Germany - Cologne

Finally exams has ended and it's time for Christmas! Flew to Mainheim to put luggage and set off with Kaixin to Cologne the next day. Totally underestimated the cold and I only realized I was under-dressed upon reaching Cologne.

First thing to see upon exiting the train station was the Cologne Cathedral. This Cathedral is the third biggest in Europe behind the Cathedrals in Barcelona and Milan.

We then had a quick lunch and took train to Cologne South to check-in to our accommodation. Due to minimal sleep the previous two nights and fatigue from exams, we decided to take a late afternoon nap and woke up two hours later at 6 pm. Hungry bellies led us to Neumarkrt, one of the main Christmas Markets for dinner. We had fried fish, grilled salmon, steak burger, grilled mushrooms, hot wine, and one lousy waffle. The night ended with really cold and windy stroll along the bridge to take pictures of the Cathedral from the other side of the bank.

Day 2 - Woke up at noon and we took train to a nearby city called Konigswinter to see a beautiful castle. Sadly the castle was closed for maintenance but we at least managed to see some really beautiful scenery.

It was even colder there than Cologne and I was really freezing while waiting for the train back. We were starving when we were back at Cologne and ate at some Peking Duck restaurant. Ordered Peking duck but it turned out to be roast duck like what we eat in Singapore instead of the true Peking duck.