Good night Köln

So we survived the long drive and arrived in Köln exhausted. We checked in our hotel in the centre very close to the cathedral that was the focus of my attention. We had a little time in the morning but did still briefly visit the centre before heading to bed. That was probably a mistake. It was Sunday night after all the revelry had subsided and the city was a dump. We felt unsafe walking the streets of broken glass and the odd shady drunk. After walking far longer than planned in search of an eatery we settled on some noodles in the station. Most other places were shut or something to avoid. It was an odd experience and unlike most other places we've visited around Europe. As a tourist you often miss poverty and homelessness or at least it's carefully managed by authorities so as to hide it away. Köln has clearly found itself overwhelmed. It certainly wasn't a place you wanted to take your phone out for a photograph. It was probably perfectly safe but as a tourist you feel paranoid.