In 8 hours, I’ll be on my way back to Hong Kong. My trip around Europe has ended, and so will my student exchange programme at Köln. Whenever people ask me how I feel about the Köln, I usually begin by saying, “Well, it’s not a huge city…”, which isn’t exactly true, seeing as it’s the largest city in the German Federal State. What I meant to say was that it doesn’t FEEL like a big metropolis compared to Hong Kong, which is not at all an insult. Admittedly, there isn’t an awful lot of sightseeing to do… you get out of the main station, and you’ll already see the gigantic cathedral (that’s me on the top level overlooking the city): the one thing most tourists come here for.  But after spending last month going from place to place nonstop, it became clear that this kind of travelling wasn’t for me. I grew rather numb to everything by the end of the trip. So you know what? I love Köln precisely because it’s not the most exciting city in the world. It took 2 months after my arrival, before I stopped taking pictures of the city wherever I go. I went back and looked, because I think that was a significant moment. It didn’t mean I stopped finding the place interesting. It just meant I became less of a tourist. I started living. Curiosity is a great thing, but routine can be a luxury too. Bye Köln. It’s been a pleasure calling you home. ?

In 8 hours, I’ll be on my way back to Hong Kong. My trip around Europe has ended, and so will my student exchange programme at Köln.

Whenever people ask me how I feel about the Köln, I usually begin by saying, “Well, it’s not a huge city…”, which isn’t exactly true, seeing as it’s the largest city in the German Federal State.

What I meant to say was that it doesn’t FEEL like a big metropolis compared to Hong Kong, which is not at all an insult. Admittedly, there isn’t an awful lot of sightseeing to do… you get out of the main station, and you’ll already see the gigantic cathedral (that’s me on the top level overlooking the city): the one thing most tourists come here for. 

But after spending last month going from place to place nonstop, it became clear that this kind of travelling wasn’t for me. I grew rather numb to everything by the end of the trip.

So you know what? I love Köln precisely because it’s not the most exciting city in the world. It took 2 months after my arrival, before I stopped taking pictures of the city wherever I go. I went back and looked, because I think that was a significant moment. It didn’t mean I stopped finding the place interesting. It just meant I became less of a tourist. I started living. Curiosity is a great thing, but routine can be a luxury too.

Bye Köln. It’s been a pleasure calling you home.

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