Park Inn Cologne City-West

... We've been getting along really well but I can't help but laugh at her for being a bit motherly towards me. The kids and I have also been getting along although I'm not exactly looking forward to sitting in the car for them for 5 hours this weekend :-/ We're going to take them to Lego land in south Germany. I'm trying to pretend to be as excited as they are, but it's not Disney we're talking about here and it's cold, not ...

... 1077;сли его мало. Конеч 85;о, если поезд 82;а больш 72;я – тогда можно все умест 80;ть.

А еще я зада ...

... dated from the 17 hundreds. The place has been passed down through her family for generations and is more steeped in history than any house I've ever been in. To add to the mystery, half of the house is shut off, falling into disrepair. We were able to peak into that side and saw something resembling the West Wing from Beauty and the Beast. Antiquated wall paper peeled from the walls, mold and fungus bloomed in circular patterns over everything, stuffed ...

... time it was the tallest building in the world.
It was awesome inside with the high vaulted ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows. It has a golden alter which contains their relics, supposedly some of the bones of the Three Wise Men.
This afternoon was the time to pack as we arrive in Amsterdam tonight. We’re in the first group to leave tomorrow for the airport and have to be ready by 5:45 a.m.

Koln

After our Rhine cruise we drove in the coach to Koln (Cologne). Cologne is well-known for a few things, including perfume (4711 in particular), its Roman origins (as a colony – hence the name) and for its twin spired Gothic cathedral. We stopped for a little over an hour in the main square.

The cathedral houses the bones of the three Magi ...

... fear it will increase drastically if my traveling problems are not solved soon. Apparently to German systems, my country does not exist and I am not able to get a boarding pass. I am hoping I will not end up like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal". It is 2 hours till boarding, so lets hope by then I will be writing about how nice the plane looks or how weird it smells and not about me returning to Holland by myself.

Swine flu warning! - Air - Beijin

I'm ...

... We wandered town, which didnt take long, and decided on a small place to eat on a side street and a nice corner location. Weiner Art was the special that night. I dont know what the art is, but it was pretty good. It was a small family run place with rooms for rent overhead. The lady running the place was very nice. after that it was one last chance for a gelato on the main road, one lane cobblestone road ...

... in order to ride. When we first got here, we were warned that if you got caught riding the train without one, you would be fined 40EU. Considering the fact that a ticket costs anywhere between 1.50EU and 4EU per person, the penalty of not having one is quite steep. So Steve and I made sure that no matter where we went (even if it was just one stop down the street), we always bought tickets. Well, one evening we went into the city with a friend who lives ...

... everywhere in the city. In large cities in the U.S. like New York City and Washington D.C., subways are their main transit system. Because they travel underground, they are fairly quiet. But here in Cologne, the trains travel on tracks above the ground, so you can hear them all the time. Additionally, because they travel on the same roads as cars and busses, they are more obvious and their presence almost makes them seem louder. Another sound that I'm not quite used ...

... housed the Knights Templar back in the 11th century. The grand feature of the former barracks was the circular staircase carved entirely out of one piece of wood. It was raining lightly so we ate cake and coffee and listened to the rain falling on the umbrella above us. The time came for us to finally depart, so we headed down to the train station and said goodbye (only slightly tearful for ...