Köln (Cologne)

Köln (29.4. & 30.4.)
Cologne is like a 3D textbook on history and architecture and is Germany's fourth-largest city, located along River Rhine.  Cologne's geographical and spiritual heart and its single-biggest tourist draw is the magnificent Kölner Dom. It escaped WWII bombing raids with nary a shrapnel wound and has been a Unesco Word Heritage Site since 1996. The Dom is Germany's largest cathedral and has the 24-tonne Peter Bell, the largest working bell in the world, located inside.

 Kölner Dom (me and Eylem infront)

After climbing 533 steps to the top of Kölner Dom we got this beautiful view.

 Fischmarkt

 Rive Rhine

God dropped ice-cream... ;)

 There is no way to cross this street :P

 Street performance

 Cologne is also famous for Eau de Cologne (German: Kölnisch Wasser; lit: Water of Cologne), a perfume created by Italian expatriate Johann Maria Farina at the beginning of the 18th century.

 Meeting my penpal Raji for the first time after 9 years of writing was one of the best things!

 Chocolate fountain

Baking Burek for our couchsurfing host :)

Bonn

Bonn (28.4.2012)
When this friendly, relaxed city on the Rhine became West Germany's 'temporary' capital in 1949 it surprised many, including its own residents. When in 1991 a reunited German government decided to move to Berlin, it shocked many, especially its own residents.
Bonn ist the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven's birth place is located in Bonngasse near the market place. Next to the market place is the Old Town Hall, built in 1737 in Rococo style, under the rule of Clemens August of Bavaria. It is used for receptions of guests of the town, and as an office for the mayor. Nearby is the Kurfürstliches Schloss, built as a residence for the prince-elector and now the main building of the University of Bonn. The Beethoven Monument stands on the Münsterplatz, which is flanked by the Bonn Münster, one of Germany's oldest churches.

 Beethoven Monument

 Historic Town Hall 

 Münster

 Rhine River

 Hofgarten (Court Garden) with Kurfürstliches Schloss (Electoral Prince's Castle), which serves as the main building of the University of Bonn. 

 Refreshing water in the fountain for our tired feet XD

Aachen

Aachen (28.4.2012)
The Romans nursed their war wounds and stiff joints in the steaming waters of Aachen's mineral springs, but it was Charlemagne who put the city firmly on the European map. Today, Aachen is still a quintessentially interantional city, not in the least because of its location in the border triangle with the Netherlands and Belgium.
Charlemagne's legacy lives on the stunning Dom, which, in 1978, became Germany's first Unesco World Heritage Site.
Aachen is also the birthplace of the famous Printen, crunchy spiced cookies spiked with herbs or nuts and drenched in chocolate or frosting :)

 Charlemagne

 Dom

 Rathaus

 Carolus-Thermen

Printen

Düsseldorf

Me and Eylem decided to explore the Germany outside of the borders of Bavaria (Bayern). We made a 5 days trip in North Rhine-Westphalia (Düsseldorf, Köln, Aachen, Bonn) and in Hesse (Frankfurt).

Our first destination was Düssedorf. We traveled by train and Couch-surfed in Düsseldorf for one night and 3 nights in Köln. Both Couch-surfing host were very hospitable and nice, so we spent a great time together.

Our primary plan was to stay in Düsseldorf for 2 days. But we were too eager to see as much as we can, so we succeeded to see Düsseldorf in one afternoon and had time to visit Aachen and Bonn the second day. Walking and sightseeing all day long made us extremely tired. That's why we took it easy in Köln and Frankfurt. 

Some photos from Düsseldorf (27.4.2012):

 River Rhein

 

 Rathaus

Peca (2126 m)

Peca (Slovene) or Petzen (German) is a mountain in the Karavanke Mountains on the Slovenian–Austrian border. The highest peak is on the Slovenian side of the border (Kordeževa glava 2126 m), while most of the mountain lies in Austria.

Before old year 2011 come to the end, we (me, Greti, Simon and Mojca=mom) decided to climb the mountain Peca, which is 2126 meters high. 

At the beginning there was some sun, which was soon gone after we started walking. Higher and higher we were there was snowing stronger and stronger, but that was not obstacle for us, so we kept walking… till we reached mountain top. Some statistic: we climbed 1500 meters and we walked for 6 hours :O

Deutsches Museum München

Inside of first German submarine U-1