My time with the Geislers Part 3: Neuss and Koln

As I sit in Milan trying to concentrate but failing somewhat miserably (something to do with being exhausted and getting a cold), I reflect on what has happened since we last spoke. Hundreds of kilometres have been covered, new cities have been seen, drinks have been finished and new friends made.


Yes, I am in Milano, one of the fashion capitals of the world, but not quite the focus of what I'm writing about today! Indeed, if I tried to write about Milan today all you'd hear about is the airport, central station, metro lines 1 (and 2), the Carrefour Market just down the street and the hostel. Instead, I continue my blog series on "My time with the Geislers, Part 3: Neuss and Koln".

The Munster

After returning from Amsterdam on the Saturday night, I had decided that since we had a big family lunch on Sunday, I would spend the day resting and taking it easy, and then start exploring on the Monday. As such, the Sunday was spent sleeping in, eating incredible food and getting an early night as I prepared to set out and explore Neuss the next morning.


I awoke on Monday refreshed and ready to go out and explore Neuss. I had been told that the Alstadt was quite nice and that there were some nice parks around; I was also to visit the Munster (monastery?) and the church which was apparently quite nice.


My first port of call (after breakfast of course-food still runs my life *giggles*) was the main street area for the tourist office. I desperately needed a map; I've become accustomed to very quickly memorising directions so as to be able to know generally where I'm going, but I have to have a map to do that in the first place!

Token church door

I managed to find my way there, acquire a a map and then orientate myself, then set about getting slightly disorientated in the maze of backstreets. I started out at the church. It was quite lovely, but it was actually closed so I couldn't spend any time in there like I originally wanted to. As such I moved on rather quickly to the Munster. I do believe this is a monastery in English, as it is larger than a church but smaller than a cathedral. It was quite lovely, so I made my way around it taking many a photo and then continued on to some small squares, not quite knowing which direction I was walking in but knowing that I liked it.


I managed to (after a considerable while exploring the cobbled streets) make my way back to the main street, and found something that I should know by now never to enter: H&M. I always spend way too much time (and money-there goes the budget!) in this store. I did have a list of things I needed, so I bit the bullet and went for a bit of a shop, but somehow I came away with shorts and a tee-shirt as well. Don't judge me; they were cute!

The Dome, Koln

After my shopping fix I made my way back out into the fresh air and continued on my walk, directing myself back towards the house arriving after stopping off at a charming little bakery for my afternoon sugar fix. I arrived home after my day out and spent the afternoon trying to plan things, but not really getting anywhere. Turns out that when I have a "home base" my brain goes into sleep mode and just doesn't want to deal with planning. First world problems!

After spending the day resting (my brilliant idea to not only recuperate but stay invigorated instead of throwing all my rest days away) I awoke the next morning and decided to spend the day visiting Koln (Cologne).

According to my Lonely Planet guide, Koln was one of the few beautiful cities in Germany’s industrialised region. Elizabeth had told me a few places to visit an so I set off on the train at about 10am, ready for a full-on day of sight seeing. I had been told the same, and as such was excited to be exploring once again.

I started as I walked out of the train station (yes, that keen). As I excited I laid eyes upon what can only have been the inspiration for Gotham City Cathedral, “The Dome”. This cathedral (whilst partially covered by scaffolding-retouching the spires) was a monolith. It is apparently the second biggest cathedral in Europe and I can immediately see why; it is actually a little bit awe-inspiring. There really are no fitting words to describe it’s immense-ness, so here is a nice-sized picture:

After walking to the tourist office and getting myself a map (20Euro cents-absolute rip-off) I made my way back past The Dome to sit in the sun and map out where I wanted to go next. I had been told to walk along the Reine and through the Aldstadt as it was quite nice and as such set off, trying once again to orientate myself in this new city.

A romantic bridge. No seriously, wait for it...

I made my way through the cobbled alleyways towards the river and quickly saw why Elisabeth had said it was beautiful. The entire river-front had been re-developed and there were bars and little umbrella- shaded restaurants lining the banks. Now, Koln has its own distinctive beer called Kolsch, and I had decided early on to try it, however at this point it was only lunchtime, and I thought I should probably wait (it’s never stopped me before but there’s always a first for everything!). So, instead of sitting and eating I continued walking, making my way to the … Bridge. “What’s so great about a bridge?” I heard you ask. Well, this bridge has a history of lovers padlocking their “love and affection” to it and then throwing the key over the side, as a symbolism of their love staying strong forever. I was offered roses, and being on my own feigned offence and sadness to the sellers who immediately left me to my own devices (win) to take some more photos and then continue walking. I had looked at the map and had a fair idea of where I wanted to go next, and my decision was made easily as I found the Chocolate factory that Elisabeth had told me about.

...Padlocks with lovers names on it. Vomit.

Of all of the museums I could’ve chosen to go to, it was a Chocolate museum. I was given a chocolate on the way in (decision immediately made worth it *giggles*) and then continued on my way around, finally making it to the Lindt factory where I was given more chocolate as I wandered around. As I finished my little tour I made a quick visit to the Museum Store, offering a range of beautiful chocolates and other goodies, to buy a thankyou gift for Ron and Elisabeth. After spending a good few hours in the museum and a goo few euros on chocolates (what can I say, it’s a weakness) I made my way back down to the Aldstadt to finally try this Kolsch beer and then finish up my sightseeing before I returned to Neuss. As I sat in the sun I planned out a quick walk that would take me past some of the Roman and Jewish historical buildings in the city, and then back to The Dome and the train station to make the trip home.

Chocolate museum!

All in all it was a lovely day, but needless to say I was exhausted by the end of it, as I didn’t really sit down until the beer, and then stood right back up and continued walking. As such I once again decided to have a rest day the next day, before heading to explore Dusseldorf with some friends the day after. My plans for rest were working exceptionally well! However, as the next part of my blog is about a different city, as always I will leave it here!

Until next time,

Love Love!

Clem xx