Introduction to 12 day parent-child self driving tour in Germany
Days: 12 days time: July per capita: 20000 yuan and who: parent child play: Humanities, free travel, self driving, food
1 Pullman Berlin Schweizerhof
2 Potsdam Square Cultural Center
3 Checkpoint Charlie Jewish Museum Berlin Wall Site Memorial Park
4 Brandenburg gate and Piazza de Paris Museum Island
Aparthotel am Schloss Market Square
6 Queen's procession of Notre Dame on Elbe theatre square zwingne Palace
7 Hotel Elephant - A Luxury Collection
8 Hotel Burg gartenpalais villa Mittermeier Town Hall art clock St. Jacob's Cathedral streets ancient metal hand forged Art Christmas Museum toy house
The old bridge and farm outside the city
10 villa mastal Hotel kulturbrauerei Heidelberg University Old Town Street cable car 6, Heidelberg Castle
11hyatt Regency Cologne direct above hohensoren bridge Cologne Chocolate Museum Street Garden and street
12 Cologne Cathedral
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Hotel Elephant Weimar, Autograph Collection ￥ 1522, book now >
Hotel Villa marstall ￥ 893, book now >
Aparthotel am Schloss ￥ 851, book now >
Hotel Burg gartenpalais ￥ 1752, book now >
Pullman Berlin Schweizerhof ￥ 861 book now >
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Day 1
2014-07-25
Why choose Germany for this stop? Beijing is in the hot dog days, and our family of six started a self driving trip to Germany. The weather of 256 degrees is really comfortable. For this country that has become the focus of the world for many times in history, Germany is more willing to focus on the present and the future. Culture, art, sausage and beer mobilize everyone's taste buds, and some special children's activities are interspersed at the right time. The journey is always full of joy. Self driving route of this trip: 1. Self driving route: Berlin Dresden Weimar Rothenberg Heidelberg Cologne 2. Reserved vehicle: booked a spacious eight seat Volkswagen with oversized trunk on rentalcars website Multivan (two children can sleep on the road, and six large suitcases are no problem). The rent for seven days is 4800 yuan. 3. Car pick up: you can pick up your car at Berlin Airport or in the city's stores. According to the address of Berlin Hotel, we have determined a store close to the hotel on the car rental website. 4. On the road: many friends buy local mobile phone cards and navigate through the network map; We are still used to using the traditional navigation mode. We have purchased a navigator with maps of Europe and North America on Amazon. The maps can be updated in real time on the official website. Parking lots / gas stations are also marked, which is really accurate（ I bought the European navigation map in Beijing before, but it can't be updated, so many road directions are not very clear!) 5. Warm tips: when inputting the destination on the navigator, no matter one or two points in its spelling are temporarily ignored, it will always associate with the destination you want. The first stop of self driving tour: Berlin is not a big city. It is not recommended to drive in the city (finding parking space will become a big problem). The public transportation system in Berlin is quite developed and convenient (the arrival time is also marked on the bus stop, which is generally very punctual). Many hotel lobbies can buy two artifacts: traffic pass and Museum Pass. There are many kinds of choices based on the number of people and the number of days. We chose a one-day pass (16.7 Euro) for five people in Berlin and a three-day pass (24 euro per person) for the museum.
We stayed in Pullman in mitt Berlin Schweizerhof (Pullman Schweizerhof Berlin Hotel), located in Berlin Zoo and Kurf ü rstendamm shopping street, 120 euro per night.
In Germany, sausages and beer are indispensable at noon and at night. This cafe is located on the Bank of the lake in tilgarten park am Neuen See) it's only a few steps away from our hotel. The paintings on the wall of the restaurant are very attractive to children. Sausages, elbows, beer... Delicious beyond words! Under the guidance of the chef, you can make the ingredients for the pizza yourself. On weekends, the open-air Bavarian hops will last until midnight. Similar restaurants and cafes are easy to find in urban and suburban Berlin. There's no need to worry about them. It won't be disappointing to find one.
In addition, find an Einstein cafe and taste the most famous Einstein coffee in Berlin.
Berlin is really worthy of the bear city. No matter where you go, you have to be attracted by these charming bears.
