Kölner Philharmonie

We left Cochem without being able to see the castle but these things can’t be helped and travel plans don't always go to plan. Today’s destination was Cologne so we could drop the hire car off before leaving Germany. I have to say the drivers over here are amazing. If they aren’t overtaking then they are in the right hand lane (the slow lane over here). What amazes me though is the speeds they can go on the autobahn. I’m sure Brad is over my “passenger seat driving” and I am over being anxious about driving so fast.

It has been great having a car though, as we have been able to see a lot of the beautiful German countryside which has been lush and green. Germany really has some picturesque places and I am so glad we have managed to see a few.

Anyway with a sigh of relief we handed over our hire car, found our accommodation for the night and finally got to sit and relax over a very late breakfast /early lunch before checking out Cologne. Cologne is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and is situated on the Rhine River. It is certainly a lot bigger than any of the small German towns we have visited so far, being the fourth-most populous city of Germany.

Once we were refreshed and refuelled we hit the streets to explore with the Museum Ludwig being our first stop for the afternoon. The museum is famous for the art of the 20th and 21st century and is one of the most important art museums in Europe. It houses the largest pop art collection in Europe, the third largest Picasso collection in the world, and a collection on the history of photography with approximately 70 000 works.

Today there was an exhibition of the works of Ursula Schultze-Bluhm, one of the most important German artists of the 20th century. I must admit that I just don’t get it. While I am intrigued by her methods and her colour combinations can be quite striking, the themes and styles feel like something our boys created in preschool. There is a lot about modern art I love but equally, there is so much I just don’t understand.

The Museum Ludwig is such a well laid out museum with every piece given space to “breath”. It was fabulous to see so many of Picasso’s pieces, some Andy Warhol pop art and so many more amazing art works. I would love to be so talented to create such beautiful pieces of art.Read more