Trinken Wir!

Our second day in Cologne was much like the first. Andrew and I wandered the streets aimlessly just taking it all in.

We did make our way back across to the city to the Dom Cathedral only to find it was yet again in service for a noon mass. We got in the lobby (which was still as large as many churches back home) and managed to get a short look around.

Afterward we headed to a crafts section of the market where I purchased a Bier Stein. Its pretty cool looking and actually wasn't overly expensive either.

Not too long after I found a coin shop and bought a German mark minted in 1934 that would have been used during the 3rd Reich under Hitler. The front shows Hindenburg and the opposite shows the Nazi gold eagle grasping the swastika. Interestingly enough, the merchant told me that Hitler never had any coins minted with a bust of himself. His plan was to win the war and then implement a world currency system with his face on all currency (obviously this never happened) ergo no Hitler coins.

The German people themselves are very American like. They primarily speak German but I have yet to meet a citizen who couldn't string together some basic English sentences. On a whole they are more than happy to help you and answer your questions. They're pretty curious and generally want to know your story and why you're wandering through the Rhineland.

Cologne was a great trip and highly recommended as a weekend destination for any who care to experience some German culture.

I'm currently back in Brussels and preparing for a week of testing and finalizing some plans with my family for Easter Break!

All good; all the time,

Thomas

Cologne, Germany

My bus pulled up at the Cologne bus & train station around 8:00pm Thursday, March 19th. Andrew and I walked less than 2 blocks before we came across a Longhorns Steakhouse, KFC, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonalds, Starbucks, and Wrangler Jeans outlet. We looked at each other, both utterly confused and thinking the same thing, "Are we even in Europe?"

Cologne is the fourth largest city and Germany. Seated directly on the Rhine river, it has significant historical and present value as a major trade city. Founded in 38 B.C. by the Holy Roman Empire, the city has undergone numerous territory changes throughout the ages.

The city's trademark structure and architectural landmark is without a doubt the Dom Catholic Cathedral. The building underwent the beginnings of it's construction in 1284 A.D. but was not fully completed until 1880 A.D. (those dates are correct, feel free to do a double take). Andrew and I first saw it last night on our walk to the hostel from the bus station. It is fully illuminated all day every day giving it a really eerie appeal in the dark of night. We came back first thing this morning and made the 90 something meter climb to the top (which is a narrow spiral staircase aside from 4 flights at the tip top). Situated on the banks of the Rhine river, the view from the top is absolutely incredible. It provides a birds eye view of quite literally the entire city.



The Gothic structure is the seat of the Arch Bishop of Cologne who is currently Cardinal Joachim Meisner. In 1996 the structure was added as a World Heritage Sight and is stop to millions of visitors annually. The structure was hit on 70 different occasions by Allied bombers during World War II. Pilots eventually realized that it was a valuable landmark and towards the conclusion of the war decided to leave it be for navigational purposes.

We arrived at the Cathedral today right as mass was about to begin and we thought it best not to disturb it so we have yet to walk through the grand isles of the Cathedral (the tower ascension is located in an entirely different area of the structure).

After wandering down to the Rhine river itself we headed to a preserved Gestapo Prison Museum. For those of you who don't know, the Gestapo were essentially the secret police of Germany under Hitler in the 3rd Reich. (The German equivalent of the K.G.B.)

It was pretty cool and really made you think about how awful it would have been being locked up in such a place. Most of the literature on the walls was in German so I don't have a ton of information on it. I plan on doing some research on it later and I'll post some of my findings in the coming days.

We walked through the market (new one and old one) just taking it all in. Its hard to imagine this city 60+ years ago following the devastation of World War II. Many of the buildings seem so new and modern when compared to the rest of Europe and we figured this is partly due to the fact that Allied forces essentially leveled the city.

At this point we're craving some food and a Bratwurst feels appropriate.

Check out the rest of the pictures here at my Study Abroad Website.

All good, all the time;

Thomas

European Cuisine

Earlier this week my mother sent me an email outlining some of the family travel plans they've made for an Easter Holiday excursion to come visit me in Europe. At the base of the email she included a few side notes and anecdotes outlining some happenings from back home. One such reference talked about how they had just finished dining on a gourmet meal based off of a custom recipe by yours truly. The thought of home cooked food got me going and I was instantly watering at the mouth.

I don't know how you do things at your house, but where I come from we eat well, and we eat a lot. Anyone who has ever been extended an invitation to dine at the McGuire household will attest that my family, majorly my mother, does a good job in going above and beyond with the meals (although my little sister will argue that since the 'big eater' of the family has moved away from home, the frequency of such feasts has decreased marginally). Regardless of the corner of earth the cuisine originates from, I think its safe to say, my family does it right. Whether we're chowing down on a 3 course meal of Mexican or we're frying up some beer batter onion rings to go with our venison steak burgers, its all homegrown/killed, its all fresh, and its all good [all the time].

Europeans do things a bit differently thought. They eat much smaller portions and tend to have many meatless meals. By my definition, its just a snack if there's no meat. ('Wheres the beef?') Also, the selection of restaurants in Europe isn't nearly as diverse as back home. In the states you can walk down pretty much any strip and bank on finding some sort of Italian Pizzeria, San Jose (or the equivalent), China Wok I, II, or III, Average Joe's Burgers, and a 'snack' restaurant for all the vegan and veggie lovers. Over here, your options are limited. You're pretty much stuck with either kebabs, french fries, or a local pub that has their own select recipes.

I speculate that the smaller portions, higher food prices, and lack of nutritional variety account for parts of the reason that on average 90% of Europeans are smaller than the average American (I'm not talking width either, we'll get to that another day).

However, that limited selection in Europe isn't exactly bad. Since being here, I've grown to love anything grilled and smothered in andaulouse (a spicy mayo based sauce). Although I do miss my "all you can eat chips 'n' salsa" and 5 guys burgers and fries patty with EVERYTHING on it, the cuisine isn't all too bad once you get used to it.

Just a heads up though, I'll be checking a big appetite on my return flight home so yall best go ahead and get the charcoal burning.

All good; all the time,

Thomas