So, once upon a time, at about 11:30 pm Friday night, I was invited to go to Germany with some guys from the ward. James (on the left) is an intern from BYU. Mindaugas (on the right) is from Lithuania and works here in Belgium for the European Commission. Mindaugas's mom also came because she is visiting here from Lithuania. Mindaugas drove (a very nice BMW, I might add) and we headed for Cologne on Saturday morning!
Cologne is the 4th largest city in Germany. One of the main attractions is the Cologne Cathedral. From 1880-1884 it was the tallest building in the world. Construction began in 1248 and finished in 1880! It was huge!
If you look on the very top of the cathedral, you'll see a small decoration. They have one identical in size sitting on the ground close to the cathedral. If you look closely, you'll see me in a gray jacket standing next to this point of reference...
This is inside the cathedral. It was enormous! I had to stop for a minute and just take it all in!
Here is a picture of the organ in the cathedral. I don't think I've ever wanted to play an organ so badly in my entire life! I would hate to think what would happen if the organist was afraid of heights!
We were able to venture up one of the towers. About 2/3 of the way up we stopped to see one of the bells. Conveniently, it stroked a quarter 'til while were close by, and waited until we were out to stroke the hour. I can still hear, don't worry! :) The bell was huge, and we were able to walk around the entire thing!
We walked to the top of the tower. Specs are as follows:
Height of the Tower: 475 feet
Steps: 509
Ascent: 332 feet
We're talking a tiny spiral staircase for 509 steps. It was dizzying, but completely worth it! The views from the top were breathtaking! Here's a few shots of Cologne and the Rhine River from the top of the tower!
After our Cathedral Adventure, we walked along the Rhine River. It was such a peaceful afternoon!
Proof I was there... :)
We explored a little bit of the city, as well. Mindaugas introduced me to 2 delightful bits of goodness: Berliners (German jelly-filled doughnuts that are very tasty) and Bratwurst. (Actually, I thought I had ordered Bratwurst but had really only ordered fries. This being the case, Mindaugas shared his with me... Bless his soul!) This is one of the streets we walked down.
All in all, It was a pleasant and relaxing adventure, brought to you in part by Mindaugas, his mom, and James. :)
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