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Koln is situated on the banks of the Rhine River in west central Germany. It is an old city with a rich history and a lot of examples of earlier architecture that survive WWII intact. I have to admit that the city exudes a somewhat drab and industrial feeling to the casual observer, though I’m sure the gray skies and continual drizzle contributed greatly to that impression.
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Koln is probably best known for Kolner Dom, an impressive stone cathedral done in the Gothic style which was one of the more interesting cathedrals that I had seen while in Europe. There is also the Museen Der Stadt Koln museum located adjacent to the Dom, which was also enjoyable. After the museum, I felt compelled to stand out front for about 25 minutes waiting for the top of the hour to approach, as across the street from the Dom is the Restaurant Alt Koln, which features an ornate and elaborate animated clock with mechanized figures that come out of the recesses and strike gongs or parade with trumpets raised across small verandahs that bracket the clock.
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Visitors can ascend the south tower of the Dom, which affords a good view of the city and the bridges across the Rhine River. Of course, it also affords a view of the damage done to the marble of the cathedral by years of acidic rain and tourists who can’t resist scratching their initials into the stone.
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The local Koln Alt beer was good, as was the spinach pizza, which I had never tried before but seem to be pretty popular there. Try what’s known as Fracula, which is beer with strawberries at the bottom of the glass. Another gastric delight is the ice cafe; it is generally held by the locals that the best ice cafes are the ones owned by the Italians (or so I am told.) The ice cream is perhaps the best I’ve had, though some would consider it a bit on the rich side. Try the Spaghetti (pronounced Shbah-get-ti ) Ice, with the ice cream extruded like noodles, strawberry sauce and grated white chocolate for cheese.
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Make a trip to Heidelberg, a picturesque city on the Neckar River with hillside castles and the bridge that was said to have inspired Walt Disney for his design of the entrance to Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom.
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Published on Sunday September 8th, 2002
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