After our New Year’s trip to Amsterdam, it had been pretty much been business as usual (sleep, eat, work, rinse & repeat) until my mom’s visit last week. Now most of what we chose to do with my mom were things that we had already done, and had found enjoyable enough or interesting enough the first time that we felt the need to share them with her as well. We toured historical sections of Wiesbaden and Mainz, took a drive to Koblenz to enjoy the castles and views of the Rhine, visited Frankfurt at night (which in case you ever find yourself there, it’s much prettier at night than it is during the day - don’t recommend even opening your curtains during the day), and finished our visit with a trip back to Köln.
During our previous trip to Köln I had spotted the Lindt Chocolate Museum, and decided to save this adventure for my mom’s visit. I have to confess that I am a total museum geek, and will pretty much geek-out on any museum - the Nor'westers and Loyalist Museum, the Erotik Museum, the Josephinium Medical Museum - seen, scoured, and disgested all of them. Living history - Steamtown, Upper Canada Village, Williamsburg - all of them. But food, that could be really boring, or really great - I was skeptical. I’ve also been hesitant to visit any museums during our stay here (as heartbreaking as that has been) due to Mairin’s inability to stand still for more than 30 seconds. But, since this was chocolate, I was all in.
From the moment you approach the building, the sweet, intoxicating smell of quality chocolate softly flits around you like little truffle fairies. Admission is a little steep at €7.50 per person, but you get a piece of chocolate with it so all was quickly forgotten. The first floor of the museum takes the visitor through the discovery, harvesting, productions, and sale of chocolate. The second floor shows chocolate production from cocoa powder to finished product (complete with free samples). The third floor is currently an advertising/brand exhibit showing “cult-like” brands throughout the years. There are interactive games and an old-fashioned candy shop. There is also a more in-depth exhibit about the discovery of chocolate and Mesoamerica.
What the Lindt museum has done is nothing short of genius. As you walk through the turnstile there is a wooden cut-out of a monkey that stands just about 4ft. tall. Mairin spotted him first thing, and asked what he was. The monkey is a guide for children. The challenge is to find as many monkeys as you can in each section of the museum. Each monkey you find explains a different part of the exhibit in easy to understand, kid-friendly language. Sometimes there are buttons to press (if you’re 3 this is essential), things to touch/feel, and things to taste/smell. All exhibits are labeled clearly in German and English; this includes the interactive games on the third floor. The monkey kept Mairin entertained long enough that we could all take turns enjoying each section of the exhibit, and I even think she was able to take something away from it. Congrats Lindt Museum & thanks for the delicious chocolate!
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| Chocolate molds |
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| Chocolate Fountain |
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| Chocolate Processing |
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