When I opened the window in the morning, the fog gradually dissipated and the blue sky gradually appeared. I walked through the streets and alleys to the Rhine River. Along the way, I saw the beautiful Rainbow Building, the boy painting, and the girl exercising. Cologne is full of vitality on the weekend.
There is a towering church on the bank of the Rhine, which is the Great St. Martin Church.
Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, the Great St. Martin Church is famous for its magnificent quarter-tower and clover-shaped ground. It is the most spectacular of the 12 ancient Roman churches in Cologne. Before the construction of Cologne Cathedral, the Great St. Martin Church had always been the representative of Cologne.
To this day, the Great St. Martin Church and Cologne Cathedral standing side by side still form a splendid beauty on the banks of the Rhine.
Walking from the river to Cologne Cathedral, you will pass by the Ludwig Museum.
The Ludwig Museum was built in 1976. Peter Ludwig and his wife, famous German art patrons, donated 774 Picasso works to the museum. This museum has the largest collection of Picasso works besides the Picasso Museum in Paris and the Picasso Museum in Barcelona.
It is also the world's largest museum of historical pictures and cameras, and a great place for photography enthusiasts. We departed from Cologne in the morning. After more than three hours of train ride, we finally arrived at Münster, the bicycle city of Germany.
There is a bus stop opposite the Münster train station. The bus fares in Germany are divided into sections, and the one-way fare is more than 1.6 euros.
Munster is a beautiful ancient city in the northern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which combines classical architecture and natural pastoral scenery. In addition to the cathedral, Munster also has the fourth largest university in Germany. Nearly 50,000 college students make the city full of a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, and there are cafes, bars and nightclubs everywhere in the city.
Bicycles running through the streets and alleys are an eye-catching sight in Münster. This city with a population of only 300,000 has about 500,000 bicycles and is known as Germany's "bicycle capital." 100,000 people ride bicycles to and from the city every day.
Cars are not allowed on the roads around the city, and bicycles are the only means of transportation on this boulevard around the city, making it a unique landscape in European cities.
Numerous churches outline the skyline of Münster, which is a distinctive feature of the city. It has long been known as the "Rome of the North". The people of Münster have a witty saying: "Whether it rains or the bells ring - when they happen at the same time, it's Sunday.
Münster Cathedral is a must-see for tourists. It is the largest church in the state. The part that tourists see today was originally built in the 13th century in Romanesque and Gothic styles. It was destroyed during World War II and restored in the 1950s. The magnificent astronomical clock inside the church, which was made in the late Middle Ages, is a feast for the eyes.
Its calendar is set until 2071, and the twin green copper domes of the church tower can be seen from a distance.
Münster Cathedral is a rare church with bright lighting. When visiting the church, a German uncle who didn't speak English spoke a lot to Yunluo in German, pointing to a closed door, as if asking Yunluo to go in. Pushing the door open, there was only a long corridor, and the uncle followed and pointed to another door. Yunluo walked over in confusion and found that there was a beautiful cemetery in the church.
Münster Cathedral is connected to the Prinzipalmarkt Square, which is the center of Münster. The square is lined with aristocratic urban residences with triangular walls. Under the arcades of the residences are elegant clothing boutiques and cafes. The most eye-catching thing in the square is the town hall.
It takes a train to get from Münster to Berlin, and it was already noon when we arrived in Berlin. We took the S line from Berlin Central Station to the hotel, and as soon as we got out of the train station, we saw all kinds of graffiti on the walls of the buildings.
As the capital, Berlin's status in Germany is unquestionable. In addition to the heavy history of World War II, Berlin is also one of the art centers of Germany, and there are many museums displaying historical and artistic treasures of Germany and even the world. Museum Island (museuminsel) concentrates many of the essences.
1. Berlin is a very open and free city. It does not have a strong religious tradition. Due to the integration of foreign population and the impact of contemporary culture, Berlin has a very unique style. If you see people with strange clothes and weird behavior on the street, don't be surprised.
Of course, for the sake of courtesy and safety, please do not take photos of strangers without communicating with them to avoid unnecessary trouble.
2. Berlin's bus routes 100 and 200 serve as tourist buses, providing easy access to tourist attractions at the price of a regular bus. You can also sit on the bus and enjoy the city's most splendid scenery.
3. In some famous attractions in Berlin, there will be very appropriate "characters", such as the cartoon bear in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the American soldiers at Checkpoint Charlie, etc. There is a fee for taking photos with these characters, ranging from 1 Euro to 2 Euros, which is similar to those performance artists who perform to make a living.
4. Berlin is known as the "Bear City". There are bear logos on the city emblem and flag. There are also bear statues everywhere in the city, with various interesting patterns painted on the bears.
The first attraction you must visit when you arrive in Berlin is the Berlin Wall. There are three main sections of the Berlin Wall, in addition to the most famous East Side Gallery, there is also a section on Ra?e about 200 meters west of Checkpoint Charlie.
The graffiti on the East Side Gallery is a masterpiece of contemporary artists, and the most famous one is the "Brotherly Kiss" (bruderku?). This comes from a real political news photo. During the 30th anniversary of the founding of the German Democratic Republic, the then Soviet leader Brezhnev visited East Germany. After signing a long-term cooperation agreement between the two countries in the future, they hugged and kissed like brothers.
