Day 25: Aachen, Koln, Transit

After totally crashing last night, I slept in bits and pieces, waking several times, just feeling like the hotel room was too warm. Once my brain was sort of alert, I figured I should probably look at booking trains to get me to Frankfurt flughafen, now I had an idea of times. I still don’t totally understand the DB online booking system, from what I could tell, I could pick the train with the lowest fare, then in the booking options make it a flexible ticket possibly for any train today, and only pay a few euro more, so I could get a 40 euro ticket, and for an extra 5 take any train. But If I started with a train with a base 60 euro ticket, to make that flexible would total 65 euro. If that’s the case it’s an awesome travel hack.

On the way to the station I grabbed a pack of Printen, the Aachen specialty, a soft with crunchy bits gingerbread biscuit baked in rectangular trays, like they are being printed. They are good, full of German xmas flavours like cinnamon and nutmeg. The pack will be my travel snacks to get me home.

As Koln (Cologne) is on the rail route between Aachen and Frankfurt, I figured it would be an opportunity missed if I didn’t at least stop for a couple of hours to check out the cathedral, given I’m on a late flight out of Frankfurt so there’s no panic about time. Just store my case at the train station and have a bit of a wander, maybe stop for lunch.

The luggage lockers at Koln station were not having a great day, several seemed to be kaput, while the first one I tried took my money, then decided it didn’t want my case so it spat my bag out with a refund. Second attempt worked — from what I could tell, based on the sounds I was hearing, it’s an automated system, so when you put your bag in, it then drops to an underground storage area, rather than sitting in the locker itself. Sounds neat, when it works.

Kolner Dom, the big gothic cathedral on all the tourist pictures, is a big gothic cathedral, right outside the main train station. Even on a bright sunny day, being surrounded by tourists and beggars, it’s an impressive sight. Inside is also impressive, though it’s less decorated than the Aachen cathedral, less artwork on the ceilings. Still hugely impressive, even it it doesn’t have JC’s underwear.

Koln cathedral also has a treasury part, with paid admission, to see a lot of historical items, ceremonial gear from the 14th Century, vestments, lots of blingy gold and silver items. There’s also the large wooden box that held some relics of the Magi.

There’s an interesting difference between the UK and Germany: as a generalisation in the UK the museums are free but the cathedrals charge for entry, while in Germany the cathedrals are free but the museums charge. Both Aachen and Koln cathedrals do have lots of boxes for donations to help with the upkeep of the building, just like UK museums.

Being cynical, part of me isn’t totally right with a cathedral that has donation boxes every 5 metres, while at the same time having such a hoard of priceless items on display. A couple of discreet donation boxes near the entrance is fine, but at Koln they seemed to be everywhere.

I had lunch at a bar around the corner that seemed to offer some local fare, though also get a lot of tourist business. When offering me the menu, they took great pains to highlight the new items on the first page, things like pasta, that were probably 40% more expensive than the regular menu. I went for a schnitzel with peppercorn sauce, mit pommes und salat, and it was decent. Paired with a kolsch beer, being the regional beer, it was a good meal, and a good place to write yesterday’s entry.

Had a bit of a wander through the Koln shopping district, before heading back to the station in time for the train I’d originally booked. I didn’t really feel like seeing if the flexible ticket hack would work, maybe next time I’m back and my feet don’t hurt so much and I’m not so tired. It took me long enough to work out the seat reservation deal, above every seat there’s a little red display, some have text, which with a bit of brain I figured were the destinations where the seat was booked for (was stumped on Nurnberg-Passau, not being familiar with the town of Passau was wondering if it was a German word I didn’t know). Otherwise the train ride was smooth, was great to go alongside the Rhine for a while, including past the Lorelei.

Got through all the airport things fine, with an extra groping due to the knee strapping I’ve been wearing showing up on the scanner. Had a look at the various duty free offerings, it’s always great to do when if pressed, as it’s not a direct flight back to Australia I can’t buy any alcohol. Though for once I found the Havana Club rum I’d be happy getting another bottle of, the Maestro, that is all over Cuba but haven’t seen since.

Final German meal in the airport, sausages and potato salad, and now typing this in the departure gate. Next stop is Singapore.