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23.3.60

Hi Again Darling and Hi to Mom + Dad too (another double letter) --

And again from Köln too, but now a letter instead of a card. We had a perfectly
beautiful day today; the sun was out at last (after so many gray or half-gray days)
and the sky was blue. And here and there a few trees beginning to blossom, and
bushes with yellow blossoms everywhere (Bridge says they're forsythia, if you've
ever heard of them). It was warm and the beginning of spring, and we should have
more and more of the same as we move south in the next 10 days. Good old
southern Germany - the best of weather, etc! - the perfect place for Stanford to
have its program.

The youth hostel here is right on the Rhine, so after breakfast we just walked
across the street and then along the bank for about 6 blocks to the Bahnhof and
cathedral. The river was fairly quiet in the morning (though we heard horns from 6 AM on),
virtually all the traffic consists of huge barges - some for coal, etc., others carrying oil
or gasoline. They are very long and low, with only the cabin at the rear rising over
6 feet above the water. But the traffic was light this morning, much heavier
at 5 pm when we came back.

The cathedral is so wonderful, indescribably beautiful. I really can't find
words to do the job. I'm glad I sent you the postcard to give some idea of the
outside at least, and I'll try to get one of the inside, though here especially pictures
can't capture the total feeling. the twin towers stand clear and sharp on the
skyline, and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. When you see the
rest of the church the whole thing draws your eye upward to the towers, which lead
you on the heavens. This was the concept of the Gothic architecture and every
tiny spire and detail carries it out here, in a way unmatched by any of the other
cathedrals I've seen. It is a perfect harmonious unison, and yet also an
endless set of details. But the details work together so well that your eye doesn't
notice first one then another, but is led easily, smoothly, to the point of climax
in the huge towers.

Inside the cathedral is also magnificent. It's floor plan is basically a cross,
with the lower side aisles at the sides of the transcept. [Sketch of cathedral with labels]
The outside appearance is quite different from this because
of buttresses and facades which change the shape.
Hope the diagram is not too confusing.
(I've just found a fair black + white of the inside and
another view of the outside which I'll enclose to supplement
my words). The main impression inside is also one of height.
Where in St. Peters in Rome you are overwhelmed by huge size in all directions, here
the space is more one-dimensional - narrow and high. Your eye moves toward
the high part of the choir, far away at the opposite end. The tone is less massive,
more delicate - the columns are huge (perhaps 15 feet thick) but the arches are so tall and narr[ow]
that their diameter seems smaller. A second feature in the interior is the
presence of some very beautiful stained glass windows. The ones at the choir end are mainly
medieval, but in the side windows of the transcept are some more modern works
(some Baroque, several modern which are mostly very subdued and tasteful geometric pattern
a couple of which (dated about 1870) were wonderful in the huge flowing freeness of