It connects the two districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, which were previously divided by the Berlin Wall. It was reopened to traffic in 1994 and has become an important symbol of Berlin's reunification.
Exit the East Side Gallery and take line S to Museum Island.
Museum Island in Berlin. It is an island that houses five museums. It was built between 1824 and 1930. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 for its cultural and architectural significance.
The five museums are: the Old Museum in Berlin and the subsequent New Museum, the National Gallery, the Bode Museum and the Pergamon Museum, which form the famous Museum Island in Berlin.
If you like museums, you can buy a museum pass, which is much cheaper than buying them individually.
Crossing the bridge, you will see a green domed building, which is the Berlin Cathedral. The cathedral was built between 1894 and 1905. It was once a church exclusively for the royal family. The interior is extremely gorgeous, with a magnificent interior decorated with intricately lined columns and exquisite murals. Even the capitals are gilded. The building has four floors above ground, with the highest point reaching 114 meters.
The Brandenburg Gate is the symbol of Berlin and the national symbol of Germany.
This neoclassical sandstone building, built in 1791, was modeled after the gate of the Acropolis in Athens. On top of the gate is a bronze statue of the goddess of victory with open wings driving a chariot, and on the scepter in the goddess's hand are oak wreaths, iron cross medals, and eagles with open wings, all of which symbolize victory in the war.
The Brandenburg Gate faces east, and the area to its east is the core of Berlin's old town. It is also the only remaining city gate in Berlin.
The Brandenburg Gate has stood here for more than 200 years, witnessing the rise and fall of German history. During the period of the division of East and West Germany, the Berlin Wall was erected to the west of the Brandenburg Gate, and no one passed through it for decades. Today's gate and the surrounding Pariserplatz are the most recent renovations completed after the end of the Cold War.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
Würzburg was not a high priority in the travel plan, but as soon as Yunluo stepped into the city, he began to like it.
Würzburg is the starting point of the Romantic Road in the north. The Main River flows through the old town of Würzburg. There is an old bridge left over from the 15th century on the river. There is also a castle fortress by the river. This is the most classic scenery of Würzburg. On the other side of the Main River is Würzburg, with buildings such as the Royal Palace, Church, and Town Hall. This ancient castle fortress on the <) is the symbol of Würzburg.
This medieval castle was transformed into a Baroque style in the 17th century. The interior of the castle is now used as two museums that tell the history of the region and the bishop's family. On the hill at the foot of Marienburg Castle, there are large vineyards. The mountain trail leading to the castle is the "Grapefield Hiking Trail" on Marienburg Mountain (). It is located between the cathedral and the old bridge on the Main River. It is a reddish-brown building with a 55-meter-high tower and many ancient decorations on the walls.
This building was built in 1180 and has a history of more than 800 years. The actual office of the town hall is located in the building behind this old building.
After a hearty breakfast in Würzburg, we took a walk along the river, then checked in our luggage and headed to Rothenburg. It takes more than an hour to get from Würzburg to Rothenburg by train, and you need to transfer to a special bus to get there.
Rothenburg is famous for being the quintessence of the medieval towns in Germany, having not been destroyed by wars and having been extensively restored in the last 20 years. Its well-preserved old town fully reproduces the medieval style.
The small town has winding stone alleys, quaint houses, and is guarded by city walls and towers. There are also charming gardens and the flowing water of the Tauber River. It is very beautiful and artistic. Time seems to have stopped here, and the atmosphere is full of fairy tales.
Rothenburg is a relatively pure tourist city. Apart from the scenic spots, the city is mainly dominated by souvenir shops, restaurants, cafes, and hotels. The old town is not big and all the attractions can be reached on foot.
If you want to appreciate a quiet town, it is best to stay in the city for a night, so that you can carefully look at this ancient and beautiful town in the early morning and evening when there are no large numbers of tourists.
One of the iconic landscapes in Rothenburg, at the southern end of the old town, the cobblestone road is divided into two parts here, forming a "Y" shape, and has different slopes along the terrain. On both sides of the path are beautiful traditional wooden frame houses and a small fountain. This is a microcosm of Rothenburg's characteristic streetscape.
The Rothenburg Town Hall on one side of the Market Square (Marktplatz) has a mixed Gothic and Renaissance style. This building can be traced back to the 14th century. Climb up the 52-meter-high bell tower platform to get a panoramic view of the town. At the same time, the market square with the town hall as the background is also the center of the Christmas market.
Before coming to Germany, friends who had lived in Germany recommended Heidelberg to Yunluo. Coupled with Goethe's words "Yunluo left his heart in Heidelberg", Yunluo was full of expectations for this city.
The entire old town of Heidelberg is a large painting. The green mountains in the background, the green water of the Neckar River, the ruins of the ancient castle engraved with the vicissitudes of history, and the old town with scattered spires and deep stone paths are just like a fairy tale.
What is particularly special is the ruined castle. It is incomplete and unrefined, and the stories of the years are buried in the broken walls. However, it has been soothed by time, touching people's hearts with its imperfect beauty, and still retaining its royal style, which has become one of the symbols of Heidelberg. (To be continued...)
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