One participant connecting to one of the Dead Drops. Photo courtesy think europe

On the 4th of May students of the University of Cologne organized a digital scavanger hunt for 80 young online editors from four European countries (Slovenia, Hungary, Czech and Germany). The scavanger hunt was a project realized for the Europe House Marienberg, i.e. thinkeurope exclusively.

Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Torsten Meyer the event started in the morning and climaxed in a flashmob in front of the Cologne Cathedral. The Dead Drops, which were bricked in at different crucial places of Cologne contained history related tasks. The event was insoired by Adam Bartholls Artproject “DeadDrop.”  We loved the event and the many different effects it had.

The Kölner Dom: Hard to fit in one photo. Photo (c) Resident on Earth

One day last May as we were zipping along the Autobahn at light speed, we decided to make an impromptu stop in Köln (Cologne) to see its impressive and famous cathedral, the Kölner Dom. So we zipped in, saw it, and zipped out.

And impressive it is, to say the least. I craned my head back, looked up at it, and said, “Mein Gott!” It was hard to even fit the whole front facade into one photo. The cathedral is one of the world’s largest churches, and is the largest gothic church in northern Europe. With its enormous twin spires, it boasts the largest facade of any church in the world. Construction on the cathedral began in 1248, and building continued intermittently until its completion in 1880. It seems the cathedral is continually under some kind of renovation/restoration…always.  The Mann says this is the Sagrada Familia of German building projects.

In Cologne's Qlosterstüffje, you can get a drink, a bowl of soup, and a game of nine-pin bowling in one place. Photo courtesy Qlosterstüffje

We had spent a quiet morning in Bingen, playing music to a smiling crowd of cafe goers and passersby on the Rhine.  From time to time a ship docked behind us, releasing enthusiastic groups of tourists onto the river banks to snap photos of the grape fields lining the hills across the water or of the castle perched just above them.  On a sunny day the Rhine moves, sparkling blue-green and silver in the light.  On a sunny day, this stretch of the Rhine is everything that the travel guide books promise.

Kurze Straße in Düsseldorf

Germans will often tell you that they live in a boring country – even while you’re sat there having a great time in it. They just can’t help themselves; they love complaining. Then again, if there’s one thing Germans like more than complaining, it’s solving the problem they’re complaining about. This is why citizens of the Federal Republic are, in terms of percentage of time spent abroad measured against the whole population, the most travelled nation on earth.

What Germans tend to forget, however, is just how exciting Germany actually is. Sure, its provincial cities often look boring – you won’t find any showy Barcelona-style Gaudi architecture in Düsseldorf, no Coliseum in Cologne – but it is precisely this slightly dull facade that does the trick.