After my today's one day business trip to Brussels in Belgium I will head tomorrow in the early morning with my wife to Cologne in Germany. We will do a 2.000 km "short trip" with her new car this weekend. On Friday evening we will visit some "Christmas Markets" in the city and the Saturday is planned for the "Intermot", which is one of the biggest bike exhibitions in Europe. I will come up with "some" pictures.
Day 1/3: Today we started our trip to Cologne after a delicious breakfast at 0530. We had nearly all possible weather conditions which may occur in one year. Some rain, lots of wind, fog, snowfall and also sunshine for the last 15 minutes near to our hotel in Cologne. It took us exactly 10 hours to pass the 943 kilometres with some breaks and fuel stops. After a short refreshing we walked about 2 kilometres to the cathedral of Cologne in the city center. In 1248 the construction of the Catholic cathedral started and was finally completed in 1880. The maximum height is 157,22 metres. It is the 4th biggest church building in the world. Next to the cathedral is one of the more than 20(!) Christmas Markets situated. We went there and tasted some delicious local specialities. Afterwards we did some shopping in a big shopping street. In the following some impressions. A first view over the river Rhein to the old town of Cologne. Millions of locks from couples are "decorating" the bridge over the river. First view of the hudge cathedral. In the Christmas Market. "Kölscher Reibekuchen mit Apfelmus" - Cologne potatoe pancake with apple sauce. The big Christmas tree of the market. Mulled wine with chestnuts. The main entrance of the cathedral. The backside of the cathedral. On our way to the cathedral and back to our hotel we crossed this bridge twice.
@Markus There's a few locks there and all seem to be good locks. Its a lovers thing i assume. Pictures are fab as well
@joe mc donald: It is a nice tradition. Due to the enormous weight those locks "generate" on bridges they have to be removed at least after some years.
Fantastic pictures Markus. All being well, next Christmas me and the wife are going to do 3 Christmas markets. Berlin, Krakow then onto Prague. Will be in Krakow Christmas day. They're great atmospheres too.
Day 2/3: After an enormous breakfast in our hotel we walked about 10 minutes too the entrance of the exhibition. In two big halls and one outdoor event space the "Intermot" took place. It was very interesting. Many well known and also some newcomers presented their bikes and equipment. In between some great "old-timers" were shown too. Additional stands for clothing, biker gears, biker jewellery and different kinds of technical add-ons were presented. For us it was a very "fruitful" exhibition. We saw many interesting bikes and shopped a lot. After our visit of the exhibition I headed back to the hotel packed like a "packhorse". My wife's bargains: A new helmet, a pair of biker gloves, two leather jackets and a new biker leather jacket. Mine: A new leather jacket and also a pair of biker gloves. Tomorrow we test the capacity of the trunk of my wife's car. In the following some impressions. The entrance and some views of the exhibition halls and the snack areas. A mixture of bikes. Hondas Oldies and retros. Unexpected beauties and "strangers". Italian MV Augusta's. Three newcomers from Norton. Triumph`s Triumph Cafe and a sister of my "Stormi".
We're going by coach with a travel company, so won't be able to deviate from their route. But who knows, hopefully they'll be a next time.
Day 3/3: After an early breakfast we started our tour back home at 0700 hours. This time we had better weather conditions. Only fog and rain for the first 5 hours. Afterwards the sun looked sometimes through the cloudy sky. The traffic situation on Sunday was also great. Without trucks, due to the Sunday driving ban, it was really cool to drive through two thirds of Germany. We made the 943 kilometres this time in 7:50 and with an additional "photo" of a German radar box. Luckily it will be a "cheap" ticket, because my speeding was not so high. We really enjoyed this international weekend. Some impressions of our today's journey. The weather in the morning. In the neighbourhood of the airport in Frankfurt. The first nice weather today. Back in Austria with better conditions.
Great photo gallery! Love the nighttime photos of the Cathedral in dramatic lighting! Nice selection of bikes! I didn't know Norton was still in business. Nice looking bikes with the LED lights. Not quite in my price range (Yikes!), so I'll still with my Sprint GT and Trophy SE. It seems that sport tourers are not in Triumph's portfolio any longer, right? You made quick work of the driving distances! At what speed do you typically travel on the German motorways?
@Rob the Scott : Thanks Rob! Triumph offers the Tiger 800 and the Tiger 660 as Sport Tourers. Norton is coming back with those kinds of futuristic bikes. Speed in Germany. We tried to keep about 140 km/h. On Sundays it is possible. On normal weekdays you will fail due to the heavy traffic around the big cities. Of course we tested the VMax in a legal way too.
The long-stroke front forks on the Tigers always made me think that they were dual sports, suitable for knobby tires and capable off road, if needed. I do like them, though, particularly because of the upright riding position. Maybe someday...
It looks like a fabulous trip @Markus, I haven't been to Cologne for many years, but do recall that it was a lovely city. I take it that you got all your bargains into your wife's car - and what a bonus even getting a souvenir photograph on the way in the post from the German Police . They are definitely not to be argued with!
Spent some time in Köln from the eighties. Love that city. Heading to a next edition of the Intermot is a good idea indeed ! Thanks for that thread. "das wasser von kölle is jut"
@Mrs Visor: Cologne is worth a visit! I thought I would be able to pass the year 2025 without a "ticket". But what shalls, we had lots of fun during our trip.
@Hubaxe: Many parts were changed in the last years, but the old town in the city centre is still nice. For me it was interesting that the big US producers were not present at the exhibition.
