Eau D'Cologne

Taking the metro to the train station was easy enough and there was plenty of space on the
train. It was easy to tell I was headed out of France as the scenery changed from relatively
flat or slight hills with grass and sparse deciduous (leafy) trees to more pronounced foothills and wooded areas with conifers (pines) amongst the deciduous. I slept for part of the trip and relaxed. The hostel was delightfully easy to find. Armed with a map and only one night to enjoy the town, I headed out walking toward the main part of town. I could have taken the metro, but this was my one chance to see the above ground area. Somehow at one of the major intersections I faded too far to the left when I should have turned right. Not unimaginable since the intersection comprised 3 main 4 lane roads and a plaza. Plazas are sure fire ways to get lost in Europe. Street names are never marked in plazas, only the name of the plaza. Since I thought I was heading the right direction, it wasn't until 20 minutes later I found a street name on the map and realized I had made a semi-circle instead of a straight line. I corrected the error and made my way through the very unorganized and winding streets.

The museum I was trying to locate was called Kolumba. I had it in mind that this was a place
showcasing artfully designed practical and functional pieces. Clearly I was wrong. This was
actually a museum built around an old church that the relative of a former priest (who had
served there) had excavated to preserve. Upstairs there were some modern art displays. Definitely not what I was expecting and it gave me a taste for German art displays. They prize minimalism here. Some rooms only had one piece in them.
[This was all of the front I could fit in the picture. It's huge!]
From here I headed to the Dom (cathedral) near the hauptbanhof (train station) for which is
what Cologne is famed. The massive church has been blackened from weather and looms over the
rest of the city. Since I would be walking all evening and tomorrow, I passed on climbing the
one spire. Plus I'm not a huge fan of city skylines. [This the the chest purported to hold the remains of the 3 magi.] The inside is enormous with stained glass all over the place. Much like Notre Dame, though a bit quieter and more respectful, the place was filled with groups and people swarming all over.
I left here and walked along the Rhine River passing through the older/touristy part of town. It was starting to get close to dinner time and I hadn't found a restaurant I particularly liked. The lady at the hostel suggested there were lots of places to eat by the hostel so I headed back. On the way there I came across an organic market and had to go inside. I knew the hostel had a big kitchen and I was in the mood to cook. I picked out some zucchini, potatoes, onion and 2 bratwurst thuringen. With a little bit of salt/pepper, garlic and olive oil it turned into a tasty meal. Even in limiting myself to how much food I bought (always a problem), I still had two large bowlfuls. No going hungry today!