Rhine Getaway: More Köln, Germany (4/23/2014)

Still Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Lunch appetizers: Antipasti, and Stuffed Tomato.
Entrée: Classic 'Thuringer Bratwurst' with braised sauerkraut, potato purée, and German mustard.

Sandwich: Toasted Camembert Baguette with grapes and crushed walnuts.
Soup: Classic Minestrone with tomato, beans, pasta, and basil.
Pasta: Macaroni Arrabiata in spicy tomato sauce.
Desserts: Crisp Apple Beignets with vanilla custard sauce, or Ice Cream Coupe 'Hot Love' with raspberry compote and whipped cream.

After lunch was free time, so off we went back into Köln.

Hohenzollern Bahnbrücke/Railroad Bridge
with 4-5 trains on it

We returned to the Kölnerdom/Cologne Cathedral so I could ask where the Mailänder Madonna/Madonna of Milan was located, the one thing I had missed in the first go-round.

Mailänder Madonna/Madonna of Milan,
replica of 1290 sculpture

Modern tricycle rickshaw

Köln Hauptbahnhof/Main train station (1953-1957)

Wurst/sausages

Station restrooms

Train hotspot

We were surprised to see a vintage railcar on a private outing.

1960 MAN Schienenbus VT 25
of the Rhein-Sieg-Eisenbahn/Railway (RSE)

Zeughaus/Armory (1594-1606)
now the City Musuem

Winged auto on the City Museum

Leopold Dahmen Haus aka EL-DE Haus
(1934-1935) used as Gestapo HQ during WWII, now the
National Socialist Documentation Center for the
Study of the History of National Socialism in Cologne

EL-DE/L-D - initials of first owner

Cell 9 

Russian prisoner of war wall writing

Gas pipe in bathroom

Wall inscriptions and door to cell 5

Items from the Nazi period displayed on the ceiling

We decided to do a bar crawl on our own, rather than pay to join the optional excursion in the evening.

Peters Brauhaus/Peter's Brewery
(est. 1544, opened in 1994)

Peters Brauhaus/Peter's Brewery
stained glass ceiling

Prost! Enjoying Peter's Kölsch

Peters Brauhaus/Peter's Brewery
Easter decoration

I made everyone walk around a block before the next beer stop.

Gates to Martins Bad/Spa (KSS)

This time a König Pilsener and Bretzel/pretzel

At Papa Joes Biersalon; Paul's treat this time

Tried to get a photo of the nifty beer glass carrier,
called a Kranz/wreath, made especially for the tall thin
Kölsch glasses called Stangen

Avoided the temptation of a nougat pretzel

Street musicians

The Daily Briefing today included information about disembarkation. Already?!
Dinner amuse-bouche: ?

Appetizers: Tomato Mozzarella Tart and Tomato Confit with balsamic reduction and basil pesto, or Smoked River Trout with cranberry cream and lemon.

Salad: Salad Mache Lettuce and Crisp Bacon with chopped eggs, black bread croutons, pumpkin seeds and potato dressing.

Soup: Double Beef Consommé with braised beef short rib ravioli and fresh vegetables.

Entrées: Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with sweet peppers, artichoke, zucchini and broad beans with mint jus, or

Crisp Sautéed Striped Bass with ricotta gnocchi, pink grapefruit, parmesan gremolata, and citrus sauce, or
Rigatoni Pasta with sautéed fresh spinach, apples, pine nuts, tomatoes, and gorgonzola.

Desserts: Warm Apple Hazelnut Crumble with malted whiskey ice cream, or

Malaga Ice Cream, or

Cassis Sorbet, or

Chilled Banana Cinnamon Flan.

Fruit plate: Fresh plums.

Cheese plate: Provolone and Bavarian Blue.

Suggested wines: Grüner Veltliner and Blauer Zweigelt from Winery Mörwald, Wagram, Austria.

The Viking Gullveig ship leaves Köln at 23:00.
Next: Kinderdijk.