Tracey went on a tour of the Augustusburg Palace in Bruhl.
Very opulent. The occupants were “prince-bishops”, both political and religious leaders.
No photos allowed inside except for a couple of spaces and, honestly, no photo would do it justice!
We toured through various rooms and then came to the central staircase. This staircase was where visitors were set down from their carriages and was designed to “wow” them and prove how very rich the owners were. The floor is of marble but the columns are “stucco”. The plaster is applied and painted and then can be polished to a shine that resembles marble. It looks for all the world like everything is marble but that’s not the case. The roof was a fresco. No picture could truly do it justice. Everyone that walked in from the previous room just stopped, stared and said “oh, wow”.
While I did the tour, Danny had a brief walk around the docking area in Cologne to take some photos.
In the afternoon, we both wandered around Cologne city. The Cathedral sits at the top of the hill and is truly magnificent. It was built in homage to the relics of the 3 Kings (3 Wise Men). It was bombed during WWII but only one section at the front was damaged. As it was Sunday, we didn’t go inside.
Cologne is also the home of the famous 4711 Eau de Cologne which got it’s name from the original house number that was given to the factory. There is another product that is, apparently, the original recipe and, to be honest, I like the smell of that better.
There was a market along the riverfront where the boats were docked. Some really good wares but nothing we needed or wanted to take home.
