Cologne

We went to Cologne to attend an SCA event, Hansa Challenge. It was a nice event and I got some fighting in which is all to rare of an occurrence these days. It's my perception that the SCA is very much the same, in the most positive of ways, wherever you go. Every group has things they do better and worse, but it's nice to know that game is essentially the same and filled with lots of great people all over the world.

We spent most of the weekend at the event, but we left Sunday for sightseeing around Cologne. Unfortunately it was the height of the Carnival season along the Rhineland. The museums where all closed and the streets where filled with partying strangely dressed Germans tossing back hard liquor at 10:00am. We did not stick around to see what the scene looked like after dark and headed back to Brussels. It looked like one hell of a party, but I guess we where not in the mood for a "Mardi Gras".

We did get some pictures of the Dom in Cologne (Cathedral).

Click Here to see my pictures from Cologne.

Bari Italy

I traveled to Bari Italy to meet with a supplier that is not performing well. Unfortunately most of the time was spent in meetings, but I did get away for a few hours to see parts of the city including the Swabian Fortress, St Nicholas' Cathedral--said to house the bones of the St. Himself, and the port.

I did not get any picture so St Nicholas' Cathedral. I should have--it was a stunning contrast between a simple unadorned stone construction with magnificent ceiling paintings -Sistine chapel style. The shrine of the saint was in the basement. The chamber had a incredibly ancient feel about it. It was lit cleverly by dozens of hand mad iron Braziers hung from the ceiling that hid the artificial light sources.

The night we arrived where hosted to an incredible dinner in downtown Bari. In all there where over 22 dishes of Apollonian cuisine in a 7 course meal. Excellent sea food and well worth breaking the diet for.

Bari is remembered as a major launching port along the route to the first Crusade. Though Godfrey of Bouillon went by the land route through Asia Minor, Robert of Flanders and Hugh of Vermandois took their forces by boat from Bari. Peter the Hermit preached his message of the first crusade in Bari.

The Swabian fortress was a great piece of work. It had a very Mediterranean "feel" very different from similar structures in Northern Europe. With the palm trees and sun bleached sand this could have been anywhere in the middle east. Some of you are probably wondering what the heck is a Swabian, as I did.

Click Here to see my Pictures of Bari Italy.