Surprise trip to Cologne, Germany

I am a huge fan of surprises, but part of the fun for me is trying to figure out what the surprise is. Perhaps I've watched one (or 100) too many CSI/NCIS/Law & Order episodes in my life, but part of my enjoyment is figuring out who really did 'it' before it becomes super obvious. This same premise applies to my real life... to a fault. I become suspicious and create elaborate scenarios in my mind with the slightest unusual behavior/phrase. Therefore, my husband has learned it's virtually impossible to truly 100 percent surprise me {Maybe I should have been a private investigator?}

This time he pulled it off!

Upon returning from a 2.5 week trip home to Atlanta, he wanted to sweep me off my feet for a romantic weekend away-- Well that's how I saw it at least! This was the only clue I was given: "Don't plan anything for this weekend. We're going somewhere." I'm not embarrassed to say my investigation began the next day he left for work, but all my research still came up short.

 Destination: Cologne (aka Köln)

Cologne's claim to fame is its gigantic Gothic Cathedral- in fact it's the largest in Germany. If you've even been to Notre Dame, it's pretty similar. It's hard to believe that its construction began back in the 13th century, but it wasn't completed until the 19th century. This amazingly complex cathedral, or Dom as it's referred to by Germans, was hardly damaged during WWII while 95 percent of the city was destroyed. I'm told it was hit by only 15 bombs...German engineering gets another gold star in my book!

Directly at the back of the church is the famous Shrine of the Magi (above). Yes, magi as in "We Three Kings of Orient Are." Their bones were acquired {bet that was an interesting conversation} in the 12th century for Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa. As you can imagine, this really put Cologne on the map with pilgrims from all over the world visited the medieval city. 

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You say "touristy" like it's a bad thing...

Let's face it. I'm an American living in Germany. That makes me a tourist. Right? I think so which is why I don't mind being called one. After all, if that means seeing the most important things and eating at popular places what's so wrong with that?

We asked the front desk attendant at our hotel, Marriott Courtyard Cologne, to recommend a place to eat our first evening. He suggested Früh with the caveat "it's touristy." In this case touristy meant fabulous!

As a beer hall, you would expect the beer to be delicious, but the food was also excellent and reasonably priced (for Germany). The waiter kept a tally of how many beers you have on a coaster {since they're small and go quickly!} Fun fact: the city's has its own distinct type of beer (known as Kölsch). I found it especially tasty and I'm usually not a beer drinker. Prost!

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Eau de Cologne

If you guessed that Cologne is the birthplace of Eau de Cologne , you'd be correct! As if a surprise trip didn't get him enough bonus points, my sweet husband agreed to take me to the Farina Haus which is where inventor Johann Maria Farina produced the famous scent in 1709. I would highly recommend it if you're ever in Cologne! For only 5 euro and 45 minutes it's well worth your time. You can either sign up online or in  person, but please note that only a select few tours are in English.

Not only was the Farina Haus still located at its original famous address of 4711, but the tour guide dressed up as Mr. Farina! He gave the entire presentation from Farina's perspective and showed us around all four floors of the building.

Farina's fragrance was so popular that Napoleon himself used a bottle {think the size of a beaker} per DAY! He even had a special pocket added to hiS riding boots so he could always apply even on the go. Crazy, right? Especially considering that a bottle of this size went for today's equivalent of 2,000 euro {$2,730}.

In a day and age when people rarely bathed and tried to mask their B.O. with strong fragrances that resulted was either a massive headache or passing out. Sometimes both! Eau de Cologne, with its light and sweet scent, revolutionized the idea that less really is more when it comes to fragrances. So true, Mr. Farina, so true.

Lastly, I would recommend walking around the Old Town down near the Rhine. Make sure to get some lunch outside near the Fischmarkt to get a great view of the pastel homes, Groß St. Martin {circa 960} and of course the lovely Rhine river.

Tschüss!