After leaving the Netherlands (somewhat unwillingly), I headed across to Germany. My first stop was in the city of Cologne, somewhere I hadn't initially planned on visiting but it was on the way to Munich from Amsterdam and made sense. I stayed three nights there, wandering the city during the day, climbing the 533 steps up the amazing gothic Kölner Dom (cathedral) tower to get amazing views across the city, visiting the Ludwig modern art museum (definitely one of the better modern art museums I've been too), walking along the Rhein river, making new friends and spending nights drinking too much red wine.

After Cologne, I carpooled across to Munich. It was freezing cold in Munich, but the four nights I spent there were lovely. Unfortunately I just missed out on the famous Christmas markets there, but I wandered the city as they were being set up, ate pretzels, went to the Neue Pinakothek (fabulous collection of impressionist works there) and the Pinokothek der Moderne, spent nights meeting lots of fellow travellers, and did an amazing day trip to the magical Neuschwanstein Castle out in the German countryside.

Here are some pictures taken on my iPhone of my time spent in Cologne and Munich.