In Berlin, the 53 year old traffic light villain is as important as the bear. The little green man waving his arms and walking fast and the little red man with outstretched arms and natural posture are directing the pedestrian traffic in Berlin, which is very eye-catching. Now, the traffic light villain has become a cultural symbol of Berlin, and the related derivatives have become Berlin's tourist souvenirs. We enjoyed it for a long time in the traffic light villain shop on putishu street. There are many T-shirts, water cups, refrigerator stickers, storage bags, postcards and so on, all of which are very attractive.
The palaces and gardens of Charlottenburg palace may not be as magnificent as those of the royal palaces in England or France, but they have been attracted by its comfort and magnificence since they entered. Charlottenburg palace is the earliest Summer Palace of Prussian royal family. The whole building is U-shaped, and the rooms are baroque style. Furniture, oil paintings, handicrafts and other collections are a feast for the eyes. On the ceiling of many rooms in the palace, there are oil paintings by famous painters. Most of the paintings are palace, religious and mythological stories, and the walls are inlaid with all kinds of gilded carvings, all of which are telling about the luxurious decoration of the royal family. Among the numerous rooms, I like the mirror hall and the porcelain house best. The mirror hall is the center of the whole palace, and the slender Green Satin alternates in the mirror, which is as beautiful as a dream; The most precious part of the palace is this porcelain house. In order to show the rights and honor of the royal family, more than 2700 pieces of porcelain from East Asia are collected here, which shows the enthusiastic yearning for China of the hot people in the mid-18th century. The palace garden is worth walking around. Standing on the bridge in the middle of the lake and looking at the palace from afar is another scene.
Day 2
2014-07-26
Potsdam square is where skyscrapers gather. Modern buildings are as tough and straight as his nation. Here are the film and television Museum, Lego discovery center and Daimler contemporary museum. For the sake of our children, we only chose LEGO discovery center. Small Lego models create this children's paradise. There are 4D movies and many children's games in it. Friends who like Lego can't miss it.
The cultural center, 200 meters west of Potsdam square, is the Berlin Modern Art Center. With a church as the center, the cultural center has five first-class Museums: the new National Art Museum, the exhibition hall of famous paintings, the arts and Crafts Museum, the printing and painting Museum, and the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. If you are interested in modern art, every museum will take a few days. No matter which one you choose, I believe you will be interested in learning and exploring some modern concepts and ideas. To measure our interests and physical strength, we chose to visit two museums: the art gallery and the new National Gallery. In the 72 exhibition hall of famous paintings, I marvel at the works of Rembrandt, dursler, Vermeer, and others, but also praise the lighting of this art gallery, using sunlight as much as possible, without the strong light and dark in the past. Such soft light is of great help to the appreciation of paintings; The new National Museum of art is an angular palace with glass curtain and steel structure. It collects the paintings and sculptures of Picasso, Dali and other masters, as well as many German abstract art and installation art.
Day 3
2014-07-27
To learn more about Germany's reflection on World War II, the following are good choices: Checkpoint Charlie, Jewish Museum, Berlin Wall, Holocaust Memorial (to balance time and energy, we will go to the Holocaust Memorial on the fourth day).
Checkpoint Charlie used to be the main gateway between East and West Berlin. As an important tourist attraction, it costs several euros to take photos with soldiers.
Jewish Museum is a museum recording Jewish history and culture. In order to commemorate the bitter history of Jews, the museum building itself is very strange. The interior is full of irregular corners. A long stairway leads to the exhibition hall and continues to the wall. The cracks in the wall are windows, and the sunlight from the outside comes in, which is particularly dazzling. There are several empty exhibition halls, which are said to be dedicated to commemorating the Jews' absence in German history. In a side hall, there are some works specially made for the museum by several artists. One of them is made of gun shells from World War II. Ten thousand painful faces are scattered on the ground. When visitors step on it, the metal collision makes a harsh sound, like the wailing of those Jewish spirits. It's creepy! Very shocking! But on the whole, the museum's real accusations against the Nazis are restrained, and more space is used to commemorate the origin, tradition, history and culture of the Jewish nation, without deliberately promoting hatred and anger. This is worthy of serious reflection for us who suffered in the war as well.
The most famous section of the Berlin Wall is in the East Gallery. Once 155 kilometers long, the Berlin Wall is now more than 1.5 kilometers long. Most of them are in the eastern Gallery, and more than 100 meters are in the Charlie checkpoint Museum. This 1.3 km Berlin Wall, called the East Gallery, is the longest and best preserved section. Now we see the effect of graffiti by international artists in 1990.
