Two days in Cologne, Germany

Between Fred's bout with the flu, and his giving it to me, we ended up having two good days this Thanksgiving weekend, which we used by driving to Cologne to see the cathedral and go to the Christmas markets. Both were out of this world! We walked to four ourdoor markets which were covered in white lights, located in beautiful places, and one had as many as 140 booths. About half were food! We drank glugwine (spiced hot red wine) and ate German goodies. Now I know where fruitcake came from! (It's better in chocolate) We also enjoyed seeing all of the handmade wooden toys, stained glass and decorations. One market was the "world's largest floating market" and was on a beautifully decorated boat on the Rhine River. The whole thing was a magical experience. It sure puts you in the Christmas spirit.
The cathedral was massive! It looks a little like the one in Barcelona, a little like the duomo in Milan, and feels bigger than St. Peter's . It's like 800 years old, and the symbol of the city. A nice way for an American girl to spend Thanksgiving !