Ever wondered how those huge medieval cathedrals were built? Watch this and find out.

The video is ten years old, but it's the first time I've seen this uncommonly clear an explanation of some of the techniques used 1,000 years ago by mere mortals to construct immense buildings dedicated to unprovable religious teachings.

BBC Four: How to Build a Cathedral

The great cathedrals were the wonders of the medieval world - the tallest buildings since the pyramids and the showpieces of medieval Christianity. Yet they were built at a time when most of us lived in hovels. Architectural historian Jon Cannon explores who were the people that built them and how were they able to achieve such a bold vision.

2014 Euro Reunion Tour, Day 8: Deutsche Bahn disintegrates, but we nimbly fall back on Kölsch.

On Wednesday, September 17, four of us (minus Jeff and Karen) were scheduled to ride four trains over a seven-hour period to travel from Bamberg to Brugge. Little did we know that the German rail system was poised to fail massively; in the end, it took six trains and twelve hours to make the trip.

The silver lining was an unexpected opportunity to be stranded in Cologne for three and a half hours. That's time to check baggage, see the cathedral, and dash around the corner to PJ Fruh for a Kölsch-powered midday meal. Those lovely small glasses of subtle golden ale -- roughly two swallows per unit, and then, another.

Joe takes a back seat to no one when it comes to enjoying food and drink. We're kindred spirits that way.

Serendipity. Sometimes it works. We came into Brugge around 8:00 p.m., and shifted gears, patronizing a "night shop" license for French and South African wines, and then shifting multiple bags of takeaway Tandoori from shop to rental apartment. We made the best of a challenging day.