2024 Christmas Markets Rhine River Cruise - Day 1 - Cologne, Germany
9 December 2024
We boarded the bot on 8 December and found our cabin quite a bit smaller than what we had on the Silversea Muse, but very well laid out and we were able to unpack all of our things.
Most of our transit from Amsterdam to Cologne took place at night, but there were nice sites at dusk and the next morning.
Our excursion for the day in Cologne was a Christmas Market walking tour. We also discussed the history of the town itself.
Cologne invented fragrances to keep from exposing ingredients? 4711
Our tour guide told us about a local myth regarding the Heinzelmännchen. The story goes that the towns people were quite lazy and would never really finish their work. The Heinzelmännchen would come while the towns people were sleeping or napping and do all their work for them. There's a detailed relief and fountain in their honor.
Each section shows Heinzelmännchen doing different types of work for the town folk. There is a carpentry, a butcher, a tailor, and a wine maker section. The story goes that the tailor's wife (top of sculpture) wanted to catch the Heinzelmännchen in the act of doing people's work for them. She scattered peas on the ground and the Heinzelmännchen slipped and fell. They weren't happy and left forever, leaving the towns people to do their own work. That's why things happen so slowly in Cologne.
Christmas markets started so people could get necessities during Christmas season closure or regular stores and restaurants. It has evolved into something towns and cities just do, even though many stores are open throughout the holidays.
People from Cologne are proud of their local beer. Here's an excerpt about it from the auslander web site. (Auslander means foreigner in German).
What is Kölsch exactly?
Kölsch is the beer in Cologne. Kölsch is a clear, light, and crisp lager that is warm fermented with top-fermenting yeast, then conditioned at cold temperatures like a lager. It is a quintessential beer-beer.
Kölners are extra proud of Kölsch because it is the only beer in Germany to have a special protected geographical status, similar to Bourbon from Kentucky or Champagne in France. In order to be properly called a Kölsch, German regulations stipulate that
- Brewers must brew the beer according to the Kölsch Konvention put forth by the members of the Köln Brewery Association.
- Kölsch must also be brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, or German purity law.
- The brewery must be within 30 miles of the city. Historically, the brewery had to be able to see the spires of Cologne’s cathedral in order to call themselves a Kölsch, but they have since expanded the radius.
We learned that much of the city was destroyed by bombing in WWII. Still finding bombs. Construction that involves digging also sometimes reveals ancient ruins under the city. Believe it or not, people wanting the work done would rather have workers find unexploded ordnance than ruins. A bomb can be blown up or removed. Ruins under your property mean years of excavation and documentation, and the property may become public to preserve the ruins and make them available for all to enjoy.
We had a chilly walk back to the boat then rest up and prepare for our next city!