We thought we only had to visit the Cologne Cathedral. We knew Christmas Markets in Germany are opened only till Christmas Eve. We were in Cologne on 28 December. There were two Christmas Markets still opened and one was just marvelous!
We drove from Frankfurt to Cologne. The travel was a bit slow. We had a few stops for toilet and warm drinks. We were planning to stay in Cologne for two to three hours to visit specifically the Cologne Cathedral. Further, our youngest had a meet up with a friend she met through animate chatting rooms in the internet who lives in Germany. The friend was accompanied by her parents. They had travelled for 2 hours by train. In our itinerary, we were to visit the Christmas Markets in Düsseldorf which are opened till 28 December.
We were caught up in traffic jam when we had arrived in Cologne. We also had difficulty finding a parking area that is near the Cathedral. We saw a Christmas market that was open while driving. Like a theme park. We thought Christmas Markets in Cologne ended on Christmas eve.
Our youngest was updating her friend when we were finding where to park. Her friend have arrived Cologne much earlier. After we had parked the car, her friend was already waiting outside and they were glad to see each other for the first time. My eldest and I went around on our own. My hubby had fixed first our stuff inside the car then he wandered himself.
 |
| Köln Hauptbahnhof, Germany |
Köln Hauptbahnhof is next to the Cologne Cathedral. When inside the station, follow the sign exit to the Cathedral. Kath. Kirche St. Mariä Himmelfahrt also in the same exit.
Köln Hauptbahnhof is one of the two important stations in Cologne. The other one is the Köln Messe/Deutz station, across the Rhine river, on the east side . These two stations are connected by the Hohenzollern Bridge. International trains such as Thalys, Intercity and ICE calling to both stations
 |
| Cologne Cathedral North side |
I was so mesmerised, up-close look at the tallest twin-spired church in the world. Cologne Cathedral is a great example of a Gothic Christian architecture. The church is the largest in Northern Europe and the most popular monument of medieval art in Germany
 |
| West facade, Cologne Cathedral, Germany |
Cologne Cathedral is a Catholic Cathedral in Cologne and the seat of the Archbishop in Cologne. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. The church is the most visited in Germany.
 |
| Nave, Cologne Cathedral, Germany |
The interior of the Cathedral is as marvelous as the exterior. It was time to pray and further thank our creator for all blessings we had received such as the opportunities to go places and see his wonderful creations and influences to man-made built heritages.
 |
| Cologne Cathedral on the east side, Germany |
Outside the Ludwig Museum, we could see the east side of the Cologne Cathedral. Hohenzollern Bridge is a stone away. We could view from here the buildings at the eastern side of the Rhine River. This part was actually taken and done the following day. I will stop here first and continue to the Christmas Markets experience in Cologne.
 |
| Adventsdorf am Kölner Dom, Cologne, Germany |
On the day we were in Cologne, most of the Christmas Markets were already closed. Fortunately, there were still two opened. Adventsdorf am Kölner Dom is near the Cologne Cathedral. This is the smallest Christmas Market in Cologne. There were only food and drink stalls though, still crowded. It was also beautifully decorated with a giant wooden Christmas pyramid in the center.
 |
| Heinzels Wintermärchen (Winter Fairytale) |
Colognes's Old Town turned to Winter Fairytale during the advent. The Christmas Market is named after the "House of Elves", Heinzels Wintermärchen (Winter Fairytale). The markets stretched from Alter Markt down to Heumarkt. When we were there, only the part of Heumarkt was opened.
Opening Times 2020~2021
Alter Markt
23 November to 23 December 2020
Open daily from 11.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.
Ice Skating Rink / Heumarkt:
25 November 2020 to 10 January 2021
Closed on 24/25 December, Open daily from 11.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m., and from 26 December from 11.00 a.m. till 9.00 p.m.
Due to COVID, the advent for this year has been cancelled.
The Heinzels were everywhere in the market. Souvenirs as well were printed with these little helpers. The Cologne Heinzels are the relatives of the goblins, dwarves and trolls in other countries. A legend in the city, these midgets quietly help while the locals are asleep. However, they stop when some nosy disturb them.
 |
| Glitzergasse (Glitter Alley) |
Another feature in this market are the impressive rustic taverns Each has its own architectural style. The market is split into different themed alleys.
The Swiss dish, Raclette, was here. Not to be missed. The store is in the Futtergasses (feeding alley)
Raclette is a melted Swiss cheese spread on the bread. This cheese was processed and marketed for this dish. 19th century carousel was on Heumarkt. Heinzel Wintermärchen is the largest Christmas Market in Cologne. It combined the Alter Markt and Heumarkt, the two squares in the Cologne Old Market.
