We were originally going to be in Koblenz today during the solar eclipse, but now we'll be in Cologne due to the itinerary modifications. I'm glad I didn't make any reservations in Koblenz.
But now where to watch the eclipse from. It's right at sunset, so probably some place high so buildings don't block your view. Getting a shot of the cathedral in the foreground from the Cologne Triangle's observation deck would be neat, but they don't quite line up and the Triangle closes at 8pm, with the eclipse maximum at 8:12pm, so that wouldn't work, anyway.
So I decided on Osman30, a restaurant on the 30th floor of a skyscraper.
This ad popped up say the Monkey Bar, a rooftop bar on the 8th floor of a hotel, also would have a viewing party. But Osman30 is higher, so safer.
The Daily.
The back.
I found a mosquito in our bed all full of blood, but neither of us itched.
We left the ship in Rotterdam and started the 3-hour bus ride to Cologne.
They had phone plugs, which was nice.
De Boeg monument to the Merchant Navy.
These McDonald's arches face both directions.
We passed many small towns, most of which had a church with a very high steeple.
We stopped for a bathroom break, which had a huge line of passengers from our buses, although I'm not sure why, since the bus has a bathroom on board.
It was a large gas station; they had lots of food.
Ogii and I went to look at the horses across the road.
There was a baby.
Another one.
And another.
The seats on the bus leaned way back. Although everyone would have to agree to lean back that far, and then it would be hard to get out of the seat.
There were many semis on the road.
And many parking lots beside the highway with many of them as well.
It could be in the Midwest, with sprinklers, fields, and bales.
A Flixbus. If I remember correctly, those can be pretty cheap.
Only saw a few motorcycles.
Some grafitti.
And we're in Germany.
They gave us a map of downtown Cologne.
The Edith Stein Memorial in Cologne. She was born Jewish, converted to Catholicism, and was killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.
A tiny Amazon delivery truck.
The three wisemen.
We had a big group of people, and they blocked the traffic when walking across the road rather than waiting for the light to change.
Many scooters.
A stuffed animal on roller skates.
We had lunch at Hofbrau Fruh.
Nice stained glass window.
Very big inside.
Kolsch beer.
Prost!
Soup.
Sausage.
Apple strudel.
Gaea II statue by Gerhard Marcks.
I wanted to buy a few things: some charging cables at MediaMarkt...
... and some nice shoes for the restaurant tonight. Thankfully both stores were within a block of each other right here.
I wonder if the have a clearance section? I only plan on wearing the shoes tonight.
Success!
A mascot was walking around with a flag.
People were stopping it to take selfies.
Us in front of the cathedral.
From the front.
The Taubenbrunnen, a neat fountain there.
A little tourist train.
Going inside the cathedral.
Door handles.
It's huge.
With many stained glass windows.
And panels.
Windows all along the side.
Painted ceilings.
The crypt.
Some of the people entombed there.
This guy...
... had some companions at his feet.
Gold box.
The front.
Detailed floor.
Another.
Detailed window.
Mary and Jesus.
The sun was shining through this window.
Creating colors inside.
More panels.
Huge organ.
More windows.
Then time to climb the tower. There is no elevator, no joke.
There are 533 steps. And again, no elevator (Aufzug).
Headed up.
The stairway is very narrow, you have to squeeze past people going the other way, and this is the only large room you can stop at.
Then up some more.
Although there are many windows with views along the way.
Some mostly of the cathedral.
And some of the surrounding city.
Looking east.
Looking west.
Some locks of love.
More.
This was as high as we could go.
A small 360-degree viewing area.
Me and Ogii.
Looking down.
Mom looking up at us.
Her view. Can you see us? Look above my finger.
And zoom in.
Zoom even more. You can see Ogii's pink skirt on the left and her yellow purse she's waving.
Bells.
With us.
Angels.
Then the long walk back down. "Exit" is a nice sign to see.
Some sculptures outside the church.
A fountain.
From the side.
All of us.
So many spires.
Nearby is the Hohenzollern Bridge, which is covered in love locks.
It's packed full of them.
Married 55 years.
Animal.
A few locked onto a heart.
Many on a rectangle.
It's hard to fine a place to fit a new one on the main span.
Monica and Brett found a spot.
Their lock.
Mom and Dad.
Theirs.
Ogii and I went over to this side area.
Which had some posts.
We put ours on one of those.
The front...
... is a picture from our wedding.
The back...
Is our wedding date.
Some info on the bridge.
Equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm II on the southwest side.
And Kaiser Friedrich III on the northwest side.
Ogii and I went across the bridge while the others went to the hotel.
So many locks.
Fish lock.
Some were up pretty high.
Birds sitting on a beam.
Even the other side of the bridge is full of locks.
The bridge and the cathedral.
The southeast corner has the questrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I, with the northeast corner being King Friedrich Wilhelm IV.
Us.
It was really hot, so we stopped for a drink.
Then we went to the Cologne Triangle.
Which has a 360-degree view platform on the 29th floor.
Looking west.
Northwest.
North.
East.
Southeast.
South.
Southwest.
There are outlines on the window telling you what the buildings are.
The eastern side of the Hohenzollern Bridge.
Us.
Below was a restaurant with Mongolian BBQ.
A sculpture.
Then we headed back across the Rhine on the Deutz Bridge.
Some neat buildings and a Ferris wheel to the south.
Cathedral, Hohenzollern Bridge, and Cologne Triangle to the north.
Equestrian monument to King Frederick William III of Prussia.
A bright building.
With an intricate sign.
Wooden sign.
Willi Ostermann fountain.
Tunnes und Schal statue.
Old Market, with lots of outdoor restaurant seating.
It was hot, so we grabbed some ice cream.
Many stores around here sold love locks for the bridge which they would engrave for you.
Passing the cathedral to the south.
Pixies' Fountain.
Perfume shop with 4711 Eau de Cologne, the world's first cologne, invented in the 18th century. We bought some for gifts.
A ma of the area in the sidewalk. That would have been very useful.
HA Schult's Winged Car, a golden sculpture of a Ford Fiesta on the roof Cologne City Museum.
Ogii by an old tower.
Preserved fom 50 AD.
At our hotel, the Pullman.
Nice reception area.
This elevator used to go down to a bar, although it's being renovated.
Some drinks in the minibar in our room.
Which are surprisingly free.
Waiting downstairs.
To go to the Media Park.
What is that?
A restaurant on a platform lifted by a crane. I'd be worried about dropping my fork or worse, my phone.
We went to Osman30 nearby for dinner. I had wanted a west-facing table to watch the solar eclipse, but that side only had the outside patio, so we sat on the east side.
There was a balloon for Ogii's birthday.
Us reflected in it.
We were way above the Dinner in the Sky.
Our shadow was already pretty long.
On the patio.
The eclipse had started.
Some wine.
Cheers!
Back out to check on the eclipse again.
It's farther along.
Ogii getting a picture through her solar eclipse glasses.
Most of the people didn't have the glasses, so it's good I had brought 50 of them to hand out. That was enough for every group to have a few.
Everyone wearing the glasses I brought.
People below in the park were also watching.
Us with our glasses.
Me getting a picture.
It was a total eclipse in countries farther to the west, and 88% here.
Almost sunset.
Zoomed in more.
And a bit more.
The cathedral to the east.
Us with it.
The time for dinner.
We all got different items.
The food was pretty good.
Looking around at the other diners, I guess I didn't need to buy those dress shoes. Oh well, at least they were cheap.
Dessert.
Chocolates.
A drink.
It looks like the Dinner in the Sky is still up. What if you have to pee?
Looking back up at the building we had dinner in; we were where the purple lights are.