The rain no longer mattered

Friday, May 27, 2016: I will remember this day for a long time. Bonn was hit by pouring rain and we thought that our trip to Cologne, one of the main tourist attractions in Germany, would be cancelled. But in the end, Kseniya, Andy, the girls from Bavaria and I still rushed to catch the train. Half an hour later we were in the city.

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The High Cathedral of Saint Peter and Mary is the official name of the Cologne cathedral, which is the third largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It is situated right next to the train station, and its steeples can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Because of the pouring rain, we went inside to wait for better weather.
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I had not seen such beauty in a long time. While we were waiting for the rain to stop, a service was taking place. Dozens of believers and tourists were there already. On the benches sat people of different ages and from different places. The Germans were easy to spot- they seemed focused and attentive, unlike those who were here for the first time and got distracted by the breathtaking architecture. The organ music soothed and carried everybody away. Time stood still.

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When we left the cathedral, rain was still pouring. But it did not longer matter.

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Text: Nikolai Machekin
Translation from Russian: Raluca Besliu
Photos: Kseniya Schasnaya