Cologne

Learn about Cologne’s heritage and view its iconic cathedral, towering over the city in all its Gothic splendor. Step into a rich past, following some of the city’s preserved historic street patterns and hearing about its Roman and medieval history along the way. As you stroll, your guide will regale you with tales of local folklore figures, Tünnes and Schääl, and the city’s flourishing Jewish community. In Old Cologne, pass the elegant silhouette of St. Martin’s church and stop to view Cologne’s magnificent Gothic cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Construction of this towering structure began in 1248 and continued in several stages over the next seven centuries. The largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, this magnificent church boasts two soaring spires and beautiful stained glass windows, and largely escaped the damage that ravaged the city and the rest of Germany during World War II.

Begin your day with a morning tour of Cologne, Germany’s fourth largest city. Stroll through Old Town past St. Martin’s Church and see the Dom, Germany’s largest cathedral and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend your free time enjoying Cologne’s atmospheric waterfront, or perhaps join an optional excursion on which you ascend to the Dom’s roof for up-close views of the cathedral’s architecture and bird’s-eye vistas of Cologne. Afterward, return on board for dinner. Alternately, you may set off on an optional excursion to explore Cologne’s spirited beer culture, sampling Kölsch, a light, crisp beer brewed only in Cologne, and enjoying a brauhaus dinner. After, return to your ship for a late-evening departure. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

SIP KÖLSCH FRESH FROM THE BARREL AT THREE BREW HOUSES

Immerse yourself in Cologne’s lively brauhaus culture and sample the pride of the city. During this fun excursion into the heart of Cologne, you will stroll the Old Town’s cobblestone streets past historic houses. Pause along the way at three Kölsch brewhouses. Kölsch—a light, crisp beer—is brewed only in Cologne. Brauhaus servers, called köbes, will deliver Kölsch straight from the barrel to your table in 7-ounce glasses, small enough for you to finish the beer while it is still refreshingly cold. As you drink in the rich culture of Cologne amid the dark-paneled walls and stained glass windows of its Old Town brewhouses, learn the brewing “secrets” that give Kölsch its distinctive character. You will also enjoy dinner at Brauhaus zur Malzmühle, since 1858 one of the most popular brauhaus restaurants and also a traditional meeting point for friends of the Kölsch culture.

* Easy - Walking portions are generally over easy surfaces with few steps or inclines. Total time walking or standing is normally not longer than 1.5 hours.

The good news: the walking tour of Cologne would go as planned. Since lunch and dinner could not take place onboard the ship, we would dine at Peter's Brauhaus for lunch and the Brauerei Malzmuhle for dinner. We would board our ship on Wednesday. Everyone cheered.

The bad news: We still had not spent time on our ship, staying, instead, at the Marriott Hotel. Bill & Lana's Cologne Beer Culture and Dinner was cancelled, replaced by the dinner at the Brauerei Malzmuhle.

The day started with a jolt when Barbara and I overslept. We threw some clothes on, grabbed some breakfast rolls, and joined our tour guide, Peter. He introduced himself as a Cologne native. His grandmother had survived the World War II bombing when most of Cologne was destroyed except the cathedral. His grandfather survived the war in France as a prisoner of war and joined many others returning to Cologne. They welcomed the sight of the Cathedral's spires in the distance then realized that hardly anything else remained.

As we passed the ancient Roman archway to Cologne, we could see the cathedral in the distance:

Peter continued to lead the tour around the outside explaining that the lighter stone indicated replacement work. We could see workers continuing the replacement work on scaffolds. A while later, Peter invited us to tour the inside by ourselves quietly:

The inside was magnificent as the sun filtered through the windows. We also took pictures of the Chapel of the Holy Cross and the Shrine of the Magi:

We also noticed some ruins from Roman times being preserved for display as we walked to rejoin our group for lunch at Peter's Brauhaus:

I thought we were being shortchanged when the beer was served. The our server explained: Kolsch's (Cologne beer) are crisp, delicately flavored golden ales with low carbonation. By keeping the pour small you give them less of a chance to get too warm or lose their light fizz. In Cologne they keep the beer flowing by serving Kolsch in a carousel called a kranz, or wreath. The beer kept coming as long as we didn't place a coaster on top of our glasses , so we were happy:

The rest of the lunch was great: potato soup, spit roast with coleslaw and fried potatoes, and a quark (a dairy product made by warming soured milk until it curdles, then straining it.) dish with fruits for dessert. We enjoyed the German beer and the quark taste.

After lunch, Barbara and I hiked to the Rhine River waterfront a few blocks from the hotel hoping for a short trip on the Rhine, but the trip was sold out before we arrived.

Soon, we were ready for more beer culture and German food. By 5:45 we were back on the bus for a short trip to Brauerei Malzmuhle for dinner. Some of the menu items:

Tapas Cologne style, German minced pork meal, liverwurst, Beemster, meatballs, homemade bread potato tarte, cream cheese and mixed salad.

Spit roast, big fried sausage, fava beans, fried potatoes, braised onions, malt beer sauce. Dessert.

Once back at the hotel, we were greeted by the Wednesday August 17 Viking Daily describing Wednesday's activities including our first chance to board our ship, the Viking Baldur.