COLOGNE, GERMANY
COLOGNE, GERMANY
We woke to cloudless skies and got to breakfast at 8. There was enough food to feed an army but we managed to restrain ourselves having a fairly light meal. We went to a briefing at 9:30 and chose the tours for the next part of the voyage. We lunched in the Bistro as they had one of my favourite dishes - Nasi Goring - Indonesian food.
Then it was off on tour. We had a short bus ride and were dropped off at the Cologne Cathedral, a massive structure started in the 1200s and only finished in the 1800s - due to lack of money. Now that it is finished, money is required for its upkeep - 35,000 Euros per day! We saw the solid gold casket made for the bones of the Magi which Constantine's mother removed from Syria. You can choose to believe it or not but according to our guide, modern testing has revealed that the time frame would be correct. Our guide, Wolfram, was excellent - a good sense of humour and a wealth of information.
From there, we went to a Museum that holds a magnificent mosaic floor that was discovered when excavating the site the Museum sits on. The original home had 17 rooms but burned down. The ashes protected the floor until it was discovered in the 1950s. The Museum contained all of the artifacts that have been found in and near Cologne. The pieces of Roman glass were works of art and could not be duplicated today - even with modern technology.
From there, we took the short walk along the river to our ship which is anchored right beside the Chocolate Museum.
Tonight we have cocktails with the Captain and Crew with specialties of Germany served and then at 6:30 we attend the Captain's dinner - one of two formal nights on this portion of the cruise.
Tomorrow, we want to be up and out at 7:30 as we pass through the Rhine Valley with its numerous castles on each bank. Our tour isn't until the afternoon.
We woke to cloudless skies and got to breakfast at 8. There was enough food to feed an army but we managed to restrain ourselves having a fairly light meal. We went to a briefing at 9:30 and chose the tours for the next part of the voyage. We lunched in the Bistro as they had one of my favourite dishes - Nasi Goring - Indonesian food.
Then it was off on tour. We had a short bus ride and were dropped off at the Cologne Cathedral, a massive structure started in the 1200s and only finished in the 1800s - due to lack of money. Now that it is finished, money is required for its upkeep - 35,000 Euros per day! We saw the solid gold casket made for the bones of the Magi which Constantine's mother removed from Syria. You can choose to believe it or not but according to our guide, modern testing has revealed that the time frame would be correct. Our guide, Wolfram, was excellent - a good sense of humour and a wealth of information.
From there, we went to a Museum that holds a magnificent mosaic floor that was discovered when excavating the site the Museum sits on. The original home had 17 rooms but burned down. The ashes protected the floor until it was discovered in the 1950s. The Museum contained all of the artifacts that have been found in and near Cologne. The pieces of Roman glass were works of art and could not be duplicated today - even with modern technology.
From there, we took the short walk along the river to our ship which is anchored right beside the Chocolate Museum.
Tonight we have cocktails with the Captain and Crew with specialties of Germany served and then at 6:30 we attend the Captain's dinner - one of two formal nights on this portion of the cruise.
Tomorrow, we want to be up and out at 7:30 as we pass through the Rhine Valley with its numerous castles on each bank. Our tour isn't until the afternoon.
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