Children of a Revolution?

I cannot begin to put into words the roller coaster ride of events that was my day. To the innocent bystander, i.e. those of you reading this post, it may seem that nothing out of the mostly ordinary occurred today. However, I assure you that this day was far from ordinary and now that I am at the end of it I must say I enjoyed it thouroghly.

My roommate Paula and I rose early this morning and drove the hour and a half into Koln (Cologne, or as Petrarch referred to it the "city of dreams"), the fourth biggest city in Germany. From the minute we drove into the city center and parked underneath the Cathedral Dom I felt a "something" in the air. Of course, prior to now I had never visited this city but I just felt like something was askew. As we stepped out into the plaza in front of the Cathedral and the train station that feeling of "something" was palpable and thick in the air. People were collected in small groups on the steps before the Dom and there was an eerie silence that didn't seem quite right amongst such a large crowd. Paula and I both felt it without even saying a word to each other. So we simply stood and observed. Within five minutes we witnessed a gang of teens in black hooded sweatshirts getting into a brawl with another gang of teens. The fight was broken up when one group ran into the train station for cover. Not more than ten minutes later a group of about 60 Polizei (German Police) in swat gear stormed the square and headed into the train station. The people standing around all joined in the chant "Nazis Aus" which means Nazis out, I think (see video). Paula and I were stunned, and a little freaked out as well. I mean we're living in post-Nazi Germany and here we were hearing the forbidden name being chanted in the streets. We wanted to ask what was happening but I just can't explain the feeling I had that I should just keep my mouth shut. So the Polizei marched into the train station and that was the end of that.



After standing around for about 25 minutes trying to recover from the events we had just witnessed, we decided to carry on with our day, although we did notice an influx of interesting characters who looked like they were protesting, with shirts and flags and the word "nazi" sprinkled intermittently throughout. We even saw people with stickers saying "No Go Nazis". To my complete shock, one side of the square was dedicated to a special group of protesters, gathered round a makeshift gallows complete with nooses and all. For an American girl coming from a "free speech" nation I should be used to this display of opinon, but I'm not and I was shocked. Not shocked enough to take a picture, however. Check it out!



Moving on, we feasted on some Donerkabob (a sandwich like unto a gyro, and even more delicious) and made our way back to the Dom Cathedral. What a great experience! The cathedral itself was built in the 1300's to house the Shrine of the Maggi, a reliquary which reportedly holds the remains of the Three Kings. It was the tallest architectural structure in the world until 1884 when we built the Washington Monument in D.C. (a great structure, but come on, it's one long slab of cement). Colognes beauty camoflauges well the damage it sustained from WWII when relentless air raids crumbled 90% of the city center. Dom serves as a reminder of this turbulent past as it withstood 14 bombs to its north end, and with minor reconstruction it still stands to receive 22,000 visitors daily. I am happy to report that I purchased a beautiful blue-beaded rosary to add to my collection of "rosaries from world-famous Cathedrals" (sounds like a Jeopardy title, doesn't it?).




We also visited House #4711. In the 18th century Goethe (German author who wrote the play Faust) noted, "How grateful the women are for the fragrance of Eau de Cologne". House #4711 was the home of Wilhelm Muehlens, who manufactured the fresh water of Cologne (or Echt kolnisch Wasser) which is now a famous scent known to enhance one's senses. In the corner of the store a gold fountain bubbles with the beautifully scented water and one can purchase a bottle of the fragrance with the same label it's had since it's creation in 1972. Paula was particularly happy as she grew up with the scent, her mother sprinkling her with it after showering and before dressing for nice events.


The next stop was the Museum Ludwig, where we saw the biggest collection of Pablo Picasso I have ever seen. And although Cubism never did tickle my fancy, I still feel cultured and simultaneously modern by saying I've seen a Picasso in Cologne.


Paula and I had plans to visit a few more landmarks (including the much anticipated chocolate museum) but were disappointed to find much of the city blocked off by Polizei. Disappointed may be the wrong word because while I would have loved to have seen more of the city I am absolutely thrilled that I was there to witness a piece of German history. We later found out the reason for the commotions and protesting was the prevention of an Anti-Islam march. Here is a link to an article Paula found about it and I hope to find out more tomorrow. Who knows, perhaps we'll make the front page of the German papers!

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3658793,00.html