Blair's Blog

Of course, I am referring to the Koln Dom – and the 533 steps up the tower to the viewing area.  After eight days in the Netherlands, we headed into Germany, to Cologne (Koln, in Deutsch – sorry, but I can’t figure out umlauts on my phone). This was basically a transit day with the aim of getting us back to France for our last few days of vacation in Paris.
It was also a bit rainy and grey, so a good day to make some distance. That said,  we did want to spend some time in Cologne, and see a few things.  We started out by taking the ‘seilbahn’ gondola from the north side of the Rhine to the south then walking about a large Park along the river. After the return gondola ride we drove to the center of the city.
We parked near the cathedral and walked a few blocks to the square. It was jammed with people – after touring a number of churches, we’ve seen some crowds, but nothing like Cologne.
We toured the inside first, then headed for the tower. 8€ for the family, and up we went. 533 steps for a 97m gain from the base of the tower. It’s quite the climb, with only 2 places where it is really possible to stop for a breather.
At the top, the view is fantastic, although constrained by safety fencing.

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