April 1, 2018 ~ Easter Sunday in the Rain
April 1, 2018 ~ Easter Sunday in the Rain
It was dark and gloomy when I parted the cabin curtains this morning - not at all conducive to our planned walking tour. We opted out, hoping for a nicer walk in the afternoon.
We went to the restaurant for breakfast. It is such a delight to have freshly baked breads for breakfast. Also always available are vegetables like mushrooms and carrots, cheeses, smoked salmon, and of course fruits. This morning we had baskets of Easter chocolate on our tables, and when we returned to our cabin there was Easter bunny chocolate there as well!
A little more about the ship. We are in stateroom 335 on the topmost deck, just below the sundeck. We have a lovely veranda outside our cabin - which we haven't used due to the fact that it has been too cold and wet to use today, and we were just too busy to use it yesterday! I did walk on the track surrounding the sundeck yesterday, but probably won't do that today.
On our floor is the Internet "cafe" and the library area. Further down toward the bow of the ship is a 24 hour a day coffee station, the lounge, and the Aquavit Restaurant, which is a 16 seat restaurant, where we plan to eat tonight.
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| The lounge area, where one can find the bar |
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| Aquavit - our choice for buffet lunch |
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| The bar |
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| My best guy! |
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| Sitting area outside the Internet cafe and library area |
We enjoyed some lunch in the Aquavit Terrace -- a much simpler lunch than in the main dining room. It generally consists of soup, salad, some sort of carved meat, and some wonderful sandwiches made on a fresh baguette.
After lunch we decided to brave the rain and go into town. We went first to the cathedral, "The Dom" and then to the German - Romanishes Museum. We had been to both places before with our friend, Hans, but it was lovely to go again. Neither Jeff nor I was about to capture the scale of the Dom -- it is just a massive cathedral.
Although the rest of the city of Koln (Cologne) was leveled by the bombing on World War II, the Dom remained. To be sure, it sustained some damage, but it remained standing while all else around it was destroyed.
The twin spires of the cathedral make it visible from all parts of the city.
According to Wikipedia, the Dom, Cologne's Cathedral is officially known as Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus (Church of Saint Peter). It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. Construction began in 1248 and stopped in 1473, leaving the building unfinished. It was not until 1880 that the church was completed, using the original plan. It is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires.
Just around the corner from the Dom is the German-Romanisches Museum with its collection of artifacts from the time of the Roman Empire.
I was most fascinated then and now by the rescued mosaic tiled floor depicted above. Mosaics always strike me as beautiful with the meticulously laid pieces forming a remarkable portrait of nymphs, satyrs, and animals from nature.
While Jeff remained fascinated by the artifacts in the museum, I was lured away by the sound of baroque horn music coming from the platz outside. I made my way downstairs to listen more closely to a group of young people playing a baritone, french horn, and trumpets. I did take a short video and will try to upload it when I figure out how to do so.
As we strolled back along the river - in the rain - we paused for this shot of our Viking Vili docked downstream.
Despite the grey skies and cold rain, it was a wonderful day of sightseeing. After a delightful dinner with some new friends from Hawaii, we went to the lounge to listen to some classical music performed by a pianist, clarinetist, and cellist. They were quite delightful, making it a great ending to our day.
Tomorrow .... Koblenz
After lunch we decided to brave the rain and go into town. We went first to the cathedral, "The Dom" and then to the German - Romanishes Museum. We had been to both places before with our friend, Hans, but it was lovely to go again. Neither Jeff nor I was about to capture the scale of the Dom -- it is just a massive cathedral.
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| By dronepicr - Kölner Dom Luftbild Bahnhof - cologne aerial, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50468526 This photo captures the scale of the building |
Although the rest of the city of Koln (Cologne) was leveled by the bombing on World War II, the Dom remained. To be sure, it sustained some damage, but it remained standing while all else around it was destroyed.
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| The Dom as we approached from the street corner |
According to Wikipedia, the Dom, Cologne's Cathedral is officially known as Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus (Church of Saint Peter). It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. Construction began in 1248 and stopped in 1473, leaving the building unfinished. It was not until 1880 that the church was completed, using the original plan. It is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires.
As I mentioned, the cathedral was damaged during World War II, suffering fourteen hits by bombs, but it remained standing. Repairs to the cathedral were completed in 1956, although it is almost constantly being worked on. Even today, scaffolding surrounded parts of the church.
One stained glass window stood out for me -- it looked like a computer generated collection of pixels, and when I did some research for this post, I discovered that this window was a 21st century stained glass window to replace a window originally destroyed during the war. Created in 2005, it replaced a plain glass window that had replaced the original in 1945.
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| Jeff's photo of the modern window, created in 2005 |
Just around the corner from the Dom is the German-Romanisches Museum with its collection of artifacts from the time of the Roman Empire.
I was most fascinated then and now by the rescued mosaic tiled floor depicted above. Mosaics always strike me as beautiful with the meticulously laid pieces forming a remarkable portrait of nymphs, satyrs, and animals from nature.
While Jeff remained fascinated by the artifacts in the museum, I was lured away by the sound of baroque horn music coming from the platz outside. I made my way downstairs to listen more closely to a group of young people playing a baritone, french horn, and trumpets. I did take a short video and will try to upload it when I figure out how to do so.
Despite the grey skies and cold rain, it was a wonderful day of sightseeing. After a delightful dinner with some new friends from Hawaii, we went to the lounge to listen to some classical music performed by a pianist, clarinetist, and cellist. They were quite delightful, making it a great ending to our day.
Tomorrow .... Koblenz
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