Our last port of call in Germany was the city of Cologne, where we marveled and stepped inside the world-famous Cologne Cathedral. Barbara chose a walking tour of the cathedral and other highlights, while I chose an e-bike tour of the city, where the highlight was a visit to the Cologne Botanical Gardens. As was the case with Nuremberg earlier in our travels, ninety percent of the city of Cologne was destroyed by Allied bombing in World War II, though the air strikes intentionally avoided the cathedral. As a result, Cologne is a very modern city, with only small remnants visible of the old city walls. It also embraces a wide range of cultures, as exemplified by the city’s new mosque that was designed by a Catholic architect. Ironically, while I was wandering on my own through the botanical gardens, air ride sirens began loudly blaring from every direction. I was unaware in advance that this was a test of Germany’s air raid alert system. It is quite apparent that Russia’s Vladimir Putin has all of Europe on edge. Later, as we continued or cruise into The Netherlands, we passed campgrounds, sheep grazing along the river, and signs of Germany’s mighty industrial power.
