Those of you who read my blog more or less regularly know that I am usually relatively busy, both at work and in the hours before and after. Last week felt busier than usual; a trip to Cologne for work had something to do with that.
Monday (3 November) was a reasonably quiet start of the week that allowed me not only to work through my tasks mostly undisturbed but even gave me the chance for a walk to Benningen in the golden afternoon sun, which I appreciated very much.
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| I enjoyed the train ride with beautiful views of the sunrise and morning mist on the fields. |
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| I also enjoyed my breakfast on board! |
Afterwards, "thanks" to my train back to Stuttgart being also delayed, I had time to stroll around the (not very nice) area around Cologne's main station, and for the first time ever I visited the cathedral (in spite of me having been to Cologne for work many, many times).
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| Part of the floor inside the cathedral. |
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| Deutzer Brücke ("Deutz Bridge") in Cologne, famous for the huge number of "love locks" on it. |
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| The Rhine in Cologne. |
By the way, for the first time this season it was so cold in the morning that I saw my own breath when I left the house on my way to the station.
On Wednesday (5 November) was not only the 16th anniversary of my late husband's death but also my usual day at the office. Although Tuesday had been a day of work (and a very long one at that), I had of course not done any actual "work" as usual, and so a pile of emails and many other tasks made it busier than usual.
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| Sunrise on the 5th |
I can not tell you how relieved I was when left the office that day.
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| This is not the sun, but the moon on the evening of the 5th - it was incredibly bright that night! |
At only 4C/39F, Thursday (6 November) was cold in the morning but sunny. For the first time since the summer, my friend and I managed to meet for a pre-work walk, which was very nice. In the evening, I went to my see my Mum.
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| Sunrise from my kitchen window on Thursday morning |
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| Pre-work walk |
After work, I did my usual cleaning, packed my little red suitcase and went to the train station. Miraculously, my train to Offenburg was on time, and O.K. and I were happy to start the weekend with our customary Friday evening meal of salad, cheese, bread and wine.
I had time to rest on Saturday (8 November) but also for a walk around the village combined with one or two errands while O.K. was doing some jobs around his Mum's house.
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| There is actually a rather busy road outside the village - it was hardly visible for the fog on Saturday. |
In this part of Germany, Carnival begins officially on the 11th of November, but especially in villages, many associations and bands who are active during the Carnival period organise an event to kick-off the "silly season" on the weekend before the 11th. In O.K.'s village, a big event was held in the village hall, calling for nearly everyone to lend a hand.
O.K. and I had put down our names to help in the kitchen, but not with the food; we were manning the dishwasher and dealt with an unknown number of glasses and cups from 6:00 to 10:30 pm. It wasn't stressful at all, just constant work, and while our hands were busy, we were free to chat. We were allowed to help ourselves to whatever food and drink we wanted, and being tucked away in the kitchen also meant that we were not exposed to the full noise in the hall.
Sunday (9 November) was a slow, quiet day with rain almost all morning. In the afternoon it stopped, allowing us to go for a leisurely walk before popping in with O.K.'s Mum. Coffee and cake was next, followed by a rest, and in the evening, our meal was basically a repeat of what we had on Friday.
Darling Meike,
ReplyDeleteWe were so interested to see your pictures of Cologne cathedral.
Many [too many to remember exactly] years ago, when staying with our German friends [whom we had met on a beach in Normandy but who lived in Düren], we decided to go to Cologne for the day. We went by train and a number of things stay in our minds from that day:
1. The view of the Cathedral through the train station room was amazingly beautiful. So monumental and majestic a sight. We were instantly captivated.
2. The shops [in which we did not buy anything as shopping is not a hobby for us] were incredible. They appeared so chic and cosmopolitan compared with parochial England.
3. Coffee and cake was universally delicious and it was an exciting and 'continental' experience to people watch from a terrace whilst eating and drinking.
4. The sauerkraut left us underwhelmed...
Oh, what a trip down memory lane this has been.:):)
Dear Jane and Lance,
DeleteThank you for sharing your impressions of Cologne. It is nice to know my post made you go down memory lane, and that it has been a good trip :-)
Of course, shops in Germany are now very similar from one big city to the next, and I have never been on a shopping tour in Cologne myself, since I have always been there for work; by the time I finished, shops were either closed or I had a train to catch. But I have been to some good after-show parties in various locations, and as it was usually in August, sometimes those parties were on the Rhein-Terrassen or in other outdoor venues, which made for beautiful summer night lights along the river.
I can't say where coffee and cake is good (or not to be recommended) in that city, nor have I ever eaten Sauerkraut while there. But like with so many other dishes, my Mum's is the best anyway!
Thank you so much for the lovely photos of Köln (Cologne). I lived there for three years near the Heumarkt so know it so well.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Addy. It's nice to know that you know the place so well.
DeleteMy only memory of Cologne is from my early twenties when I was returning from visiting my now husband. Very friendly fellow travellers on the train insisted on sharing their refreshments with me, though they didn't know me at all. It was quite extraordinary and very heart-warming.
ReplyDeleteIt is a nice memory and not something I imagine would happen today. Especially since the pandemic (but even before that), most people tend to stick to themselves (and their smartphones/tablets/books) and try to find a seat on their own, not next to a stranger who might talk to them, let alone share any food.
DeleteYou do such a nice job of photographing a variety of lovely skies, Meike! It's lovely to see.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ellen. I just never seem to get enough of those skies.
DeleteI went to Cologne and saw the cathedral many years ago -- 1997, I think! I'm sure it hasn't changed. That's a blink of an eye in the life of a cathedral.
ReplyDeleteI can sympathize re. your boss. I suspect my boss has some bipolarity going on as well. She's either very busy and voluble or very sullen and incommunicative -- and you never know which person you're going to get on any given day.
I actually enjoy doing dishes, so I would have chosen the same job!
There certainly have not been any major changes to the cathedral since you've been there, but of course there are constant repairs and works of conservation and restoration going on.
DeleteThe good thing is that my boss is very aware and open about his condition. We always know where we stand, and he is not offended when we tell him that he's being very exhausting or that we need to finish this or that task before starting on whatever idea he's coming up with. Still, it can be very demanding having to "look after him", and his condition makes him extremely self-centered with no empathy for anything that might be going on in our lives.
I don't mind doing dishes, either. Or pouring drinks. I am not keen on manning the deep fryer or any other of the food stations and thankfully have never had to do that job.
Lots of lovely autumn photos, and I enjoyed your photos from inside the Köln cathedral. I've only passed by Köln by train 40+ (!) years ago (travelling between Koblenz and Hamburg) and recall the railway passing by quite close to the cathedral. But I've probably mentioned that as many times as you have mentioned Köln on your blog since I started following... ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Monica. Yes, the train passes very close to the cathedral. The whole setup in Köln is so different from other cathedral cities, such as Ulm Minster, which proudly stands in a square so that it can be admired in all its glory.
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