Did You Have A Déjà Vu?
My eye-popping déjà vu in Köln!
‘I’ve been here before!’
‘No, you haven’t!’
Last century, I spent a few months in Düsseldorf, Germany, to learn Deutsch, or so I thought.
One day, I took the train from Düsseldorf to visit the nearby town of Köln.
Cologne is associated with the famous ‘Eau de Cologne’ perfume or Kölnish Wasser.
It was created in 1709 by a young Italian immigrant who named the perfume after his hosting German town.
French name, Italian inventor, and German location — a scented way to link three countries together.
‘Eau de Cologne’ is a fruity water scented with a melange of citrus oils like lemon, orange, tangerine, mandarin, grapefruit, bergamot, and lime. It’s refreshing and uplifting.
Have you ever tried it?
Back to me on the train. A journey of less than an hour.
Stepping outside the Hauptbahnhof building in Cologne, I found myself on a large square.
Impressive view! The imposing gothic cathedral with its two striking spires…
GASP! Something hit me! Right on the square of the picture above.
‘I’ve been here before!’ I said aloud.
👎 ‘No, you haven’t!’
‘I’ve seen this place before!’ I said aloud.
👎 ‘No, you have not!’
‘I recognise this place!’ I said with 100% conviction.
👎 ‘Do you? How so?’
My feeling of knowingness was strong. But my logical mind produces factual evidence contradicting my declarations.
- This is your first visit to Germany.
- This is your first visit to Cologne.
- You’ve neither lived in Germany nor visited Germany before!
- You don’t speak German. Alas!
See? 👀?
‘I’ve been here before. I recognise this place!’
👎 ‘You’re a bit spacey. Did you sleep well last night?’
I was overwhelmed.
Look, I know I’ve never been here before, but I’ve been here before!
Don’t ask me when, how, why. Because I don’t know. All I know is I recognise this freaking place.
With that, I found my way to the Museum of East Asian Art, the oldest museum of its kind in Europe.
At the Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, a friendly warden commented about a golden Buddha statue on display. I nodded as I didn’t understand what he said. He grinned with satisfaction. I realised that everything around me was new to me. This was the first time I visited the museum.
I went for a stroll along the River Rhine. It started drizzling. A light spring rain. Taking in the sights of the Cathedral and the cruise boats, I kept wondering…
Had I been here before?
By the time I went back to Düsseldorf, I was sure I had been to Cologne before.
Takeaway message
Our intuition communicates with us through our feelings.
Always acknowledge your feelings. They’re telling you something. Even if you can’t make head or tail of the feeling, don’t discard it. There’s a reason why you feel that particular emotion.
Déjà vu experiences show there’s more to this life than meets the eye.
Jawohl!