Yesterday, I decided to abandon my plans to visit Frankfurt for the promise of a kitchen at the hostel in Bad Honnef. It's a small town close to the bigger cities of Bonn and Koln (Cologne) and I can save some money cooking my own food. As I stroll through the backstreets of Bad Honnef on the way to the train station, I learn that this little spa town has a sense of humour.
I suppose even the folks responsible for naming streets have bad days too.
The Dom, Koln's magnificent cathedral is stunning and massive. It was the world's tallest building until 1884. It took over 600 years to complete the cathedral.
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| The Dom |
The foundation stone was laid in 1248. The east wing was consecrated in 1322 while still under construction. Work began on the west wing in the mid 14th century and ended with the south tower completed to the belfry level in 1473. A crane sat atop the south tower for the next 400 years.
After discovering the original plans for the facade, the Protestant Prussian Church and the Prussian State raised enough money to complete the cathedral, hoping to improve relations with the large and growing population of Cologne's Catholic residents. Construction resumed again in 1842.
Germany's largest Roman Catholic cathedral was completed on August 14th, 1880.
From Koln, I head to Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven. There is a large bust of the celebrated composer that stands over five feet high in a park and a bronze statue in the Münsterplatz. I manage to see both before it's time to head back to the hostel before the evening lock out.
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| Photo courtesy Wikipedia Creative Commons |
Returning to the hostel is a bit of a challenge. Even though Bad Honnef is practically suburb of Bonn, I still have to take the train north to Koln before heading south again to Bad Honnef. Once at the hostel, I head straight for the kitchen to cook dinner. I have a craving for something quick, cheap and familiar.
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| Eat your heart out, Herr Boyardee! |
Oh, familiar tastes of home.
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"Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect!"
~Owens Lee Pomeroy
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