gothic encounter

At the Aachen train station, a helpful attendant helped us find the group-discount fare to Cologne, and the trip was under an hour.

The Cologne Bahnhof is a one-minute walk from the cathedral, which provided a significant amount of one's daily requirement of buttresses, chapels, amazing stained-glass, gargoyles, and religious images. Even the floor mosaics were astonishing.

No wonder that it took 600 years to build.

We spent quite a bit of time there, and even though there was a large number of fellow gawkers, the place is so enormous that we didn't feel crowded at all.

After a bit, we walked around until we found the perfect place to sit down, drink cappucinos and eat a croissant. Then we headed over to the tree-shaded walkway along the Rhine river, enjoying the views. This is a very big city - so much larger than little old Aachen.

The train back to Aachen was easy and we are now back at the hotel, with our only concern being where dinner is to be.

We leave Aachen tomorrow on the bus to Maastricht, where we meet up with the bike-and-barge tour. We are all relaxed and happy, and why not?