Cologne

My last stop in Germany was Cologne, and, fair disclosure, I didn't really like the place. The weather didn't help. It rained or was very grey for most of the time I was there, giving just half a day of decent light. But, beyond that, the town itself lacked charm. The old town of Dresden, for all its 'Disneyfication', was consistent and interesting. Whereas, Cologne’s 'old town' consisted of the cathedral, a couple of other churches and a few long shopping streets. The old things were easy to find, surrounded as they were by blue shuttering for work that no-one seemed in a hurry to conduct. There also seemed some odd planning choices. The main train station was literally next to the cathedral. With a blank canvas after the war, it could have been placed anywhere, so why put it there? That and several other small things made Cologne hard to love. Slowly, I coaxed some images out of the place, and it certainly looked better in the dark.