…so, its my second day in the city of Köln and I must truly say that it is one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring places I have been to in my life. It took me quite by surprise and even now, at the end of a very peaceful Easter Sunday, I am entranced by what this city has to offer. After a very busy Saturday as well as an extremely fun Saturday night party…I decided to take a walk through the park…wait…I’ll give you some detailed background.
Imagine the city in the shape of a half-moon, more like the Yin-Yang sign, but not…now, around the outer rim of the half-moon (circle) lies a lush green strip of park! It’s almost like Central Park in New York, only not central and not in New York. Now, just beyond that ring, more to the centre of the circle, lies another “Ring”…this is known as “The Ring”, a wide stretch of tar…or road as people like to call it, which passes through all the major attractions. Now the park has been designed so that you see as little road and buildings as possible…but seeing that it is smack dack in the middle of a metropolis, it is often difficult to divert all the attention from the buildings, trains, cars and the rest of the usual inner city repertoire.
…so I took a leisurely stroll through the park, thinking, reminiscing, wondering…(suddenly the opening statement makes sense). It is my first time that I have not been able to spend Easter with my family and it was a sad moment when that thought dawned on me. It is particularly surprising given the fact that I have previously missed a Christmas or two and even been unable to attend a birthday here and there…but never have I missed Easter. Ha! Here I am, halfway across the world, in a different country…and all I want to do is sit and have a Easter lunch with people I know and love. Guess that it comes with the decision and I will just have to live with it…for now…
Walking out of the Main station…you are greeted by Köln’s most magnificent sight…the Kölner Dom.
This unimaginably huge cathedral hits the “shit” right out of your sentence and all one is left to do is stare at it with gawking eyes whilst flies zoom in and out of your gaping mouth…which is still hanging on the pavement beside you. It is majestic to say the least and it leaves a permanent impression on your mind...and that is just the outside. The construction on the Dom started somewhere in the 1230’s or 1240’s and took over 600 years to complete!!! Every nook and cranny is beautifully carved and intensely detailed. They are now in the process of “cleaning” the whole Dom…a process which is likely to take up to 50 years! Small in comparison to the time it took to complete. And cleaning is not merely a “wash and go” operation…noooooo…every millimetre is meticulously and painstakingly chipped away with a chisel measuring roughly 8cm-10cm to remove the topmost layer. I feel for the guy who has to do it though…how boring!
There is another facet of European life that I truly enjoy…and that is their way of shopping! We are so used to getting into a car, driving to the mall, parking and then going into a building specifically built for shopping. Here…the street is your window and browsing is free! Thousands of people walking in tune, generating the pulsing heart of Köln. Street-vendors, side-walk stores, books, fruits, meat, stuff you don’t need, stuff you want, articles from afar and consumables which are produced locally. 
Musicians, acrobats, mimes and clowns, sellers and buyers and everywhere you look and everything you see is vibrant! All around you feet are scampering and bicycles zip through the human mesh of traffic deftly avoiding any collision. It’s outside and it is amazing! And when you are tired or your feet hurt due to hours and hours of walking up and down…just sit down and watch how everything is synchronized…how it just…works!
We are staying with a good friend of Francois’s! Deon. He used to study at RAU too and his parents reside in the UK, but he has decided to take the high-road and is also going to attempt the student life once more. Thus, he now finds himself living with his girl, Kathi! Very cool apartment in the North part of the city, top floor, small yet eloquently suitable. The apartment is right across from where the park begins and only a few minutes walk away from Media-park…Köln’s broadcasting and entertainment hub. 
The only downside…to our utter amusement is the shower…let me rather say, the “excuse” for a shower. Since the apartment is on the top most floor, it has been built in the attic space, so the ceiling is about 8cm higher than the top of my head. Now, add that to the ridiculous size of the “shower” and you can see where a problem might start crawling in. I basically crouch down and huddle in the foetus position whilst attempting to get everything thoroughly clean and wet. But then, Kathi was sweet enough to arrange with the downstairs neighbour that we could use their shower…whilst they were not there for the weekend…mmm…funny how trustworthy these people are, as only a few seconds later, I was handed the apartment key for downstairs…before I could even properly introduce myself!!!
Well, the rest of this Sunday was spent in the park, on the grass with a good book, a few beers and my iPod. Watching all these people enjoying the brilliance of the sun. And somewhere…on a bench sat 3 drummers and a guy with a flute, and together they provided a rhythmic and entrancing atmosphere for everyone to enjoy…
OC…out!
