2014 Germany Trip - Panorama @ KölnTriangle

Location: Cologne, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Cologne itinerary | Cologne places I went to

Where is the best spot for a panorama of Cologne? Would that be Cologne Cathedral's tower? You can of course get a splendid view, but alas the cathedral itself, the main draw of the city, would be missing from the picture. However a trek across Hohenzollern Bridge across the majestic River Rhine brought me to a tower jutting into the sky called KölnTriangle where I could get an unobstructed panorama of the whole city.

After paying the entrance fee of €3, I queued in front of the elevator and waited my turn to be whisked up. The skyward journey was unremarkable, and after a few ear-pops and being in the company of curious seekers, I arrived at the topmost level of the tower, close to a whooping 103 meters from ground.

It would look like any other kind of tall building from the outside.

2014 Germany Trip - Hohenzollern Bridge (Hohenzollernbrücke)

Location: Cologne, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Cologne itinerary | Cologne places I went to

A trip to Cologne guarantees a pilgrim to Cologne Cathedral but less people mentioned about walking the length of Hohenzollern Bridge. Its name is seldom mentioned but I recognized it from most Cologne introducing photos, with an iconic shot from across the River Rhine towards Cologne Cathedral and part of Hohenzollern Bridge in the foreground.

Bridge over River Rhine

2014 Germany Trip - 1 Day Trip to Cologne (Köln)

Location: Cologne, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Cologne places I went to

Of all the German towns and cities that I have visited during my stint in Germany, Cologne is the only one I frequented the most. Not even Frankfurt, the closest metropolis to my workplace came close in frequency. And no, it was not because I like Cologne. It was because that was the most convenient meeting point between my friend closer to the north and me who was stationed at the south.

I presumed that most people would link the perfume Eau de Cologne, which is also known simply as cologne, to the city. In fact it is more of a reason for people to recognize the city than the iconic Cologne Cathedral. Although there are more to the historic city than these two, they remained the most impressionistic.

'The' Cologne - Eau de Cologne. If you are wondering why the perfume is named so, this is the place to visit - Number 4711, the plot of shop which created this perfume in 1709.

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To the interested readers, here is my 1 day itinerary in Cologne - which could be done under 6 hours. Click into each link to visit the dedicated post to the place of interest.

Morning: 

• arrive in Cologne Hbf (main train station) around 11 a.m. 
• visit Cologne Cathedral, climb 533 steps to get a panoramic view of Cologne (1 - 2 hour, take your time here as it could be quite crowded sometimes) 

Noon: 

• enjoy lunch in Haxenhaus (1 hour) 
• stroll along Hohenzollern bridge, took some shots of the love locks and the rider statues (<1 hour) 
• ride up KölnTriangle to get a panorama of Cologne (1 hour, maybe less, dependent on queue, may skip if you are not interested) 
• took some shots of Cologne Messe-Deutz train station (<0.5 hours, may skip this) 
• got back to cathedral side of the river bank, and strolled around the Altstadt (old town), although most of the buildings are no longer original (1 - 2 hours)
• day ends and head back to my point of origin 

I did not visit the 12 Romanesque churches, but the interested tourist could look for the few closest to Cologne main train station. This could be a better alternative to most than my trip to the opposite side of the river to explore Panorama and Cologne Messe-Deutz train station since the latter were more of a personal exploration.

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2014 Germany Trip - Würzburg's Old Main Bridge (Alte Mainbrücke)

Location: Würzburg, Germany

German: Brücke is German for bridge; here Mainbrücke is so called because it is a bridge over River Main

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | All Würzburg attractions

It was noon when I arrived at the Old Bridge over Main River (Main is the name of the river, not an adjective), and I was ready to cross to the other part of Würzburg, its other half across the river. Upon leaving the cluster of buildings in the Old Quarters, I was dazzled by the sight which greeted me, a clear and unobstructed view across the river. It seemed that the sight of the bridge was just as mesmerizing as the various architectures across Würzburg.

Where ever I went in Germany, as long as there is a bridge and a place to hold a lock, I would find love locks.

2014 Germany Trip - 1 Day Trip to Würzburg

Location: Würzburg, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | All Würzburg attractions

With the train rushing east past fields and forests, with a glimpse of the Main river (that's the name of the river, not describing it as a 'main' river) to break the monotony, I tried to recall what scant knowledge I had on the city I was heading to.

Würzburg was chosen as my target mainly because of two reasons - cathedrals and a palace listed as UNESCO World Heritage. Coming on the list as bonuses were the old town itself and an ancient fortress perched atop of a hill overlooking the city, but I did not expect much despite browsing through photos shared by fellow travellers. Images can be deceiving. When I disembarked from the train and started walking around the old town, the scenery took my breath away. It was as the images suggested, and much more. Pictures could hardly provoke your senses as being there can.

One of the earliest sights in Würzburg would be the iconic dome of Stift Haug, one of the various beautiful churches across the city.

Hock Soon Temple (福顺宫) Part 4 - Beyond the Temple

Location: Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia

What lies beyond the temple proper of Hock Soon Temple? An impressive expanse of nature that is the riverbanks of Perak River. My tour guide who lived here for the early half of her life commented sadly that the riverbanks had been eroding constantly since her time. What was once a large distance between the river and the temple, is now closing in fast. Within the next few decades the erosion will come dangerously close to the temple, and the future of the temple will be uncertain.

This expanse of wilderness was much larger than it is now. If the reader were to zoom out on Google Map, this particular location lies on a bend of the Perak River, in which erosion happens quite readily. The river could be seen in this photo just beyond the patch of greenery.

Hock Soon Temple (福顺宫) Part 3 - Of Gods and Ancestors

Location: Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia

Truth is, these items drawn my attention the most when I saw them in Hock Soon Temple: a few props more suited to Chinese medieval courts than a temple. Still, it was quite a memorable sight to see a few stylized weapons standing along with some announcement boards which were employed in those courts to warn the crowd that court is in order.

Does these not remind you of all those Chinese or Hong Kong movies featuring medieval courts?

Hock Soon Temple (福顺宫) Part 2 - Incense Filled Hall

Location: Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia

According to various online sources, the temple's origin is unknown, but what is known is that it was the gathering place for local Hokkiens during the colonial era. Three Hokkiens, usually businessmen and famous men, would be selected by the locals to act as judge to settle fights and problems.

Coils of burning incense praying for the welfare of the mass.

Hock Soon Temple (福顺宫) Part 1 - The Century Old Temple

Location: Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia

I never would have thought of visiting anything else apart from the Leaning Tower when I was in the idyllic little town that is Teluk Intan. As fate had it, I was accompanied by those who grew up there and was introduced to this place of worship which had stood for more than a century.

福顺宫

Mandarin:  fú shùn gōng

Hokkien:    Hock Soon Keong

The main entrance welcomes all to the embrace of the temple proper.