Day 6

Viking Helvetia 2014 8-Day Rhine River Cruise Review
Day 6 November 7, 2014
Koblenz, Germany Departure: 4:00AM
Cologne, Germany Arrival: 9:00AM Departure: 11:30PM
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Departure: We departed Koblenz very early in the morning and sailed to Cologne, arriving around 9:00am. The breakfast menu each day was the same but with so many choices, it seemed to be something different each morning. The buffet was a wide variety of cold meats and cheeses, several kinds of fresh breads and bagels, a delicious choice of French pastries, freshly made jellies and jams from local berries, cold cereals and hot steel cut oatmeal with many additions such as berries, bananas, raisins, walnuts, honey or cranberries. The hot choices included real scrambled eggs, hash browned potatoes, crisp bacon and grilled sausage, sautéed mushrooms and baked tomatoes. From the menu you could order omelets and add as many as twelve other ingredients; poached, fried or eggs Benedict; French toast, waffles or pancakes along with a choice of juices.

Sunrise

Steel cut oatmeal with extra toppings, yogurt and berries, bacon and pastries

Typical Breakfast Menu

Shore Excursion: Shortly after arriving in Cologne, we began our guided walking tour along the Rhine through the Old Town area with its brightly colored buildings and St. Martin’s Church which was badly damaged in World War II but now restored. Our tour continued on to “The Dom” or Cologne Cathedral which took several centuries to be constructed and is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. The cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has magnificent twin spires that soar into the sky. We were able to go inside to see the beautiful stained glass windows, and, from a distance, the gold Shrine of the Three Holy Kings which is said to hold the remains of the Magi. After leaving the cathedral, we continued our walking tour through other areas of Cologne including the old City Hall, ruins from the ancient Roman times, the Fragrance Museum, and streets with examples of new and old architecture before returning to the ship.

Great St. Martin Church in Background

Interesting fountain seen on our guided walk

Cologne's Old Town with its brightly colored buildings

Twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral (Dom) dominate the skyline

View inside the cathedral

Views of the many stained glass windows of the cathedral

View of the many stained glass windows of the cathedral

Twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral (Dom) dominate the skyline

Largest gothic church in Northern Europe

Views of the many stained glass windows of the cathedral

Shrine of Three Kings - from a distance

Beautiful screen

Medieval statue of St. Christopher who welcomes all travelers

Oldest known large crucifix - from 10th century

Bakery with special cookies for children's march of the lights

Statue with elves

Part of old Roman wall

Fragrance Museum - Cologne (perfume) building

Interesting clock - face of man sticks out his tongue when clock strikes the hour

Walking back to ship along cobblestone street

Lunch

Leisure Time: After lunch, we had all afternoon to explore Cologne on our own. There were two very famous shopping streets – the Hohe Strasse and the Schildergasse – for the serious shoppers. We decided to walk to the Chocolate Museum (Schokoladen Museum) which was located very close to where the ship was docked. It was an interesting look at the history of chocolate and the methods used to make today’s chocolates. There was also a very well-stocked chocolate shop where a chocolate-lover could purchase any type of chocolate imaginable. So many choices!!

Chocolate Museum

Chocolate fountain

Making Chocolate

Different candy machines & dispensers

On the morning tour, our guide pointed out the Love Locks on the Hohenzollernbrucke Bridge that spans the Rhine. It is famous for all the padlocks that lovers have locked to the side of the bridge and then thrown the key into the river below to secure their love. We walked to the bridge to get an up-close view of all the locks and then walked across the bridge to the other bank. We did not see a space for any more locks. The view of Cologne from the opposite side of the river was spectacular.

Walking to bridge

Locks attached to side of bridge

No more room for locks

View from opposite bank of river - on left, St. Martin Church and City Hall tower, on right, spires of Cologne Cathedral

Evening Entertainment: After dinner, there was an optional tour to visit the Brauhaus, a café where the house brew is served. During the sampling of the brews, the guide gave detailed information about the brewing process and the Brauhaus culture. For those who did not go on the optional tour, there was a light classical music concert in the Lounge. Earlier we were encouraged to go to the deck at 11:30pm to see the lighted spires of the cathedral as we departed Cologne for Kinderdijk, The Netherlands.

Here are some dinner pictures from tonight's meal:

Dinner

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