Cologne, Germany

The 3 of us hopped a train from Brussels to Cologne for a day trip. The plan was to visit the Christmas Markets (there were 3 of them) and to get a least 1 geocache in Germany (we got 3).

But we got a bonus surprise. We stepped outside the train station to the magnificent view of the Cologne Cathedral.

This massive Gothic structure began in 1248. The bones of the Three Magi were moved from Milan to Cologne in 1164 to the former cathedral. Cologne became the focus of pilgrimages during the Middle Ages. A new structure suitable for such an important cathedral and pilgrimage church became the largest in Europe at the time. 

not the main entrance

beautiful stained glass windows

part of the pipe organ

another of the stained glass window

Shrine of the Three Magi

church pew

view from the south side

where one Christmas Market was located

west end, the main entrance

the main door

some of the detail

street sign in Cologne

a gargoyle on the cathedral

gargoyles serve the purpose of rain spouts

location of 1 of the 3 geocaches

a Roman gate

My photos do not do justice to the cathedral. It was heavily damaged during WWII; we saw a model of the damage in the train station. Amazing what has been done in 70 years to repair the damage. 

We enjoyed visiting 2 of the 3 Christmas Markets, tasting the local fare and admiring the handcrafted items. Photos are in a previous post. We also had dinner in Germany, but that is the next post.