Ausfahrt, flying underwear, and a bee or two...

So we had an eventful day. After a night of little sleep until a lovely sleeping pill, some fresh fruit in the morning, and a quick shower I was ready to go. Claudia was applying her makeup in the mirror when a little friend stopped by in our seventh story room... A BEE! She flipped out, ran in the bathroom, and shut the door. I was left in the room with the bee. Great. So it goes outside and we shut the window... well then it got too hot. So we opened it... and guess how came back. Only this time when she ran into the bathroom, guess who went in with her! THE BEE! She came flying out cleared the bed in one big leap and told me to kill it. WHY ME?! After two attempts I splattered him. We then left a few minutes later.

We rode the trolley down the road in Frankfurt... nothing exciting. Tons of thai food and pizza places, very blue collar and modern. Went to the train station in Frankfurt because it looked like good people watching, and it was. Had a roasted pork sandwich, fries, and cappuccino's at an outdoor cafe. It was relaxing. Some locals chanted in german while guzzling beers, and we saw someone we knew! It was the cousin of the bee I killed, and he wanted revenge. So he flew into Claudia's coffee, onto my sandwich, on my clothes, landed on her leg, until she smacked him with the menu splattering som ketchup along the way...

In front of the Franfurt Train Station - great people watching!

That was it, we then headed for the car and off to Cologne! We drove past the Frankfurt airport again, then transitioned to Cologne and within an hour we stumbled upon a gorgeous view of Limburg, photos are in my gallery. The cathedral stuck out of the top of the trees right along the riverbank! We both said WHOA at the same time and headed off the autobahn and went to the zentrum (town center.) Parking was cheap thankfully, and we headed into the little cobble stone side streets for a better view. It was amazing!

The streets are uneven cobble stones, and the buildings show their flaws with a slight leaning quality. Very charming.

The Dom (cathedral) in Limburg, overlooking the Lahn River, which can be seen just beyond the peaceful graveyard just beyond the main entrance of the Dom.

Cute shops, lots of quaint little houses... some were even crooked - odd but makes sense since they were pretty dated. When we found the cathedral we had just hiked up some steep stairs, but it was worth being winded! The bells were tolling and there were not alot of people around. Just outside the main entrance was a 150 year old cemetery where head stones had fallen over, but very peaceful and serene. Great area to walk around in and just think really...

We checked the time and it was about 5pm local time and we needed to get to Cologne. Got back in the car and back on the autobahn. About 45 minutes more of driving and then we arrived in Cologne. This city is so amazing! It's busy busy busy, very young, hip, and beer on every corner for the buying! All the locals walk around with beers just chit chatting on the street. The cathedral stands out like a powerful yet friendly beast amongst the other buildings. It is gorgeous! We found a hotel and they had one room left and free wifi and free breakfast! Score!

The two tallest peaks are the massive Kolner Dom (Cologne Cathedral.) I can't wait to get up close and personal with this massive beast!

Headed to our room, dropped our luggage and out to the street! We went into a little less touristy part of town and really enjoyed the little shops (window shopping only, most stores are closed on Saturday's and Sunday's.) We found a small cafe and shared a caprese salad, some fingerling potatoes in a cream like sauce with shaved parmesan (YUMMY) and a ciabatta with mortadella, tomatoes, basil and lettuce. All were good. Washed it down with a bavarian beer and Claudia had a nice glass of red wine.

Headed to a local bar and had a drink there, wasn't really too happy with the place. Very typical dive bar, only nobody speaks english and the surroundings were cheesy. We called it quits. Headed back to the hotel and kicked off our boots... and my findings were two blisters and a raw heel.
Side Note: Ausfahrt is on every roadway, buildings next to alleyways, doors etc... Well, when I first saw it I reverted back to a five year old and giggled and yelled it out every time I saw the word! I realize now it means "exit" - I still think its' funny though.


Side Note #2: I decided to wash my black pair of undies in the sink, as all seasoned travlers do, and hung them to dry in the bathroom. (please note the color is important.) I went to shower in he morning and moved them by the large window in the hotel room to dry while I showered. I opened the door to the bathroom after finishing my morning routine and saw something black fly by the window in the corner of my eye. I turn and my black freshly washed undies were not where I left them!!!!!! I ran to the window, shouted something I can't repeat, and leaned my head out of our 7th story window thinking they would be hanging off of a car antenna flying down the street... but I saw nothing! I panicked for another second, and looked down on top of my luggage... and there they were. (Claudia laughed so hard she started crying... I dont know that I will live that one down for a while...)

It's 2am here and I need sleep. Good night!