Day 4
2014-07-28
The first university went to the Capitol building early, then passed by the Brandenburg gate and the Holocaust Memorial Hall, and walked east along the avenue under the bodhi tree to the Museum Island. You can take the free elevator to the glass top floor of the Capitol to enjoy the panoramic view of Berlin, but you must remember to make an online appointment two weeks in advance, otherwise the queuing time may be several hours. We made an appointment for the 8:00 p.m. elevator. Originally, we wanted to climb up to enjoy the night view of Spree river. As a result, the children had to give up after a day's walking.
The goddess of victory commands the two wheeled chariot on the Brandenburg Gate, witnessing the war, the cold war and the unification of Germany and guarding the elegant Paris Square. The most pleasant thing is to find an open-air cafe on the square to see the tourists and the surrounding buildings with full sense of design.
The avenue is 1500 meters long, with Brandenburg Gate in the West and Museum Island in the East. There are neoclassical buildings on both sides, including universities, libraries, banks, museums and shops. There are some magnificent old buildings in modern Berlin. However, because it is not a pure pedestrian street, it is not very smooth when there are many tourists. At the east end of the avenue under the bodhi tree, on the Museum Island on the Spree river, there are five ancient Museums: the old National Museum of art, the pagama Museum, the new museum, the old museum, and the Berlin Museum. They are listed as world cultural heritages by UNESCO together. If time is not enough, What must not be missed are the new museum and the pagama Museum. The longest line at the gate is the pagama Museum. The pagama altar from Turkey is one of the highlights, and hence the name of the museum. Other collections are architectural entities from ancient Greece, Babylon, Islam and the Middle East. They are numerous and large-scale. Walking among them, they are quite immersive. Not only do you think about how they were transported in those days?
This is the pagama altar. Sitting on the steps of the altar, you can imagine the prosperity of the Turkish Empire.
Day 5
2014-07-29
Today we arrive at Dresden, the second stop of German self driving tour. The easternmost end of central Germany is Saxony, and Dresden, which is full of culture, is the capital of Saxony. In 1945, Dresden encountered 3900 tons of explosives dropped by the British and American air force. At that time, Dresden was almost in ruins. Today's Dresden still shines with the immortal architecture and art preserved and many buildings rebuilt. Here, enjoy the art feast of "northern Florence".
Aparthotel at the corner of the new market square Am Schloss is amazing, and the price of 130 euro per night with breakfast is reasonable. Every room in the apartment is named after the artists who have lived here before. The introduction of these artists can be seen in the lobby of the hotel. The decoration of the house is mainly purple, which is my favorite. There is a huge terrace on the third floor to view the panoramic view of the old city. From here, you can easily reach all parts of the old city on foot. Here is our walking route.
Driving from Berlin to Dresden, it's almost dusk. With light rain, we take a walk in the market square in front of the hotel. The market square is the center of Dresden. The market square is centered on the statue of King Augustus, surrounded by museums, churches, hotels and shops. Below is the neoclassical Transportation Museum, baroque church of Notre Dame, hotel and restaurant, and quiet street on one side of the market square.
Day 6
2014-07-30
From the bazaar square through such a narrow alley, a few steps up to the platform of Brill. Standing on the platform of buluer, you can enjoy the scenery of the Elbe River and its banks. Countless artists have set up painting boards here to capture this intoxicating scene. Among them, the most famous painter is Canaletto in Italy, which is also known as the "landscape of Canaletto".
If you only have a quick glance at Dresden, take a look at the viewing platform 68 meters away from Notre Dame church. You can have a panoramic view of the whole city. Take a map and take a seat. Every building is clearly visible. The Church of Notre Dame, which existed in the early 18th century, was also destroyed in 1945. The present building was rebuilt in 1993. In the ruins, people excavated more than 7000 pieces of debris, numbered them and entered them into the computer. 3539 pieces of excavated stone were used for the facade alone. 45% of the whole church used the original excavated stone. The reconstruction work was completed in 2005. The interior of the church is like a magnificent opera house. It is a good place to listen to music, meditate and pray. The altar in the atrium is made up of 2000 pieces.
