Wolfsburg

This morning I had a bit of a wander in Cologne before having to catch my train. First I found the Basilica St Ursula which is named after that incredibly famous British Princess that we've all definitely heard of. According to the basilica's info boards, she led a group of late-Roman female Martyrs and is the patron saint of the church. It didn't say what they did to become martyrs, but I'm sure some unjust deaths were involved. Then I walked to the Hohenzollern bridge over the Rhine; it has become the focus of a quirky tradition over the last 15 years, where couples attach a padlock bearing their names to the railings and then throw the key into the river below as a symbol of their everlasting love. Bless them, the smug bastards.

The quieter side of the bridge.
Honestly, the other side was worse

My train should have been direct to Wolfsburg, but the railway is still experiencing issues due to the massive floods that much of Europe suffered a couple of months ago, so I had to change at Hanover instead. This added over an hour to my journey time and also means that my hour train direct to Berlin will now be a 3 hour mission via Braunschweig. If I'd known beforehand, I wouldn't have bothered coming to Wolfsburg, as it was just supposed to be a way of breaking up the huge journey from Cologne to Berlin whilst adding another notch to my city-hopping bedpost. Hanover would have been a much more convenient place to be tonight, but that's what happens when you make it up as you go along.

If you think that because Wolfsburg is a 'new city' it lacks any kind of cultural attraction then you'd be absolutely goddamn right. Set up in the 1930's to house the workers of the Volkswagen factory, the Volkswagen brand permeates the entire town. Much like the Cathedral in Cologne, which is the centre point of the entire city and the most dominant structure of the skyline, visible for miles around, the oppressively totalitarian Volkswagen factory looms over Wolfsburg like an Orwellian ministry headquarters. Volkswagen occupies offices throughout the city as well and the Volkswagen Arena is home to the Wolfsburg football team, whose kit is also sponsored by Volkswagen. As was this paragraph.

The VW factory powerstation

The football stadium

That's not to say that Wolfsburg is without its merits. Firstly, I myself find the factory fascinating to look at and weirdly beautiful in its own way as it reminds me of Battersea Power Station, one of my most favourite buildings in the world. And, again at the hands of Volkswagen, the Autostadt is an incredibly gorgeous place to be; they describe it as their 'themepark', but its more like a luscious, oasis-like garden in a desert of concrete, with million-dollar water features and the best car showrooms you've ever seen. They have a huge collection of historical road vehicles, the most visited in the world, and the majority are probably the most pristine examples in existence. It was the first time I'd ever even heard of the Bugatti Type 57, and it instantly became my favourite car in the world. Its sleek, flared, ostentatious Art Deco styling with the body panels riveted on the outside made it look more like the Batmobile than a real car. I will have one.

Mr and Mrs Beckett...

Acht und achtzig mph

In the children's play area. I don't know what this
is or how you would have fun with it.

The Phaeno is a huge interactive science centre and is housed in an awesomely cool and unconventionally designed building, which I have learned this evening is of a deconstructivist architectural style. Unfortunately, due to the length of my train journey, I didn't have time to see both that and the Autostadt, so that will have to wait until I return to Wolfsburg. Which, unless I get a job with Volkswagen, I can't see happening.

Wolfsburg suffers from Slough syndrome. With no standout cultural tourist attractions, its shopping district has been reserved for cheap tat and bargain bin stores. There isn't much going on apart from the designer outlet mall near the station and the half-decent indoor shopping centre in town. Which, come to think of it, isn't actually like Slough at all, cos we don't even have that. There is also a lack of beer halls and traditional places for food, and the one street I found that has an abundance of bars and restaurants was centred around themed places. Themes that don't include English or Irish, so no cricket for me today.