There was a Sign

The train ride to Cologne was uneventful with the exception of that I accidentaly sat in 2nd Class. With a Eurail ticket you can sit anywhere you like, but they give you funny looks if you're not taking advantage of 1st class. While I was in 2nd class this guy comes up to me with his family behind him and says in the Queen's English, "You are sitting in my seat!" Again, you can sit anywhere unless someone has reserved a specific seat. Well, he said variations of this phrase several times before I got my things together and stood up to move. The looks he gave me were like "I am an upper classmen and you are a dirty backpacker, I can't believe that you are sitting in my seat." He looked like the uncle from Harry Potter, the one who locks Harry under the stairs. So I got up and with a big grim on my face I moved to 1st class. It was much quieter and there was drink service and the ticket taker lady came around with these wonderful German treats that were made in Hannover called, "Contessas".

My stop was in Cologne for a couple of hours to have a look around, grab lunch, and the get back on the train to head for Bacharach. Once I walked out the doors I was overwhelmed with the sight directly infornt of me. It was the Church of Cologne! Beautiful! I felt so small due to it's massive size. Inside you could only walk in so far because of a German mass that was being held. I stopped and listened for a while, donated my Euro, and lit my candle. I thought I would come back later after the mass to look around. I walked the streets of Cologne and it was quite touristy, but it sits right on the Rhine river so it was nice. I found a local pretzel vendor and a local fruit vendor and compiled myself a lunch. I sat in a very nice area that no one seemed to care about. It was like a mini park that was covered in snow. It had a grand view of the Cologne Church and every so often the pigeons would be startled and they would fly high into the air barely reaching half way up the church. It's amazing what details you notice when you are in a new place. Although that Amsterdam thing....don't know how I missed that one!

Lunch in Cologne

After Lunch I walked back into the church and this time it was opened up for a full viewing. I walked around admiring the articulately crafted stone carvings. This one painted carving (I think made from wood) caught my eye. It seemed to call to me. I later found out that the statue I was looking at was of St. Christopher. He carried a young Jesus on his back, he had bushy hair, and carried a walking staff. I also learned that he is the Patron Saint of Travelers.

St. Chirstopher

Hmmmm. I walked around some more and they even had a crypt. Pretty sweet! I hopped on the train to my next destination.

The train ride into Bacharach was gorgeous! The train goes right along the Rhine and most every turn offers a new view of a castle or a small town. When I arrived in Bacharach it was like a ghost town. All of the stores were closed and it was pretty dead. Very charming though! I could see the castle I was going to stay at, but I couldn't figure out how to get up the hill. I asked a local woman if she could point me toward the entrance to "Jugendherberge Burg Stahleck". She directed me toward this stone path covered in snow that lead over a brook and into what seemed to be the backyards of some of the residents of Bacharach. Eventually the path turned into a steep up-hill climb. The difficult part was not the snow covered path that made it slippery; It was when you had to climb with the aid of cables....while in the slippery snow. It was actually kind of fun! It got easier when I noticed the rollie bag marks in the snow. They were fresh. I was close.

Rollie Bag Tracks

My main worry was that I would get to the top only to find-out that the place was closed. I walk around a turn and the path opens up to a beautiful view of the Rhine. Still so more climbing to go! I walk under a stone archway toward the main entrance. A sign on the wall says, "Welcome visitors! Enjoy cake, coffee, wine and beer inside!" That's when I knew I was at the right place!