Showing posts with label Cathedral. Show all posts

Happy Monday & Cologne Day 1

Hello Friends! I feel like it has been awhile. Hope everyone had an awesome weekend.

Thursday
I walked myself to the mall, cause I was on a mission: to find shoes and buy yarn. Random combination, but nonetheless that was my goal! I marched into this shoe store and found what I needed. I got extremely lucky because the cashier spoke English! I was so so so incredibly happy. I needed some standard black high heels that you'd wear with a black suit. I needed this for my Friday outfit. Why you ask? Well because Friday we were attending a VW seminar together, which means I needed to wear a suit. Bad news though, I didn't bring my black high heels. Brought my suit, but tossed my heels before we moved because it was just time. Well I found some darling shoes for fairly cheap.

Insert My Darling New Shoes HERE! I love them. They are comfy, and the black straps ensure that they stay on and are easy to walk in!

Next up: Yarn! Yep I want to knit some proper wash cloths. I only know how to crochet, but I look forward to learning a new hobby AND being able to benefit from it. Cause, I have yet to find kitchen wash cloths. And I really want some. So I guess I have to make them! #resourceful
I picked out two different colors of cotton yarn. This week I will learn to knit. 

The rest of the evening SHOULD have been uneventful, but it wasn't.

The doorbell rang. I ran to answer it. Low and behold, no one was there... but a cat! A CAT! A WILD CAT scurried himself INTO MY HOUSE! AYE AYE AYE. 
I panicked for a few moments because I had to try and make sure it was a cat and not something else. IT CAME IN SO FAST! 
Well, needless to say I was scared of whatever it was. I locked myself in the bedroom for the rest of the day and waited for Blake. Blake said that the front door to our building was open and that was probably how he got in.  

The little animal was hiding in our spare bedroom at the back of the house. Blake had to use a mop to guide him out, but he went eventually. 

Friday
Friday we attended a seminar in Wolfsburg. VW puts the seminar on for all individuals who are currently on a global assignment and for their partners/children. We got dressed and headed out a little before 8am. We arrived early, got coffee, and took our seats. I was thinking it would be a presentation on a bunch of information regarding life in Germany. I thought there would be at least 20 people there. Well there was 5 total! Two from the Czech Republic, and then three from the US. We had a very informative day. We learned all about rubbish, and doctors, and history, and everything you could possibly ever wonder. It was nice.

THEN, the seminar finished early, so we were able to go check out a store we had been wanting to visit. The problem is that the store closes at 6pm everyday, and that is hard to make when Blake is working. But, TODAY was going to be our day.

 We bought bikes! Used, cheap, get you around town bikes!


It wasn't until a full Friday evening of riding that I remembered why I never owned a bike in my adult life...It hurts! But, I need to get used to eat because it is the most sensible form of transportation around town.

Me and my sore bum made it to live another day!

Saturday
Early Saturday morning we headed to Cologne! We got a great deal on the Courtyard Marriott hotel, so we thought why not head there for the night! It was a little over a 3 hour drive. The entire drive was sunny and nice. The day seemed promising.

Well as soon as we got to our hotel, it started POURING. Blake put on his fancy raincoat, and I used my cheap Ikea umbrella and off we went. Blake and I aren't always museum people. Especially when it comes to museums about art. I feel that I personally just don't appreciate it enough, but if you are in to that sort of thing there is lots for you to check out. 


The cathedral is a must see in cologne. It is MASSIVE and the only building to survive the bombings of the Second World War. Pretty incredible.



You can climb 533 steps to the top of the south tower for a small fee, an activity we opted out of. I imagine the views were great though. 

We didn't really come to Cologne with TOO much of a plan. We needed an ornament, we wanted to see the Cathedral, we wanted to drink Kölsch, we wanted to roam the streets. Aside from that we didn't really have any other plans. 

There were TONS of places to shop. The shopping was incredible. So we found ourselves doing just that! I am the proud new owner of a fancy raincoat! (A much needed one! Thanks hunnie!)


It's navy and I love it.

We also found Blake some shoes! They were such a great deal. We were happy with our shopping finds and finally sat down for a drink. 



