Memory Lane: Köln (Cologne)

Our first visit to Köln in 2017 was just an afternoon stop before a night train. We wanted to see the city briefly, have a proper German lunch, and squeeze in a beer before moving on.

The Dom was impossible to miss, so that naturally became our starting point. We stood there for a while, looking up, slightly taken aback by its scale. From there, we crossed the Hohenzollern Bridge, pausing to look at the love locks and watch trains roll past. It felt busy but calm, very much a city used to people coming and going.

On the other side of the river, we went up the KölnTriangle to see the city from above. Looking back across the Rhine, the cathedral finally made sense, perfectly placed and dominating the skyline.

After that, we did what has since become a tradition. Lunch and beer at Gaffel am Dom, right by the station. Easy, reliable, and exactly what we wanted that first time. It is the one place we have returned to on every visit since.

That short stop clearly worked. We came back again in 2018, and again in 2022, both during Christmas market season. Same city, different atmosphere. What started as a practical pause turned into a place we kept returning to.