aengus company. I found it to be kind of a strange city (they have lots of mimes and a live miniature horse), but maybe it was just because it is holiday season? Or maybe it was my mood, I don't know, but everything seemed just a bit off.

Cologne does have the largest cathedral in Europe, other than St. Peter's in Vatican City. I told Mom today that I have seen more churches in the last three months than I have in the last three years! There are a lot of them here, and many of them are stunning. This one, though, called simply the Cologne Cathedral, wasn't my favorite. It is huge, and very impressive from the outside, but the inside had a really unusual energy. It was cold in there, for one thing - we could see our breath, even though it was nearly 50 degrees outside. And the collection of artwork didn't really seem to fit the space. It was very eclectic, and includes everything from "the oldest remaining monumental crucifix of the western world", dating from the 900s AD, to a huge pixelated stained glass window that the Pope declared was not in fact art. Also, in 1164 the bones of the Three Kings (yes, those three kings) were brought to the cathedral from Milan, and they remain buried there today. Kind of like I can't imagine how much a trillion really is, in real life, I also can't imagine 1164. Or the 900s, for that matter. I would expect people to be traveling by foot, maybe horses for the wealthy, certainly on unpaved roads, and cooking with primitive utensils and whatnot, but then somehow they found the wherewithal to build this:







Oh, and you can't see it, but this priest was standing near the front entrance with a leather money/donation bag around his neck, talking on a cell phone. That also seemed a bit unusual.

After checking out the cathedral, we went to the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market). The vendors there sold different kinds of things from the ones in Muenster - it was fun to see.






It was fun to see another new place here, although in ways I can't seem to find words to explain, it did seem like kind of an odd city.

And finally, just because he is so cute, here are a couple pictures of Aengus:



Tomorrow will be filled with gift wrapping and eating. Christmas lasts for three days here, the first and most significant for the Germans is tomorrow (the 24th). I'll be sure to update you on the festivities! Happy Holidays from Deutschland!