June 12-15 Mega Cologne Post #4

So we woke up Saturday morning and took the Cologne Underground over to Neumarkt area. We did some antique shopping than got this nutritious breakfast. Struesel and Appleflap...a Capri sun, a box of milk and a coffee!

11am and what passes us, the BierBike.de They have these in Amsterdam too. 8 pedalers, 1 bartender 11 drinkers....noon yet?

Amazing old ramparts in the heart of Cologne.

Notice the bridge connected to it, tied into a shopping center of some kind.

Another amazing church in the Neumarkt area

Another day at the Dom, such amazing site against that blue sky, you cant help but look up at it.

The Dom Cathedral entrance that was core drilled out of the solid base built 700+ years ago.

Some of the back side of the Dom

Back side again, with a neat gold cross adornment

Each gargoyle was slightly different. they circled the entire cathedral

Back side of the Dom, where there is a small cemetery

The massive tree looks small next to the Dom

After some shopping and staring at the Dom, we went back to our hotel room to chill for a bit before the fight

June 12-15 Mega Cologne Post #3

So we left the arena and walked a 1/3 mile to the train bridge that crosses the Rhine River. Here is another panorama.

Another with Saviya by the Rhine.

The amazing Dom Cathedral. Started being built in 1280...Took more the 500 years to get to look like this. The Allied bombs were purposely diverted from treasures like this in WWII. Here is Saviya in front of the Dom.

Here Saviya enters the Dom. We walked around the interior for about an hour, totally amazing.

Another of the front side of the Dom, these doors stayed closed.

Some of the detail on the side of the Dom.

Here is some of the back side

Inside had such grand ceilings and massive columns. The condition of the interior is amazing. What little damage exists has been repaired as well as can be without making changes.

Look at the colors and the detail of the cloisters.

Here the pulpit from the pews. Saviya mentioned she has gotten me into church twice now.

Amazing detail in the floors throughout the Dom

Lots of people inside, tourists and those who were waiting for the service a bit later that night.

Here below the floor of the Dom it is legend that the three wise men were buried in here.

These stained glass windows had to be 25 feet high. Again, in amazing condition, they have repaired some or blacked out some damage, but look great for being hundreds of years old.

More interior detail.

So we have been walking around for hours, back to the hotel room after a very expensive dinner.

June 12-15 Mega Cologne Post #2

So we got all settled in the hotel and headed over for the UFC99 Weigh-ins and autographs sessions. I chose the hotel so we could walk back and forth over the 2 days of events easily. Here we approach the Lanxess Arena

Very nice arena, well designed and modern. Looks like a bridge from top of the Dom Cathedral.

Once just the Koln Arena, now it is sponsored. Lots of glass, and sun was shinning.

Finally they let in the crowd, maybe 500 of us total. First up was the autograph sessions. These weren't the fighters on the UFC99 card, but some of their other guys. The biggest name and most popular of course was Michael Bisbing.

Bisbing is British and a talented 185lb fighter. If he can win his next fight against Dan Henderson he will likely fight Anderson Silva for the belt.

He was very personable, answered questions, asked some back even. Some people posed with the fighters, but the security was moving most of us along before we got pics with each fighter.

All of them seemed genuinely happy that the UFC was getting such good welcoming to mainland Europe in Germany.
Here Michael Bisbing shakes Saviya's hand (note the tiny pink part of her jacket :)

None of the fighters got the spelling of Saviya's name right, but it was pretty noisy...oh well!

Some people skipped passed Amir Sodallah. The euro crowd doesn't get to see the Ultimate Fighter show, so they had no idea who he was or that he won it the year he was on it. I went over and said nobody knows you, you look pretty bored. He laughed... I said I know you man, ill get a signature when i come through the line.... Here is the pic I snapped after he signed my glossy photo..UFC provided these guys some glossies to sign, which was very cool..better than the scratch paper we had.

Here is Martin Kampmann from Denmark. Very cool guy. I asked him how his knee was holding up and he said fine. He had completely blown it out a few years back, and is now back in the UFC tryin again. Good figher, nice guy.

Another of Martin

Here is another of Martin talking to me

And another...he had more time than Bisbing to talk :)

After the autograph session ended we all filed into the stadium. The UFC had about 100o seats in one end of the stadium setup for all the fans to watch the weigh ins. Once they started they were very quick. Less than 30 mins start to finish. Here Joe Rogan calls out the ring girls and the crew. Than Dana White and the Fertitta brothers (all three are the UFC owners).

Once the introductions were complete, the weigh ins began

Each pair of fighters would come out and weigh up, than pose for the fight...Two of the groups did a little pushing and shoving...unnecessary, and those aggressors both lost later the next night.

Saviya really enjoyed all the men stripping down to their underwear...

And it was done...now 5pm or so, so off to the city we went.

June 12-15 Mega Cologne Post #1

So one of our main goals for moving to Europe was to spend our weekends traveling as often as we could. We planned our first trip out of the Netherlands to Cologne Germany. The main purpose of our trip was to go to UFC99, but to stick around enough to see the city as well.

We bought tickets online and got 1st class for same price as second, and found ourselves in a cabin with a retired couple from South Africa. We spent most of the 3+ hour journey talking about the South Africa, US, and Netherlands politics and travel. Here is Saviya in our cabin. This was a speed train, but not one of the super fast ones, we probably did 80-90mph top speed.

Here we are at the Koln Train Station

One with my new haircut and nipple.

We got a great rate at the Radisson which was about 1/2 mile from the stadium which was nice. Very nice modern room.

Very nice shower, though water sprays everywhere with these half glass enclosures. I did love the heated stone floors though. And the speaker in the bathroom so i could listen to stuff in German.

As we walk through the Koln Train station we spot this guy with 2 chairs wrapped up and roped to his body, shopping for food, about to board a train...

So we get to the Lanxess Arena where the fights will be and notice a funny site. Cigarette machines are peppered around Cologne (and the rest of Germany). So maybe they figure that if you are tall enough to put in the money to buy em, than you can smoke em. Very convenient to provide cigarettes to people as they enter a non smoking facility (they didn't let that hold them back though!).

We got a recommendation for a great place called Vapiano for lunch. We loved it so much we went back the next day. Perfectly cooked pastas, and yummy pizzas. Great prices for what you got, and nice modern approach to eating out.

After lunch we passed the Koln Messe Train station. Very cool building

Here is a shot of the interior of the dome

Here is a view of the Lanxess Arena from our hotel.

Facing west from our hotel, some of the newer parts of Cologne

Here is a view of the Dom Cathedral from our Hotel.

Here is a great panorama of Saviya standing near the train bridge across the Rhine River. The Dom already looks majestic.

As you walk across the bridge you notice one or two, than many, than dozens of locks affixed to the bridge.

Each one of the locks left by someone with a message. One of love, death, or just of being there. Pretty cool.

Lots more to come about our Cologne Trip...Tot Ziens! -Colin