Köln

This was the first time I've actually visited Germany and I can say I loved it.

Cologne (German: Köln), is Germany's fourth-largest city (after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich), and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany. The name is derived from that of the Roman settlement, Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium.Cologne lies on the River Rhine. The city's famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. The cathedral was the first thing that overwhelmed me...it's huge and so beautiful!Officially it's called Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria) is a Roman Catholic church in Koln.

Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete. It is 144.5 metres long, 86.5 m wide and its towers are approximately 157 m tall.The cathedral is one of the world's largest churches and the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. It is renowned as a monument of Christianity, of German Catholicism in particular, of Gothic architecture and of the continuing faith and perseverance of the people of the city in which it stands.

The beautiful historical old town of Köln (Cologne)

Rhine river, in the back -> Hohenzollern bridge (Hohenzollernbrücke)

Love padlocks on the Hohenzollern bridge.

A custom by which sweethearts affix padlocks to a fence or similar public fixture to symbolise their love (it started in the 80's), but in Köln started in 2008.

the Rhine in Köln (Cologne)

one of the old streets in Köln

.... definitely would go there again!!!