Cologne and Amsterdam

Cologne (Köln) & Amsterdam

We arrived in Cologne at night and were docked near the trainbridge and cathedral, both of which were lit up.  Every minute (no kidding!) a train or two at a time went over the bridge.  Dan was in heaven.  He went out after dinner in zero degree weather to take pictures and came back a happy man. 

What a great city!  Cologne.one of the largest European cities in the Middle Ages, was a center of trade.  It declined following the discovery of the Americas when trade began to shift to the Western Hemisphere.  We had a choice of tours.  One of us went to the Modern Art Museum to see Picassos, (we saw a zillion of them in Spain).  I think he is the most overrated painter ever.  Guess which one of us (who taught ancient Roman history) went to the Roman History Museum, (Romishc-Germanisches) which was outstanding!  I think it was the best one ever including the ones I’ve seen in Italy.  The items were extremely well displayed, and we had an outstanding local guide.  Cologne was originally a Roman city with the Rhine as the northernmost border in Germany.  The core of the museum is a magnificent mosaic floor that was found in situ when they were digging a subway at the beginning of WWII, which is why the museum is built where it is.  I believe the Roman glass collection is the largest in the world. When I was in Israel in 1992, I bought a Roman glass perfume bottle in an antiquities shop.  I saw one that was almost identical in the museum.  In the 1960’s some teenagers started digging in their basement and found what turned out to be a memorial monument about 2 stories high. 

The Cologne Cathedral is the second most important cathedral in Europe outside of Rome.    During WWII, most of the stained glass was removed so we were able to see much of the original. The cathedral was built in the Gothic style between 1243-1473.  A document from the fourth century CE mentions the Bishop of Cologne attending a conference during that era so Christianity obviously existed in the city at the time.   Emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be the official religion of his empire in the same century.

We walked the market area and on a side street found a large excavation of the Jewish section.  We could peek inside to watch the archaeologists working on artifacts.  They have uncovered a mikvah (ritual bath), medieval synagogue, homes, and gold shops.  We’ll have to go back in a few years to see the final results. 

Amsterdam

This was my third time in Amsterdam and Dan’s fourth (he went on a bicycling tour in The Netherlands while I was at Canyon Ranch).  We thought we might skip the ship’s included tours to the Reik’s Museum and a canal ride, but we were so glad we went.  We had not been to the Reik’s Museum since 1992.  It is undergoing renovation, but the 17^th century  masterpieces are still on view.  While the most famous piece is Rembrandt’s “Night Watch,” once again my favorite was a Vermeer, “The Milmaid”  Vermeer paints simple, exquisite paintings of indoor everyday scenes.  The focus of this picture is the pitcher from which the milkmaid is pouring milk.  Vermeer is a master of light.

Avercomb, an early 17^th century artist, paints in the genre style (everyday) paintings much like Breugel.  We saw a scene of people from all levels of society ice skating on the river.  A couple is in a haystack in an “affectionate” embrace; a man is peeing on the river.  I could have looked at it for hours and still not have seen all the vignettes.

There are many Rembrandts in the collection (duh!  17^th century Dutch genius!).  I especially like his lifelike portraits including his self portraits.

We went for a canal ride on a covered boat.  We’ve done this before but enjoyed it once again and it took us right back to the ship.

After a quick lunch, Dan and I (I think we were the only ones on the whole ship to do so!) set out for a  3-hours walk of the city.  We were headed toward the famous old, Portuguese synagogue built in 1685. Many Jews escaping the Spanish Inquisitions ended up in Holland.  Prior to WW II, 10% of the population was Jewish. The synagogue is a large, wooden building lit by natural and candle light.  The bimah (altar) is in the middle and a women’s section with high see-through railing surrounds the building on the 3 sides.  The floor had a slight coating of sand, which is common in the Caribbean synagogues.  I think it was supposed to muffle the sound of prayer and steps when the congregation had to worship in secret.

Because he stitching on my boots was separating, they were becoming unwearable  so when we passed a shoe store with reasonable prices, I bought a new pair of boots.  The 3 young sales people were adorable and extremely helpful.  The young man asked about the Giants and the World Series!

We walked back to the ship in twilight and saw some beautiful views including the red light district.  The ladies (I use the term loosely—loose women!) were in skimpy undies.  Dan was more interested in taking photos of the canals and old buildings.  He’s really getting old!!!

We are now in Brussels.