()
The gray skies and seemingly constant showers of April in Germany can get a little depressing. The winter cabin fever is bad enough, so adding nasty weather on top of it is just the pits. Regardless, let’s get out of the house!
As fun as puddle jumping may be, the wet dog look is not so flattering on me. That’s why early spring is a great opportunity to check out some of the fantastic museums Germany has to offer.
My taste buds say it’s a blessing. My scale says it’s a curse. Either way, a short jaunt from home has me at the doorstep of the Chocolate Museum in Cologne.
Hans Imhoff, avid lover of chocolate, envisioned a museum to capture, enshrine and celebrate one of the finest foods on this Earth. It all began in 1972 in the Suedstadt city quarter of Cologne. He delved into the history and started a collection of artifacts. After he passed away, his wife continued to bring his dream to life in the museum you see today.
Surround your senses
An English-speaking guide will walk you through the process of how the cocoa bean becomes a decadent chocolate bar. The history you’ll learn about “brown gold” is truly fascinating. Through the glass-walled factory, you’ll be drooling over the stream of chocolate as it travels through the production process. The group tour is an additional 3.50 euros over the entrance fee. However, the complete experience makes it worth it.
Get the kids out from behind their gaming consoles with a class taught by master chocolatiers. They learn to make lollipops, figurines, chocolate bars and more. Instead of playing Minecraft, maybe they can design their own Minecraft characters out of chocolate. For ages 8 and up, it’s 33 euros for a 1.5-hour class. Ages 14 and up may participate in the 2-hour class for 39 euros.
As wonderful as it is to learn how chocolate is made, the most important part is eating it! The museum offers various events to afford you the opportunity to sample melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. You can choose from a simple tasting of some of the finest chocolates from around the world to more decadent chocolate samplings paired with fine wines or whiskeys. They also have a breathtaking chocolate fountain sampling that is hard to pass up. Prices range for each of the sampling events.
Getting there
Cologne is accessible by train or car. The Rheinauhafen carpark is nearby if you chose to drive. If you want to make your visit truly unique, consider taking a ride on the Schoko-Express. It’s a mini train that travels between the museum and near the Cologne Cathedral approximately every 30 minutes. If it wasn’t for the chocolate awaiting them, my kids would’ve never left the train.
Gray skies can give you a case of the “blahs.” However, chocolate has a way of chasing those clouds away and putting a smile on your lips.