The narrow Augustus street from Notre Dame to the palace has a 102 meter long stucco wall. This painting completed in 1876 was transferred to the 24000 Meissen tiles in 1906. This work is intact in the air raid in 1945. It records the costumes and weapons of 35 governors, electors and kings during the reign of the Weiting family.
The most famous one around the theater square is the Renaissance style sanpa opera house, which was destroyed in the air raid in 1945, and it took another 40 years to repair.
Located in the south of the theatre square, zwingne palace is a baroque three wing building. The magnificent crown gate is one of the city symbols of Dresden, which is the most beautiful Baroque building in Germany. There are several large and small fountains in the palace garden. Because there are not many tourists, many children play in the fountains. At the exit is a group of ornate Meissen ceramic clocks, which are made of 40 exquisite ceramics. They ring every 15 minutes, crisp and pleasant. The royal collection inside zwingne palace is a feast for the eyes, with Raphael's "the virgin of Sistine", valuable porcelain from the East, mathematics and physics salon, etc.
Day 7
2014-07-31
Today we arrive at Weimar, the third stop of German self driving tour. Weimar is a city full of literary and artistic atmosphere, the birthplace of the German Enlightenment and the drafting place of the constitution of Weimar Republic. If you want to know Weimar, you can start with Goethe and Bauhaus
In the colorful Weimar, there are many characteristic hotels. We chose to stay at the elephant deluxe hotel in the city square Elephant - A Luxury This five-star hotel with a history of more than 300 years is full of classical and artistic atmosphere. It has entertained countless politicians, artists and scholars, and the price of 145 euro per night is worth the money. Taking this as the center, you can walk all over the city quickly.
The whole German self driving process is full of delicious food. How to enjoy it in Weimar? one Open air tulingen sausages: when you are tired of shopping at noon, you can find a resting place in the square and buy a tulingen roast sausage. You can also enjoy the satisfaction of fast food:) 2 Goethe's traditional cuisine: walking on the street, you can see Goethe's traditional cuisine restaurant guided by Goethe's statue. Goethe's favorite food is stewed beef with herbal sauce and Red Beet Salad. three In Jo Hanns restaurant enjoy a big dinner: in the quiet alley opposite Goethe opera house, we found this restaurant. Every food is mouth watering. The most praiseworthy thing is that there are children's favorite food and adults' favorite wine. The wine here comes from the Salle winstrot River Valley in tulingen state, with more than 100 kinds, It's definitely the gospel of diet and wine.
There are many buildings in the city square. Let's look around for a week! New Gothic style town hall, Renaissance style tourist center, and a super realistic doll sitting at the window reading.
At the gate of the national opera house are statues of Goethe and Schiller, two close friends. Goethe, Liszt and Strauss all acted as music conductors here.
Bauhaus Art originated from Bauhaus college in Weimar in 1919. Bauhaus Art marks the birth of modern design. "Everyone who is sitting on a chair with steel tube frame, everyone who is using a desk lamp whose brightness can be adjusted according to needs, and everyone who lives in a house partially or entirely made of prefabricated materials are benefiting from a revolution, These benefits are mainly brought by Bauhaus. " These scenes are common to us today, but when you find that these are the architectural ideas put forward more than 100 years ago, you have to clap your hands. Bauhaus Art is typical in three German cities: Berlin, dessault and Weimar. This is the Bauhaus Museum in Weimar, which records the origin and development of the world's first educational institution for the development of modern design. Bauhaus as the beginning of modern design, from graphic design to interior design, architectural design and even stage art, has a profound impact on all aspects of modern life.
Walking into the ticket hall on the first floor of the three storey old yellow house, Goethe's former residence is on the right and the National Museum is on the left. Goethe lived in Weimar for 57 years from 1775 to 1832. He is known as "Shakespeare of Germany". A large number of works such as Faust, Pandora and the trouble of Young Werther are familiar to us. However, it was only in Weimar that we realized that he was an outstanding politician, architect and scientist, worthy of being an encyclopedic figure. At the same time, there are countless famous figures in Weimar, such as Goethe, Bach, Nietzsche, clay, Schiller and Liszt
Weimar, as the birthplace of Bauhaus architecture, built only one Bauhaus building, which is the Haus am Horn。 Here we can have a deeper understanding of the functionalism and minimalism of Bauhaus architecture. Secondly, we should eliminate aestheticism, pay attention to practicality and subordinate form to function; Abandon gorgeous decoration, return to clear outline, design works should be suitable for large-scale promotion. Can you imagine that this was a thought more than 100 years ago?
