Eighth Day in Dortmund

Eighth Day in Dortmund (Saturday, Sept. 8th)

One word to describe today: Sweaty. Since I don’t have any internet to check the weather, I just judge by sticking my hand out the window. It was sort of chilly this morning so I put on my regular jeans and cardigan. I should have known better. The high today was around 85 F.

My day began with walking to the subway station. We were going on a class trip to Cologne and I was super-excited. Once everyone was assembled, we crammed onto the train. When I say crammed, I mean it. I became acquainted with many strangers after being smashed up against them for two hours. For added fun, there was no air conditioning. I could feel the sweat beading on my forehead 5 minutes after we left the station. I would not need my cardigan after all. Our group also manages to somehow attract the crazy/drunk people. A man got on in Essen and ranted in both German and English about school and laziness. He. Would. Not. Shut. Up. He was right next to us as well, and since we couldn’t move, it was his yelling for half an hour that just about put me over the edge. I also get motion sickness, and when the only thing I could see was the wall in front of me, I began to get nauseous. Luckily, many passengers left at the major stops, like Dusseldorf and Duisburg and we eventually found seats away from crazy dude.

I sat down next to a family that consisted of a grandma, her daughter, and her grandson. They were nice enough, but it was a very quiet ride. At one stop, a group of performers got on the train. They had an accordion, tambourine, bass, and saxophone. They played “When The Saints Go Marching In” and another song I didn’t know. It was really fun. I was grinning and met the grandma’s eyes. She smiled back and said something in German. It kind of hit me that music is universal and transcends all barriers. It was a sweet moment.

When you exit the train station in Cologne, the first thing you see is their cathedral, “The Kölner Dom.” It is very impressive. Dating back to the 13th  century, it took over 600 years to complete construction of the church. 

Before we went in, however, we first went for a cruise on the Rhine. It was nice and bright and gave a good view of the cathedral and the rest of the city. We passed their chocolate museum, which demands a second visit to Cologne.

One of the many bridges we passed under.

Bilge and me on the boat! My split lip is from a bar brawl at 3 am (Not really, it's a cold sore).

We got to meander through the shops and restaurants before going in the Cathedral. It was sweltering, so we mainly stuck to the shaded streets.

We made our way back to the Cathedral and went in. It was a Saturday, and crowded, but still very peaceful and quiet inside. This cathedral is massive. I just stared at the ceiling for about five minutes. We were given a guided tour and found out some really neat stuff about it. I knew that in Chartres, they had removed the stained glass during World War II, and they did the same here! However, they kept each window in a separate underground location, so that if one place was bombed, everything would not be lost.

This is the newest addition to the Cologne Cathedral. Done by Gerhard Richter, he assembled the pieces by letting a computer randomly sort colors. I thought it looked pixelated. It was interesting, but some of the older windows were my favorite.

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  There was an option to climb to the top of the cathedral (509 steps!) and I really wanted to do it,  but we didn’t have enough time. I will just have to make a plan to go back. The ride back to campus was just as cramped, but no crazy drunks for once. When I got back home, I invited Bilge over and we had tea. It was a great day and I thoroughly enjoyed Cologne.

German Word of the Day: Rot-Red. When traveling on trains, do not push any rot buttons, or you will be severely punished.