Cologne's Top Ten!!

1) Random meetings are a fun part of life. Remember I mentioned we bumped into someone from the U of M while inside the Dom?? Well, later on during the day, Carolyn and I had a bit of a close call with a double decker bus (he did not slow down as we crossed the street....and we almost died. Not really, but it was closer than I would have liked!), this same person was on the top deck of this bus watching us dash across the street. He later informed us of this on facebook. So strange to run into him the first time, and even funnier that he witnessed our near 'one-with-the-pavement' incident.

2) We must have a thing for rivers. Every city we've visited thus far, and even including Maastricht, has a river running through it. I suppose this can go back to when civilizations sprung up...around rivers for the transportation ease...but still I think it's fun that we always get to walk by a river in every city we visit. In Cologne it was the very wide Rhine.

3) If you get really excited about a food, even if you don't necessarily care to eat it, the food will indeed taste good! Nougatbrezels, which I briefly mentioned in my post about Cologne, was one of these such examples. We were hungry after our train ride, and really wanted some fun snack...and Nougatbrezels was not only a fun word to say, but also a strange food item we had never before seen. We were suddenly extremely excited to consume some, and well, I think I enjoyed the taste of my Nougatbrezel more because of this particular excitement. Note the picture. :)

4) Chocolate, while being my favorite food, is also something that can be overwhelming at times. In the chocolate museum, every room we entered had some scent that would overpower you, whether it be the spices that can be mixed into the chocolate, or simply the scent of the chocolate being mixed up and poured down to the next machine (see picture). I felt like I had chocolate seeping into my pores (which I was very much okay with) but due to this overwhelming smell, I felt like I had already eaten my fill of it. A bit strange, but by smelling so much of the chocolate, it gave the same feeling as if you had already eaten a lot of chocolate. Not sure if I'm just really strange and over-analyzed this smell vs. eating thing (probably, yes) but I found this to be rather interesting. Moving on...

5) A beer isn't a beer unless you can drink it in a stein! Carolyn and I really wanted to find ourselves some steins while in Cologne, and I was very excited to find the perfect one! Every store imaginable sells them, and they're all different shapes and sizes and colors. It took awhile to select the perfect one (and the most affordable one) but my shelf in Maastricht is much happier with the stein on it. I have yet to try it out - but will inform you of the wondrous experience that it is, when it does happen.

6) Organs are beautiful to look at when in the huge cathedrals we've seen so far on our travels...but when the organ is actually PLAYED = AWESOME! We were lucky enough to be inside the Dom when the organ started playing, as there was some sort of service going on at the time. It was a beautiful, full sound that bounced off of all the walls and gave you the illusion that you were surrounded with sound. It was wonderful, and I now wish we could have had the same experience in the other huge cathedrals we've seen - especially Notre Dame. Either way, hearing music played inside that church was truly awesome.

7) When one owns a camera, it might be to one's advantage to fully learn everything that the camera is capable of! I found out while in Cologne that my camera takes video...and audio. Cool. So glad to have discovered this after Paris and all the other cities I've been to!!! Argh...so currently researching EVERYTHING my camera can do, so that perhaps I can take some neat videos while I'm here. I will keep you posted on the success of said videos.

8) Running through a train station is actually a good time. We've done this a fair amount, at least once in every city we've visited, and we discovered it's like claiming how important you are to everyone in the station. Not in a boastful way; but when you see someone running, you move out of the way and stare at them as they run past, wondering about what they're late for and how important it is. So, even though we knew we'd missed our train home, we decided to run through the train station just in case, and mainly for the hell of it. We both were laughing as we ran, dodging people, small children and dogs, holding our shopping bags and running as fast as we were able. Good times. (We indeed missed the train...but running in the station was worth it.) So - if you ever want to feel really cool, take a run through the train station. People will stop and stare and wonder about where you're dashing off to. :)

9) I have discovered it's quite fun to take pictures of as many dogs as I can in the different countries we go to. I think I may compile a book when I'm home about the 'Dogs of the World' and I'll give it to Ellie. Either way, I always try to grab my camera when we pass a puppy on the street, and Carolyn has dubbed me the "PETaphile." I've passed this awesome Basset Hound twice while out walking in Maastricht and have yet to take it's picture. I'm tempted to bring my camera whenever I leave my room now, just in case I run into this Basset Hound. At any rate, it's fun to look at all the different breeds that are common in the different countries. And here, the dogs can come on the buses and trains (as long as they're behaved)...which is fun! Picture above is from Cologne...and of a very furry Dachshund, which is appropriate as the name Dachshund is German in origin!

10) Dunkin' Donuts is the cool place to be in Cologne. It was attached to Subway (our cheap, quick dinner) and we were amazed at how many people were waiting in line for donuts. It was also the first Dunkin' Donuts I've seen in Europe. Apparently donuts are a rarity, which actually makes sense, as donuts like bagels, contain the hole in the middle - and neither are easily found in Europe. This Dunkin' Donuts was only the second place that I've seen that was selling bagels (along with donuts), the other being in Prague. Apparently Europeans don't find the hole in the middle of their bread or pastries that necessary. I like my bagels and donuts. But, I have come to appreciate the pastry that doesn't have that hole in the middle...as usually that means a good filling is inside!! So...bagels...are an American thing I've come to realize. Fun fact of the day.