First average walk of the year. It feels good to be outside. The outdoors in the city is not that inviting at the moment. I wanted to clear my mind a bit. The neighbor wanted to go for a walk at Poller Wiesen in Köln, and the other side of the river. We've never been there, so why not. Always good, to try out new places.
The Kranhäuser buildings with the Colonius tower in the background
A fresh breeze
We jumped in the car from the neighbor and laughed a bit about the situation with my van. The neighbor hasher car maintained at the same garage. First parking stop, it looked like we couldn't get to the other side, because the bridge was open for a longer period (probably because of the high water at the moment). Next spot was a bit further on, the Poller Wiesen is the name of this area. Normally used for walking the dog, drink, BBQ and sunbathing. Or friendly neighbor also thought about sunbathing, but maybe a bit too early. No, she was not walking around in her bikini yet. She wanted to cruise along the boulevard with the windows open I guess. We were driving an old Mercedes and guess what? Mercedes liked the fresh breeze and the window didn't want to close anymore. It was not her day, she already lost something this morning. I felt sad for her. No more jokes about the garage for now.
It reminded me of something, that I didn't mention to her. One of my Mexican friends once picked me up at the airport for a ride to Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Same window issue and she said:
Vince, it is always bad luck when I am with you...
It was a Fiat, so I cannot easily blame the car. I told her it was not that nice to blame me for the bad luck. I wished she could see the situation more from the other side. Maybe it was just time to bring her car to a garage, or she could meet the love of her life somewhere. It ended up all good, knocking up on someones door in a strange area. A guy there was a mechanic and fixed it. It showed, that there can always be a solution available, just think a bit more out-of-the-box.
The Rhein river is not that high anymore
A different perspective
The friendly miss neighbor dropped us off along the main road, next to the Südbrücke. The bridges in Köln don't look that nice and this one proved it once again. Actually the 4 towers looked a bit like the small version of the towers of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, but that in ghetto-style. Full of graffiti, empty bottles, garbage and rental scooters. She wanted to join us a bit for a walk and I asked her if she would really leave the car behind while everything was open. I didn't wanted to ditch her, but I just wanted her to be a bit more lucky this day. She went home to put the car in a dry garage. Maybe we'll meet again at our 'favorite' garage for a coffee.
The staircase of the Südbrücke with some local art
The damage from recent storms, take a seat
Back to the track. This area looked a bit different from what we heard. Full of empty bottles and rubbish. A lot of trees where damaged or cut down, because of the recent storms. Also the Rhein-river was a lot higher than normally. Flooded fields, not many dogs. Some faded and grumpy face here and there, maybe they were still a bit hangover from NYE. We came here to make some steps and enjoy the different view on the city and I must admit: mission accomplished.
The views on the Kölner Dom, several bridges and the West side of the city
Köln really looks nice from this side of the river. Don't look to the other side with old abandoned factories and ugly apartments that make you feel like you are in the ghetto. The good think about the high water? No loud barking dogs, but birds taking over. The goose had a good time here. It was end afternoon and the yellow colors came through the clouds, a warm feeling over the cold city. I never noticed the Kranhäuser buildings, but they look not too bad for modern architecture. We walked and walked, all the way to the end of the track. Enjoying the view over the skyline from under the bridge. Although Köln doest really have an impressive skyline. We realized that we had to find a ride back now. The good thing about Germany is ShareNow...a car sharing company with a lot of cars around that you can open with an app and start driving.
The views around the Severinsbrücke
See things from the other side
I was happy with this walk and at the end we saw some old cranes with a message: "See Things From The Other Side". It reminds me of the fact that life is a lot more relaxed since I think this way. Or maybe I already started to think like this, since I was a little kid. Don't panic and see the negative in things that happen. There is always a lesson and a solution. Think out-of-the-box and be creative. It brings you further and makes you happier. Although, it also depends on your type of character. Being here in a city unexpectedly, temporary living in a normal house. I'll look at in from the positive side: proper kitchen and bathroom, hardly any diesel costs, good company, hot baths, glühwein, update my German skills...it's not that bad :)
The industrial area with a little reminder