MUSEUM OF THE FAR EAST - BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

THE MUSEUM OF THE FAR EAST CONSISTS OF THREE BUILDINGS, THE JAPANESE TOWER, THE CHINESE PAVILION, AND THE MUSEUM OF JAPANESE ART.  KING LEOPOLD  II HAD THEM BUILT IN THE EARLY 1900s.   THEY ARE LOCATED JUST ON THE EDGE OF THE ROYAL PALACE PROPERTY.  KING LEOPOLD II WAS INTERESTED IN HAVING  UNIQUE PLACES TO WALK ON HIS PROPERTY.  BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED.

COLOGNE, GERMANY

COLOGNE, GERMANY IS JUST A 2 HOUR DRIVE FROM OUR HOUSE IN BELGIUM.  COLOGNE (also spelled KOLN);    ALSO EASY TO GET TO VIA TRAIN FROM BRUSSELS.   AND ONCE YOU GET THERE EVERYTHING IS VERY CLOSELY LOCATED SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO RENT A CAR TO ENJOY THE CITY.  

IT HAS A REALLY INTERESTING HISTORY.  IT IS AN ANCIENT CITY WHICH WAS ORIGINATED IN ROMAN TIMES.  THERE ARE RUINS THAT DATE BACK TO 50 A.D.  YOU CAN SEE PICTURES BELOW.  IT'S LOCATION ON THE RHINE MADE IT AN IMPORTANT TRADE CENTER AND ROUTE.  COLOGNE BECAME AN IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS CENTER WHEN THE RELICS OF THE 3 WISE MEN WERE GIVEN TO THE COLOGNE CATHEDRAL (AFTER HAVING BEEN TAKEN FROM THE MILAN CATHEDRAL).

THE PIXIES FOUNTAIN;   THEY ARE THE TINY WORKERS THAT COME OUT AT NIGHT AND FINISH YOUR WORK FOR YOU.  

JAN VAN WERTH FOUNTAIN - A GENERAL IN THE GERMAN ARMY DURING THE 30 YEARS WAR.  --  THE STORY GOES THAT JAN FELL IN LOVE WITH THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG GRIET BUT GRIET TURNED HIM DOWN BECAUSE AT THE TIME  HE WAS JUST A POOR FARMBOY.  HE WENT ON TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL GENERAL AND MARRIED A NOBLE LADY.  WHEN HE TRIUMPHANTLY RETURNED TO COLOGNE HE SAW GRIET WHO WAS OLD AND WRINKLED AND STILL SINGLE BECAUSE NO RICH MAN EVER ASKED FOR HER HAND.   WHEN SHE SAW HIM SHE SAID, "JAN, IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN".   NOW, NEWLY MARRIED COUPLES COME HERE TO HAVE THEIR PHOTOS TAKEN IN FRONT OF THE STATUE.   WE SAW SEVERAL DO SO WHILE WE SAT AT A CAFE AND ENJOYED A BEER.

LEAVING YOUR LOVE LOCKED ON A BRIDGE.   

I'VE SEEN THESE LITTLE "PIXEL CHARACTERS" IN OTHER CITIES IN EUROPE.  KIND OF FUNNY

WHEN YOU TAP YOUR FINGERS ON THESE METAL BARS THEY MAKE  SOME UNIQUE MUSIC. I'VE POSTED A VIDEO LINK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3L9iUNIw6g

DURING WORLD WAR I COLOGNE WAS A TARGET OF MINOR AIR RAIDS AND SURVIVED WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.  IT WAS OCCUPIED BY THE BRITISH ARMY THROUGH 1926.  THERE IS A LOT OF PARK LAND RIGHT ALONG THE RHINE WHICH WAS THE RESULT OF DEMILITARIZING AND DISMANTLING OF THE FORTIFICATIONS.  THIS HAS MADE FOR A REALLY GREAT RIVERFRONT AREA THAT IS A GREAT DRAW FOR WEEKEND ACTIVITIES.  

WORLD WAR II WASN'T AS FORGIVING WITH 262 AIR RAIDS.  THE WORST DAY WAS MAY 31, 1942;  THAT DAY BROUGHT "OPERATION MILLENIUM" - THE FIRST 1,000 BOMB RAID BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE.  THE STATISTICS ARE INCREDIBLE...75 MINUTES OF BOMBS, 600 ACRES DESTROYED, 400 CIVILIANS KILLED,   59,000 HOMELESS.  BY THE END OF THE WAR THE CITY POPULATION WAS REDUCED BY 95%.  TWELVE ROMANESQUE CHURCHES WERE DESTROYED BUT THE CATHEDRAL WAS NOT HEAVILY DAMAGED.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, RECONSTRUCTION LASTED UNTIL THE 1990s WHEN ST. KUNIBERT CHURCH WAS COMPLETED.

