DAY 33
THURSDAY JUNE 2 2005
My first day in Köln Germany 12 hours of everything, laughter boring fruitless
Ah, I wake up, surprisingly, at 9am. Good morning Köln! I eat breakfast and grab a map to take off for the city center for my first full day in Germany.
My first views of Köln. The new, the old, and nature.
My bike trial to Bonn.
If you have never been here, my God, come here. At first when I saw this metropolis of a city I was going to rush off to Bonn, but the cathedral here is the most beautiful building I have ever seen.
As a matter of fact if you were to only see one cathedral in the whole of Europe, goodness, come here! It is worth it. When I looked up and up and up at it I was so blown away by the sheer beautiful mass of it all. It makes a amazing impression on the senses.
This is really all one shot. I just couldn't get it all in one picture.
Sorry for the poor quality. You will just have to come here to see the beauty for yourself. :-)
As I went inside the church I saw a gypsy like woman asking for money in the doorway. We made eye contact and I quickly look away. My heart goes out to this old, frail, grandmother. Her soul his in her eyes. She reminds me of my own mother. Nevertheless, I walk by and do not give any money. I never give money except to my own family, if needed. She probably makes more than I do just on the sheer kindness of people. After all 10 thousand people can easily pass these through these doors in a week. I hope her husband doesn't take it all and drink it away.
They told me I could climb stairs to the top of the cathedral and see views of the city. Cool! So I take off and up the stairs I go and go and go. Good god! A thousand stairs later with much communal laughter along the way between other hapless, unsuspecting tourists, I reach the top. We were all sharing the same runners high, and it was a crazy, happy, sweat drenching climb.
At one point a man looks at me and gives me encouragement saying that it won't be much longer. All I can see is his sweat drenched face as if he just came out of the rain and think my face must look the same. It certainly feels that way. Ah, but it was all worth it! Anything that makes me laugh that much certainly is and then I see the views.
I then spent three hours looking for an internet cafe that would allow laptop connectivity. How fruitless a search that was! I then took a two hour city bus orientation tour. My God, when will I learn! Why do I torture myself with enforced inactivity? I know I hate and it drives me batty. Even as a young teenager I couldn't stand it. It as not mellowed with age. What utter boredom. So different from this mornings stair climb. The only tour I have been able to even handle is a Rick Steves tour. On the city bus tour we stop by a museum. Here are the pictures from that.
This poor girl looks as bored as I feel. Just behind her you can see the tour bus.
Guess where I had lunch?
On the way back to the cathedral I buy food and a drink. It is not for me, but for the old gypsy woman who I saw earlier. To see her soul in her eyes like that eats at the back of my mind during this whole bus trip. On the bus tour they said that the unemployment rate is at 30%. This city has over a million people. Wow, that is pretty high. I think about the gypsy woman and realize no one will hire and old woman, the young come first in this fast paced society. She is afflicted with something I am not looking forward to going through, old age. I won't give her money, but I will give her food if she is still there. I hope she is. I look all over for her and she is no where to be found. Here is a picture of a different gypsy woman, though. I don't give her the food because she is already fat and I continue to fruitlessly look for the old frail woman. In the end I go home with an unwanted sandwich and soda. I am sorry for that (sigh).
and next to the old woman there is this...
On the way home I was enthralled with watching some trick cyclists on the other side of the cathedral. I took numerous video footage and film footage, but they only gave me permission to post one on my web site due to privacy issues and that other people copy their tricks. The web site sounded something like Köln Flatlanders. COM but I am not sure.
Notice on the trick cyclist no feet are touch the ground and he is going round and round in a circle on his front wheel.
All in all it was a 12 hour jam packed day of everything from boringness, fruitless searches, and crazy laughter. What a day!