Come out of the bugle house and take a breath in the elm Riverside Garden opposite. Goethe Garden Cottage is hidden in this beautiful garden.
Day 8
2014-08-01
Today, we arrive at the fourth stop of German self driving tour: Rothenburg on the upper Tauber river. Rothenberg, located in the upper reaches of the Tauber River, is like a theme park in the middle world. There is a sense of Lost Joy, dream and reality. Don't make any plans. Let's stop and go as we please. Let's experience the fairy tale world of leaving the world.
We stayed at the berggarten palaz hotel The hotel is located in the old city. It provides a special parking lot for guests. All the places are easy to walk to. I can't help but revel in the romantic fairy tale scenery of the hotel garden when I open the window in the morning!
The famous Michelin restaurant villa is about 100 meters away from the Northeast gate of Rothenberg Mittermeier, these dishes are all made from local ingredients and are carefully cooked by chefs with artistic style. While shouting "long live the environment", they have to be impressed by these delicious dishes.
Occupying the market square, the Gothic style town hall is the vibrant center of the town. The steps at the gate are always full of tourists for sightseeing and leisure. The fruit stall in front of the town hall is very exquisite. On one side of the market square, there is one of the most beautiful fountains in Rothenberg. It has been spraying water since 1446. Can you imagine?
The triangular gabled Renaissance style Parliament Hotel on the market square opens the small windows on the left and right sides of the 1683 clock from 11:00 to 15:00 every day and at 20:00 and 22:00 every night. In the small windows, there are scenes of a large number of drinkers in historical drama: the old mayor drinks up with a large number of glasses, At the same time, the commander of the Royal infantry looked at him in amazement. This scene comes from such a story: in 1631, Tilly, the leader of Catholicism, led the army to besiege Rothenburg. The mayor and senior officials were arrested one after another. The City Council of Rothenburg tried to satisfy Tilly, who was bloodthirsty, and offered him a large glass of wine. Tilly challenged, "if anyone dares to finish this glass of wine in one breath, I will let this town go." The mayor accepted the challenge and succeeded in the end! This is the prototype of the script of the great drinker.
It took nearly two hundred years to complete this magnificent Gothic St. Jacob's Cathedral in 1484. Gothic style theme building is amazing, its spire straight towering. The middle hall of the church extends all the way to the altar. Under the gloom of the painted glass windows, it is particularly colorful and solemn. The altar of holy blood on the second floor is the treasure of the town hall. It treasures the world-famous holy blood of Jesus.
The moment we arrived at Rothenburg, we began to travel through time and space. The world of communication turned out to be so real that there were always many surprises. Everywhere is full of colorful small houses, in the evening, you can have the opportunity to enjoy the praise of the folk chorus in the open air!
In the streets and alleys, there are exquisite metal signboards hanging in front of almost all the shops, and the local blacksmiths are famous for their traditional handicrafts.
There is such a Christmas Museum beside the market square, which has more than 50000 kinds of Christmas gifts. These lovely little things are mainly produced in the altz mountains, such as Christmas tree decoration, Christmas tower, cuckoo clock, music box, Nutcracker, Christmas card, shining angel and so on. They directly bring us to the dream of heaven.
Here, we can never see enough of those toy houses with bright themes. There has never been a place where there are so many different styles of toy houses, each leading the way.
Day 9
2014-08-02
There are many gates in Rothenburg, and most of them are double gates. They were built in the middle ages or earlier. Some gates are decorated with a lighthouse with a very emotional atmosphere on the top, some gates are decorated with a tower with a lovely little tower, and some are decorated with the imperial parliament or the Earl's family emblem. Each of them has been carefully carved.
There are several places to climb the wall along the small stone steps, and the children like to shuttle on the narrow wall. From the top of the city wall or gate, you can have a panoramic view of the high towers, red roofs, chimneys of different shapes, and the lush taobo Valley outside the city.
Going out from the gate on the west side of Rothenburg is the best choice to enjoy the scenery of Tauber River Valley. This 700 year old double deck bridge is the most beautiful place outside the city.
