Day 9: Cologne, Germany
It was lovely to be docked the whole day and late into the night in Cologne, so we could come and go as we pleased from the ship. My photos were sparse this day. 
A lot of the city was dirty because the day before had been Cologne Carnival and they were just starting to clean up.
We started the morning with an included walking tour. The Cologne cathedral was gorgeous and I could have listened to the music during Mass for ages, it was so beautiful 
There is a reliquary inside dating from the Medieval period said to contain the bones of The Three Kings. The Roman ruins scattered throughout the city and beneath the cathedral were also really cool to see.
After lunch on the ship, we went to the scent museum to smell the original Eau de Cologne which was created in 1709, and we also went to the Lindt Chocolate Museum, which had the cutest little cupcake chocolates in their shop. 
This day was a Sunday, so by law, most shops and supermarkets were closed. (Museums and tourist shops are open, as well as shops in train stations and airports, which is helpful to know if you are ever in Germany on a Sunday. This was refreshing to see, and I wish every country did this!)
Viking offered a few dinner and after-dinner excursions here too, but we did our own thing and enjoyed wandering. 
(This was the only day of the trip that we encountered a demonstration of both sides of the Israel/Palestine conflict, so there was increased security presence, but it remained peaceful and didn’t cause any disruption.)
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