Delius Diaries

I remember the moment Connor fell in love with wheels. He was just sitting up as a baby, sometime around 6-months with that sweet baby pudge, and we were on the floor playing. I introduced a blue truck to him and he was completely enthralled with it. The wheels fascinated him. From then on, anything with wheels was what he loved.  Trains, bikes, trucks, cars, airplanes, ride on power wheels (several years with a used Barbie Jeep and two used Gators that we fixed and traded parts on), he built a soap box derby car for a neighborhood event, etc. And so today, driving on the autobahn in Germany, was a thrill for our boy! We drove for 4-hours, two of which were spent talking about cars, motorcycles and dirt bikes. His depth of knowledge fascinates me. He watches car shows and YouTube experts, he reads books about cars, he plays car games, and most recently acquired hobby level remote control cars that travel up to 50-70mph. He tinkers with them, rebuilds them, modifies them, and runs them every day. On the drive he explained to me why a Lamborghini is loud and why my car is not. In full detail. For the past 3+ weeks we have driven rental cars in Brussels as we worked on buying our car (see car buying post). With each car he explained why features were different. Did you know that Peugeot cars use an electronic interface for passenger features because it’s cheaper to code than it is to install buttons and dials on the dash? I could go into greater detail. 

So the autobahn gave our boy enjoyment on a different level. Me? I was less excited. Driving a new car I didn’t fully know, on a highway where I don’t speak the language or know the signs, while other drivers are flying by at 150kph is not terribly enjoyable. But here we are in Cologne, Germany, sitting on our hotel roof top deck overlooking a vibrant city listening to the church bells from at least 3 churches, one of which is the Cathedral of Cologne. 

We arrived in time to walk to the Cathedral and visit inside. Construction began in the 1200s with completion in the 1800s. It is the largest double spire cathedral in Europe. It is massive and impressive. The Cathedral holds the remains of the Three Wise Men, amongst other art, antiquities and lovely stained glass windows. Truly a work of art and a testament of perseverance (and preservation) having been hit 14 times in WWII bombing raids. We sat in a pew and soaked it in. Talked about missing friends. And sat. And listened to the language of many countries. And looked.

We ended the afternoon on what else, scooters along the Rhine River. Wheels of any kind, that’s our boy.

Travel notes:- Started the day in Bremerhaven, Germany and drove to Cologne, Germany. Bremerhaven is a port town on the North Sea. Of note are the every day human statues throughout the town. – Stopped at Schloss Nordkirchen – The Versailles of Westphalia build in 1703-1733 and now is a public park. Of note was the cow pasture with a water pump the cows can push to get water!- Cathedral of Cologne – as we drove out of the city, we looked back on the valley to see how truly impressive the Cathedral really is. One can only imagine how impressive it was in the 1500s (or any other non-modern century) when arriving from the west, it must have been an amazing view, an inspiration from God.