Hello from Köln or is it Cologne? It doesn’t matter because I’m not staying for long. I’ve wanted to make a pilgrimage in Germany for years, ideally from Copenhagen to Switzerland but I struggled to find a route. The Romans had the same problem after they founded Trier (Germany’s oldest city) so they built the Via Coloniensis, the road to Cologne. It’s now one of the Jakobsweg heading to Compostela so that will do me fine.
After Trier, I’ll walk down the Moselle to sleepy little Schengen which sits on the border between Germany, France and Luxembourg. It’s where the treaty was signed in 1985, removing all border controls inside the Schengen zone. If you’re not too keen on that sort of thing it might be best to stop reading after I leave Trier.
The Via Coloniensis is only a short walk but I have to go home to feed the cat. I’ll return to Germany later in the summer for another Jakobsweg from Nuremberg to Switzerland.
Pilgrimage 
Hi Tim
I was wondering the other day if you’d be on the road again this summer ! Have fun
Cath
Hi Cath, so was I, the other day! And then I had to wait for the Euros to move away
You had me a Curry Wurst!
Buen Camino Tim.
Patti
I guess so! Thank you Patti
Mac is v glad to hear you will be back to feed him! Have a good walk.
I’ll bring him a curry wurst
Lovely to see a blog from you in my inbox again. Buen camino
Thanks Mary, it’s great to hear from you again
xx
Hello Tim,
Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦 Looking forward to following along on your latest folksmarch!! It is always so informative and entertaining! Gute reise.
Jane
Great to hear from you, Jane. We should all have a reunion in 2026
That would be fun for sure! Patti, Richard and I( along with 10 or so friends are hiking the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites this August/September.
Enjoy the walk and look forward to the daily updates.
Thanks I hope it will be nice
Hi Tim,
I was in Koln in 1971, aged 16 with the Air Cadets – too young to appreciate it, so nice to see Koln cathedral again and appreciate its splendor. Have a good journey. Nick Dunne
Hi Nick, I was too tired to appreciate it today but will spend more time there tomorrow. It’s a marvel
ティムさん
こんにちは！
the other day, I was wondering if I could hear from you or not this year! And here you are! Really looking forward to “following” your journey.
Arigato!
みゆきせんせい it’s so nice to hear from you. Perhaps one day I will return to Japan and then I will need a big refresher course with you. ティム
Kia Ora, Tim. Wonderful to be able to follow you on yet another interesting pilgrimage. I checked out the route and the elevation profile and it will be an up down journey – much more interesting and challenging than just flat. I look forward to your future food encounters – curry wurst would have to be the benchmark for measuring epicurean experience along the way. Kia kaha, Vicky
Hi Vicky, I think it will be hilly especially down in the Eifel mountains but that’s fine, powered by curry wurst
Try the sauerkraut with the currywurst (I’ve just discovered kimchi which I think is similar though I cannot be sure.). Good luck with your travels.
Thanks for the tip, I love sauerkraut and I think there will be some along the way
Hi Tim, thank goodness those glorious windows survived WW2; looking forward to more of your photos! Glad you’re on the way again!
Hi Philippa, it’s hard to imagine the terrible destruction during WW2. The Cathedral employs 100 people for restoration and preservation. That probably includes the window cleaner
Hi Tim, Glad to hear you are back out on the road again and look forward to reading your reports, as Julie and I are also on our travels – via campervan this time.
Hi Pete, the via campervan has many advantages in the mountains and removes the stress of finding somewhere to sleep. Enjoy your trip
Really Coppenhagen? That would be a long walk!! Be safe Tim and we look forward to seeing your progress 👍😎
Hi Nick, thanks and my progress will be slow like the tortoise
Already great pictures. Walking away from the football I see. Probably a very wise move. Great to see you are on the move again.
They think it’s all over in Cologne
Hi Tim, I am glad you are back to one of your longer walks again. I hope it goes well and the weather is kind. Enjoy.
Suzi
Hi Suzi, it’s great to be back in Europe for a walk even though it’s just a mini break for now. Tim
Hi Tim. Not fooled by the way – you’re in Germany for the football… Great photos too – should back up your story… Will the Eclipse be running at Sandown on the Saturday you’re feeding the cat? Seriously, enjoy the stroll, a rather short one by your standards.
I was very tempted to wait for the Eclipse but summer is coming …
I’m looking forward to your daily reports Tim. According to The Guardian Euros host city profiles, you should be eating Himmel und Äad in Köln/Cologne (Heaven and Earth -a local favourite mixing potatoes and stewed apples plus often a blood sausage), and washing it down with Kölsch.
According to waymarkedtrsils.org, there is a “Den danske Pilgrimsrute” which connects to the “Jakobsweg Via Scandinavica”. If you’re not familiar with this website, it’s a great rabbit hole for those who have itchy feet!
Buen camino, Andrew
Oops… There’s a typo in my comment. The website, zoomed in to Denmark is:
https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=6.0/55.2069/10.9098
I will certainly check it out. Denmark has some great hiking and some really remote areas in Jutland but the walk through northern Germany might be a bit bleak
Great as always to see you back on the road, Tim. The cathedral looks majestic. Take care and buen camino.
It really is majestic. The No 1 and only thing to do in Cologne
Yay! 🥳 All aboard the Timbo Express!
Glad to be helping weigh down your backpack by tagging along right from the start of your journey this time.
Looking forward to it.
Happy & safe trails.
Hi Karen, I’ll be bouncing along knowing you’re here from the start, this time.