Cologne
I bought a ticket to Cologne, in the Western part of Germany, soon after I arrived in Madrid because it was extremely cheap. All I knew about the city was that it is home to one of the most famous cathedrals in Europe, and I assumed that this probably meant there were lots of other old, charming Medieval things to see there. Unfortunately, I was wrong - almost everything "old" and "historical" in Cologne was destroyed by bombs during WWII, and only the cathedral was miraculously preserved. The rest of the city, therefore, offers very little in the way of sightseeing interest.
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| The front of the cathedral |
However, the cathedral did not disappoint - with its soaring symmetrical spires, it dominates the city and is a truly impressive building. Construction began in the 1200's but was halted in 1473 and never fully completed until the late 1800's. Nevertheless, it was for many years the tallest cathedral in Europe (it is still the tallest cathedral in Northern Europe) and an important pilgrimage site, as it allegedly houses some relics of the Three Wise Men.
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| Some views of the cathedral interior |
I was also familiar with the cathedral thanks to my Medieval art history class, as it houses the Gero Crucifix, the largest and most famous cross sculpture north of the Alps.
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| The Gero Crucifix |
Aachen
After discovering on my first day that there was very little to see in Cologne, I decided to take a day trip the second day to Aachen, a small town with a very, very old history. In French it's known as Aix-la-Chapelle, and it was the location which Charlemagne selected as his capital when he was crowned the first ever Holy Roman Emperor in 800 CE.
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| Aachen Cathedral |
Thanks to Charlemagne's decision, Aachen is now home to the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe. Although sombre and imposing from the outside, once inside every inch of the walls and ceilings is covered with gilded mosaics and lavish marble. The central chapel is in the shape of an octagon (you can see this in the upper-righthand picture below), which gives the cathedral a quite unique feeling. It is believed to still house the remains of Charlemagne to this day.
Attached to the cathedral was the real gem of Aachen - the cathedral treasury. As with the Gero Crucifix, I was freaking out in this museum as I saw relics, paintings and illuminated manuscripts which we had discussed in length in my Medieval art course. One of the coolest was an arm reliquary of Charlemagne which was actually in the shape of a hand (see picture below).
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| Some of the treasures of the Aachen treasury |
There was one more thing which made this day trip even more special - I was in Germany in November, just before the beginning of Christmas Market season, and while none of the markets had opened yet, they had already put up plenty of decorations throughout Aachen. As the sun set quite early, I was able to stay and see the town lit up at night, which satisfied all the desires for cozy and quaint which I had failed to find in modernized Cologne. You can see the magic in the pictures below.
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| Aachen Christmas Decorations |
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| The Aachen Cathedral and Town Hall lit up at night |
Couch Surfing
Aside from this day trip to Aachen, what truly made my trip special and worthwhile was my Couch Surfing host, Anna. She was extremely friendly and welcoming, and invited me out for drinks and dinner with her and her friends both nights, which really meant a lot as I was traveling alone. In addition to meeting some really cool new people, I got to see another side of Cologne and try out some places I probably wouldn't have found on my own!
