Cologne (Germany)

Cologne Cathedral

With only a few hours in Cologne, I settled for seeing only two places in Cologne, the cathedral and the chocolate museum and factory. Yet, this is a disservice to the beautiful city. If you have a chance, stay a few days near the cathedral and enjoy walking the through the old town. Although much of Cologne was destroyed during WWII, it has been beautifully reconstructed.

Band playing outside Cathedral

The old town skyline is dominated by one main building that survived the destruction of WWII, the cathedral. It is a beautiful, gothic structure started after Notre Dame but not completed until the 1800s. It's vaulted ceilings send its spires soaring skyward. I headed inside to walk around the beautiful church. Entrance is free. There is an additional charge if you'd like to climb the cathedral's tower or descend to its' treasury. After touring the inside, I enjoyed eating sandwiches with an outside view of the cathedral. Nearby, a band was playing Beethoven's 5th as well as Canon in D. One of the best lunch views and accompaniments!

Toblerone packing machine

After lunch, I headed to the Chocolate Museum and Factory. It is sponsored almost entirely by Lindt. However, it gave a great overview of the history of chocolate as well as providing information on (mostly German) chocolate brands throughout the years. Lindt even makes and packages small milk chocolates as one of the exhibits in the museum. I'm glad I'm not the employee who has to work behind the glass walls bagging chocolates! For anyone who loves chocolate, I'd highly recommend this museum! (9 Euros)