10/4/14 Cologne, Germany

Yesterday afternoon we had a champagne welcome in the lounge.  Unfortunately, the captain had some news that made some people unhappy.  When we get to Nuremburg, we will have to change ships so that they can correct the ship's direction.  It all has to do with a problem with flooding in June.  We will be on the Eistla instead of the Bestla when that change occurs.  The biggest problems will be trying to fit everything back into the suitcases and that we will have to get used to new faces as most of the crew stays with the ship.  I hope the new crew is as nice as this one!  We had a lovely dinner last night - carmelized scallops.  We came back to the cabin to read and then slept soundly through the night.

This morning we were still moving on the river and did not dock in Cologne until almost 10 AM.  We had a walking tour of the city from 10:30 until 12:30.  Cologne is not a pretty city, but there are many people here, which makes it a vibrant one.  We walked into the center of the city, saw parts of the Roman wall and sewer system, which still exist and then spent some time outside of the twin towered cathedral, the Kolner Dom.  This is Germany's largest cathedralThey started building it in 1248 and finished almost 800 years later!  We came back to the ship for lunch and then walked over to the chocolate factory - delish!  The museum was interested - explaining the history and origin of chocolate in its many forms.  We then walked through part of the production plant where we could see a variety of chocolates being made.  Apparently a popular item is a 10" soccer ball made of chocolate!  They were also making mini-bars (we got samples of those when we entered the museum), larger chocolate bars, and truffles.  At one point we passed a chocolate fountain.  A worker dipped biscuit wafers in the chocolate and passed them to us as we walked by - triple yum!  We went across the street to the mustard factory and were amazed at the variety of mustards available.  Lana, John and I continued on (Dave and Susanne were putting their feet up) and walked to the Hohenzollernbrucke Bridge which spans the Rhine River.  It is famous for all of the locks that are on the bridge railing.  They are put there by lovers as a sign of their enduring love.  The key is then thrown into the river so that the love birds would never be parted.  I have no idea how long this has been a tradition, but there are locks on every square inch of the railing.  We will have a live concert tonight after dinner so will catch up with you again tomorrow.