Zackberridge’s Weblog

My visit in Cologne (Koln) was very brief. I arrived around 10:30 pm, after walking past the street I was supposed to turn on, thus putting me 45 min late.  I basically had one whole day, and then I had to leave early the next morning, and unfortunately my host had to work, so I didnt really get to know her very well.  The first night we had a beer together with Jack from Australia, another couchsurfer at her place. We conversed for an hour or so about our lives in a nutshell before going to bed.  The next day, well the first half, I spent hanging out with Jack in the city and we had some really good conversations about the Australian life and his journey to Cologne, then to Zurich for a job interview, as well as some really good Greek food and beer.  After he caught his train to Zurich, I visited a sports museum where my host, Anita, works.  She let me in free and I browsed around for almost 2 hours.  The museum was great because it contains a lot of ancient olympic arifacts, such a discs (that was one of my better track and field events in school……..1st place in distict in 8th grade, ya mon!)  Next I visited the “Dom” which means church.  This time I got to go to the top, which was very dizzying (made up word, but you get the point) walking up a spiral stairwell for over 500 feet, but the view from the top was certainly worth it.  Then put on my headphones with my music (the best of course=)  ) and strolled thru the city with no paricular place to go.  I ate some great, freshly made spinich pizza and had a great german beer (Reissdorf Kolsch) while I wrote in my journal.  Next, I walked along the Rhine river to a botanical garden that was absolutely beautiful.  I found a spot of soft grass and took my socks and shoes off and walked around, absorbing the earths energy.  It was very therapeutic for my  poor blistered feet (everday of my trip so far, I must have walked at least 10-15 miles). I returned home that night for some much needed rest, and to prepare for my trip to Zurich, Switzerland.