By Jud Niven

Sunday July 17, 2016

You’ve never been to Holland until you drive from Holland to another country like Germany.

Sunday we got up early and headed to Germany to visit the city of Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany it is known for perfume and Chocolate.  The first thing that becomes obvious to a traveler on a German highway is the blur of high performance and, even not high performance,  cars blasting by you like your standing still! The road we were on was 3 lanes and as in Holland the #1 lane or the left lane is for passing.  Everyone seems to have learned this from birth.  A vehicle will pass you on the left and then immediately go to the right lane so the next vehicle can go by…everybody gets along…..as long as you don’t linger in the fast lane too long.  Then its a flurry of flashing headlights and possibly a few horn honks.  This process is multiplied in Germany and definitely keeps you awake and on your toes.

Cologne was somewhat underwhelming.  The Cathedral down by the Rhine river is amazing and even more amazing the photos showing how most of the original Church was bombed in WWII. We did a River tour and got to see a good amount of the city.