So we're off on our way to Koln, Germany.
Pretty easy to find the platform in Centraal Station (I think because we're getting much better at this) and we were able to be on our way around 2pm. It was only a few hours before we reached Koln and the Dom is sitting right outside the train station. Gorgeous cathedral. I'll have to look up some more information about it later online because I really had no idea it existed.
We take the U-bahn 18 to Neumarkt and then tram 7 to Rudolfplatz for 1,60 euro and an adorable older woman comes up to us at Rudolfplatz and asks us "was helfe?" and we respond yeah we do need some help. I don't if the backpacks gave us away or if the frantic pointing at the map then at the street names then at the map again. She points us in the right direction and a few steps in right then wrong then right direction gets us on Englebertstrasse and about 50m is our hostel. More like a hotel. for 2 extra euros a night I book us a private triple room with a private shower, private toilet, and a lock for which only we have a key card. That's pretty nice. Not much of a place to meet people (I think the Bauhaus spoiled us) but we did notice about 50 French soccer players herd their way into the hostel about an hour after us.
Went out into the city for dinner. Okay, not really out into the city but more or less around the corner. Stopped at a few cafes (can't you just be like France and keep your menus outside?) but realized after about 7 minutes of reading a German menu that either there wasn't much food going on, or the prices weren't exactly what we were looking for.
On the third try we met a nice waitor and waitress who decided they could help us out translating their menu to english for us. Sorry we ruined your smoke break, I know you were only about 1/3 of the way through your cigarette. We turned to the pasta section and after a bit of Schwein and champignons (spelled the exact same way in French, thank you mushrooms!) we decided on a fettuccini dish and Ali and I had the tortellini. Wow. Best pasta dish I've ever had. The mushrooms and the tomato sauce blended perfectly with small slices of ham and peas mixed in as well. I can't really explain how it tasted, but I know if made me feel fantastic. Had a Kolsch beer to drink, a popular German beer made right in Koln. It was light and fairly tasty, although it tasted horrible with the pasta so I had to finish up my pasta before I could finish my beer.
Back at the hostel, despite the numerous loud soccer players staying in the hostel, only about 10 were hanging out in the lounge when we went down to check our laundry. Laundry shouldn't take 70 min to wash and 70 min to dry. I miss my 6 washer and dryers in the laundry room at home where 6 loads takes 70 mins to wash AND dry. Went back up to the lounge to wait for the dryer. Had a few drinks, and by drinks I mean coke, vitaminjuice, ginger ale. This popular multivitamin juice that I've had in Brugge and Koln is a pretty tasty blend of pinapple, orange, and papaya juice along with some vitamin juice which I have no idea what that contains. All mixed up it's nice for breakfast or as a tasty drink and I feel like I'm getting my vitamins all at the same time.
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