A birthday weekend, not too far from home at a place we haven’t been yet …
Thanks to our national railway company NMBS we got a promo ticket to Köln (Cologne). Not too far from home = check. Good weather forecast = check.

We started our first day by dropping of our luggage at the hotel, and walking to the Ehrenfeld area. This is a quarter of Cologne where you won’t find the mass, but where you will find a whole lot of street art! We spent quiet some time here, but eventually walked all the way towards the Belgisches Viertel. This is a small but very cosy and quiet hip/alternative part of the city. Lovely!

After some dinner and shopping we called it a day. Exhausted!

Day 2. A Sunday without lot’s of sun, and even some rain in the morning. Bad timing to climb the Dome, but we stayed long enough to outbeat those clouds 🙂 533 steps for €4 per person. That’s a morning work-out! This cathedral is build over 6 centuries, and it really is the centerpiece of Cologne.

Next on our list was the Rheinauhaven. This is the old harbour quarter with completely renovated stock houses and modern buildings. Strange enough it fits all together. We crossed the Rhein river, relaxed a bit along the promenade and went up again on the Triangle Tower (€3 per person). Outstanding views even with the cloudy weather!

Post from RICOH THETA. #theta360 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Day 3 of the extended weekend: birthday of the hubby and beautiful weather! Found the amazing mural of Chilly Gonzales, relaxed at some parks, did a little bit of shopping.

Cologne was great and unexpected!

We slept @ NH Collection Mediapark, had the best ever (and cheap) ice cream @ Eisfeld, ate some haute-cuisine chips @ Frittenwerk (okay, but too fancy) and had nice Fish&Chips at Paul’s Fish&Chips.

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