Köln....

Cologne, home of 4711. The smelly "Eau de Cologne". Really, I do understand why the Finnish selected 4711 as a direct line to their "Poison Information Centre"....
During the 2nd World War the Kriegsmarine was its biggest customer. It was issued to crews because there weren't exactly showers on board the German U-boats....

That's as far as tivialities about the 200 year old perfume go. I was trying to escape Cologne by taking the ICE to Stuttgart. As luck goes, it was the only weekend that the German train drivers were on strike. No trouble going out, but a costly affair getting back. And too early in the afternoon too.

It bought me some time to enjoy Cologne for a few more hours. The sunny warm city (even in October!), its nice buildings and friendly (ahum!) inhabitants....

This is actually a recycled image that I took in 2005. But it's still nice and provides an iconic view of Köln (Cologne).