5 And A Beagle
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." John Lennon
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Köln
4 years ago we visited the beautiful city of Cologne. We arrived via train from Paris and as was proving to be the order of the day in our experiences with the rail travel portion of our trip, it was not without incident.
Prior to leaving Vancouver, we saw this ‘statue’ in the airport.
I had a feeling it would be a close representation of any one of the 5 of us on this trip.
Mid morning on a Saturday, we arrived at Gare d’Nord in Paris with minimal time to spare to take the next possible train that would transport us in the least amount of time, through the fewest countries to our next destination – Cologne. The train we needed to board was leaving in 2 MINUTES. Like O.J. Simpson in a Hertz commercial, we sprinted down the line while a conductor urged us on. We found the car we were to board and huffing and puffing, #2 turns and picks up #5 and places her on the train. As he turns to help #3 and #4 get on board, the doors start closing and the train starts moving. WITH ONLY OUR 9 YEAR OLD ON BOARD! I let out a scream; husband plucks panicked child from the moving train and off it goes without us. Two hours later and a little calmer, we board the next Eurorail and somewhere around dinnertime on Saturday, we arrive.
First stop, the tourist bureau and we secure accommodations in this great hotel right on the river. The Hotel St Martin on Frankenwerft. Top floor, fantastic view, our own bathroom, comes with breakfast and a separate room for the kids – all for 75 euro a night. We had 3 wonderful days in the city wandering around the old and new parts of town.
Beer in the gardens below our room, dinner in the plaza beside the river, cruising down the Rhine, Danish ice-cream, Mass at the cathedral on Sunday and a great workout to wear off the ice-cream as we climbed the many steps to the top of the spire.
So what does all of this have to do with knitting? Well, yesterday I received a beautiful pair of socks from Alexandra from – you guessed it – Köln. And what should be on one of the postcards accompanying the socks but a photo of the area we stayed in.
The socks are fantastic! The craftsmanship is absolutely amazing. I wish I could turn a heal so perfectly. 
I didn’t realize until #5 pointed it out, that stitched to the side of each sock was a delicate little edelweiss. How perfect!! Thank you so much Alexandra, they are just beautiful! I love the colours and the style and they will always remind me of your city and the fun our family had there.
Typical Miles, he's more interested in playing catch than in admiring the socks.
|
Prior to leaving Vancouver, we saw this ‘statue’ in the airport.I had a feeling it would be a close representation of any one of the 5 of us on this trip.
Mid morning on a Saturday, we arrived at Gare d’Nord in Paris with minimal time to spare to take the next possible train that would transport us in the least amount of time, through the fewest countries to our next destination – Cologne. The train we needed to board was leaving in 2 MINUTES. Like O.J. Simpson in a Hertz commercial, we sprinted down the line while a conductor urged us on. We found the car we were to board and huffing and puffing, #2 turns and picks up #5 and places her on the train. As he turns to help #3 and #4 get on board, the doors start closing and the train starts moving. WITH ONLY OUR 9 YEAR OLD ON BOARD! I let out a scream; husband plucks panicked child from the moving train and off it goes without us. Two hours later and a little calmer, we board the next Eurorail and somewhere around dinnertime on Saturday, we arrive.
First stop, the tourist bureau and we secure accommodations in this great hotel right on the river. The Hotel St Martin on Frankenwerft. Top floor, fantastic view, our own bathroom, comes with breakfast and a separate room for the kids – all for 75 euro a night. We had 3 wonderful days in the city wandering around the old and new parts of town.
Beer in the gardens below our room, dinner in the plaza beside the river, cruising down the Rhine, Danish ice-cream, Mass at the cathedral on Sunday and a great workout to wear off the ice-cream as we climbed the many steps to the top of the spire.So what does all of this have to do with knitting? Well, yesterday I received a beautiful pair of socks from Alexandra from – you guessed it – Köln. And what should be on one of the postcards accompanying the socks but a photo of the area we stayed in.
The socks are fantastic! The craftsmanship is absolutely amazing. I wish I could turn a heal so perfectly. 
I didn’t realize until #5 pointed it out, that stitched to the side of each sock was a delicate little edelweiss. How perfect!! Thank you so much Alexandra, they are just beautiful! I love the colours and the style and they will always remind me of your city and the fun our family had there.
Typical Miles, he's more interested in playing catch than in admiring the socks.
|
