22 June

We spent a couple of hours at the Chocolate Museum today. Finally, a museum I can understand! After lunch on a bench beside the Rhine, we wandered around through the business district and window shopped. We looked around the German version of an REI store, looking at tents, packs, canoes, etc. We've decided that instead of guarding our passports and credit cards, we should be watching our Gore-Tex rain gear like mother bears. Everything is much more expensive here than at home. If we see anyone wearing North Face or similar clothing, we'll know they are either well off or a shoplifter.

A be-robed gentleman in the cathedral yesterday told us where to meet for the underground tour of the cathedral, and we showed up at the appointed time. It turns out that they don't offer that tour on Tuesdays, and it is only done in German, so we shopped some more and sampled the wares of another local bakery. We went back to the cathedral at 2000 hrs for the pipe organ recital. The place was packed. I'm sure the organist was quite skillful, but the music had no beat – you couldn't dance to it – and we left during the first, seemingly endless piece. We were actually locked in, and had to get one of the monks to let us out. We bought a kepop plate from a Turkish fellow and ate supper in our room while catching up on France's woes in the World Cup.

Koln is a very nice city to visit, and we could probably stay a few more days and not be bored. One interesting thing worth mentioning is the high number of beggars. We haven't worked out the per-capita data, but for sheer numbers, Koln seems to have Rome or even Tangiers beat. To go into business, all you apparently need is a container of some sort. Paper cups seem to be the norm, although the local union seems to allow some variations. Then you sit or wander about, holding the cup out to anybody who doesn't look overtly hostile to you. Oh, and it helps to have a dog. They are thick around the cathedral, which I didn't find remarkable, but are also commonly found all around town. Most of them look like they're doing okay.

helpful hotel brochure (larger image)

Great St. Martin Church

Severinsbrücke

Chocolate Museum

chocolate video #1 (5s, 0.4MB)	chocolate video #2 (6s, 0.5MB)	chocolate video #3 (3s, 0.3MB)	dipping treats in the chocolate fountain
1948 wrapping machine	chocolate video #4 (21s, 2MB)	trays of chocolates	chocolate video #5 (9s, 0.6MB)
chocolate video #6 (20s, 2.2MB)	chocolate transfer fails	other side of machine	postage stamps
purple cow	Nutella display	Nutella sign

Koln (Cologne)

Cologne Cathedral

cathedral door

cathedral floor plate

Historisches Rathaus der Stadt Köln

Roman sewage system

sewage sign

Globetrotter store

Globetrotter bear