188. Europe Bicycle Trip---Day 65--Cycling into Koln (Cologne)

Today was Day 65. I felt much better this morning after a good pasta supper in the restaurant of Camping Berger last night. Just as I got everything packed, a light drizzle started but did not get worse so I started. I was told by someone yesterday that I shouldn't miss seeing the Cathedral of Cologne so that was my first destination and it was only about 5 km away.

There are about 5 bridges crossing the Rhine in the area of Cologne. This is the Rodenkirchener Brucke. There is a very classy RED restaurant by the bridge and in the water.

This is the Sud Brucke (South Bridge)which is a freight bypass bridge

The old land supports of the Sud Brucke

Sud Bridge closeup

I was starting to get into the city of Koln (Cologne) cycling on the path beside the Konrad Adenauer Ufer. Cologne (Koln in German) is Germany's 4th biggest city (after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich). It has more than 10 million inhabitants. The city is located on both sides of the river. It was founded in the 1st century AD. During the Middle Ages, it flourished as an important trade route between east and west Europe. It was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany during WW11. The bombing reduced the population by 95% and destroyed almost the entire city. Rebuilding has resulted in a mixed and unique looking city. The city has more than 30 museums.

A row of pale yellow dwellings

This building gave me the creeps!

Sign for the Cologne Marina

The marina is a body of water separated from the main Rhine.

I wish I knew the meaning of this gigantic cactus.

An interesting statue with no plaque.

Close up

An old tower

The Deutzer Brucke

In the distance past the tour boat landing dock is the famous Hohenzollern Brucke or Love Lock Bridge. It is so named because there are millions of different kind of locks attached to the side rails by lovers. Some are inscribed with their names and other information. The keys are then thrown into the river. This bridge is at 688.5 km of the Rhine River. It is 409.19 meters long and was first built and finished in 1911. The fleeing Germans destroyed it on March 6, 1945 and it was rebuilt in 1948. It is a railroad and pedestrian bridge and 2 new rail lines were added in 1980. 1200 trains go over this bridge in one day.

Great St. Martin Church is one of twelve Romanesque churches in Cologne. Its foundations (circa 960 AD) rest on remnants of a Roman chapel, built on what was then an island in the Rhine. The church was later transformed into a Benedictine monastery. The current buildings were erected between 1150-1250. The architecture of its eastern end forms a triconch or trefoil plan, consisting of three apses around the crossing. The church was badly damaged in WW II with restoration work completed in 1985. It is used by the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem and is open for visits.