I started the day with a splash of the famous eau de Cologne in house number 4711 where the perfume has been made since 1799. That should keep me going until Schengen, at least. Sadly the factory tour is only on Saturdays.
The Cathedral was closed for a Mass. I tried to book the afternoon tour in English but it was full and no amount of pilgrim credential waving in the air relaxed the defiance of the woman in the ticket office, as you’d expect in Germany. However, she gave me my first pilgrim stamp. Instead, I visited the nearby church of St Martin which was empty except for a woman following the stations of the Cross and a man behind a desk. He also stamped my credential. In many ways I preferred the atmosphere in the church to the Cathedral.
The absence of tours left me with nothing to do. I considered a one hour scenic boat cruise on the Rhine but honestly, I’d rather work a shift in My Curry Wurst. So I paid 12 euros to enter the Museum Ludwig, half expecting Beethoven but discovering one of the best 20th century art museums I’ve ever encountered. The building is spacious and light, with good explanations in English as we’re led through the major ism’s: Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Constructivism, and Pop Artism. Germans played their part in art and architecture back then. Now it’s all about the penalty shootout as we shall soon see.
Pilgrimage 
You could have been watching Harriet beating Katie in 3 sets coming from behind in a tie break.
Not Katie, gone already!
Here’s hoping that you can find a suitable corner of a bierkeller to watch the football tomorrow🍺
Thanks for the reminder, it’s easy to forget when England are playing
Hi Tim
It’s a pleasure to find you again on the hiking paths and follow yours adventures. And it’ s good for m’y english. I wish you good pilgrim and sens us beautiful photos.
Bonjour Huguette, it’s my pleasure to hear from you. I hope to have some adventures on my way to Schengen. Tim
Following with admiration & joy!
Ah Tim…you are a tonic for our record breaking cold winter. 🥶
4711 was my Mum’s favourite (& only actually) perfume. I hadn’t seen it for many years, good to know it’s still going.
So, fess up…how long did you look to find a padlock with your name on it?! 😄
4711 was every mum’s favourite perfume. It started out as a drink. It’s odd that perfume is still known as eau de Cologne.
I managed to find a couple of padlocks in a few minutes but you’d have found dozens. Such a nice idea providing the bridge can take the weight. I think it started on the Pont des Arts in Paris which collapsed under the weight