Frankfurt, Koln (Cologne), Bonn: Sept. 27th-29th

Frankfurt was our hub for the next 2 days (Thursday, Friday). We stayed with Liya’s parents in a hotel right across from the main train station. We didn’t explore Frankfurt much but enjoyed its convenience.

The next morning, the 4 of us headed for Koln (a.k.a. Cologne) and Bonn. We arrived in Koln around 1 p.m. Soon as we walked outside the main station, the horizon was filled with the grand Dom Cathedral. It was absolutely marvelous. Pictures don’t do justice. We read that the Dom was build over 6 centuries. During WWII, 90% of Koln was destroyed; however, the cathedral remained standing strong. Outside the Dom, we enjoyed the performance of a Chinese street entertainer. He performed many talents and skills that earned him lots of applause and tips from the crowd.

We spent 2 hours enjoying the Dom and then moved through the city of the Shockoladen (Chocolate) Museum. There, we learned the whole process of producing chocolate—from the cocoa plants in the tropics to the history of chocolate production to seeing the final product being made. We enjoyed free samples of Lindt milk chocolate from the 7-ft tall chocolate fountain. Ben and Luther were sure to get in line a few times for free chocolate samples. We also enjoyed hot chocolate and chocolate cake at the museum. Afterwards, we walked along the Rhine River and headed back to the Hbf (central train station) to take a quick train ride south to Bonn.

We really enjoyed the small city of Bonn which is also along the Rhine River. Beethoven, the great composer and musician, was born in this town. We spent about an hour in the city walking through the town center and visiting Beethoven’s Haus (house).

After a long day of being tourists, we headed back to Frankfurt. We had drink vouchers from our hotel so we enjoyed some red wine once we arrived back in town. Luther and Ping were really missing Chinese food after traveling around Eastern Europe/Russia for the past month, so we tried a Chinese restaurant near our hotel called “New Chinatown”. The food was delicious and we went to bed that evening happy and full.

The next morning (Saturday 29th), we went to the airport with Luther and Ping to see them off. They were heading back to the States. It was so wonderful to spend the week with them. We will miss them very much.