After falling asleep at home, we eventually arrived at the hotel at 4 AM and managed to squeeze in a 3-hour nap before J had to get up and make it to his job interview at 9 AM. I, on the other hand, spent the morning consoling his younger brother on the phone because his girlfriend of one year had just broken up with him. So by the time i hung up, it was time for me to get changed and pack.
Js younger brother ended up driving the 3 and a half hours to Koeln because he needed some company and ended up following us with his car so he could stay the night at our place.
Anyway back to the hotel...
I had booked a room at the B&B Hotel Köln Porz, thinking that the standard would be the same as in Hamburg.
Boy, was i wrong.
The hotel was directly across a casino and facing a parking lot. The room was the about the width of a double bed and it smelt of old cigarettes. The bathroom sink was covered in cigarette burns and the carpet floor had ash embedded in it from god knows how long ago. I'm not even going to go into detail about the questionable dried up dark splatter i saw on the bathroom wall.
Gross.
I've never felt so happy to check-out of a hotel room. And was eager for Js return, in hopes for some good news.
We thought we'd kill two birds with one stone and go for an apartment viewing. Our appointment was in the evening and so we spent the rest of the afternoon in the city just to buy some time. Turned out the apartment was perfect except for one problem, they didn't allow cats.
Oh well, better luck next time.
Anyway, for those of you who are not familiar with Koeln [also known as Cologne to many English speakers or those living outside Germany]. The city is most famous for their cathedral and Karneval.
REWIND:
About two and half years ago, J and i were living in separate cities but only an hour away from each other by train. We'd reunite every other weekend and often take day trips to neighboring cities.
24.05.2008
On that occasion, we decided to check out the Cologne cathedral. I had a look through my archives and realised i didn't have a blog post about it. I think i was going through a stage where i lost interest in regurgitating my thoughts.
24.05.2008
But lucky for you, i had uploaded a few photos into facebook. The ones above were taken in the bell tower [the halfway mark] and whilst going up the 509 steps to get to the steeple. Back when we were much fitter and didn't carry around our double chins.
FAST FORWARD:
My hair hangs down to my waist and we've both developed a few more lines on our faces. This is us now, looking slightly morebloated seasoned with only 3 hours sleep...
05.11.2010
The Koeln dome which pretty much looked the same since the last time we were there. Only difference was probably one of the steeples' were cleaner and the scaffolding had been moved to the next tower.
Smack bang in the middle of the city, we saw an archaeological site in progress.
And across a parking lot and next to some shops is "one of Cologne's oldest parish churches, it was modified several times during the Middle Ages and newly designed as a hall church between 1668 and 1672; steeple 1494 and facade 1896. The "Mourning Parents" are a replica and the original statues are now on the German war cemetery at Vladslo/Flanders in Belgium."
Those passersby can look through the metal gates to see that the roof is missing.
We also wasted some time looking in an antique shop that sold really expensive wooden furniture and ridiculously large metal animals.
Uh... OK.
At first i thought the price tag said 319 Euros, then figured out it was 39. But still, who would pay 39 Euros for a cracked frame and a dead leaf?
A fancy Koeln drain cover and an archway just above some apartments near the Rhine river.
Then as we were walking through one of the streets, we saw Hard Rock cafe. I was so excited, i insisted we go and have lunch there. It was much smaller than the one i had been to in Kuala Lumpur and helluva lot more expensive. At 10.25 Euros for a plate of cheese nachos, J and i made sure we cleaned the plate dry. But man, was every calorie worth it.
I ordered a veggie patty burger and a "Pickled Tink" which was a mix of Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka, Piña colada mix and fresh strawberries served frozen and garnished with two maraschino cherries.
It gave me a brain freeze but was totally yummy!
We accompanied his younger brother to get a haircut. Since there's nothing like a new hair do to make yourself feel just that little bit better after a break-up.
Js younger brother ended up driving the 3 and a half hours to Koeln because he needed some company and ended up following us with his car so he could stay the night at our place.
Anyway back to the hotel...
I had booked a room at the B&B Hotel Köln Porz, thinking that the standard would be the same as in Hamburg.
Boy, was i wrong.
The hotel was directly across a casino and facing a parking lot. The room was the about the width of a double bed and it smelt of old cigarettes. The bathroom sink was covered in cigarette burns and the carpet floor had ash embedded in it from god knows how long ago. I'm not even going to go into detail about the questionable dried up dark splatter i saw on the bathroom wall.
Gross.
I've never felt so happy to check-out of a hotel room. And was eager for Js return, in hopes for some good news.
We thought we'd kill two birds with one stone and go for an apartment viewing. Our appointment was in the evening and so we spent the rest of the afternoon in the city just to buy some time. Turned out the apartment was perfect except for one problem, they didn't allow cats.
Oh well, better luck next time.
Anyway, for those of you who are not familiar with Koeln [also known as Cologne to many English speakers or those living outside Germany]. The city is most famous for their cathedral and Karneval.
REWIND:
About two and half years ago, J and i were living in separate cities but only an hour away from each other by train. We'd reunite every other weekend and often take day trips to neighboring cities.
