539 steps later...

We arrived at the Bonn HBF to meet Hellen at 9 am then we were off to Cologne! After a short train ride we arrived and as soon as you walk out of the HBF there is a huge gothic style cathedral that no words or pictures could ever decribe. Thousands of tourist gathered around it to try to find the perfect angle to get the entire cathedral into the small frame of their iPhone. We met with our tour guide, Jungbludt, who began by taking us under ground to the ancient Roman city ruins located conveniently in the largest parking garage in Cologne! After that we walked to 4711, where the original Eau de Cologne was made then continued onto our way around the city. We took cover under the trees when it started to rain then ended our tour at the cathedral. We sat in the cathedral to listen to the organ concert which was so incredible! 

Following the concert we walked across the street to get lunch and Hellen told us a lot about German culture and cuisine. Then we went to the L.D. House which used to be the Gestapo headquarters. Our tour guide gave us history on the house before it was used by the Gestapo then took us to the basement where they detained anyone who was suspicious of not supporting the Nazi agenda. The cells were so small but they were said to have held an average of 20 people in them. It's so hard to imagine what it must have been like to be so crammed into a room without knowing how long you would be there. They were sometimes held for weeks or months before being released. Then we went upstairs to the room that contained the Nazi medical and euthanasia exhibit. We saw how children in schools were being taught that people with impairments such as crippled, blind, deaf and otherwise handicapped were burdens to society and should be treated as such. It's a scary and horrible thought that for twelve years students learned this and believed it and once the war was over they were told the truth. We also learned about the euthanasia program where doctors, who began practicing to heal people, were signing off on orders to "euthanize" them. Overall it was very interesting and something that is very important in history. 

We left the house to return to the cathedral once again to wait for our cathedral tour guide who unfortunately never showed up..so we headed up all 539 spiraling steps ourselves. It's was difficult but the view from the to was worth it. From the top of the cathedral we could see for miles. All of Cologne was spread out below us and it was amazing. We learned a little history like the cathedral building began in the 13th century and didn't finish for like another 600 years. And it was built specifically to house the remains of the three wise men who visited Jesus when he was born. Luckily, the cathedral wasn't harmed much during the war which is amazing because a lot of Cologne was bombed to the ground. 

Overall a wonderful day in Cologne!