Hi there!
Just wanted to tell everyone about my experience getting to Cologne.
Flew out of LAX yesterday. Our flight was late by 50 minutes so we ended up missing our connecting train in Frankfurt. Frankfurt airport is a bit chaotic (and I have to agree with the one poster on here who said it was).
Boarding the plane we showed our CDC cards (I think twice?), we had already filled out the "Digital Registration on Entry" and uploaded proof there as well as to the airline prior to departure, and of course the passport. The plane would like a printed out copy of your "digital registration on entry" even if you already did it.
Once we got here we walked (which felt like a mile) from our plane over to the border control area. There were about 20 people or so but it took a good 45 minutes with 4 attendants working. They really looked at everything and wanted our hotel address we were staying at, our vaccination cards, the "digital entry upon registration" paper confirmation and our passports of course. Once they stamped it all we were allowed in and then had to fetch our bags post passport control at Frankfurt airport.
The bags were down by the long haul route station (so walking another mile). We had to end up changing our train tickets since the flight was late by 50 minutes or so. It was a good workout. (picture me and my friend basically half-dead by 3pm). On the train I don't think anyone actually checked out ticket at all.
Went to restaurant last night, we have some laminated copies of the CDC cards with it which we show to people in restaurants and hotels. Honestly one cannot tell the difference between the copy and the real thing (if you do it well in hi-res and the right ratios). So I do 100% recommend taking some extra copies so you don't have to show your real ones as much. They do ask and check it everywhere.
We'll be going to a pharmacy today to try to get a QR code for the app. Food was excellent last night!
Most people have been friendly and a couple people talked to us since we were Americans, we looked a bit like a goldfish in a fishbowl at the restaurant (seemed to be a local Germans) I think since people haven't seen a lot of Americans here in a while.
Will post again further into our trip.
Thanks so everyone on this forum who gave us a lot of tips before we boarded the plane