Stepping off the edge

We took a fast train from Amsterdam to Cologne and stopped for lunch and a tour of the Cologne Cathedral, the tallest two spire cathedral in the world.

I’d been here before and to other cathedrals in Europe. Keith and I visited the Cathedral in Seville, Spain which is the world’s largest Gothic cathedral. They never cease to amaze me!
Below is one of the doors at the Cologne Cathedral’s main entrance.

It’s difficult to imagine the construction of these tall, immense and ornate structures given the lack of equipment and technology at the time. Generations of families worked on them. Construction of the Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 and was completed in 1880. At that time it was the tallest building in the world. The city of Cologne was bombed and destroyed in World War II but fortunately the cathedral was left relatively unscathed.

When we first arrived the chapel was closed for a service. We eventually were able to walk around the church and behind the alter where three Kings are buried.

The beautiful stained glass windows are on all sides of the chapel.

A huge bottle of Eau de Cologne, named after the city where it was invented.