24.05.2008
24.05.2008But lucky for you, i had uploaded a few photos into facebook. The ones above were taken in the bell tower [the halfway mark] and whilst going up the 509 steps to get to the steeple. Back when we were much fitter and didn't carry around our double chins.
FAST FORWARD:
My hair hangs down to my waist and we've both developed a few more lines on our faces. This is us now, looking slightly more
05.11.2010
The Koeln dome which pretty much looked the same since the last time we were there. Only difference was probably one of the steeples' were cleaner and the scaffolding had been moved to the next tower.
Smack bang in the middle of the city, we saw an archaeological site in progress.
And across a parking lot and next to some shops is "one of Cologne's oldest parish churches, it was modified several times during the Middle Ages and newly designed as a hall church between 1668 and 1672; steeple 1494 and facade 1896. The "Mourning Parents" are a replica and the original statues are now on the German war cemetery at Vladslo/Flanders in Belgium."
Those passersby can look through the metal gates to see that the roof is missing.
We also wasted some time looking in an antique shop that sold really expensive wooden furniture and ridiculously large metal animals.
Uh... OK.
At first i thought the price tag said 319 Euros, then figured out it was 39. But still, who would pay 39 Euros for a cracked frame and a dead leaf?
A fancy Koeln drain cover and an archway just above some apartments near the Rhine river.
Then as we were walking through one of the streets, we saw Hard Rock cafe. I was so excited, i insisted we go and have lunch there. It was much smaller than the one i had been to in Kuala Lumpur and helluva lot more expensive. At 10.25 Euros for a plate of cheese nachos, J and i made sure we cleaned the plate dry. But man, was every calorie worth it.
I ordered a veggie patty burger and a "Pickled Tink" which was a mix of Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka, Piña colada mix and fresh strawberries served frozen and garnished with two maraschino cherries.
It gave me a brain freeze but was totally yummy!
We accompanied his younger brother to get a haircut. Since there's nothing like a new hair do to make yourself feel just that little bit better after a break-up.
After waiting impatiently all afternoon, J finally received the phone call. Turned out they offered him a great deal with responsibilities he only dreamed of.
And so J was quick to accept.
So as part of his excitement, J insisted on buying me a pair of wedge boots from Buffalo. Buffalo is a shoe store that sells some really nice heels but are way over my budget. I often would bitch to him that i don't like wearing heels because they're so uncomfortable. So after trying on numerous pairs, J made me try on these and hoped they'd change my mind.
And so J was quick to accept.
So as part of his excitement, J insisted on buying me a pair of wedge boots from Buffalo. Buffalo is a shoe store that sells some really nice heels but are way over my budget. I often would bitch to him that i don't like wearing heels because they're so uncomfortable. So after trying on numerous pairs, J made me try on these and hoped they'd change my mind.
At first i was skeptical over those buckles. Looking a bit like my feet were parading around in a straight jacket, i was soon convinced they didn't look that bad. In fact, they added some character to the boots. And the dirt-like marks on the wedged part is apparently the new "vintage" look. New things made to look old.
Uh... OK. Whatever you say lady.
And the added insole i got is said to keep my feet warm when the temperature dips down lower.
Half an hour later, we left the store with another pair of shoes to add to my collection. And me being the abiding girlfriend, had successfully fulfilled J's [semi] heel fetish.
We're moving to Koeln in January!
That gives us about seven weeks to get packed.
And so i'm sending out my wishes and hoping to find a somewhat centrally located, cat-friendly decent sized/priced 3-room apartment. Preferably, on the first floor with proper flooring. A balcony for the kitties and a built-in kitchen. Not forgetting a modern bathroom plus a bathtub and a toilet that doesn't belong in the 1920s. But more specifically a bathroom that also has a window.
Really, is it that too much to ask for?
Uh... OK. Whatever you say lady.
And the added insole i got is said to keep my feet warm when the temperature dips down lower.
Half an hour later, we left the store with another pair of shoes to add to my collection. And me being the abiding girlfriend, had successfully fulfilled J's [semi] heel fetish.
***
Oh and in case you didn't catch that...We're moving to Koeln in January!
That gives us about seven weeks to get packed.
And so i'm sending out my wishes and hoping to find a somewhat centrally located, cat-friendly decent sized/priced 3-room apartment. Preferably, on the first floor with proper flooring. A balcony for the kitties and a built-in kitchen. Not forgetting a modern bathroom plus a bathtub and a toilet that doesn't belong in the 1920s. But more specifically a bathroom that also has a window.
Really, is it that too much to ask for?
2 comments:
I've never moved in my entire life so I have no experience in that — but I think I would be totally excited. Are you still that excited? (cause I've read that you've already moved very often in your life)
I really hope you'll find a nice apartment soon! :)
Oh then i totally recommend that you do move at least once in your life. There's so much out there to experience, it will definitely enrich your life.
And yes, even though this counts as my 14th move [i think] it never really stops being exciting. It gives me an excuse to start all over again.
But having moved so many times has its' downfalls, after living in one place more than a few years, i find the desire to want to move elsewhere get stronger. The longest i've stayed in one city is 4 years.
That said, since moving to Germany, i've moved 3 times already, this being my 4th. Hopefully we'll stay put in Koeln for at least a few more years.
And thanks... the hunt for an apartment continues! There could be a possible viewing this weekend.
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