Cologne, Germany

It was very difficult to leave Jen's apartment....it was so relaxing and inviting....especially after living in hostels for the past three weeks.....but I have to keep moving. I decided on Cologne mostly because I had never been there and it was close to Brussels. So after a two hour train ride (which ended up being very complicated and involved switching trains three times) we arrived in Cologne. It was strangely familiar being back in Germany after so many years....the smells, the sounds, and even little things like the announcements in the train station brought back a flood of memories. We were both exhausted and decided to catch a taxi to our hostel....which ended up being cheaper than taking the tram anyway! The hostel was beautiful and located in the heart of "Little Turkey" which was alot of fun for me. Not only did I get to brush up on my German, but I soon found myself in many conversations with the Turks. Jared was also in heaven because there were literally 30 Kebab stands within a 10 min walk from the hostel. We explored the city the first night and ended up taking it easy....not much to do on a Monday night I suppose. The next morning was went to the local Spielplatz (which was actually an enormous park) and worked out, played some awesome soccer, and then joined a huge group of locals in a game of basketball...which was quite entertaining (neither of us had played in years). That evening we walked 10k or so through the entire city and marveled at the size of the Cologne Cathedral. The Gothic architecture and the sheer size of it literally stopped both of us in our tracks when we got up next to it. It just looks complicated! Next to the cathedral there was a huge group of Iranians protesting and singing anti government songs. We have seen this is most of the cities we have traveled through so far....ever since the rigged election in Iran. Today we catch the train south to Marburg....time to see some family! I am so excited.