Quick Update

Another week has past since we've arrived. This marks the third week in Germany and so far I've been to Bonn, Frankfurt, Cologne, the Eifel Region (not too sure which cities), and Amsterdam. Hopefully, I'll make it to Munich or Heidelberg before Spring Break.

Last week we took an excursion to Cologne. To the left is a photo of the Cologne Cathedral - a truly astonishing site to see. The attention to detail on these Gothic style structures is not only exquisite but humbling. Beginning in 1248, the cathedral took 632 years to complete (with a 300 year break from construction). I was amazed to learn that prior to and during the construction, the workers did no stress or load calculations! That aspect of structural engineering did not exist. Yet, the cathedral continues to stand and awe the visitors who gaze from below. The tour of the cathedral was great. Although, I would have liked to explore one of the spires. It is interesting how they built rooms of the cathedral to be giant workshops for all the statues and decorations for the building.

The people of Cologne have quite the sense of humor, much like that of a 7 year old. Here you can see a statue of an Archbishop (I believe... I could be wrong). However, the Cologners we're not too fond of him, so they made a very unique statue for him. Notice the butt cheeks? They also have a bit of a rivalry on each side of the Reine. On city hall, they have a clock with a Jester face on it. At every hour the clock rings and the Jester sticks its tongue out at the people across the river. Our tour guide Franz was very knowledgeable and did a great job. He told us about a tradition on the train bridge across the Reine: couples will buy a padlock, write their initials on it, lock it on the bridge, kiss and throw the key into the river. They call it Lovers' Bridge. They also have a special beer brewed only in Cologne called Kolsch. It's pretty good, not my favorite so far, but good. There is a lot of pride and love for the city from it's citizens, and it is reflected in their traditions, buildings and culture. I am looking forward to spending Monday of Karneval in Cologne.

After a week and a half, it felt like we've been here months! But now the days and weeks seem to going by a little faster. Hopefully this trip doesn't flash before my eyes. I meet my host family sisters next weekend, which should be cool. They are returning from a 4-5 month trip to New Zealand. It will be nice to hear about their travels and experiences on the other side of the world. New Zealand seems like an awesome destination.

Until next time... Tschuss