On Easter Sunday, my friends June, Betsy and Jerry and I arrived in Cologne, Germany on our Viking Longship Ingvi. We had already spent time in Amsterdam and Kinderdijk, Holland and had cruised the previous afternoon and night to Cologne.
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When we arrived at breakfast on our ship, we were greeted with Easter Baskets full of real, decorated Easter Eggs and delicious chocolate Easter bunnies, one for each guest on board. The staff was wonderfully cheery and everyone wished us a happy holiday. Breakfast was again delicious and fresh and afterward we headed up to one of the decks to view the city as we approached.
As we neared the heart of the city we did come across large sections of industrial areas. It appeared that there were miles and miles of large sites lining the Rhine River. Before we left, our neighbor John told me that I might find his parent company while there and if I did to snap a picture. He works for AkzoNobel, which is headquartered in Amsterdam.
We never saw it while we were in Amsterdam, but guess what we passed while we were standing on deck? Yup, a huge complex of AkzoNobel buildings.
Of course I snapped a couple of pictures on my phone and sent to him.
Not long after that we docked in Cologne. The view on the opposite shore of where we were docked was much more modern. Cologne is split by the Rhine and the oldest part of the city, Altstadt, is immediately accessible as you leave the ship.
There is an amusement park along the other side of the river with a huge Ferris Wheel.
The water in the river that morning was sparkling.
Here is another view of the more modern side. The river was always busy, with barges, other pleasure ships and even small boats, like the one here.
This more modern side is still part of the Innenstadt and is known as Deutz. It is part of the central city district and is an important business center. I liked how June captured this old church amid the modern buildings.
Speaking of modern, look at the Kranhaus Buildings in the distance, behind our ship. They are in a section of Cologne known as Rheinauhafen, an urban regeneration project in Cologne.
In front of the Kranhaus Buildings is the Schokoladen Museum, the Chocolate Museum. The three Kranhaus Buildings symbolize the areas historic ties to shipping, in the fact that they resemble cranes once used in the marina. The Chocolate Museum is a flagship for Lindt and the chocolates were delicious. Yes, we did visit in the afternoon, after touring all day, and it was a fun treat that I will tell you about later.
Next, we were off to meet our tour guide and head into the heart of Altstadt.
This is not a sponsored post. This is my experience from my trip with Viking River Cruises. Email me to find out how you can save $100 when you book your first cruise with Viking through their referral program.
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