Getting all Arty.

Lynn and John will recognise the name of this blog! It's something Tony always says on holiday when something goes right, or something lucky happens: "It's all in the planning!" It seems to fit here.

We are now camping in St. Goar, a small town on the Rhine. We are among the many caravans lining the river, all owned, it seems, by people of a certain age, sitting watching the boats go by. But I will write more about this place in the second blog. I want to start at the beginning with Brussels and Cologne.

We arrived in Brussels in the rain, had a terrible time trying to find the campsite, and then had to wait for two hours until it opened. What a funny place! It was small and a bit dilapidated and run by a committtee of volunteers. The lady in charge appeared to be very garrulous and enthusiastic, but Tony thought she had enjoyed the wine at lunchtime! However, the site was fairly well-placed for getting into Brussels.

In spite of the weather, we liked Brussels. It turned out to be a nice surprise. We had morning coffee in a lovely place in the main square, and then wandered about in the old town, doing touristy things. There was a gorgeous old bookshop in a small arcade. But the best bit was the art gallery. It was just wonderful. It was worth going in just to see the architecture, which was old and classical. I don't know the correct architectural terms, as you can see, but it was all arranged around a wonderful balcony overlooking the spacious entrance hall. We saw lots of great paintings, including some I have wanted to see for a long time. All in all, we enjoyed our day very much.

Next, we visited Cologne. We had an easy time finding the campsite, and it was so convenient for travelling into the city that we spent four nights there. As you will know, Cologne was completely destroyed during the war, so there is very little old left, except for the Cathedral, which is very impressive.

However, down towards the river you do get an idea of what the old streets would have been like. The buildings have been restored in a pretty way. There were lots of nice squares full of cafes. It's a very vibrant city, full of young people, music and street performers. I think that's what we liked about it; the atmosphere.




Again, we found wonderful art galleries, with lots of interesting paintings, and loads of information, so you knew what you were looking at. I did a course on German Art in the winter, and I kept getting excited when I recognised paintings or artists. I was in seventh heaven! Luckily, Tony seemed to enjoy the galleries, too. They all had lovely cafes as well. One was so nice that some people had their wedding reception there!

One of the joys of travel is when something unexpected and lovely happens. By far the nicest thing that happened in Cologne was when we walked into a lovely Romanesque church, to be greeted by some of the most beautiful and moving singing I have ever heard. It was a group of monks and nuns singing plain chant. I could hardly tear myself away. In fact, we went back and listened again another day. The church was beautiful, too. Because it had been completely renovated, it had a modern feel, even though the old structure and pillars remained. And then, dotted here and there against the white walls, were some of the colourful medieval carvings, all perfectly placed. It was a wonderful experience.

Well, as I say, we are now by the Rhine, where it is very noisy, with lots of huge barges, and two railway lines! Beautiful, though. We will be writing another post in a few days' time.