Walking around Köln

On Wednesday I left Berlin around lunch and went to Köln. I was unable to find a couchsurfer so I stayed in a Hostel. I settled in and then walked around just a bit. I got a 4 person room all to myself which was very nice but the next day I had to move to a different room because they had a lot of big groups. Thursday I walked around Köln after eating the breakfast buffet at the hostel. It is a very beautiful city and would've been a lot more fun if it hadn't felt like winter the whole time. It rained and was in the 30's and 40's all day so my pictures weren't very pretty. I got to see most of what I wanted to though and got some small souvenirs. I started out at the Kölner Dom (of course) since that was the main thing I wanted to see. It was beautiful inside and, since it was really early not many people were there. They had half of it closed off because they were either doing a private tour or there was a church related event going on. Everyone was very quiet and respectful inside and I got some cool pictures. I really wish I had bought a video camera for this entire trip. I really regret it but oh well. After that I just walked around with my free map from the hostel and saw a few of the many churches as well as the shopping area, pretty statues and cafes, and then I made my way to the Stadium. Hunter likes the Köln Fußball team so I got some pictures of the FC shop and the empty stadium. I then went back to the Dom and took some pictures of the areas that were closed that morning. By that time it was packed. I don't know why but there seem to be annoying teenage American brats at all these touristy sites (I'm guessing on their rich parents money) and most of the time they are being disrespectful and loud. There were some teenage girls swearing inside the Dom...They thought it was funny because they were in a church. Thanks for perpetuating the stereo-type that Americans are loud and stupid. I would've loved to just walk around more and maybe find a local band playing that night but I couldn't find much since it was a Thursday night other than hip-hop and pop club events even though Köln has a pretty big gothic/metal scene. Plus walking around in the cold and rain had really worn me out so by 6pm I was ready for a hot shower and bed.  I didn't sleep much that night because, guess what?! I had annoying, teenage rich American girls in my room! Yay! They got drunk and came back at 2am (since the drinking age is 18 here). The next day I packed up and walked around Köln a bit more but then took a 45 min ride to Düsseldorf for Japantag. I took a LOT more pictures than this but there is a limit on blogger to how many you can upload a month. So more pics on Facebook if you're on my friends list ^_^ Enjoy.

 Früh am Dom Brauhaus

 Back inside the Dom