Cologne and rivers in Europe

It has been a simply beautiful experience travelling along the rivers and canals through the Netherlands and then Germany on this long, narrow ship. You cannot feel the rumbling of the engines, so it feels as though you are gliding across the still, brown waters. The water is like glass, except for the few ripples moving outwards, adding rich patterns to the reflections of the trees and bushes that grow down to the water’s edge. You are surrounded by hills full of tall trees, grapevines flowing up steep slopes, old castles and the occasional ancient wall. Tinkling bird calls can be heard everywhere. Closer to the water’s edge you see delightful cottages and churches. A train passes every few minutes. Fisherman sit on the river bank in a complete contentment, waiting for a bite, whilst many places are packed with campers who are making the most of the start of their summer. And of course you see other river ships as well as barges passing up and down too, and wave hello. It is all simply magical, and surreal, as though we are in another, more heavenly world.

Every now and then our journey is punctuated by passing through one of the locks in the lock system, which enable the ship to rise higher or drop lower in keeping with the land. It’s a fascinating experience sitting in a lock and slowly rising up between the tall grey stone walls, which are so close you could touch them if you were to reach out. In all we will pass through 68 locks. The locks also help control the flow of water, to mitigate the possibility of floods, especially when the snow melts in the Alps. Despite this, floods do happen from time to time.

I said that the water is brown but that does not mean that it is polluted. I have been told by several local experts that there has been a big push in Germany in recent decades to look after its resources more sustainably. No substances are allowed to be discharged anywhere into the river and canal system. Although there are patches of industry along the river, the air is clean and fresh to breathe in. And to take care of the ecology, fish ladders have been built at all the locks so the fish can pass along, and that is why people can catch good healthy fish along the rivers. 

After Amsterdam the first city we visited was Cologne. This city is dominated by the tallest cathedral I have ever seen. It is over 150 m tall, I gather, and is magnificent, with so many superb stained glass windows, and statues and other works of art. It has been under construction and renovation for many centuries. At one time, and perhaps still today, it was thought that the world would end when the cathedral was finished, so no-one has wanted to complete the work. As we looked up at all the scaffolding, our guide told us that about 20 craftsmen are employed all year round to continue the renovations, and others are employed when needed as well. The budget for this work is several million dollars per year, paid by the church. 

I had the pleasure of walking right around the cathedral and inside it as well. I hope the following photos can do it some justice at least. I was told that the bodies or relics of the 'Three Wise Men' are buried there, having been 'appropriated' from another church, but I only saw crypts for former church leaders.

Just a couple of post notes:

* Cologne was badly bombed during WW2 but the Allied pilots avoided hitting the cathedral as it was a very useful pointer to their targets.

* My tooth was fixed this afternoon by a lovely dentist in Regensberg, so all is well on that score.