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Cologne arrival

Cologne Travel Blog › entry 4 of 27 › view all entries

Well this is my second trip to Western Europe. This is my buddy, Blake's, first trip to Europe ever! This one will be interesting cuz if we were filming this, it be a hella lot better than watching , Amazing Race, we're THAT bumblin funny, sadly....
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Cologne arrival

March 17, 2008
Awful Goffel , lol. it isnt too bad. First Kolsch we drank of the trip

The first day in Cologne we stayed the night and then decided to leave tomorrow morning for Amsterdam. Cologne is one of my favorite visited city in europe. Yes it doesnt have the glitz of Paris, or is as romantic as the Italian Cities, its not as busy as London. It's probably why I like it there so much. Cologne is a place where time to me goes by slow but still is a up-beat town.

Since ive been thro Germany a few times in the last 2 years, Cologne to me is the largest most-culturally diverse city in Germany. And i never felt like I didnt belong except for the language barrier, I'm quite humbled when people come up to ask me directions in German and I politely reply back in German 'neine sprechen de deustch, bitte.' I still have a long way to grasp and master the German language, and just because english is spoken by the majority of the people, i still feel like an idiot!!!

We got in to Cologne in the morning, parked our vehicle which later that evening took us forever to find again.

somewhere in germany..
.but we found a good restaurant and we had Kolsch, a few of them before it was time to for lunch. I took Blake to the Lindt Chocolate Factory and we hit up couple German shops. He enjoyed the city the way I enjoyed it here when I first vistied the year before. However I noticed he was having a hard time adjusting to being a foreigner. Which leads into another topic that gives Americans a bad name: egotism. For my european counterparts I'm sure it gives you a frown on your face when you have a tourist or collegue that speaks english to you and expects for you to respond back in english. yes it is rude, but truth is we dont know any better!!! If we knew how to speak your language like you as a native, that wouldn't be a problem, not everyone was like this, but even I could spot out Americans from a city centre away.....and thats bad! But Poor Blake, he dont know any better but I helped him out the best I couple, and because of this trip he knows a few dutch and german, unless he forgot already!

I found my friend Pamela that evening and we went out to eat authentic german food. Poor Blake he couldnt recognize anything he would eat off the menu but for myself I like Bratswurst ( I grew up in Wisconsin). An hour and pitcher of Kolsch later, Pam helped us find a hotel to stay at near the Koln/Bonn Bahnhoft and we were ready to go in the morning

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Awful Goffel , lol. it isnt too ba…
Awful Goffel , lol. it isnt too …
somewhere in germany..
somewhere in germany..
Schokladenmuseum Koln
Schokoladenmuseum Cologne: It's Not Willy Wonka, but it's close to it
Die Schokoladenmuseum Koln; Otherwise Known as Lindt Chocolate Factory, is one of the cool museums for families and school trips to go to in Cologne, Germany. To find your way, walk toward the river, hang a right along the boulevard if coming from the direction of the Dom Cathedral

The tour is self-guided and for foreigners you dont have to read the German, it helps for foreigners. The Museum accounts for the history of the cocoa bean's origins and the history of chocolate throughout the world.

The highlight of the tour is sampling the chocolates after it goes through the chocolate-making process! A 5 minute process, i took photos cuz i was eager and hungry to try the chocolates!

Adult tickets were 6.50 EUR, i don't recall children prices even though I tried to get on a school ticket : ) lol

The perfect stop for the traveler with a sweet-tooth, one of my favorites places to visit in Cologne, Germany.
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chocolate factory cologne Lindt
The entrance into Lindt Chocolat…
The Rhein view
The Fondue Tree
The Chocolate process
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Guennewig Kommerz Hotel Cologne
Pricey but right next to the Koln Bahnhoft
I like the Kommerz. As of March 2008 there is re-modeling occuring and it is a turn-off when you first go in. However what made up for it is the breakfast. Their full German breakfast was excellant and the Coffee was good and they gave you your own Pot ( great fro all you business travelers). They speak English as well. But mind your manners.

The price for the room was acceptable but for the small room we had I should have scouted more on the Internet.
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cologne hotel near train station
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ik-ben-10eke says:
Ah, I've stayed in this hotel in the Summer of 2006, when I got this citytrip as a birthdaypresent, did the trip together with my daughter.
When we were here it was over 30 Celsius, no airconditioning, so we had our windows open for just that so needed bit of ventilation. The sound of the international busdepot and the trains in the station was a bit much.
But the hotel itself was nice, friendly and helpful staff. It was first time my daughter went to a hotel and she loved the breakfastbuffet.
Short distance from town center and the old town, only 5 minutes walking.
Tineke
Posted on: Jul 21, 2008
11,615 km (7,217 miles) traveled
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