July 19 :  The City of Cologne

We arrived in Cologne at around 10:00 this morning. The cathedral is almost frightening yet extremely beautiful. We took a bus into the city. Again the weather has been hot. Our tour guide walked us through the church square. He was entertaining, knowledgeable and funny.

 I had breakfast on the terrace this morning.

 Looking up at the cathedral.

It is an amazing piece of architecture. The stained glass windows inside are incredibly intricate. Our guide managed to convey to us what this church must have meant to the people who built it. Inside there are tombs of bishops and famous people. 

 The space inside is enormous. It is ornate and intricate. Even the floors are detailed mosaics. You do stand in awe when you walk through the doors.

We took the bus back to the ship and had European wieners, potato salad, sauerkraut and black currant limonade. Right now we are taking a rest. It is very hot. Later we plan to walk back into town to see the city.