We wrap up our visit to Cologne today and will make our way back to the Netherlands. Although we did not spend much time in Cologne, we did take the opportunity to visit the massive Cologne Cathedral. It still is the church that most impresses me due to its sheer size. We also spent some time in the central shopping district next to the cathedral.
Today was spent primarily on the road. We started the day with a rainy morning drive around Berlin. The object was to get a picture of the car at the Brandenburg Gate and to find the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. Because of the weather photo conditions were less than ideal, but we did manage to get a few pics.
The Berlin Wall near the Ostbahnhof in eastern Berlin
After checking out of the Berlin Hilton we drove past Tempelhof Airport. Formerly the main airport of Berlin, Tempelhof is now facing closure. The airport itself is interesting from an architectural perspective as it is an example of mid-1930's German design. It is also an historic location since it was the airport that sustained West Berlin during the Berlin Airlift.
Next, we drove west towards our pitstop for the evening: Cologne. Along the route of travel on the A2 Autobahn we stopped at the former primary auto entry point into East Germany. First we saw the "German Unity" Sculpture in a rest area on the West German side of the border.
German Unity Sculpture
We then ventured to the former GDR Checkpoint that is maintained as a memorial. You can get a better impression by watching the video:
Tonight and tomorrow night will be spent here in Cologne. During the day tomorrow: the Nuerburgring
