One Last German Getaway

A few weekends ago {I've not been very good at updated the blog quickly!} we took a last minute trip to Germany. Nick had to do some work in a small town in northern Germany, and when we saw how cheap train tickets were, we decided I should tag along for the few days. Although it was cold {in fact the coldest days of the year!}, it was a perfect little weekend getaway, and probably our last to Germany for a while!

We took the high speed train to Cologne, where we picked up our rental car and made the two hour drive to the small town of Lingen, where Nick was working the following day. We were quickly reminded how crazy the Autobahn can be--cars flying by, zipping in and out of traffic!

Lingen itself is a very quaint, charming city. There's not a lot do do there, but I enjoyed strolling the cute cobblestone roads while Nick was at work. It is also an extremely biker-friendly town...I have never seen so many bikers in one area, outside of Amsterdam! This village also made me remember how difficult it is not speaking the language. Very, very few people spoke English here, so when Nick was with me, I relied on his skills. However, on my own was a bit more of a challenge. I know a few words here and there, but when it came time to pay the hotel bill and there was a mis-communication, I was at a loss and had to call in the reinforcements on the phone to sort it all out!

After Nick finished work on Friday, we drove back to Cologne, where we spent the night and most of the following day before grabbing the train back to Paris. I had never heard much about Cologne prior to this trip, but it was a great 1-2 day stop. The cathedral is stunning and one of the largest Gothic churches in Europe!

We also enjoyed wandering the streets and the riverfront, which were filled with quaint buildings. Although most of Cologne was destroyed in WWII and thus rebuilt afterward, it was rebuilt in the original style of Cologne, which helps give it a more authentic feel. Most exciting for me, we stumbled upon a shop of German Christmas decorations. On our prior trips to Germany, I had always wanted to buy a German Christmas pyramid, which spins by heat from candles. We never found one that we liked, so I was thrilled to find one at a good price here!

Check out how busy the shopping street was!!

     Of course, no trip to Germany is complete without at least one meal of German food. {Actually, we ate a lot of delicious Italian food on this trip.} We made our one German meal a good one, in a beer hall in Cologne. Delicious slow roasted meat and dumplings with homemade applesauce, a Cologne specialty.  Cologne is also known for its own brews of beer, known as kolsch. Of course, we also tried those out. Okay, so you probably can't tell by looking, but mine was non-alcoholic. The Germans sure knew it though...lots of looks at my Jevel bottle!