Karyn's Picks and Pans: Cologne and Vianden

We spent a few hours in Düsseldorf on the way home from Berlin, but there is nothing particularly noteworthy about it. We ate at a fine doner kebap joint in the Altstadt that was basically like any other, and we had a rather pricey spaghetti ice at an Italian Eis Café on the Rhine Promenade…that spaghetti ice, while tasty, was certainly not the best I've had. As far as museums go, we visited the K20, which is a museum of 20th century art. I've been there before. Contemporary art is so not my thing…the Pre-Raphaelites are about as recent as I like. But they had a Picasso exhibit going on, and I do enjoy some of his works, so I paid the 10 euros admission charge to go in again (highway robbery, I tell you!). Sue and Lindsey seemed to like this art museum in particular…Lindsey was particularly excited about all the Paul Klee works.

Okay, so moving on to Cologne…

* Café Scholl Am Dom - Whilst Lance and I waited for Sue, Lindsey, and Lori to climb the 509 steps to the top of the cathedral tower (I was NOT doing that again with my bad knees!), we sought out a place to do lunch. This fit the bill. It's near the cathedral, although you can't see the cathedral from there (we could, however, hear loud and clear when the church bells rang). They have a nice variety of things on their menu to suit all tastes. And they have great looking cakes, although we didn't eat any of them. Lance and Sue had omelets, and found them more than satisfactory. Lori and Lindsey had "toast Da Vinci" (Da Vinci is a theme in the café, which is odd since the café is not Italian, nor were we in Italy), which is a salami, tomato, and toasted cheese sandwich. I had the ham rolls with potato salad, and what the menu failed to mention, which was a delightful surprise, is that the ham is rolled around tender stalks of white asparagus laced with some kind of cream. Delicious. We were serenaded by a canary in a cage right behind our table. This place is also not too touristy…there was a mix of locals and tourists. If you get the Cologne Welcome Card, there is a coupon for this place…for a free espresso, I think, if you order a meal.

We did stop at another place similar to Café Scholl for cake later in the day…I wish I could remember the name of it, or what street it was on. They also sold chocolates and homemade jams. I know it's in the vicinity of Groß St. Martin. Lance and I ordered the same thing…it was some kind of chocolate cake with a white chocolate coating and some marzipan layers. It was pretty good. I know that doesn't help you. Sorry.

Vianden, Luxembourg



Damn, now why can't I remember the name of the café where we ate lunch? A little voice keeps saying over and over "Café des Arts" (does that make me sound Schizophrenic?), but I tried to look it up and only see one in Luxembourg City. So that can't be right. I think I'm getting mixed up because we ate at so many different places and because I've been writing so many travel guides…everything is swirled up in my brain. I really should've written all this stuff down in my notebook that I always carry, but Sue was recording everything, so I suppose I can just ask her. I'm afraid I was a terrible journalist on this trip. I had too many other things to think about (being housekeeper, personal chef, tour guide, translator, chauffeur, etc.).

Anyway, if you're ever in Vianden, it's right off the end of the street that runs along the river. There are a few cafes there, but this one caught our attention because it served crepes (it was the first one we encountered that did so). And crepes were exactly what we hungered for, we just didn't know it until that moment. The service was laidback, to say the least. Don't expect quickness. But it was not unreasonable. My only real complaint is that they gave everyone else a little bowl of peanuts to munch on while they waited for their food, and our table didn't get one. But the huge crepes were more than filling, so the little peanut starter wasn't necessary anyway. I highly recommend what I had, which was a bacon and egg crepe (lard appears prominently on the menu with this choice, and there is something to that, actually…this was super fatty bacon). The crepe was stuffed with bacon and served with a fried egg on top. Lori ordered the same thing and picked out a lot of the bacon. Lindsey ordered a dessert crepe, which looked like a work of art. Lance got a cheese crepe. Sue got the vegetarian, which she said was spicy. I had a nice Moselle Riesling with mine. Lance drank Leffe Blonde, a Belgian beer. I think Sue and Lori got the Diekirch. You should know some French if you come here. We had an English speaking waitress who took our order, but the lady that served us our food and brought us the bill only spoke French (and perhaps a smidge of German, because I seemed to communicate with her better when I switched from French to German). We managed. I had 5 years of French in high school and college and Sue knew it well enough from all the time she spent in France.

