Where I was born

Cologne is this month´s station of our "Travel around the World" project. As it´s the town where I was born and where I have been living for the first nine years of my life, I had a lot of ideas for a collage - and that´s the problem: You can´t show your feelings and memories on such a small canvas, such as your heartbeat when the train arrives in Cologne and you can see the Rhine and the dome, and all those stories of your childhood that come to your mind when you return to your "hometown". But although this card only presents some town legends, the fact that I´ve learned all these legends at school makes it quite personal for me ...
I haven´t used the famous city arms with the three crowns and the eleven flames or drops of blood - but the crowns that represent the three wise men are on top of the card, and in between the wise men at the bottom is Saint Ursula whose 11000 virgins are symbolized in the drops of blood. Then there´s a brownie from the tale "Die Heinzelmännchen von Köln" with the first two verses of that story, and I remember to have recited one stanza when we played that story at a school party when I was seven or eight ...
No legend but annual reality is the clown representing the Cologne carnival (that I´ve always hated).
There´s so much more to tell about this fascinating city, think of Eau de Cologne, the ruins of antique Roman buildings from the times when the town was founded, and so many more interesting stories! Can´t wait to see what the other participants will show us!