Finally, a train ride…and a very busy day in Cologne to follow.

We exited the Cologne main station to a view of this! The spectacular Cathedral…simply unreal.

From there we embarked on a lovely day in Colongne planned by our cousin who lives there, Felicitas. Our adventure began with everything you ever wanted to know about chocolate…The Chocolate Museum. We toured through the history of chocolate, all the way from the Aztec chocolate makers to the production of today’s Lindt candies. The smell of chocolate fills the air from the moment you enter the building. We saw actual cocoa trees and fruit in a greenhouse and how the beans are processed, watched the production machines in motion, saw the porcelain used by the upper class to consume chocolate…and taste tested samples at the end of course!

After our Chocolate tour, we met Felicitas, her husband Thomas and their children Lili and Neo, Steffi and Karl back at the cathedral for a walk through. Incredible! Most notable were the intricate floor mosaics and Gerhard Richter’s stained glass window that replaced the original destroyed during World War II. Although damaged, Cologne Cathedral survived the War in spite of extensive bombing.

We then walked the Hohenzollernbrücke bridge, the home of the “Love Padlocks” created by couples publicly honoring their love. 40,000 inscribed or decorated padlocks now hang from the railings of the bridge to date.

We displayed our own lock that Felicitas had inscribed with “Kuhl & Malone”. A surprise to us! Neo hung the padlock high, across from the fifth light post on the bridge and then Nate threw the key over his shoulder into the Rhine River. Meaningful and fun for all.

At the end of the Hohenzollernbrücke bridge, we met the KölnTriangle, another tower with a 360 view…this time of beautiful Cologne. Felicitas and Lili pointed out the sights and where they live, work and go to school. Sean took some cool shots of illustrations on the glass lined up with actual points of interest in the background.

We ended this eventful day with some tree climbing and dinner at Früh am Dom, the 100-year-old brewery near the cathedral. Tasty and lively. A great day!

Notice how Nate will not take the jersey off? Boys!