Viking Cruise #12: Cologne's Old Roman Road, German Chocolate, and an Ancient Sewer

Today's blog about our Viking River Cruise on the famous Rhine River takes us to Cologne, Germany and we'll show you the old Roman Road, a place with great German Chocolate and a stone-cold restroom (out of service). 

THE OLD ROMAN ROAD - Located near the Roman Museum i, there's a reconstruction of an ancient Roman street. The street is called ‘Hafenstrasse’ which suggests it leads to a port, but it doesn't. It's in the middle of the city. I learned that it's not an exact reconstruction of the former street, but it is made from basalt stones from Roman times.

WHAT WAS THE ROMAN PERIOD IN COLOGNE? The Roman Period in Cologne lasted for about 500 years, from the 1 st century BC until the mid-5 th century AD. In ca. 57 BC, Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and extended the borders of the Roman Empire to the River Rhine.

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GERMAN CHOCOLATE & A TASTE  OF HISTORY - When I think of Germany, I think of German Chocolate cake, but sadly I couldn't find any. So, I settled for a chocolatier- called "Chocolaterie"  and we spent a good 1/2 hour in there, smelling and buying some chocolate. 

   The shop owner told us that the building has a famous history! It was the site of the oldest apothecary in the city of Cologne. The Apothecary was founded in 1584! 

As a side note, there's supposed to be a chocolate museum in Cologne, too, but we didn't get there!

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NOT AN ANCIENT RESTROOM  - In the middle of the city there was a small stone structure that turned out to be part of a sewer system built by the ancient Romans. I don't remember what street corner it's on, but if you're looking for a public restroom, that's not it. It does have a gold plaque on it and explains the function of the structure.

NEXT: On to Koblenz, Germany and a Disappointing Historic Structure