Köln

 Friday 26th June Hot, humid, a little cloudy.  We were surprised to be met by both Jeremy & Judith, she’d caught a late train from Heidelburg the night before.  Unfortunately we had to leave her behind so she could work on her thesis.
We travelled to Köln by train, amazed to see the cathedral right in front of us as we exited the station!  It's got some lovely features - stained glass windows, mosaic floors, soaring arches and treasures including a 12th century golden Polish chest (below). 




However, Bruce felt it was a bit like a mausoleum with so many tombs and monuments to long-dead bishops. 

We walked to the Rhine and sat under a tree to watch the barges and boats go by before visiting the Chocolate Museum.
It's in an interesting setting on a small island that you reach by crossing a bridge some metres above the river, a bit disturbing to realise that during one massive flood, it had been under water!
The museum has some really interesting displays about the whole process of producing chocolate from the seed pods of the cacao plant, and about world trade. You can enjoy the warmth of a small tropical hothouse before proceeding through a miniature factory where you can view the whole process and get a couple of tastes of the results. We were really impressed by the robot that puts solidified chocolates onto a belt which takes them to the wrapping machine. 
Upstairs are displays on moulds, packaging and advertising over the years, also a special display of artifacts from South American civilisations that used cacao.We were more than ready for lunch after that! Then all that remained was to shop for gifts for our African hosts. I was a bit cross that the Deutsche Bank ATM refused our VISA card, they're supposed to be linked to Westpac!
The train back was so crowded it was standing room only, we were on the stairs between the 1st and 2nd class compartments.  Two ladies found that it's cheaper to buy a 1st class ticket than to pay the fine for sitting up there with a 2nd class one! It was obvious why they preferred to be seated though, one had crutches.
Judith had had an eventful day in the flat!  The police had arrested a guy on the ground floor, and the council had sent staff round over complaints about the rubbish that had been put outside. It was the upstairs tenants' turn, but the refuse collectors had deemed some of it not suitable to pick up!  Everyone was very glad when it disappeared a couple of days later!
Our return to the hotel was delayed by a thunderstorm. We went back when it was still lightly raining, and I got pretty wet accidentally walking under a spout of water off the roof - right down my back - brrr!