Day 13 Koln

Started off with an early morning ride around many German villages in the area such as Satzvey, Kommern, Eicks, Floisdorf and Glehn. Then we caught the train onto Koln with our friends in Mechernich.

When you exit the railway staion in Koln you are confronted with the huge Gothic cathedral started in 1248. It stands at over 500ft and is built from sandstone, so requires a fair degree of maintenance.

Impressive structure

Also a feature in this part of Koln is the Hohenzollern Bridge, which is an important rail and pedestrian crossing on the Rhein. The locals have taken an idea which originated in Paris where padlocks are attached to the lattice work on the bridge as a sign of union between couples with names engraved on them. There would have  been 10's of thousands of locks on this bridge, even a few signs that the union faded somewhat as on the piers below some locks clearly had the bolt cutter treatment.

Mechernich crew and bridge

There were many colourful groups (we saw at least 20) of hens and bachelor parties snaking there way around the streets and market places of this wonderful city. The future brides and grooms have to perform certain tasks and they approach the public to participate with them. In Peter's case he cheerfully accepted an offer to dance, and for the privilege donated a Euro which goes towards a new pair of wedding shoes for the future bride.

Dancing Queen........You can dance

The male groups had a slightly different take on this celebration, a little more masochistic. In one group the future groom was dressed in a large cape suspended from his arms to the ground with two large holes in the fabric on either side. The passing public was invited to kick a football into one of the holes. I doubt if the donation went towards a pair of shoes , but more likely to keep the ale flowing.

A memorable meal with the local drop of  Kolsch and a memorable day.

An evening walk in the local countryside in Mechernich and a visit to Stephan and Vereena's home for refreshments. Aahhh nice!