Mmm Kölsch!
If beer is your thing, Kölsch offers a very extensive and interesting history. In 1986 there was a Kölsch Konvention, stating that for beer to be Kölsch, it must be brewed in the Cologne region. It is a clear pale ale. It is light. It is refreshing. And I could almost guarantee that everyone would like it. There are 13 companies in and around Cologne that brew Kölsch. We tried 6 out of the 13. There are about 10 other breweries in Germany that produce Kölsch-style beer, but are not allowed to call it Kölsch because they are not members of the convention.


And I accidentally ordered 7 EUR water. Whoops. At this point the rain stopped. It was nice to sit in the sun for a bit.


I tried this weird deep fried potato thing. It is commonly served with applesauce... Yeah you read that right. I got it without. After the first one, I wasn't really interested in eating the rest. (There are 3.) Perhaps I needed the applesauce. 

For dinner, we knew we wanted to eat at Früh Am Dom, a brewhouse, and one of the larger makers of the Kölsch beer.


It is common for Kölsch to be served in smaller glasses, that way you ensure that it is always cold. 



Don't worry though. The wait staff is on top of making sure everyone has a full glass with this neat beer carrier. They make tally marks on your coasters to keep track of how many beers you've had.


Blake was finished with his meal before I even got mine. LOL.


But when it came.. BOY was it delish. You know me... Had to order the schnitzel. 

 

It was really neat inside, and just an OVER all wonderful experience. 


Oh hello sun!

Then it poured again not long after this. 

Come back Wednesday to see the rest of our Saturday and our Sunday in Cologne.

Prague: Days 2 & 3

If you missed day 1 you can read all about it here.

We didn't set an alarm, and it was glorious! We ate breakfast at the hotel and set out around 10 am!

*Side Note* I forgot to download the photos from Blake's phone... so tomorrow I will share additional photos that will go along with this post... Cause if we're being honest my photo skills are bad... So come back tomorrow for more!!!

We walked to the Charles Bridge again, and actually went across. There were tons of vendors and performers. 


Just a guy playing some water music.


John Lennon art from the John Lennon Wall. There used to be a wall that looked like the above. It was a tribute to Lennon and a way for people to express themselves. Sadly, the wall was painted over a few years ago. Here is some good info on the wall.


Little fishies biting random people's feet! I told Blake we should do it. He was not interested. (I wasn't really interested either.)




There are two ways to get up to the Castle. 1. Go up a really steep hill. 2. Go up a lot of stairs.

I was pretty sure at one point I was going to pass out right there on those stairs.


View from the top.. It was worth all the pain!


Entrance to the Castle grounds! #somanypeople



Up close.



The pictures do NOT do it justice!




Monday morning we went back to the Castle and bought tickets to actually go inside the Cathedral and a few other buildings on the grounds. That was all we did on Monday before driving home!





Everything was so beautiful! Just breathtaking.

After touring the Castle grounds on Sunday, we went to the Prague Beer Museum. 

 

The people in Czech LOVE beer. So, needless to say, we fit right in! 

Flights of beer! MMM delicious. 

After this we set out for a little snack. We got potato chips on a stick (photo to come tomorrow) and a traditional Czech dessert.

 



Yum. That is all I have to say. YUM!!! If you ever find yourself in Prague. Eat this. Three times. Because it is THAT good. You can fill it with ice cream, chocolate, whip cream, fruit. Or just eat it plain like I did!

We went to a few random bars to enjoy cocktails and people watch. We roamed the streets for 10 hours! Just walking and taking it all in. We experienced rain, hail, and sunshine. It was glorious. For dinner we went to a little corner cafe. I got some crepes, Blake got some chicken. Then we walked around a bit more. It was lovely!

Blake and I want to get a little something from each place we visit. After a lot of back and forth, we settled on Christmas ornaments (thanks to my sister for the idea!) - practical, inexpensive, memorable - they aren't souvenirs you will end up throwing away, they aren't cheap clothing that will end up falling apart, and they are more enjoyable than shot glasses (in my opinion). Plus, how neat will it be to pull out all of our ornaments from all the place we have been each year and enjoy them for a month!

Prague was our first ornament.




Come back tomorrow to see MORE of Day 2 and 3!