Cologne; Thursday, 21 December, 2006

Time to complete a Roman hat trick this morning. Koblenz has been an important town since Roman times, its name derives from Confluence as it is as this point that the Mosel and Rhine rivers merge, today under the watchful eye of several impressive fortresses.

After arriving at the main station I walked the 20 minutes or so, through the modern town to the centre of the old town, around the Munster (closed to prepare for Christmas), the museums (most closed for the winter period) to the Mosel river side (all boat tours shut for the season) and along to the point where the two rivers merge. Today it is called Deutsche Ecker, German corner, and resembles the bow of a ship riding out into the two rivers. An impressive statue on a plinth only topped for size by Leipzig, stares out over the join. The statues plinth can be climbed to the top for stunning views (not late November to early Feb!), or alternatively you can take a ferry across the Rhine (March - November only) to the base of the fortress (access only all buildings closed December and January) which can be reached either by a hefty walk up the steep slope or by cable car (summer months only).

As you may have guessed by now, I wasn't having much luck with things being open. After two hours of wandering around Koblenz all I had managed to do was to see some relatively impressive views and double the size of the blister on my foot. I walked back to the station to catch the train back to Cologne. However, instead of going back the way I came, straight up through Bonn, spending most of the time inland, I took the slower train back that starts by crossing the Rhine, just outside Koblenz, and then travelling up the Right hand bank where the train hugs the riverside most of the way back. With a light mist over the banks it was very beautiful, and more than made up for the lack of open attractions in Koblenz.

Cologne, like much of Germany appears to be in a constant state of rebuilding. When I visited in April 2004 the land on the opposite side of the river from the Cathedral was a building site, with not much to see. Today it houses the Cologne Triangle building, a 28 storey office block, with a viewing platform on the roof. With the mists having lifted enough to be actually able to see across from one bank of the Rhine to the other, I caught the lift up to the top to take in the the views. Even with the mist there are still stunning views over the city. The Cathedral is almost more impressive when seen on a level with the roof!

After spending quite some time at the top I caught the tram back to the hotel to drop some stuff off before heading back out shortly after it had got dark, the distinct advantage of the shortest day of the year, is that you don't have to wait that long for it to get dark! I wandered back to the tower and went back up to the roof to take some even more impressive views of Cologne at night, with the city centre lit up and the Cathedral standing proudly over all of it.

I walked over the Rhine by the railway bridge, and took in a couple more of the Christmas markets before stopping for a bite to eat, before heading back to the hotel to pack and sleep.