Some reflections on Germany

First of all, a little update. Jenny and I are currently sitting in an internet cafe in Wittenburg, Germany. Yes, Wittenburg, as in Martin Luther's home turf. We just got in on the train (8 hours of train) after spending yesterday and last night in Köln, also known as Cologne. We're planning on staying here for a few nights with a couple day trips to Berlin. Laura Ude gave me some awesome directions around town, so thanks Laura, if you happen to read this!

Köln was, like Dortmund, a quite large city with an expansive, clean city centers. Most of the city centers (downtowns)I've seen in England and Europe are cobble stone or brick and don't allow cars to drive on them. This means there are people and their dogs walking all over the place, spread out across the street, just strolling through all the shops. What puzzled me, however, was yesterday in Köln, all the shops were closed (it was Sunday). One would think that this would mean less people would be walking through the city center, but there you're wrong. There were nearly just as many people, shuffling from window to window, looking into the lit but locked shops, literally window shopping with no way of actually buying anything. I guess my little American mind couldn't comprehend it, but it was fun to watch.
I also really love the fact that dogs are allowed almost anywhere in Germany. There're on the train, they're in Starbucks, they're window shopping.

When Jenny and I got off the train in Köln, immediatelz in front of us was a ginormous cathedral (look up the Cologne Cathedral on the internet, it's unbelievable), so of course, we made the foolish decision of, 'Woah, let's go there now!' So, backpacks and all, we paid the 2.50 Euros for full access to the cathedral, including seeing the relics and climbing the tower. So, after viewing all of the lovely treasures they had there we went in to the front of the church to begin the hike to the top of the towers (we also foolishly forgot that it was Sunday morning, Palm Sunday even, and so we were one of the many annoying tourists interrupting church to look and take pictures, woops). That was one of the most intense workouts of my life. Close to 500 feet up (what's that, 50 stories?) with 20-odd pounds on my pack in a narrow winding stone staircase with people in front of and behind you? But it was worth it. We went all the way to the top and could see the entire city from up there. Amazing.

One more quick note cause my time is running out. Germans have really crazy bathrooms. It's really difficult to find a public restroom you don't have to pay for, first of all. But the ones you do have to pay for have fancy lights on the outside or sanitize themselves in between uses and make you wait 2 minutes before the next person comes in. Crazy stuff. Okay, well, I should go. Hope all is well back in the States!