COLOGNE

After Amsterdam, we took a short train ride over to Cologne, Germany. We only spent two days here, but that felt like enough as we made the most of our time! 

We hopped off the train, dropped off our bags, and went straight to a chocolate museum and factory. 

A man named Hans Imhoff opened this factory in 1993. His family now runs the museum. They now have a partnership deal with Lindt to sell and make their products in Cologne. The museum experience begins with learning about cocoa harvesting, plantations, and the importance of fair trade chocolate.

Then we see chocolate statistics from around the world, including which country eats the most chocolate, where chocolate is produced, and which companies sell the most chocolate products. Then, we got to my favorite part – chocolate production and tasting!! 

The next morning, our walking tour was canceled by the guide, so we made a hasty decision to take the Hop On / Hop Off bus to tour around Cologne. Let’s just say that it wasn’t the best experience. 

That afternoon, we toured the Kölner Dom with an actual monk. He led us through the massive gothic cathedral in the city center and explained to us why it is so special. I learned that gothic architecture actually lets in a lot of light. The architects of this cathedral made it so that, as you are walking down the aisle, you are walking from darkness to light with the help of tall ceilings and massive stained glass windows. 

Cologne is a nice town to visit for…partying! We noticed big crowds of young people, lots of bachelorette parties, and plenty of bars. We joked that no one in our family is currently in that life stage, and immediately Dad protested and threatened to go out “clubbing” that night. In his next breath, he complained that his knee really hurt. So…