Cologne...Germany's biggest oldest city...or something like that - Page 4

Alemaria · #61 Posted **Jul 20, 2008, 3:38 PM**

I really like the pics of the abandoned Belgian base. (the others as well of course).

subterranean · #62 Posted **Jul 20, 2008, 7:28 PM**

Excellent eye, great-looking place.

FREKI · #63 Posted **Jul 20, 2008, 8:30 PM**

Nice pics mate!

The Dear Leader · #64 Posted **Sep 25, 2008, 6:32 PM**

Some new pics shot this afternoon

The Dear Leader · #65 Posted **Sep 26, 2008, 9:08 PM**

Benonie · #66 Posted **Sep 26, 2008, 9:10 PM**

Great pics TDL!
I've booked a room in Cologne, 3 nights at Eastern next year.
I've never visited a big German city before, but watching your exellent photos, I'm sure I'm gonna like it!

Rusty van Reddick · #67 Posted **Sep 27, 2008, 3:42 AM**

I spent 4 wonderful days in Koeln last October- and you've captured it magnicently. Vielen Dank!

There was, however, one miserable aspect of the city, and that is that it is the worst place I've been in recent memory for non-smokers. Every restaurant save chains (and mostly American chains at that) had HUGE "Aschenbecher" on every table. EVERY table. I only found one place that even had a nonsmoking AREA, never mind being nonsmoking per se. This was very different from Frankfurt which had, the day before my arrival gone 100% smoke free in as comprehensive a manner as cities here in Canada. No smoking in any place of employment- and I was shocked to find that Hesse was so progressive in this area but that Koeln (and NRW in general) were so, so bad. I know that there are more stringent laws now but will not return to Koeln (or Duesseldorf etc) until this changes- has it?

The Dear Leader · #68 Posted **Sep 27, 2008, 8:14 AM**

It has. NRW introduced a smoking ban on July 1 of this year. It really has made a difference. I used to hate going to a restaurant over here because you'd smell like an ash tray afterwards. Things are much better now even though many smokers are still whining about the law.

The Dear Leader · #69 Posted **Sep 29, 2008, 11:01 AM**

puntofred · #70 Posted **Oct 1, 2008, 7:48 PM**

To Koln, i remember a part of a peatonal street with a little chuch and few little streets very beautiful. Near Koln i'd like to know Dusseldorf and Bonn. Are these towns differents from Koln?

aspiringArchitect · #71 Posted **Oct 1, 2008, 9:23 PM**

Great pictures! That cathedral looks so beautiful, I really need to get myself to Germany someday.

I have a question. If Koln is one of the oldest cities in Germany, then shouldn't it have a bunch of really old, narrow streets? You know, like an Old Town type of thing?

The Dear Leader · #72 Posted **Oct 2, 2008, 11:17 AM**

Quote:

Near Koln i'd like to know Dusseldorf and Bonn. Are these towns differents from Koln?

Bonn is a lot smaller but it has more pre-WW2 architecture left so IMO it's a bit more beautiful. Düsseldorf is similar to Cologne in the sense that it's also on the Rhine and it has a bit of an old town left.

Quote:

I have a question. If Koln is one of the oldest cities in Germany, then shouldn't it have a bunch of really old, narrow streets? You know, like an Old Town type of thing?

Cologne was bombed heavily during WW2, partially because it could be reached early on in the war from England.

This is part of the old town:

The church in the pic after the war:

Today:

There are some narrow streets in the area but a lot of buildings were just rebuilt in the bland postwar style.