Also, have ice cream at the café next to the chairlift. It's nothing fancy, but they have soft serve, which is a nice treat. We got a kick out of their soft serve machine. You choose a small container filled with ice cream…whatever flavor pleases your fancy. They insert the container into the machine and swirl the ice cream into the cone. I've never seen anything like it. The kids will love it. Either that, or we're just easily impressed.

A note about the chairlift: it does NOT take you directly to the castle. It's a fun ride, but then you must hike down the hill a bit to the castle, which is already on a craggy cliff overlooking the town. This hike was steep, and really hurt my knees. And if you get the return trip, of course you must hike back up.


View of Vianden from the chairlift

We did pay for a round trip, but opted instead to hike down from the castle through the street that leads into the center of town. This was a better option, because we got to see more of the town that way. And if any place in Europe oozes charm, it's Vianden.


walking through town

This place is like a fairy tale (if you could overlook the insane amounts of motorcyclists everywhere). So do the chairlift, but just do it one way (and be sure to smile at the top…they take your picture!).

When Relatives Visit

My aunt Sue and cousins Lori and Lindsey left yesterday, after an 11 day visit. Here was our itinerary:

Sunday, May 13 (arrival day): drive up the Rhine to look at castles, with a stop in Rudesheim
Monday, May 14: Thorn, Netherlands
Tuesday, May 15 - Friday, May 18: Berlin, with a few hours spent in Düsseldorf on the way back
Saturday, May 19: Cologne
Sunday, May 20: Vianden, Luxembourg
Monday, May 21: Brussels, Belgium
Tuesday, May 22: Delft, Netherlands
Wednesday, May 23: rest day, but we spent a few hours in Sittard
Thursday, May 24: back to Frankfurt airport

The weather was pretty chilly the entire time they were here. The nicest day was, of course, yesterday. HA! But we did have a couple of warm days so they could wear the summer clothes that they packed.

Since I've been to all but two places on the list before (Delft and Vianden were new to me), I'm not going to do a write-up that's like my previous trip reports. Instead, I am going to post memories about specific things during their visit.

So...without further ado...

Vending Machine Sex in Düsseldorf Airport

I hope my cousin will forgive me for posting this, but she shouldn't be embarrassed by this story, because it says more about my character than it does about hers. Anyway…

On their second full day here, we left for Berlin. I booked us a flight from Düsseldorf Airport. Once we found our gate and had a seat, Lindsey and I had to visit the restroom. As we were washing our hands, I noticed the vending machine hanging on the wall. Sure, it sold your typical assortment of condoms and tampons, but it also sold thongs (of the panty variety), and something called a "Lustfinger," which was basically some rubber spiky thing that fits over your finger. Use your imagination.

Being the immature sort that we are, Lindsey and I were laughing quite heartily at the vending machine offerings…particularly at the Lustfinger. We came out of the restroom and I looked at Lori (who is attending a wedding this weekend and was going to the wedding straight from Germany) and said, "I know the perfect gift to get your friend who is getting married." Lindsey was almost choking on her laughter when I said this. Then I explained the Lustfinger and told her it was 3 euros. We all pitched in some euro cents, but Lori was afraid to go in the restroom alone to buy it. So I went in with her. She started to put change in the machine, but we heard someone coming in. So we looked away and pretended to wash our hands, cracking up all the while.

Finally, Lori bought the thing, and we walked out of the bathroom laughing hysterically. She stuck it in her purse, expressing gratitude that we had already gone through security.


***


At the end of the trip, as we boarded the plane in Berlin, I noticed a stack of German Playboys sitting there with the newspapers, free for the taking. HAHAHA. That's the first time I've ever seen an airline give out Playboys with their free reading material. But they didn't leave out the ladies…no, they didn't have Playgirl (not that I would've wanted one anyway)…but they gave out free chocolate on the flight! This is Air Berlin, by the way, for anyone who is interested.



A Couple Pickpocketing Attempts?

I've lived in Europe now for 3 1/2 years. Never in that time have I encountered pickpockets. Yet while my aunt and cousins were here, I may have encountered them twice.