The important highlights in Heinzels is the spectacular Ice Skating Rink on Heumarkt. Skaters enjoyed gliding around the 110meter length rink- as long as the football field adorned by majestic Christmas decorations with the historic equestrian statue of King Friedrich Wilhelm III. There were features the skaters could while taking short break such as ice stock curling or view the Christmas lights and the decorations. There was a bridge in the middle the skaters could pass under or for the non skaters to watch. The bridge is also a good spot for photo taking of all sides of the rink.
A break from the ice skating or while riding the Ferris Wheel, you could watch the Heinzelmännchen skiing on the roof of the Büble Alpe.
The soaring spires of the Cologne Cathedral added more magic to this fairytale like Christmas Market. Heinzels Wintermärchen (Winter Fairytale) is only 200 meters away from the Cologne Cathedral. We were on the bridge set in the middle of the rink when we took the photo above.
 |
| King Friedrich Wilhelm III memorial |
King Friedrich Wilhelm III was a German Emperor and King of Prussia for ninety nine days (09 March 1888 to 15 June 1888). He was suffering from larynx cancer when he died. He was one of the three Emperors in 1888. His father as the emperor before he succeeded on 09 March and his son who became the Emperor after his death on 15 June, all in 1888. His wife was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Victoria the Princess Royal. The couple shared the same ideology. They were set for reformation and liberalization of the Empire. However, his son, the successor after his death, abandoned everything he had started. King Friedrich Wilhelm III is always a topic in the discussion among historians. Had he lived longer and the German liberalization had been further carried out, would there be a great impact in the German history? Likewise, the World History?
WMF, my favourite brand for my cooking wares. Products were originated in Germany. I was tempted to buy but we were running late. We had spent overnight in Düsseldorf, less than an hour drive from Cologne. More so, our checked luggage limit was enough for our stuff. We did not purchase extra, it would not fit in the car we had rented.
 |
| Sewer lid with Cologne's coat of arms |
Sewer lid in Cologne were designed with the city's coat of arms. Two-headed eagle holding a sword and a sceptre. This symbolises Cologne as free imperial city of the Roman Empire. There were two heads because the Roman Emperor was also the German King. Half oblong shape covering the eagle's torso were filled with three crowns and eleven drops. The three crowns represent the three kings. The bone of the three kings are said being kept in the Cologne Cathedral. The eleven droplets stand for the city's patron, St Ursula, a princess from Brittany, and her 11,000 virgin companions who as per legend were murdered in Cologne on their way back from a Pilgrimage by Attila the Hun, who was then besieging Cologne. St Ursula and her companions were martyred.
Another brand we wanted to get something is Victorinox. Latter originated in Switzerland. We bought something when we were in Bern, Switzerland on 01 January 2020.
 |
| Hohenzollern Bridge and the Cologne Cathedral, Germany |
From Düsseldorf, we had stayed in Cologne for few hours before we headed to Strasbourg, France. We wanted to see more of the magnificent Cologne Cathedral and we cannot miss the popular bridge in the city, Hohenzollern Bridge. Latter is not a road bridge but accessible to rail and to pedestrian. Spans the Rhine river in Cologne, 409 meters in length, the bridge connects the Cologne Old Town and the Cologne district of Deutz. The bridge is accessible from the east side of the Cologne Cathedral if you are in the Old Town side of the Rhine River in Cologne
 |
| View of the Kath. Kirche Groß St. Martin from Hohenzollern Bridge |
Kath. Kirche Groß St. Martin or the Great St. Martin Church is one of the twelve large Romanesque churches in Cologne situated in the Old Town (Altstadt). The church is surrounded with historic colourful houses and buildings.
 |
View of the Kölntriangle from the Hohenzollern Bridge
|
|
Kölntriangle is a modern building on the east bank of the Rhine River in Cologne. There is an observation deck at the top floor, which offers Panoramic view of the city, Cologne Cathedral in particular. A short walk from the entry/exit of Hohenzollern Bridge on the east side and a few minutes walk from the Messe/Deutz train station
 |
| Love Locks at the Hohenzollern Bridge |
Hohenzollern Bridge is also a destination for lovers. Like the one on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris and many bridges in Italy, Germany and other countries, a padlock is attached to the railing by a couple as a sign of love and commitment. Among the rituals: they read the message they had engrave on the lock or exchange promises as they walk the length of the bridge, secure the lock to the railings and throw the key into the river.
It was getting late. We had to hit the road to Strasbourg, four hours and over drive including the traffic jam and stop over. We were hoping we could still see the Christmas Markets in Colmar. It was the last day.
No comments:
Post a Comment