Around the World: Koln and Bonn

April 7, 1992

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.

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.

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.

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

Around the World: Heidelburg

April 5, 1992

Everything seemed to be going well this morning.  Enjoyed a filling breakfast and then caught a train headed to Luxembourg, which is opposite the direction I need to go to get to Heidelburg.  The detour wastes a little time, but rewards my mistake with some beautiful scenery.

Heidelburg is a picturesque place to wander through on my way to the castle.  The enormous castle is easy to find, situated upon a hilltop.  The ruins of the castle walls and turrets are decorated in foliage that make it difficult to take a terrible picture.

The castle was spared destruction during WWII because the city itself held no strategic significance other than the possibility of becoming an ideal military post after the war.  Built in the early to mid 13th century, the castle has been repeatedly damaged by lightning strikes, fires, war and time.  Work to preserve the castle was completed in 1890.  Finances limit ongoing restoration efforts to maintaining the castle in its current condition.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Creative Commons

From Heidelburg, I caught the train to Frankfurt.  On the way, I realized I had forgotten to collect my hostel card from the reception desk back in Mannheim.  This oversight means I'll be staying in Mannheim one more night.

I don't know why I'm having such terrible luck getting around lately.  Mannheim has this auspicious quality to it that keeps drawing me back to it, like a magnet. 

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"Sometimes it's necessary to go a long distance out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly."

~Edward Albee

Around the World: Stuttgart

April 4, 1992

I didn't sleep very good last night.  The wiener schnitzel from the train station vendor lost the war it waged against my stomach and was ejected quite effectively in the early morning hours.  Once digestive peace was restored, I was able to get some sleep and dreamed about being home and receiving gift wrapped pieces of chicken.

?

My luck with trains strikes yet again as I start out for Stuttgart and end up back in Freiburg.  As soon as the train pulls into the station in Stuttgart, it starts pouring. To make the trip worthwhile, I seek shelter in a nearby pub and order "gulashsuppe" which makes me and my tummy very happy.

Not much else to do on this soggy day but head back to Mannheim.  Coincidentally, not only does the rain stop as soon as the train arrives at the station, but the sun starts to peek out from behind the clouds.

I met another hostel mate. John from Oregon is a food science graduate now working in Germany.  John knows of a pub and invites me to join him for dinner.  We join another group of three people we recognize from the hostel.  The music is good, the beer is great and the pub food is delicious.  Mannheim, where have you been all my life?

Made it back to the hostel exactly four minutes after evening lock out, but John and I were able to catch the desk clerk's attention and he very kindly let us in.

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"Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered."

~William Shakespeare