The first time was in Cologne. We were getting ready to leave, so we were standing at the platform in the train station, waiting for our train. Suddenly, I feel a hand graze my butt, and I look to see some shady looking dude in a dark coat hurrying down the steps. I mentioned it to Lance, and he was ready to chase the guy down and clean his clock. But instead, Lance examined my backside.

"Did you have your back pocket zipped when you put your pants on this morning?"

"Probably. I never use my pants pockets."

"Well, it's unzipped. He was probably trying to steal something."

So, apparently, the guy wasn't trying to get his jollies. He was just trying to get some quick cash. But I guess I will never know.

Another strange encounter happened in Brussels. Lori was in a souvenir shop, and Sue, Lindsey, and I were standing just outside the entrance. We were on a pedestrian street, and there weren't very many people, so there was plenty of room for people to get around us. Suddenly, this guy just walks right SMACK into my aunt, like he never even saw her. He seemed stoned to me, so I doubt he was a pickpocket. But once he shambled away, I told my aunt to check her purse and make sure nothing was amiss. They have weird tactics like that to divert your attention so you don't see them taking things from you.

Anyway...weird. At least there was no butt-touching, that time.

As for pictures...they were all compiled collectively into one online photo album, which is my aunt's. Because several of the pictures feature her and my cousins, I'm not posting them, out of respect for their privacy. I have a CD of the photos, so at some point, I am going to get them online, at least the ones that they don't appear in.

Koeln Weihnactmarkt

Today we went to Cologne for the Christmas market. T'was a veritable feast of sights, smells, and sounds. Cologne has several markets scattered throughout the city, and we visited two. The first was at the Dom. That one was mostly food, with a few craft booths scattered around. All the food smelled so delicious. Lance and I both got crepes for lunch...his was just cheese, mine was "Hawaii" (ham, pineapple, and cheese). They were sooooo good. While Lance was still in line getting his food, I was standing with Kim and Brian and some weird guy comes up to me, bends over my crepe and goes, "Mmmmmmm...cheese." We were laughing so hard. I don't know if he was drunk or what. I finished off my lunch with a hot belgian waffle drizzled with hot chocolate sauce. Heaven.

We saw that little dog again...the Polizei dog...I have a picture of him from last summer. Just a little thing...like a Shitzu or a Maltese. Dressed up in a Polizei uniform. Yep...there he was again. Apparently, he's a local celebrity.

Anyway, we walked around Cologne for a little bit...in the shopping district, which was a giant wall of humanity. Lance and I ducked into the jewelry store where we plan to buy our wedding bands eventually. But the guy didn't speak English and even though we drew a picture of the rings we wanted, he still didn't know what we were talking about, so I guess we'll have to just print out the picture from the website next time.

Eventually we hopped on a little train that took us to another Christmas market...the oldest one in Cologne. It was mostly a handicrafts market...the opposite of the first one. Less food. But there was a pretty carousel in the middle and nice music playing. The booths were very neat to look at. So many cool things. But I didn't spend any money. Shocking. But there was nothing there that I couldn't live without...Lance and I were looking for a replica of the Cologne Dom that was small enough to put on the tree, but we couldn't find one.

We left just as it started getting dark. It had just started to rain and even though it had been windy all day, the wind was picking up even more. But we saw quite a bit in one day, and overall the weather was pretty decent. It was about 50 degrees.Some pictures from today...and a picture of our Christmas tree:
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/englanke/album?.dir=/Cologne+Weihnactmarkt

Cologne

Today Lance and I went to Cologne. We got up at an ungodly hour of the morning because I thought it would be cool to leave at 8:01...the earliest train there. Bad BAD idea! We were soooo tired... But the train ride was great...we had a layover in Rheydt (which was thankfully brief) and then with the 2nd train, we were on our way to Cologne.

We got off the train, and the first thing we saw was the Dom...the GIGANTIC cathedral that is the heart of Cologne: http://www.koelner-dom.de/. It's literally right next to the train station, and I couldn't even see the entire thing when I got off the train, but my breath was just taken away by the immense size of this building. Lance and I stopped there first...we went inside and walked around. They allowed us fairly close access to the crypts, so we got to see some really interesting effigies. I didn't take pictures of them though, out of respect for those who are buried there. I did get a few pictures of the inside, including the absolutely huge organ pipes. I just hope they turn out.

