Once a Year Day

 

When time permits on some of the bus rides to the next city we will often have a chance to stop off and do some touring along the way.  In between the drive from Minden to Genk, Belgium we took a two hour detour in Cologne, Germany.

The Cathedral in Cologne is the most visited site in all of Germany and before the completion of the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world.  Check out wikipedia’s entry here for more information.

   

Exterior (with construction!) and interior shots

 

The REAL reason I was thrilled to go to Cologne, however, was that I knew my friend Jamison was living there and we could have our yearly get together in some random city.  The last time we met might you might remember we were ghost hunting in Watseka, Illinois.  I’m hoping for somewhere in South America in 2012… ‘cause if the Mayans are right we might as well be where all the hubbub is.

I took the opportunity to catch up over lunch and walk around the city a bit.  Apparently Mark Twain was in town doing a book signing for the latest release of his autobiography. 

 

Get it little Mark!

 

Two hours isn’t exactly a lot of time to explore anywhere so after lunch we mosied on back to the station where the bus was located.  Along the way we did have a chance to explore “Lover’s Bridge,” where couples will inscribe their names on a lock and put it on the chain link fence that runs the length of the bridge.

Jamison making the only pose he knows how to

 

It was certainly sad to have to say goodbye so quickly but seeing him was certainly a boost to my spirits.  Until next year!!!!

Oh how I wish I had on real clothes in this picture (as opposed to the fake Blue Lake ones)

 

Artist: Richard Adler and Jerry Ross/ Album: The Pajama Game