Wir sind hier!

Daily Insight: A Kännchen means a pot of coffee. It is for one person. You do not ask for an extra Tasse (cup). Jason and I shared one cup.

Well at last, I am sitting in our hostel room looking out the window and I can see the two bluely lit towers of the Cologne Cathedral—known as the “most famous Gothic structure in all of Germany” (or at least according to my guidebook). Either way, I am finally at a breathing point in one of the longest day(s) (the whole loss of a day as quite confused me) I have had in a long time. I want to briefly recall what has transpired, because as expected today was far from uneventful.
To begin with, 11 hours of plane travel ended us in Zurich where we were immediately bombarded at the airport with gourmet chocolate, Swiss watches, high-end wine bars, and fully furnished waiting areas with multiple electrical outlets, all in a very clean and modern airport. I, on the other hand, took it to mean that the secretive echelon of Swiss bank accounts really does exist ;-).
We left Zurich for Dusseldorf after a few hour lay over. I realized that every time entering or exiting the plane, the steward or stewardess would greet me “Hello” or Thank you, Goodbye”. Yet whenever they saw Jason, every time they said “Guten Abends” or “Vielen Dank” or “Auf Weidersehen”. We decided that he just looks more European (or at least more German than I ever will). We met a helpful young German-American on the plane named Patrick who advised us on the direction of the S-bahn station. Jason helped me realize (after the fact) that the train we were supposed to be on just left, so we waited another half hour to catch the next one. My memories of Dusseldorf are thus confined to the airport, the Mercedes Outlet, and the noises and smells of the main station.
Upon arriving in Cologne a little before 10pm, we exited the station only to come face to face with the afore mentioned infamous cathedral. Although it was no more than 40 degrees outside with the wind-chill factor, Jason and I did not go directly to our hostel that was about a mile away, but instead ran around the main square, snapping picture after picture. Yet the long trek down the darkened streets of empty Cologne in that weather was far from pleasant. I believe the sheer awe that we were actually in our liebe Deutschland allowed us to persevere. At the verge of freaking out that we were lost, there it was: Jugenherberge hostel—where the rooms were quite nice, the people not very friendly, and the computer keyboards retarded. But that is beside the point; at 3pm back home in sunny Santa Barbara, we went to bed in schoene Germany.
Waking up at a quarter to seven this morning confused the both of us as we looked outside and the view and its darkness were the same has it had been when we went to bed. After a quick breakfast in our hostel, and Jason finally being introduced to the cold cut meats and cheeses that Europeans call “breakfast”, we were on our way quickly as possible to the Altstadt (old town) of Cologne. We went immediately to the Dom to finally go inside. We both stood speechless for several seconds as our eyes took in the grandeur of the nave, the colorful vitality of the stained glass windows, and the vocal purity of the practicing choir—yes, the German language (especially when sung) is stunningly beautiful.
After ordering my first Starbuck’s latte in German, I blew my cover when I failed to understand what the barista asked next. Apparently he asked if I wanted it for here or to go. I am thus prepared for next time ☺. And then in a quick turn around of events, we left Cologne and made our way to the town of Koblenz where we were to begin our Rhine River Cruise. With suitcases and backpacks in tow we plowed our way through the cobblestone streets of Koblenz to the Deutsche Eck (known as the German corner), which is where the Mosel River meets the Rhine. From this point we took the Köln-Dusseldorfer River Cruise to journey the 30 kilometers (of the possible 1,320) from Koblenz to Bingen am Rhine.
Although excited about the sights to come, the warmth of the cabin combined with the completion of our first real meal led me to an unplanned little Rhine Cruise nap. Yet when the sun finally broke through the clouds sparkling on the river and on the windows of the houses, Jason and I were pulled from the coziness of indoors and ventured onto the boat’s upper deck. Chilly, but peaceful, we sat snuggled in our peacoats and steadily worked away: me on my blog, Jason on his Life of Pi. With 3 more hours of cruising before us, a handful of famous romantic castles still to see, a late train to catch in Bingen, a 2 hour ride to Heidelberg, and a hostel to find once again in the dark, I take my leave to enjoy the moment. Until next time meine gute Freunden.
Tschuss!

~Hölly