I was glad I'd reserved a seat on the Friday afternoon train to Wuppertal, because every possible place to sit was occupied, and that included the floor. It is holiday time here, and the train had started its journey in Leipzig and terminated in Frankfurt, stopping at many places en route. E and H met me after my three hour journey, and we went straight home to Remscheid for a welcome cup of tea, (well several actually) a pizza and a good "natter." On Saturday we visited Cologne, to be shown some of the sights by E's son and daughter-in- law who live in the city. We began our tour in the massive Cathedral, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1248, and which is the most visited monument in Germany, and yes, it was very busy. The photo right, shows the nave and some of the hundreds of visitors of all nationalities. I prefer quiet visits, but I don't think that would ever be possible in this place. I cannot mention all the treasures we saw, but the most celebrated work of art is the "Shrine of the Three Kings," created by Nicholas of Verdun in the 12th century to hold the remains of the "Three Wise Men," whose relics were acquired by Frederick Barbarossa at the conquest of Milan in 1164. The shrine takes the form of a large reliquary in the shape of a basilican church, and is made of bronze and silver and decorated with architectual details and figures in enamels and gemstones. The shrine was opened in 1864 and found to contain bones and garments.
Cologne Cathedral - Wikipedia, the freeencyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral
Just a five minute walk away from the Cathedral was our second visit of interest, the "4711 Eau de Cologne" shop. E's son is a manager in the business, so we had a priviledged visit to the museum and watched a video about the history of the company founded in the 19th century. The collection of old bottles and labels over the last two hundred years was particularly interesting. As you leave the shop, to the right of the entrance, it is possible to rinse your hands in the fragrance, (the basin can be seen in the photo right of centre beside the column), and the refreshing perfume stayed with us all the afternoon.
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| Customers in the "4711" shop in Cologne. |
My first question was, "Why is the fragrance called 4711?" During the Napoleonic wars in 1794, when Cologne was occupied by the French, all the buildings were numbered, and this one just happened to be house number 4711, simple! The original substance was a medicinal cure for stomach troubles, a mixture of alcohol and the juice of citrus fruits. It status was later changed to a fragance in order to avoid certain taxes on medicaments. It contains a large percentage of alcohol, which is still drunk by some, and which becomes a problem when exported to muslim countries, when it has to be sold in special bottles to prevent the alcohol being imbibed. It smells too sweet to drink, but I prefer beer anyway!
4711 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4711
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| The twin towers of the Cathedral, the railway bridge and a distant television tower on the skyline. |
The view above is taken from the "Cologne Triangle" an office block built in 2006, with a viewing platform at the top. The 360o view of the city was breathtaking, just a shame it was a little chilly up there! We later attempted a visit a Chocolate Museum, but once we saw the long queue at the entrance, we thought it better to go home to a nice piece of cake, tea and coffee. I saw so much of interest, and too much to write about here, but it was a wonderful visited on a thankfully cool day. Later that evening we enjoyed a barbecue in the summer house at the bottom of E's garden, where five of us drank beer and schnapps, and tucked into wurst and salad. What a lovely day with good friends and much spoken German. Of course I can speak several languages if I drink enough beer!
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