DAY 3: COLOGNE

 

Day by Day

To learn more about each port of call and our included as well as optional excursions, click on the individual days below.

1		Amsterdam, The Netherlands	Take a journey along Amsterdam’s network of canals or perhaps browse one of the city’s museums.	Read More >
2		Kinderdijk, The Netherlands	See the picturesque Dutch countryside and Kinderdijk’s working windmills, a UNESCO Site.	Read More >
		Scenic Sailing: Waal & Merwede	Admire the scenery and sail along the network of Holland’s waterways.
3		Cologne, Germany	Stroll through Cologne’s Old Town and see the city’s famed Gothic cathedral, a UNESCO Site.	Read More >
4		Koblenz, Germany	Visit the 13th-century Marksburg Castle and capture views from its hilltop location.	Read More >
		Scenic Sailing: Middle Rhine	Sail past hilltop castles along the Middle Rhine, a UNESCO Site, and look for Lorelei Rock.
5		Scenic Sailing: Main River, Spessart	Relax as you sail the Main River, making your way through Germany’s scenic Franconia region.	Read More >
		Miltenberg, Germany	Discover the city’s fairy-tale charms, from its Old Town to its iconic half-timbered houses.
6		Würzburg, Germany	Encounter the Bishops’ Residenz, a large, ornate baroque palace and UNESCO Site.	Read More >
7		Bamberg, Germany	See the Town Hall in this UNESCO-listed medieval city; sample its distinctive rauchbier.	Read More >
		Scenic Sailing: Main-Danube Canal, Germany	Transit this 16-lock engineering marvel spanning 106 miles from Kelheim to Bamberg.
8		Nuremberg, Germany	See the Palace of Justice, old town and Market Square in this history-filled city.	Read More >
9		Regensburg, Germany	Stroll the medieval, UNESCO-listed city’s streets and learn about Regensburg’s history.	Read More >
10		Passau, Germany	Admire the patrician houses in the old town and see Passau’s ornately decorated cathedral.	Read More >
11		Melk, Austria	Visit the renowned Benedictine abbey, admiring its medieval manuscripts and ceiling frescoes.	Read More >
		Scenic Sailing: Wachau Valley	Sail the picturesque Wachau Valley, a UNESCO Site, and admire views of hillside vineyards.
		Krems, Austria	Visit Göttweig Abbey, admiring its ceiling frescoes, grand staircase, library and church.
12		Vienna, Austria	Admire Vienna’s architecture and discover the city’s classical music heritage.	Read More >
13		Vienna, Austria	Discover the delights of Vienna as you browse the museums or enjoy a Viennese pastry.	Read More >
14		Budapest, Hungary	Explore Buda’s Castle District and modern Pest, straddling the two sides of the Danube River.	Read More >
15		Budapest, Hungary

This is Day 4 on the Viking Tir, and we are in Koblenz, Germany.  Yesterday was a stop in Cologne.  The evening before we were in Kinderdijk, where we had pre-dinner drinks of Kir and Champagne, with snacks.

Gouda cheese soup and a kind of light pizza, followed by an excellent fried ahi.  Certainly doesn't look it, and would have been better with rice, but...

Then dancing to piano music.

2033 steps on Day 2, only because of the above.

Lunch of cream of broccoli soup, mixed salad and a bolognese pasta, with a draft German beer.

Bus tour of Cologne.

An outhouse.

The Colonius tellecommunications tower (873 feet tall).

The second highest is the fabled Cologne Cathedral at 516 feet.

Return to the Viking Tir.

So you ask, does Cologne, Germany have any connection to perfumes?  

• Surprisingly enough, YES.

Take a walk through the Old Town to 4711 Glockengasse, which claims to be the birthplace of the original Eau de Cologne (Germans call it "Kölnisch Wasser"). In 1810, the inventor stopped calling it medicine and started marketing it as a perfume, putting Cologne on the map. Locals claim Eau de Cologne was the first perfume based on alcohol (86 percent alcohol; the rest is herbal fragrances). The original "Cologne Water" runs in a fountain by the door.

• The saying here is that Cologne is Germany's mix of perfume, chocolate and God.
• Called Köln in Germany, the home of the country's greatest Gothic cathedral.

• 
  Officially, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, it is Germany's MOST VISITED LANDMARK!!!  6 million.
• Was the tallest building in the world between 1880-1890.
• Construction began in 1248...and finally completed around 1880.  You know how long that is?  632 years.  Columbus discovered American 532 years ago.
• During World War II, the cathedral suffered 14 hits by aerial bombs.  It was badly damage, but remained standing, while Cologne was flattened. After 262 air raids, the population was reduced by 93%.  Was known as the world's greatest heap of rubble.
• Amazingly enough, here is a video of the final battle around the Cologne Cathedral, where a German Panther tank, knocked out two American Sherman tanks, beforebeing destroyed by Eagle 7, a Pershing.
• Repairs were largely completed in 1956, but continues to today.
• Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2005 as part of World Youth Day.  You can count around a million pilgrims visiting the Cathedral during this time.  Too quick?  Here is the 2 hour version.
• The Cathedral has a book value of $30.  However, if built today, would cost $11 billion.

Otherwise, about Cologne.

• With 3.1 million people in the urban region German'y 4th largest metro area.
• The city regained pre-war population in 1959, reached 1 million in 1975, and remains at that number today.
• The city was founded in 38 BC, and was for awhile the capital of the Roman province in Germany.
• Has 30 museums and hundreds of galleries.
• Hosts three Max Planck science institutes.
• Is the headquarters of Lufthansa.
• Cologne was the focus of the 2015-16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany, with over 500 women reporting that they were sexually assaulted by persons of African and Arab appearance.^[35][36]
• Has a thriving Christmas market, which we did not see,

Why?  The German Christmas Market opens this year on November 25...which is tomorrow.

• Actually some cities began on November 15.

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