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11/30/2006: "Cologne, Germany"
For those of you following this blog, you are the first to hear from us - and so far, so good. Our direct flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt went great. A long haul but manageable. It was an easy walk to the train station and a short wait for a 1 hr train ride bound for Cologne. An agent in the station found a hotel for us and a 5 minute taxi ride along the Rhein river brought us to our bunks.
The most amazing thing about Cologne is its cathedral. The train station is along side of it and as you disembark, it takes your breath away. This gothic wonder was the tallest building in Europe for hundreds of years until someone named Eifel built a tower. It is impossible to get far enough back for a photo. This shot is of an artist working on a portrait of Mozart in front of the cathedral. Next to the cathedral is a large area where they have setup a Christmas Market and where we spent our evening enjoying the food, mixing with the crowd and shopping.
The next morning (11/30) Jeanette and Nick toured the famous Roman Museum while I paid a visit to Dr. Gorter to have my blood drawn and discuss Dendritic Cell Therapy. Though pushing 60, he still has great enthusiasm and blond hair that falls in his face. He was born in Holland and has spent a great deal of time working with AIDS patients at UCSF in San Francisco. It was this work that has led him to Dendritic cells and their potential for cancer patients. In 2001 he and his colleagues presented the possibility of a cancer vaccine during a medical conference in Chicago. They were the only ones and received the kind of cold reception that you might expect from the stodgy medical community. In 2005, the conference was in Atlanta and more than ten different groups presented on Dendritic Cells as a cancer vaccine.
After my meeting up with Jeanette and Nick, we climbed the 502 steps to the top of the West spire of the Cathedral for an incredible view of the city. We then climbed down and toured the inside to enjoy the stain glass windows and other wonders. Next, our flexible itinerary took its first adjustment as we decided to only stay one night in Cologne. We hopped another train and are now in Brussels, Belgium enjoying the food and beer.
