We arrived in Frankfurt rather late, closer to 10pm local time. After taking an Uber to our Airbnb in Frankfurt Am Main, we checked in to find an array of German beers waiting for us from the welcoming host. Excited for a quick stay in Frankfurt — only 15 hours or so until our train to Cologne — we tried to explore the night life near our stay.
We didn’t find much open that late on a Monday night in Frankfurt, so we opted for a little hole-in-the-wall pizza place. Turns out, that pizza was one of the best pepperoni slices I’ve ever had!
We chilled for a bit in the pizza shop, then wandered around old town until finding a bar that was open. Spent a few hour’s time outside on the patio’s couches, and then went back to the Airbnb. We found a delightful brunch restaurant around the corner from our place, and enjoyed fresh fruit and mimosas for breakfast.
Our train to Cologne wasn’t bad — traveling north through Bonn, the journey from Frankfurt was quick. I’ll never forget arriving at the Bahn, walking outside and being absolutely shook by the greatness and scale of the Kölner Dom. When we arrived and walked through the plaza in front of the cathedral, a rainbow was shining bright in the sky.
Our accommodations were centrally located, through the shopping district and just a few blocks from the cathedral and train station. We checked in, changed and prepared to do some shopping.
The shopping along Cologne’s pedestrian-only streets was great. We bought a few items and the two-story Mango and I picked up a new bag, a bracelet and a clutch at the Longchamp store. Surprisingly, the price of goods was rather reasonable given the euro-to-dollar exchange was quite strong during our vacation.
We wandered around the cathedral, past the modern Ludwig Museum and across the great bridge with locks on every corner. A few blocks down from the bridge, we found another crossing and wandered along the boardwalk, finding an Italian Eis shoppette. In search of a strip of pastel buildings with a castle behind them, we walked further along the back alleys and stumbled upon the rather modest scene. Finding a little restaurant in the yellow building, we sat down and sipped on one of the most refreshing mint ice teas I’ve had.
We swung by the Gaffel Kolsch pub beside the cathedral for a couple German beers and schnitzel. I wasn’t too impressed by the schnitzel, though. It seemed like a slightly different version of what we know as chicken tenders. We hoped to take in some of Cologne’s nightlife, particularly to check out the club Bootshaus, but it was closed during the weekdays in which we stayed. Instead, we opted for a dinner at Früh Kolsch with a German friend instead.
The next morning was an early one — our train to Tomorrowland left at 5am that day. Walking through the empty streets of Cologne at that hour was ominous, with a homeless people asleep near store fronts and the lingering sense of sunrise.
We apparently missed the tomorrowland stand that was set up near the cathedral. After chatting with a couple of Americans at the train stop, we realized a few moments before our train took off that we needed to grab the welcome packets from that booth. With just a few seconds to spare, we sprinted back from the check-in booth and hopped on our train. Of course, not knowing what to expect, we braced ourselves for the trip into Belgium for the world’s largest electronic music festival.