Day 61 - Searching for the Niebelungs

Today A and E drove us to Cologne. Cologne is built on two sides of the Rhine. However, the side with the cathedral contains nearly all the sites, so we crossed the bridge, and walked down to the water's edge. The Rhine is wildly high and murky brown from...you guessed it, all the rain! Even so, it was bustling with boat traffic, including some hearty kayakers. Their little boats zipped between the larger ships, fairly flying through the waves as they raced on the current. It looked really fun, provided that they have someone to pick them up on the downstream end; I shudder to think what it would be like trying to paddle upstream in that torrent!

We visited the cathedral which is huge and oh so gothic. Every square inch of the spires is covered with angels, gargoyles, and other assorted carvings. Quite a bit of the statuary is in rather sad shape, so there is an ongoing restoration project near the walls of the church. We spent some time watching master crafstman painstakingly coaxing figures from stone, and cheered on delivery men unloading heavy chunks of the raw material. The project has been going for nearly 10 years now, I believe, and will probably continue on for 10 more. The leader of the restoration, and also several of the stonecarvers are women. This is very exciting given that it is such a male-dominated field.

Inside the cathedral, the tall and the gothic continue, with high aisles and arched stained glass windows. This cathedral has some of my favourite stined glass, depicting everything from Bible scenes to the liberation of the city after WWII. They are the masterwork of Joannes ______ whose last name escapes me. Installed over the course of the last half-century, the windows do address events of the 20th century, but they are done in the style of the 16th. For example, in the liberation window, a group of figures in muted palette with gothic dogs in their midst stand in front of a ruined city. It is only under closer inspection that one realises that the figures are dressed in 1940's clothing, and that one of them is holding a modern bicycle.

The plaza in front of the cathedral has an eclectic mix of political protesters, tourists, musicians, and my favourite, statue people. Statue people are a type of street performer who dress themselves in interesting costumes, cover themselves in make-up and then stand very, very still. The ones on the plaza were particularly good, both in chqrqcter and in costume. However, two were taking a break, and it was thoroughly unnerving to see two statues with flesh-coloured hands (they had only removed their gloves) talking, snacking, and smoking.

Also in the plaza is an open air cafe with huge, fabulous cakes and a view of the cathedral. My mother had coffee and kuchen there too, though the church was unsder wraps for her her visit.

Fueled with very good sugar, we ventured into the Ludwig museum. Mr Ludwig made his fortune in chocolate. In fact, he also has a chocolate museum, but it is just for children. For the grown-ups there is a fine art museum with lovely wide, well-lit rooms, and great modern art. My favourite was an animated movie by a South-African artist illustrating the plight, but also the hope in Blacks in South Africa.

On the way home we cross the Rhine via a differnt bridge for a new view of the city. We admire the view, and then sleep nearly all the rest of the way back to Altena.