Went to Germany for a long weekend! We flew to Cologne, yes, where cologne actually comes from. It is one of the most colorful towns in the world! Every other building is a different bright color with a cute shop at the bottom of the building. When we first arrived we had to take a train and subway to get to our hostel, which was right outside the city center. After getting situated, we walked into town and on our way we stopped by the many homemade German pastry shops to get a fresh pastry and coffee! In London, they use Pounds, which to the dollar is really high, whereas in Germany, they use Euros and compared to the pound is not that bad. It was really refreshing to see things cheaper than I am used to! After strolling the local streets we visited the famous cathedral at the heart of the city. It was massive and absolutely stunning.

The ceilings were indescribably high with incredible stained glass, hand carved sculptures and beautiful stone statues. After the cathedral visit we continued to walk through the cobblestone streets and visit the local shops. Because Europeans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, the whole focus is on Christmas! In Europe, Christmas markets are a major priority, and in Cologne they were setting their market up. They launched their market next week, and told us they had been prepping for weeks before to make sure everything was perfect. We spoke to some locals and they project that millions of people come each year to see their Christmas market.

After a couple days in Cologne we took a train out to Dusseldorf. Dusseldorf was a lot like Cologne, only bigger with it’s major focus being on shopping. Everyone seems to get their Christmas shopping done hear a lot earlier than Americans do. In Dusseldorf they have old streets with old taverns and beer museums. At the beer gardens we paid more for our glass of water than our beers! Overall, Germany was great, and I would have loved to stay longer and explore more of the country, but the time I had there was pleasant and surely left me wanting to come back!