Cologne again, naturally*

This past Saturday, we took the ICE to Cologne with Michele and Ed. The train ride was fast and pleasant. Because there were six of us, we had a whole cabin all to ourselves. The kids definitely preferred it to the car. It was a great opportunity for me to figure out how the rail pricing systems work. It's rather complicated, so it was a good opportunity in advance of our summer travels.

Our second trip to Cologne was really fun. And it was made more enjoyable by Ed and Michele's presence and our not having had to drive in Cologne, which seems to be under perpetual construction. We went to the Cologne Cathedral again, which is always interesting--especially to Meggie.

She really likes the Cologne Cathedral ("C'mon! Let's explore!")

There are so many details in the cathedral, which is not surprising, since it was built over many centuries.** During this visit, I was caught by the unique decoration of every pew. Here's an angel reading.

On this trip, we also had time to see the Roman Germanic Museum. It was really. Cool. The collection contained many, many perfectly preserved glass works from between the 1st and 4th centuries. I couldn't believe the craftsmanship of the glass articles. I was surprised that that kind of work was possible in the 1st century A.D. Since visiting the museum, I've read that this institution has the world's largest collection of glass from the Roman Empire.

This is the memorial for a retired Roman legionnaire who lived in Cologne (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium) in the 3rd or 4th century. His name was Lucius Poblicius, and he erected this memorial for himself. The docent told us that this was common among well-to-do Romans at the time. Apparently, the local roads used to be lined with these personal shrines, and such road is still preserved in Trier. This particular set of stones was found in the foundation of a men's clothing store in the 1960s.

Also located here--the genesis of the entire exhibition. This inlaid mosaic floor (click to enlarge) dates from the 3rd century. It was found exactly where it is now in 1941, during the construction of a bomb shelter. Side note--the Cologne Cathedral was heavily damaged during WWII. The mosaic was preserved through the war and became the nucleus of the current museum, which was opened in 1974.

Cologne was an enjoyable day, and apparently a little tiring for Meggie.

Though not for Laurel.

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*With apologies to Gilbert O'Sullivan.

**Note to Ed: I was wrong about the beginning of the build--the foundation stone was laid in 1248, although from the 4th century the site was occupied by church buildings, including the "Old Cathedral," completed in 818.)