Roadtrip to Cologne and Utrecht continued

I debated checking out the Cologne Cathedral the night before but I decided against wondering around at night and waited till the next day. Of course, it was raining the next day, so it wasn't as beautiful as it could have been but it was still certainly impressive. Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is a Roman Catholic cathedral that was built in 1248 but not finished until 1880. It is the most visited site in Germany. After a couple minutes inside the cathedral, I headed around the corner to the Museum Ludwig, a modern art museum. It was a bit pricey, but this is coming from someone who knows the Met is a suggested donation and otherwise visited the free museums in Washington, D.C. Their pop art collection was impressive, but I didn't come to a German modern art museum just to see American art. They had quite a variety of work, but nothing special enough for me to want to go back. On my way back to the hostel, I walked down the main shopping street, Schildergasse, which has any type of store you could want. I checked out of the hostel and began my drive to Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Unfortunately, the rain followed me all the way there. It was a slow drive, especially because there are actually speed limits on their highways. I guess I am getting used to the German Autobahn. There were almost no cars around when I crossed the border, and it was simple as crossing from state to state, although the signs were now in Dutch. I arrived at Hostel Strowis, and got checked in. I wasn't that impressed. It had all the amenities needed but it was very basic and very 'backpacker'. I guess all of the other places I have stayed in had a special charm, and this one was just not interesting. Not to mention, the lockers mentioned online were downstairs in the basement. That was incredibly inconvenient. Parking in Utrecht is next to impossible and incredibly expensive, so I researched a 24 hour parking garage that was at the mall and train station and drove my car over there. Had a fun time getting lost on the walk back to the hostel. Utrecht is very windy with canals all over. There were lots of little shopping districts and cafes. It was quite a charming little city. After all that driving, and the fact that it was still raining, I wasn't up for doing much so I grabbed a bite to eat and went to bed.

Cologne Cathedral

Ludwig Museum

Utrecht

Links: 

Hostel in Cologne

Cologne Cathedral 

Hostel Strowis