Köln (Cologne)

 Port 2 of the Grand European Tour on the Viking Skirnir, November 2024.

Cologne Cathedral was built between 1248 and 1880 (with many interruptions). At the time it was completed, it was the tallest building in the world. Pollution has darkened the stones of the cathedral and it is being gently cleaned, using a low-pressure microparticle blasting technique, with repairs being made along the way. 

Gypsy woman in front of the cathedral. Our tour guide was quite angry about the presence of gypsies and repeatedly warned us not to engage with them. She said that although they received housing and income assistance from the government they prey on tourists as pickpockets and scammers. I was fascinated by their colorful skirts. 

The interior made us feel so small. 

This is my amateurish photo of some of the Cologne Cathedral's stained glass. For a lovely collection of photos showing details of this and other windows in the cathedral, go to https://buffaloah.com/a/virtual/ger/colog/cathed/int.html

The 14th century Clara Altar in one of the chapels of the cathedral. The altar is made up of a large number of wooden panels, separated by wood carvings in the Gothic style. Originally painted for a 14th century Franciscan nunnery in Cologne, the panels depict scenes from the life of Christ. Description of the altar from https://www.werelderfgoedfotos.nl/en/photos/121-cologne-cathedral.html

After visiting the cathedral, we wandered around a bit, coming across this bakery. Theses nougatbrezels were the most delicious soft pretzels I've ever eaten. The dough was rolled around a cinnamon mixture before forming the pretzel, which was drizzled with a sugar glaze and coated with slivered almonds. If anyone can point me to a recipe, I would love to try my hand at sweet pretzel making.