Day 10
2014-08-03
Today we arrive at Heidelberg, the fifth stop of German self driving tour. The northern part of Baden Wurttemberg in Germany has charming pastoral scenery and fresh and natural towns. Heidelberg with a long history is one of the representatives. By the time we got here, it was late, and the scenery of the Neka river at dusk moved us all at once. If you want to find a generous and peaceful place, choose Heidelberg.
Hotel Villa Marstall Villa Hotel ） It's a 19th century villa in the center of the city, overlooking the river in a room with European classical four legged beds The underground cavernous breakfast hall is very bright, and you can walk to almost all the scenic spots.
You can look up at the castle from the front of the hotel or most of the city.
The hotel is facing the nekaa river. The nekaa River in the sunset will be deeply imprinted in my memory.
As a half baked eater, I enjoy too much food in Germany. The first thing to get to Heidelberg is not to stay in the long-awaited Castle Hotel, but to go straight to the restaurant kulturbrauerei, leyergasse recommended by my friends 6. Take the opportunity to review and summarize the German food.
1.It's easy to find a beer garden in Germany that provides home brewed beer. After drinking a lot of Czech and Belgian beer, I try to beat them down today. However, apart from the slightly higher price in Germany, it's hard to beat them down in taste, No wonder they all call themselves the best beer in the world:) by the way, there are a few popular names for beer, non-alcoholic beer, alkoholfreies Bier, pure beer Altbier, Guo Niang beer Dampfbier, black beer Schwarzbier, light beer Leichtbier, wheat beer Weizenbier...... thanks to the German brewage tradition brought by the purity Act (only using malt, yeast, beer and water brewing beer), it is said that German beer will not give Bier a hangover. If you have to reserve seats in advance on weekends, the Germans will drink until the middle of the night. It would be perfect with some homemade desserts.
2.Sausage is the suffix of * * wurst on the menu. There are more than 1500 kinds of sausages in Germany, including bratwurst, thuringer, bregerwurst, curry wurst, blutwurst, leberwurst, etc. At the same time, there are different cooking methods. Some can be boiled in beer, some can be roasted with vegetables, some can be stewed directly in the pot, and sometimes they can be eaten with some sauces. ha-ha! Don't worry, don't choose fear, as long as the menu has * * wurst suffix, you might as well try it.
3.White kimchi and red kimchi, the classic German side dish is kimchi. Sauerkraut, as we usually understand it, is a kind of cabbage that is cut into thin strips and slowly stewed with white wine vinegar. But we can't miss the red cabbage. It tastes sweeter.
4.Like other countries in Europe, people in Germany love potatoes. Many places even have "potato Festival".
5.Roasted pork knee with vegetable salad for gourmets who like meat, German roasted pork knee is the first choice. It is charred outside and tender inside. With some vegetable salad, you will be satisfied!
Old and modern, prosperous and peaceful, radical and conservative, Heidelberg has a variety of personality. As the oldest and most authoritative University City in Germany, Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, is as famous for its academic achievements as Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. More than 30000 college students study and live here, and numerous great figures have emerged, lighting up this academic city. You can take a look around the University square, then go to the old university and the new university to see the classical buildings of the 18th century, as well as the university library built in 1901. When college students are nervous about their study, they often have some funny behaviors. They can always see some naughty students throwing their discarded shoes on the wires.
The streets, alleys and buildings of Heidelberg are full of the simple and elegant style of the middle ages. In addition, one fifth of the population of Shanghai Debao is students, which adds infinite vitality to this classical city.
sure Take the cable car to the castle at kornmarkt in the market square. At the cable station on the top of the mountain, you can see the beautiful scenery of Heidelberg, the valley of the necka River and the plain of the Rhine River.
Heidelberg castle is a complex of red sandstone buildings, a fusion of Gothic Baroque Renaissance style, and the soul of Heidelberg. The facade still follows the classical arrangement of columns in the Renaissance, but the combination of pilasters and niches has revealed the Baroque appearance.
There is an interesting pharmacy Museum in the castle. It's like walking into a wizard's pharmacy room. I can't help worrying about whether there is magic in these bottles.
The castle also has the world's largest wine pool, which is surrounded by 130 oak trees and can hold 221726 liters of wine.
From the terrace of the castle, you can see the whole city and the nekaa river.
Day 11
2014-08-04
Today we arrive at Cologne, the sixth stop of German self driving tour. This is also the last stop of this self driving trip in Germany. It's sad to think that the holiday is coming to an end.
