Köln (Cologne) Germany.
So Last night I slept another 6 hours at the Novotel. It was by far the best sleep of my entire stay in Germany. The bed was the perfect amount of hardness with nice heavy pillows. The shower wasn't bad either :) It was also the cleanest of the three and also served the best breakfast! Köln had a faster paced larger city mentality to it. Bigger bistros and more cars. I used to think that most Germans didn't own cars, but now I'm not so sure.
Another interesting fact about Köln (this is just for William mostly) it has a lot of the best looking girls I saw in Germany, so if you're looking for "Hot Chicks" you'll want to head there Mr. There were 3 hotties just at the Novotel! Kelly also saw a hottie guy too. He looked a bit like Vin Diesel and had that whole tough-guy-muscly look and smell to him too. I had to admit though, he was pretty hunky!
Another interesting thing I noticed about Germany was the cars. Most of them are these cutesy/sexy little bug-like cars that are running on diesel fuel. The one thing you need to understand is these cars whip about at frightening speeds and the streets have no real logic behind them, they just have lines going in 400 directions at all times and pedestrians OBEY the cross walk signs. No one walks when the crosswalk says stop. I tried once and almost got killed in the process. Seriously, no logic! Another thing to point out is the red portion is for bikes. Don't make that mistake like I did and walk on it. A German almost ran me down because I was an idiot and he didn't want to cross over onto the gray part.
So today I went to a chocolate factory. It wasn't anything really spectacular because I've been the the Hershey Factory a few times already when it was in Smith Falls. It was a lot of the same information and same process, just a different point of view.
I went to a gothic cathedral that has been around for about a billion years. It was magnificent! It was built over many many years, had such intricate details and beauty beyond any structure I've ever seen in real life. Breathtaking is the only way I could really describe it. I have pictures, but no picture could ever express what it is like in real life. There was a lot to be seen and details details details. My most important observation though was after I sat down in one of the pews. I was just marveling at the amount of detail that went into that place when I overheard one of the tour guides explaining something about the luck that the church had had surviving all the wars and such, then he finished by saying something about hoping it would last another something something then he knocked on the pew and said "knock on wood". That statement alone caused me to understand how stupid people really are. In this magnificent building, all these people visiting every year, they come by the millions... Buildings like this were created to worship an almighty God that is more real and more beautiful then the bricks and carvings made by man. Yet the building is worshiped more then the God it was built for! Furthermore the act of touching or knocking on wood is an act of idolatry! People rubbing, touching, hoping or praying for luck from a piece of wood!? So not only are people worshiping the building, they are also worshiping the pews within the building! I am going to say this so you are clear, there is only ONE GOD that you need to bow to, ONE GOD you need to rub up against and only ONE GOD you need to hope in and you can only get to that ONE GOD through the sacrifice that Jesus made to cleans us and make us holy enough to enter into the presence of that ONE GOD. A building may be beautiful, but there is nothing like the beauty of feeling the forgiveness and love from HIM. Worship the creator not the creation. You are allowed to appreciate architecture, but be careful not to put it before God.
OK back to the topic, I make no apologies to my 15 minute rant about the cathedral, I felt it needed to be done.
I have a few more points about Germany to make. The doors in Germany are SOLID! Like mostly made of heavy wood and if not never hallow like they are in Canada. Most older doors and hand carved beautiful wooden art-forms, usually sporting big metal accessories. The other point is about the old people. Most of the older Germans have no laugh-lines. They seem to have scowls burned into their wrinkles as if they never laughed enough as children. It was almost upsetting because they live in such a beautiful Country and have a lot to smile about. The last thing I want to point out about it is the graffiti. It is EVERYWHERE! I love graffiti, but not when it is everywhere. Especially on things like old buildings and structures that mean something. It was very distracting from the beauty that is more there then the graffiti was.
Final thoughts on my 4 days in Germany. Beautiful. I love the language, I love the land, I love the buildings and I love the weather. The boat ride was about 300 hours too long, but the view from the boat was amazing.
OK, I'm in Scotland now. I will explain tomorrow how getting here almost never happened, for now it is about 3am and I need to be up early for band practise so I will say good night to you.
Bis morgen abend,
Ich liebe Dich!
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