Yes, I'm running out of adjectives.  But, I've saved "amazing" to describe the Shrine of the Three Kings inside Cologne Cathedral.

October 4

Thanks to our colds (which were in full effect), we woke up late.  Given how we were feeling, it was clear that we were going to have a long day ahead of us.  Fortunately, all we had to do was ride the train to Mannheim and then ride another train to Kaiserslautern.  I was glad that we didn’t have any sightseeing on the schedule.

Because of the late awakening, we were the last ones in the dining room for breakfast.  We ate quickly, both because we didn’t want to keep the dining room staff waiting for us and because our colds diminished our appetites.  We then headed back upstairs, packed our backpacks, and checked out.  Overall, I liked the Lint Hotel.  It was very clean and very convenient to all the sights in old town Cologne.  While it was a bit difficult to find, and even more difficult to navigate the staircase to our room, I’d still recommend the Lint Hotel for anyone staying in Cologne.

As we had about three hours to kill before our train to Mannheim departed, we decided to go back to the Cathedral for some more sightseeing.  Dianne had specific items she wanted to see.  I just wanted to sit and nurse my cold.  So, I found a convenient pew in which to sit while Dianne wandered off.  After about an hour of exploring, Dianne came back thoroughly happy.  I was just glad to get the chance to rest and absorb the amazing atmosphere inside the Cathedral.

We walked over to the train station and began waiting for the train.  However, after about an hour, I got bored with watching people walk briskly to and from the trains.  So, we went back to the Cathedral for another hour of quiet meditation. 

Finally, it was time for our train to depart.  We walked back to the train station, found our train, and took the seats for which we had paid the day before.  Our trip to Mannheim was uneventful, but (thanks to our purchased seats) much more comfortable than our trip from Mannheim a few days earlier.  After a three hour train ride and a short layover, we transferred to a train heading to Kaiserslautern.  One hour later (about 6 p.m.), we were at the Kaiserslautern train station.  Kelly was a bit late picking us up, because some construction around the terminal made finding a parking spot difficult.  However, he eventually retrieved us, and we headed back to Ramstein.  Once on base, we picked up some pizza at the base commissary, as well as some cold medicine.  We then headed off to his apartment, where we ate and rested.

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