Posted by: livelovethinkexist | January 17, 2010
Photos – Spangdahlem AB, Germany – 1983-1987 (Set One Hundred Six – A Day Trip to Köln, Germany)
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During the summer of 1985 while we were engaged, my future wife and I took a day trip to Köln, or Cologne in English, by train to explore the city and see the cathedral; here is a view of the Rhine River and the river walk.
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The Rhine River is famous for the many tour boats that take tourists up and down the river on cruises, stopping to visit all of the major cities along the way.
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The “Kölner Dom” or Cologne Cathedral is a massive Gothic cathedral in downtown Köln that was constructed between 1248 and 1880.
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I’m standing in front of the main entrance of the Kölner Dom that is centered between the two massive Gothic spires that rise 157 meters above the cathedral square where I’m standing.
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I couldn’t get the entire Kölner Dom into a single picture, so I took this picture of the base of the two massive Gothic spires.
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The two Gothic spires of the Kölner Dom rise 157 meters into a beautiful blue sky during our visit in the summer of 1985.
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The bright sun created a glare while looking at the Kölner Dom’s twin Gothic spires from straight on, but you can still see the amazing level of detail carved into the stone.
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One of the two side entrances into the Kölner Dom, showing the centrally located smaller spire that rises above the intersecting crossing point of the cathedral’s main aisles.
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An exterior view of one of the Kölner Dom’s stained glass windows above one of the side entrances – the level of detail carved into the stone and flying buttresses is simply amazing.
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One of the Kölner Dom’s beautiful stained glass windows, full of rich colors and textures depicting scenes from the New Testament.
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Another amazing stained glass window of the Kölner Dom, showing the visit of the Three Wise Men to the infant Jesus on the original Epiphany or “Three Kings Day.”
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We climbed the Kölner Dom’s Gothic spires as high as we could go and I took a series of pictures of the city of Cologne – here’s the distant Fernsehturm “Colonius” or telecommunications tower.
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A view looking south from the Gothic spires of the Kölner Dom across the city of Cologne, with the Rhine River on the left.
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This is a view of the “Grosse St. Martin” or Great St. Martin Church that we later visited, standing beside the Rhine River as viewed from the Gothic spires of the Kölner Dom.
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Another view looking northeast along the graceful curve of the Rhine River as it flows through the middle of Cologne, Germany.
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A hawk enjoys a roost high above the city of Cologne, perching upon one of the Kölner Dom’s many spires with outstretched wings.
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Visitors to the Kölner Dom stroll in the beautiful sunshine in “Roncalliplatz” square on the side of the cathedral.
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A beautiful chalk drawing on the stones of the cathedral square in front of the Kölner Dom, creates an image that seems to come alive on the pavement.
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More examples of amazing chalk portraits in the cathedral square in front of the Kölner Dom; the current Google satellite view of the Kölner Dom shows a number of chalk drawings as well.
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Visitors enjoy a fountain cast in partial shadow, in “Roncalliplatz” square beside the Kölner Dom on a beautiful sunny day in Cologne, Germany.
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The “Alt-Köln am Dom” is a popular brewery and restaurant near the Kölner Dom.
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The “Grosse St. Martin” or Great St. Martin Church that we saw from the Gothic spires of the Kölner Dom, on a beautiful sunny day in Cologne, Germany.
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This delightful square has a quaint Old World feel to it, with lots of flower boxes overlooking a nice outdoor cafe at the base of the Great St. Martin Church.
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This whimsical fountain just had to be photographed during our walking tour of Cologne, Germany.
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One of Cologne’s pedestrian streets lined with shops, allows for both shopping and strolling on a sunny afternoon during our visit to the city in 1985.
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This is the “St. Aposteln Kirche” or Church of the Apostles, one of Cologne’s many historic and beautiful churches in the central “Altstadt” or Old City.