THE COLOGNE CATHEDRAL IS MASSIVE.   NONE OF THESE PICTURES REALLY CAPTURE THE SIZE PROPERLY.  THE ONE TIME I DIDN'T BRING MY WIDE ANGLE LENS FOR MY CAMERA!  

COLOGNE CATHEDRAL;  CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 1248 STOPPED IN 1473;  THEN CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN THE 19TH CENTURY - FINALLY COMPLETED IN 1880.

THE TOWN HALL BUILDING IN COLOGNE IS THE OLDEST OPERATING TOWN HALL BUILDING IN EUROPE.  IT WAS ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1300s.  ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THE BUILDING WAS REBUILT TO IT'S ORIGINAL LOOK AFTER BEING  NEARLY COMPLETELY DESTROYED IN WORLD WAR II.  THE REST WAS BUILT IN A MORE MODERN STYLE.   THE TOWER WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN THE 1400s, DESTROYED COMPLETELY IN WORLD WAR II, REBUILT IN 1970, CARVED FIGURES REMOVED IN 2006 BECAUSE OF SEVERE DETERIORATION AND FINALLY NEW CARVED FIGURES REPLACED IN 2008.  

WEDDING DAY AT TOWN HALL;   A CONSTANT FLOW OF BRIDES ON SATURDAYS.

THE FIRST DAY WE WERE THERE WE WALKED FROM OUR HOTEL TO THE ZOO.  IT WAS A NICE SIZE ZOO, BUT COULDN'T HELP BUT MAKE FUN OF THE FACT THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAD A RACCOON EXHIBIT.   BUT THEY DID  HAVE A VERY GOOD BIRD EXHIBIT AND ALSO AN AQUARIUM WAS INCLUDED.  SO OUR FEET WERE BARKING BY THE TIME WE WERE DONE.

COULD NOT RESIST THESE UNUSUAL CONDIMENT DISPENSERS!

LOTS OF BABIES IN THE ZOO

I KNOW THIS GUY IS REALLY UGLY, BUT I STILL THINK HE'S IRRESISTIBLE IN HIS OWN SPECIAL WAY!

CAN'T RESIST A MEERKAT FAMILY!

THERE ARE SEVERAL NICE ART  MUSEUMS IN COLOGNE.  WE WENT TO THE LUDWIG MUSEUM.   SOME INTERESTING PIECES OF MODERN ART.

EDWARD KIENHOLZ - "PORTABLE WAR MUSEUM"

PAINT BY NUMBERS - ANDY WARHOL

THIS WAS A REALLY HUGE PAINTING.  REALLY LOVED THE VIBRANT COLORS

NOW I KNOW THAT SOMEONE OUT THERE IS GOING TO LIKE THESE...BUT SORRY, I DON'T GET IT!  

I THINK THIS WAS ACTUALLY PART OF A PHIL COLLINS EXHIBIT!  IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ROCK 'N ROLL.

AFTER THE CATHEDRAL, THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE SIGHT IN COLOGNE.   IT IS THE PRAETORIUM.   THESE ARE ANCIENT ROMAN RUINS FOUND UNDER THE CITY STREETS OF COLOGNE, NEAR THE TOWN HALL BUILDING.    YOU CAN VISIT PART OF THE RUINS AND THERE IS ANOTHER SECTION ABOUT THE SAME SIZE THAT IS STILL AN ACTIVE ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG.

SIGNS OF AN ANCIENT EARTHQUAKE

THIS IS THE EXPOSED RUINS.  ONLY DISCOVERED IN 1953 AS THE CITY WAS EXCAVATING LAND AS THEY CONTINUED TO REBUILD THE CITY POST-WWII.

YOU CAN SEE THE ROUND SECTION PICTURED HERE, IN THE MODEL BELOW

A MODEL OF WHAT THEY BELIEVE THE RUINS WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE AT ONE TIME.

THIS WAS A DRAIN FOR USED WATER.  IT FLOWED OUT TO THE RHINE THROUGH A SYSTEM OF TUNNELS