Köln

I had another fantastic time in Köln thanks largely to the welcome of Mechtild, Reimund, Miriam and Miriams boyfriend Amir. Mechtild is the sister of Michaela who I stayed with in Frankfurt. Miriam spent 4 months in New Zealand staying with my Mum's friend and so was keen to show me around, which was great. Here's a photo of, from left to right, Reimund, Mechtild, Miriam and Amir.

Köln is famous to most for its Cathedral (der Dom in German) which is HUGE and very impressive. We climbed the 509 steps to the top which gave us marvellous views of the surrounding city. The photos hardly do it justice as you really have to see it but here are a couple of pictures anyway.

I also visited the museum dedicated to Köln's Roman Heritage and I took a photo with a couple of friends I met there =P
The other thing that Köln is famous for (which I'm afraid I was ignorant of before arriving) is the Carnival. It's origins lie in catholicism and so it is during the days leading up to Lent prior to Easter. Basically the entire city stops work, dresses up in costumes and holds massive parades. The whole thing lasts for about three days officially but probably more like six I am told. It sounds like masses (excuse the pun) of fun and I shall have to return in 2007 to see what it's like =)

The atmosphere in Köln was electric with the Brazilians in particular making a lot of noise. When I went into town at night there were fans everywhere waving their flags around and having a great time with nothing more than friendly rivalry (no football hooligans thank goodness) which made the whole experience wonderful.

Viva Kölonia!