I. Route planning
The reason for this trip is that Qi Ge saw a post "15 must-visit cities in North Rhine-Westphalia" on Hujiang. com. Because of our interest, we drew the locations of 15 cities around Essen to see if we can plan a reasonable travel route. Our general direction this time is set in the city south of Essen, and four places have been preliminarily selected, namely Cologne, Bonn, Longbao and Brewer. Among them, Cologne and Bonn are big cities, so it is convenient to eat and change trains. Longbao is near Bonn, which is a legendary mountain castle where dragons live. Brewer is close to Cologne, and its huge Baroque manor is well known.
After fully considering the train time, sightseeing time and catering, our preliminary plan is as follows:
1. Depart from the main fire in Essen at 8: 30 am and arrive in Cologne in about 1 hour by car.
2. Visit Cologne Cathedral in Cologne in the morning and stay for about 1 hour.
3. From Cologne to Longbao, in the mountain city K? Nigswinter has lunch.
4. Visit Longbao all afternoon.
5. Take a bus to Bonn at 4-5 pm, take a walk on the pedestrian street and have dinner.
6. Return to Essen by bus at night.
Because it took too long to change trains from Longbao to Brewer, and Brewer's manor closed at 5 pm, we gave up Brewer this time.
I also recommend another route, namely Cologne Deep Tour+Brewer Castle Tour, where you can spend a leisurely day.
In order to save money, we bought a one-day ticket to North Rhine-Westphalia this time. With this ticket, up to 5 people can take the local train to enjoy North Rhine-westfalen from 9: 00 a.m. Monday to Friday and from 0: 00 on weekends. In other words, whether it is 1 person or 5 people, the fare is 44 euros. So before Qi Ge and I set off, I traveled all over the world to find friends to fight for tickets. You can buy it at the ticket vending machine at the railway station before you leave, which is very convenient. ?
Check the air tickets of Wei Bei Sky on DB software.
Check the air tickets of Wei Bei Sky on DB software.
Leave a ticket as a souvenir.
Third, set out for Cologne.
First of all, I beg you to join me in greeting the German railway DB for 10,000 times. Often late, we have laughed now, never scold women. However, the journey from Essen to Cologne is only one hour, but we were kicked off the train twice because of the train failure. So, please leave enough time for DB. Because, once you go to DB, you never know where the next stop is. Surprised? Surprised or not?
Our group finally arrived in Cologne after about 10, and saw the Cologne Cathedral being restored forever before getting off the bus. ?
Scaffolding is dramatic, right?
Cologne Cathedral is famous for its long history and perfect Gothic architectural style. When we were doing the Raiders, we also saw many pictures of Cologne Church on the Internet, but only when we really stood in the square of the church could we feel why so many people were surprised and shocked. The huge area and towering spires show the prestige of religion everywhere. Outside the church, all the scenic spots are decorated with exquisite sculptures and patterns, so people can't ignore the aesthetic feeling of their buildings. The current Cologne Cathedral is very dark from a distance. When you get closer, you can find that many walls are white. It is said that the church was silvery white at first, but it has become what it is now because of environmental pollution and acid rain. The key point is here, pay attention to environmental protection. ?
One side of the church
You can vaguely see the silvery white wall.
Entering the room, the perfect and symmetrical architectural style of the Bishop Hall is very eye-catching, and the gorgeous glass windows on the corridors on both sides are even more beautiful. The total area of these flower windows exceeds 65,438+0,000 square meters. Although only four colors of gold, red, blue and green are used, it vividly reproduces the well-known classic stories in the Bible. Gold represents heaven, red represents love, blue represents faith, and green represents hope and future. ?
Symmetrical bishop hall
glazing
glazing
glazing
Later, we saw a glass window with abstract artistic flavor, the famous window of richter. Designed by gerhard richter, a famous contemporary German artist, this glass was unveiled in 2007, with a total area of113m2 and 72 colors. It consists of 1 1263 pieces of colored glass with 9.6cm each. I still remember standing under this flower window and exclaiming, "Is this a code?" Still colored. "It's a pity that the mobile phone can't capture the sunshine through Richter's window. ?
Window of richter
The glass windows of the church can be traced back to 12 and 13 century European Gothic churches. Due to the unique architectural style of Gothic church, the bearing load of the wall was reduced, so the church began to use glass flower windows to gradually replace the church murals. In addition, at the end of 13, the glass making technology in Europe has been greatly improved, and the glass color is more vivid and transparent, so the glass window has become an important part of church decoration. Traditional flower windows mainly focus on biblical stories and saints' lives, which is convenient for promoting Christianity to illiterate ordinary people. In addition, sunlight shines into the church through the glass window, which not only solves the lighting problem, but also adds a sacred atmosphere.