After we toured the inside, we paid the 2 euro admission for the privilege of climbing to the top of the south tower. That is 509 stairs to the top...very narrow SPIRAL stairs...and there are people climbing down as you are climbing up, so it's a tight squeeze. I thought I was going to pass out before we got to the top, but we were richly rewarded with a stunning view of Cologne, especially the Rhine river. On the way down, we stopped to look at the bells, although I was afraid they would start ringing as we were standing there. It probably would've shattered our eardrums, seeing as how those bells can be heard all over Cologne.

After we got to the bottom, we had to go and sit for awhile, since my legs were very shaky and I had trouble walking straight (try climbing 500 steps and going back down, and see how YOU feel!)...but we went outside to take pictures of the outside of the Dom. It seems to be THE place for everyone to gather. So we were checking out what was going on...street performers, sidewalk chalk artists...and this little poodle-like dog walked past us with a German polizei uniform on, including a little cap, and SUNGLASSES. Everyone was cracking up as this little pooch walked by...I managed to get a picture of him. He was adorable. I just didn't get to where I could get his face in the picture, so you don't see his sunglasses.

Anyway, after that, we were ready for lunch, so we went to the Hard Rock Cafe. It wasn't my first choice because the place is always loud and their food is fine, but I would rather eat at a restaurant that is unique to Cologne. But Lance wanted to go there and I was paying since his birthday is tomorrow, so we went. But we got there about half an hour before it opened, so we took a walk on a bridge over the Rhine to get some good photos. We went back at noon to get lunch.

After lunch, we decided to head over to the chocolate museum. They promised to have free samples for all visitors, and considering that they gave us mini chocolate bars at the ticket counter, I knew that it was a good place to visit. They had exhibits on where cocao beans are produced, how they are made into chocolate (that was the fun part...they have a chocolate factory there, so you can actually see the machines at work making the chocolate and forming it into bars and sending it to the wrapping machine), a rainforest of cocao trees, and exhibits that showed the history of the Stollwerck chocolate company in Cologne. In the museum, they have a chocolate fountain, which is literally like a water fountain, except chocolate pours out. And someone stands there with sugar wafers, dips them in chocolate, and hands them to you as you walk past. Needless to say, that was pretty cool. :) We hit the gift shop afterwards (yes mother, I bought you some!).

After that, we decided to take a Rhine cruise. As we were walking to the pier to get to our boat, we went through a marketplace...they sold mostly books, but there were some other things too...nothing that I had to have, but it was interesting to see what wares were being sold.

We took our Rhine cruise, which was a much needed rest for both of us. It was pretty packed by the time we got on, so we couldn't find a place on the open deck at first and had to sit down in the enclosed part. But we got to a city called Rodengirchen, which is also along the Rhine (just outside Cologne) and some people got off, so we were able to find a place to sit on the open deck. Rodenkirchen was a nice place...just reeked charm all over the place, what we saw of it anyway. But the boat turned around (after picking up some passengers) and we headed back to Cologne.

After that, we were pretty tired...we walked around for a little bit because we wanted to get pictures of the old town hall and they had a wedding there earlier in the day, which made it difficult to get pictures. So we went back to get some pictures, hit the souvenir shop so I could buy a bottle of Eau de Cologne for Grandma (because that's where it was invented...duh!...and yes, women can wear this stuff)...and I bought some postcards. Then Lance and I went to the train station to come home...although we stopped first to get the obligatory German pretzel and some Coca-Cola Light (which is NOT Diet Coke...they don't have Diet Coke here).

As we were waiting on our train, we saw a bunch of drunk guys come off a train with a bunch of open beer bottles in their hands...they were being obnoxious and dancing and singing and hitting on all the women that they saw (except me, because Lance was with me). I guess public intoxication is not a problem in Germany. :)

Oh...one thing I thought was cute...we passed by this street performer who played the accordian...he had a bunch of tiny marionettes in traditional German dress and they were dancing along to the music he was playing...TOO CUTE! I tried to get Lance to take video of it, but he thought it was cheesy.

On the way back, we had a layover at Aachen, which will likely be the next place we visit. It looks to be an interesting city as well, although all the things worth seeing are further away from the train station.

In other news, we finally got our bicycles yesterday...German made and they come with all the bells (literally) and whistles. I can't wait to start riding!!!