The most beautiful and worthwhile places in Cologne are the Rhine River, the old bridge (hohensoren bridge) and Cologne Cathedral, so we chose Hyatt Hotel in Cologne Regency You can enjoy the beautiful pictures of the Rhine River, the old bridge and the Cologne Cathedral on the other side from your room or breakfast room.
Ha ha, this trip to Germany is already a gourmet tour. Everywhere you go, Michelin restaurants, friends' recommendations and TripAdvisor's recommendations are full of delicious food. In the last blog post, you have made a summary of German food. Let's go directly to the picture above.
From the hotel, you can go directly to hohensoren bridge, which is a new romantic iron bridge and a Gothic cathedral. Climb up the tower of Cologne Cathedral to get a panoramic view of the whole bridge.
At the approach bridge, there are horse riding statues of the Prussian king of hohensoren Dynasty, which symbolize Prussian dominance over the left bank of the Rhine River.
There are also extreme sports enthusiasts climbing here.
The bridge is densely covered with all kinds of heart locks, which are engraved with the names and dates of the lovers. It is said that after the locks are hung, the lovers throw their keys into the river, hoping that they will never separate. One of the most attractive is the long chain of heart locks. I guess they are based on family or wish list.
Ever since reading the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roland Dahl, my daughter has been looking forward to the opportunity to visit the chocolate factory like Charlie. Today, I finally got what I wanted, and the little girl was very happy. But after the visit, she felt that there was a big gap between them and her imagination. How could they all be machines? What about the imaginary chocolate lake that can row? It's two or three kilometers from Cologne Cathedral, and its full name is the schokoladen Museum is a science and technology palace of chocolate making art. It introduces the chocolate culture in detail, including the origin of chocolate, the growing process of cocoa and the display of some accessories. You can also taste many different kinds of chocolate.
The two days in Cologne were very leisurely. I couldn't bear to leave when I found such a street garden. Shopping in Cologne is also a good choice. The main shopping streets are around the cathedral. The streets of Cologne are especially beautiful when the rain is over and the sky is clear.
Day 12
2014-08-05
Cologne Cathedral was first built in 1248 and completed in 1880. It takes hundreds of years. Among the Gothic churches in the world, the first is Milan Cathedral in Italy, the second is Notre Dame in France, and Cologne Cathedral is the third. I have been very lucky to visit these three typical Gothic buildings, and their sense of solemnity is overwhelming. I just took the opportunity to review the knowledge of Gothic architecture that I just learned recently. Here, I'll give you a lesson to sum up some typical Gothic architectural features of Cologne Cathedral.
1. It has very sharp towers and flying arches, and the dense columns and pointed arches support the towering cathedral. This feeling extends to the interior of the church.
2. Concave pointed arches and exquisite relief.
3. High hall, pointed roof.
4. Bunches and pointed arches. In ancient Greek and Roman architecture, the pillars were thick one by one. In Gothic architecture, the pillars developed into bundles one by one. The arches above the two bundles of pillars developed from semicircle to sharp style.
5. Colorful rose window. The rose window, composed of 72 kinds of ever-changing colored glass blocks, is called "Symphony of light". When the sun shines on it, the biblical stories depicted on the rose window are clearly presented.
6. The three sacred objects in the church. One of them is Three King sarcophagus: the most famous is the gilded sarcophagus placed behind the main altar, which follows the stars to Bethlehem to worship the three kings who were born in the stables. Their bodies are preserved in it.
The second is the Holy Cross: the huge and exquisitely carved Holy Cross is very eye-catching.
The third is The Madonna.
7. Other interior decorations and reliefs.
8. If you can climb the 533 steps of the south tower, you must go to the highest part of the south tower. Feel that this building was the highest in Europe for many years (after the completion of Eiffel, it is the second highest). Enjoy the process of climbing the tower and have a rest. The world's largest church bell, Peter bell. There are 12 bells on the top of the church. The largest one is St. Peter's bell, which weighs 24 tons and has a diameter of 3.22 meters. It was installed in 1924, and it is deafening when it rings every hour. On the top of the tower, you can see the beautiful scenery of the Rhine River and the whole city of Cologne.
Cologne gives me the feeling that it is traditional but not out of fashion, modern but not out of history, full of humble atmosphere and pleasant service. The two days here have made a perfect end to our self driving trip. Next stop, see you in Greece!
