Cologne - Touristy things part 2

After leaving the cathedral, we walked smack-bang into something very colourful that involved lots of people holding helium balloons.

Being the only one who understood German, I figured out it was a protest against homophobia

People had written messages in support of gay rights, which were then attached to the balloons

And then released.

A very peaceful and visually hypnotic protest

  

Seriously, I think we watched the balloons float away for at least 15 minutes.

We then decided to cross the other main tourist attraction of Cologne, the Hohenzollern Bruecke, to go view the city from the other side of the Rhine.

Our way past took us by the Philharmonic which was guarded to stop people from getting too close to the building and disrupt the rehearsal/performance. I call that shoddy planning if outside paedestrian traffic affects internal acoustics!

The Hohenzollern Bruecke. It famously withstood many allied bomb attacks until the German military blew it up while in retreat.

Rebuilt in1948, it too is covered in those lovelocks.

The view of the city from the Koelntriangle. As Fabi said to me when he recommended we climb this tower, "The view from the Dom doesn't include the Dom!"

I think this is the view south towards Bonn. 

Unlike Munich, Cologne was built over a Roman city and there are often archaeological finds!

The view of the Dom and Hohenzollern Bruecke from the Deutzer Bruecke. 

The next day we took some more leisurely strolls around the city as we headed towards the Farina Fragrance Museum.

When I saw this sculpture hanging off a building, all I could think of was *great mark*!!!!

Also, this building has wings!!!

Farina gegenueber - world's oldest Eau de Cologne and perfume maker.

Or should we say ONLY maker of Eau de Cologne! According to the museum, although eau de Cologne is now considered a concentration type, actual Eau de Cologne perfume is a registered trademark and Farina spent a lot of the 19th century suing people. 

Photography is actually not allowed in the museum, but the top floor had a few cabinets that we were allowed to photograph, such as this collection of different bottles through the ages

And this antique Chinese-style travelling (!) cabinet. I actually highly recommend the museum. It's quite informative and interesting, filled with historical tidbits and allows you to test different scents. Perfect for nerds like myself!