Christi Himmelfahrt

The towers of Zenith aspired above the morning mist; austere towers of steel and cement and limestone, sturdy as cliffs and delicate as silver rods.

It's Ascension day and Köln is in bank holiday mode. Unlike at home, the sun keeps shining.

Inside the Pullman, the conference enters its last full day. Aslak and I run a workshop - but we have too much material - a common problem.

Irina and Nat, who were running a workshop at the same time, persuade me to accompany them to the cathedral. It's an amazing building to look at, and we decide to climb the steeple.

There are hundreds of steps, in a tight stone spiral, with a constant stream of people heading in both directions. It's a tiring climb, with several stages. We pass the bells and keep on going.

Then there's a much more recent staircase, steel, with open views in all directions. You're completely enclosed by safety barriers, but the feeling of vertigo is palpable. Irina decided that enough is enough.

There's a final, even tighter, spiral staircase that gets you up to the base of the steeple. We're incredibly far above the crowds below and the view is magnificent. Every vista is enclosed in robust netting - you definitely wouldn't survive the fall, and a person below would be more than unhappy if you dropped a coin on them from this height.

Tonight 13 of us head out to a Japanese restaurant. It's a fun evening, and I make several new friends. We're having so much fun that we return to the hotel bar, where they have an impressive selection of Scottish gins - who would have guessed.

Midnight comes and goes. Eventually, despite a strong desire to continue, we head back to the apartment. We have a long day tomorrow.