Der Dom

At first glance, all you see is the sky is pierced by the blackened spires, silhouetted against cool German skies, marking Cologne's ancient center. But the magnificent spires, demanding our attention, easily distract the first time visitor from a different sort of life one can find beneath the silhouettes. In front of you, an odd assortment of cardboard signs hang from hastily strung lines that appear to shelter a small potted garden of plants. To your left, and further down the plaza that surrounds the Cathedral, a man kneels over the bright chalk recreation of a Renaissance painting, and behind the Cathedral, young men and boys on skates brave the Cathedral steps in their attempts to out-do each other with new tricks. This is also Cologne. Cologne of the young, Cologne of the "Strassentypen," Cologne of the outsider. A Cologne you may not find in your guide book.