Cologne: It's Not Just a Fragrance Anymore!

[May 5-7]

Facts first, since I knew you'd ask:

The German city of Köln is known in France as Cologne. At the beginning of the 18th century, an Italian barber named Paolo Feminis moved to Köln and there created a fragrance called Aqua Admirabilis, made from grape spirits, oil of neroli, bergamot, lavender, and rosemary. Its popularity after its introduction in 1709 swelled quickly among the Germans, and after the Seven Years' War, the French, Austrians, and Russians who fought alongside the Prussians found themselves converts to the Kölnisch Wasser, known to the French as Eau de Cologne.

What else, besides the best-known perfume, is Cologne known for? The local beer, Kölsch, is famous as well. According to ebrew.com:

German Kölsch is a light golden ale known for its delicacy. It is clean-tasting and light-bodied with a slight fruitiness hidden by hoppy dryness. It is very rich in flavor but not filling, with a varying body, and medium to high carbonation. The head remains in the glass for some time, as with most of the German styles. The nose should have a faint herbal hint.

What can I tell you, first hand? It's served in tiny glasses, and is lovely when enjoyed at the Schutzenfest with our warm and gregarious Servas hosts, Thomas and Cornelia. Here we are, getting ready to dance.



Thomas and Cornelia were good to take us to the Schutzenfest. They're both independent journalists with a taste for intellectual and policy issues, so for them to go to Schutzenfest is like Marita and I going to, say, the rodeo. Although it's a bit outside their normal realm, we appreciated being shown the parties surrounding the traditional German shooting festival. Aside from the beers and swinging around the dance floor, arm in arm, one of the definite highlights was a break in tradition, a rather surreal performance on the main stage.

In what Tom thought was an effort to appeal to a younger crowd, the stage was taken by three cheerleaders in red, frilly cowboy outfits, and two more in stereotypical Native American garb (including feathered headbands and short skirts). Before the crowd of traditionally and conservatively dressed Germans, they proceeded to dance to techno-remixes of traditional American country music, responding enthusiastically to the cheers of middle-aged men enjoying the sight of their shapely legs kicking in the air. The awkward collision and assimilation of culture always manages to produce some amusing results.

We probably spent most of our time at our hosts' home. The combination of good cooking, comfortable and progressive residential architecture (courtesy of a recent remodeling job), great conversation, and an orange cat named Tiger, made staying inside as appealing as exploring town. We had some excellent chats with the family, including one with their daughter Charlotte, who was at first timid about her English, but still managed tell us all about the free trip to New York she'd won via an MTV promotion.



When we did manage to tear ourselves away from domestic comfort, one of our first stops was the Cologne Dom, a gigantic cathedral taking top honors as the city's most famous landmark. It's been under construction since 1248, and is undergoing massive restoration in preparation for the Catholic youth meeting held in Cologne later this summer. I was definitely impressed with it, but the crowds were pretty bad, especially when they started herding us out in preparation for a service. I loved the tilework in the floors and the huge expanse of the church's interior. Apparently, the place suffers so badly from environmental damage, that it's destined to an eternal curtain of scaffolding migrating across its surface. Restoration: bad for photographers; great for the masons.



Another stop was Museum Ludwig, which housed a huge collection of pop art and an exhibition of art made of chocolate ("Please Do Not Eat the Artwork"). Other than that, we spent lots of time wandering from the touristy bands of road encircling the Dom, through the Turkish quarter -- boasting excellent eateries and decent prices -- to the expansive botanic gardens north of town. Overall, our visit to Cologne was incredibly relaxed and enjoyable.


Thanks to Cornelia and Tom for sharing their city with us!