Köln 2
Unsurprisingly a breakfast hunt was the first thing on our agenda of Day 2. We headed to a highly reviewed local bakery in the town center. Almost all shops were still closed and the town center was quiet.
We passed by Basilica of St Apostles again. We only passed by and took a quick look up at the tower the day before, but we had time to see the whole church this time.
The 1950s interior of Bäckerei Balkhausen was filled with a variety of fresh breads. Master confectioner Balkhausen, an old traditional baker is in charge of the bakery. It was so difficult to choose just one. At the end I got a croissant with nuts and chocolate. The bakery offered take-away only. A small public square was our breakfast spot. After then we picked up a cup of hot tea at a cafe on our way. It was chilly and hot tea kept us warm while we continued walking.
We passed by St. Mauritius church. The construction of the church was completed in 1141 and it became the first Romanesque building in the Rhineland to be completely with groined vaults. Perhaps because the current main architecture is neo-Gothic, the church doesn't belong to the group of the 12 Romanesque churches.
While we kept walking down to the south, we found another church, the Church of Saint Pantaleon. This was on the list of the 12 Romanesque churches. As many of them were built on Roman remains, St. Pantaleon stands on the ruins of a Roman villa. Currently the church looks closed due to renovation works.
Eventually we arrived at the Volksgarten, one of the city's oldest parks. The park was established in 1890 on the former Fort IV, which was was designed and built as an artillery fort with infantry support in the 1870s. We found some brick walls and buildings here and there. Those were probably the remains of the fort. Today the park was a peaceful city oasis with greenery.
We had a little break at a rose garden, sharing a raisin bun from Bäckerei Balkhausen. It was tasty!
Leaving the park, we strolled on a long straight pedestrian walkway that was created on the median. Interestingly Art Nouveau buildings lined the street.
We happened to find a vine-covered tower far down a street. We took a detour to see what the tower was.
The large red brick buildings appeared behind the tower. I learned later that the facility was built in 1906 and is now recognized as one of the most impressive Art Nouveau power plants in Germany. Today a public utility company is still running a a combined heat and power plant in this building complex. I didn't expect the fairy tail tower was a part of utility plant!
We walked more and reached Severinstorburg, a 12th-century city gatehouse.
We walked further and then crossed a bridge over the Rhein, overlooking modern buildings and a waterfront promenade. The cathedral was seen on the opposite side.
We were back to the old town and visited the Wallraf–Richartz Museum. The museum has the widest collection of impressionist and neo-impressionist art in Germany. Visiting there was perhaps the best thing to do in Cologne for me.
The masterpieces by German and Flemish painters from the classical period was also worth seeing. I wish I could spend the whole day at the museum.
Our late lunch place was Hänneschen und die Pfeffermühle, a German restaurant at Heumarkt, a large Medieval market square. J had Gaffel, one of the brands of Koelsch, a style of beer originating Cologne. We ordered two German classic dishes: Jaeger schnitzel and bratwurst to share. Both came with potato sides. The dishes were good, hearty and heavy.
After then we visited the EL-DE house that was the headquarters of Cologne Gastapo. Today the building houses the National Socialism Documentation Center. Their audio guide provided us a lot of information at each room and we ended up with staying there for almost two hours.
We had a quick dessert time before going back to the hotel. Cafe Printen Schmitz is a family-run tradition cafe since 1842. A little biscuit on my teacup saucer highlighted the year. We ordered a slice of apple strudel with crème anglaise according to a recommendation from a lady at the counter. Both the strudel and the sauce were served warm. Very tasty!
I think we covered most of the places we were interested in within the two days. Cologne is not so far from Wiesbaden but somehow we hadn’t been until this time. I’m glad finally we made it!
