I Have Become an Occidentalist: Catherdral Town Cologne

I spent much of my recent trip to Cologne admiring the area around the cathedral, marveling at the Gothic architecture and entranced by the activities of all the people visiting the area. I have become an occidentalist, I'm afraid, choosing to photograph the cathedral area and ignore the seemingly endless outside cafes and bars full of people celebrating the world cup. Cologne is a party town for sure.




From so many angles and under so many different lighting conditions, one can't get enough pictures of the cathedral.





Beautiful nighttime views on my way back to the hotel.


A McDonalds, Chinese restaurant and Japanese restaurant all in a row: globalization students, this one is for you!



The next morning I returned to the cathedral for more photos inside and outside. I was able to climb the narrow circular stairway up 9,725 meters in one of the towers. It was as far as we could go. The tower is 15,731 meters tall. The journey began 4 meters bellow ground through a horizontal tunnel. After paying, one can begin the climb up. And what a climb it is...






The inside is spectacular as well. (An understatement if there ever was one...)













Outside the cathedral performers and artists, serious individuals and frolicking groups and organized demonstrators were all present creating a truly carnivalesque atmosphere reminiscent of Bakhtin's Rabelais and His World, where diverse peoples, languages, dialects and activities come together to create the cacophony of culture.








I look forward to more travels within Germany to see more castles and cathedrals and continue my summer tenure as an occidentalist.

For information about the Cologne Cathedral, check their official homepage. Lots of pictures, explanations of history and a documentary video can be found there.

http://www.koelner-dom.de/home.html?&L=1