Cologne church also preserves a large number of precious cultural relics, among which the holy coffin of the bones of the three wise kings is the most famous, attracting many believers to pilgrimage. We don't know much about religious history, so I won't repeat the rest of the cultural relics.
Religious relics
Religious relics
The above is the first half of this travel note.
In the second half, our five-member group will show you around the castle in the mountains and watch the sunset on the Rhine.
Fourth, the landlord's mansion
We will leave for Longbao about 1 1. Take the local train at the main fire in Cologne to K? It takes about 40 minutes for nigswinter to get off. After getting off the bus, he has to climb a slope and walk slowly for about half an hour to get to Longbao.
Long Baocheng was founded in 1882- 1884. The owner of the first generation castle was Stefan von Chatter, the owner of Bonn Hotel. He became a securities trading analyst and an upper-class person. 188 1 was awarded the title of baron, and then began to build private palaces. Longbao became the most famous building at the end of 19 century because of its fairy-tale shape, luxurious decoration and superior geographical location. Later, Longbao was sold to the government of North Rhine-westfalen by Stefan's descendants. With the repair and maintenance of the government, it has become a famous scenic spot comparable to Neuschwanstein Castle. ?
Dream longbao
The Chinese name of Shanxia Town is a bit long, Negus winter, but the literal translation is very simple "Winter of Kings". When we arrived here, it happened to be 12, and we wanted something to eat, but the streets in the town were quiet and there were no open snack bars. Back to the restaurants and dessert shops on the Rhine, the menu made us flinch. Finally, I found a sausage with bread near the city hall and had a simple meal. Dear friends, please remember what I wrote in Hartingen's Travels. Many shops in small towns may not open until Saturday 12. ?
City map
Located at the southernmost tip of North Rhine-Westphalia, the town was once an important wine-making center. It is next to the Rhine, with excellent scenery along the river, especially suitable for cycling, and has a special bicycle lane. If you live nearby, you can find a sunny day and feel the scenery on both sides of the strait by bike. Besides, this town is famous for its Dragon Castle. Many small shop windows and private balconies in the city are shooting dragon ornaments. It is very interesting for everyone to look for dragons when visiting towns.
Jiamu cabin
The Rhine behind him
Coming out of the city, we went back to the platform where we got off, walked to the foot of the mountain from the underground passage, and headed for Longbao. Longbao is located halfway up Longyan Peak. You can see it as soon as you look up at the station. Don't worry about getting lost.
Tickets for scenic spots are 7 euros for adults and 5 euros for students. ?
Opening hours and fares
When we entered the scenic spot, we saw Longbao in the shadow of towering old trees and azaleas. Exquisite gardens and dreamy architectural styles complement each other. Walking into the castle, I felt for the first time what is the elegant life of western landlords. Entering from the front, the social room and living room, which are restored strictly according to history, occupy two floors. Complex chandeliers, exquisite furniture, luxurious and exquisite ceiling paintings and colorful glass windows seem to bring us back to the end of 19 world class.
The window of the landlord's house
Landlord's bedroom
The ceiling of the landlord's house
Landlord's study
The social hall of the landlord's house
Afternoon tea at the landlord's house
On the back of Longbao, there is a huge terrace with a fountain garden overlooking the winding Rhine River, lush natural parks, small blocks on both sides of the river and the nearby urban area of Bonn. There is also a small door at the back. After entering, there is a small exhibition hall, which briefly introduces the history of Longbao.
Small exhibition hall
Longbaobeihou
Longbaobeihou
Overlooking the Rhine.
My crown
Longbaobian
If you want to see further, don't forget to climb the tower next to Longbao. After seven or eight turns along the spiral staircase, we finally reached the top floor. The scenic spot has built an observation deck on the top floor of the original Dragon Pagoda. The place above is very narrow, but the scenery is beautiful, overlooking the whole city. I'm a little afraid of heights. Two bad guys have been scaring me, but I still can't stop other mountains from looking short in the sky. The determination.
Looking at Longbao from the observation deck
spiral stairs
After coming down, we had a rest in the small garden, and planned to go to Bonn for a rest, have dinner and then return to Essen.
There is a long-standing gear train coming and going at the entrance of Longbao, which transports tourists up and down the mountain. We asked the staff, 8 euros per person for a one-way trip and 10 euros for a round trip. We changed the route down the mountain, and sure enough, we saw the ticket office at the foot of the mountain. Unfortunately, I can't find the exact route from the railway station to here. I analyzed the location, it should be from the railway station to the south, through the second train crossing, you can reach it. ?
gear
Small train fare