19 Aug – Cologne, Germany


I started the day out with one small desire: having our own private breakfast in our room. I hoped to grab two boiled eggs, a few yummy sausages and two cups of coffee and to sneak unseen back to the confines of our room to enjoy a small morning repast alone. But what ensued was anything but.

I made the mistake of trying to pour my own coffee from the server’s coffee station. Apparently, das is verbotten! Five individuals rushed to assist me despite my timid protestations that I just wanted to take some coffee back to my room! After fending off the well-intentioned aid of several staff members who, to their credit, were only trying to perform their duties, the restaurant manager tray-ed and carried my two coffee cups, two eggs and three sausages down to our room as I sheepishly lead the way.

Rob put it in perspective. The staff is far more experienced with their guests’ special needs and unusual requests.  As a group, we are not exactly fresh out of college if you catch my drift. Far from it! And the staff is far more capable and far more experienced in getting hot liquids from Point A to Point B  without spillage or some other transporting disaster. I definitely need to embrace the excellent service the Grand Circle staff provides. (We also started ordering breakfast coffee delivery to the room!)

We arrived in Cologne during our lunch. It was an amazing revelation, turning towards the dining room window and unexpectedly seeing the ornate twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral, blackened by exposure, piercing the sky, completely dominating the skyline.

We were bussed into town for a walking tour, a traditional “kölsch” beer tasting and then some time for our own exploration.

Our personal goals were simply: god and cognac.

After touring the cathedral, we were in search of an Aldi’s. Rob was on a mission to find an elusive French-made, store-brand cognac sold only in Germany that he found two years ago during our Elbe River cruise.

Rob’s “Not Another Old Church” face. This time, however, he was truly impressed.
Our first view of the cathedral stepping off the bus. Stunning.
The twin spires
One of the many stained-glass windows
One interior shot of the nave. My camera cannot capture the majesty of the space nor the rich interplay of light and color produced by the stained glass windows that illuminate it.
The detail work. The sandstone surface is being carefully washed clean of the accumulated grime.

For the record, this is our tour director Mihai. He’s from Transylvania!

As we wrapped up our walking tour of Cologne’s old town, we moved en masse towards a riverfront tavern–it was indoors so I hesitate to label it a biergarten–for a taste of Cologne’s famous home brew, the Kölsch.

Rob prepares to experience his traditional Kölsch beer.

An interesting (and handy) thing to know: the beer refills keep coming as long as the coaster remains under the glass; placing it on top of the glass signals you are ready to settle up for the night. Grand Circle was only in for one beer.

The native costume of a traditional Cologne server of Kölsch beer. A man’s best friend is his bartender.

NOTE: For those that care to know, the things hanging around my neck (that identify me as a tourist) are: 1) my shipboard ID card; 2) my chip-enabled room key card; and 3) my red “Whisperer”–a radio receiver that enables us to hear our tour director as we walk around the town. There is a black earbud barely visible on my left ear.

After our “liquid bread” repast, we we free to explore Cologne on our own. We set out to find the nearest Aldi’s…only to be disappointed. No house armagnac was found. However, there were other regional libations purchased to carry us through to the next Aldi’s location.

After a full day, it was time for the Captain’s Welcome Aboard dinner. One of his special table guests? Our very own Carol! Them’s the perks of being a frequent Grand Circler!