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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
Click Any Photo To Make It Larger!

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
Sunrise
Steel cut oatmeal with extra toppings, yogurt and berries, bacon and pastries
Steel cut oatmeal with extra toppings, yogurt and berries, bacon and pastries
Viking Breakfast Menu
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
Great St. Martin Church in Background
Interesting fountain seen on our guided walk
Interesting fountain seen on our guided walk
Cologne's Old Town with its brightly colored buildings
Cologne's Old Town with its brightly colored buildings
Twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral (Dom) dominate the skyline
Twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral (Dom) dominate the skyline
View inside the cathedral
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
Twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral (Dom) dominate the skyline
Largest gothic church in Northern Europe
Largest gothic church in Northern Europe
Views of the many stained glass windows of the cathedral
Views of the many stained glass windows of the cathedral
Shrine of Three Kings - from a distance
Shrine of Three Kings - from a distance
Screen
Beautiful screen
Screen
Beautiful screen
Medieval statue of St. Christopher who welcomes all travelers
Medieval statue of St. Christopher who welcomes all travelers
Oldest known large crucifix - from 10th century
Oldest known large crucifix - from 10th century
Bakery with special cookies for children's march of the lights
Bakery with special cookies for children's march of the lights
Statue with elves
Statue with elves
Part of old Roman wall
Part of old Roman wall
Fragrance Museum - Cologne (perfume) building
Fragrance Museum - Cologne (perfume) building
Interesting clock - face of man sticks out his tongue when clock strikes the hour
Interesting clock - face of man sticks out his tongue when clock strikes the hour
Picture
Walking back to ship along cobblestone street
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
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 Museum
Chocolate fountain
Chocolate fountain
Chocolate
Making Chocolate
Making Chocolate
Making Chocolate
Different candy machines & dispensers
Different candy machines & dispensers
Different candy machines & dispensers
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
Walking to bridge
Locks attached to side of bridge
Locks attached to side of bridge
No more room for locks
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
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
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
Dinner
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