Cologne, Freiburg im Breisgau

WARNING: The following blog contains some food references. Those sensitive to the subject should proceed with caution!

I'm not sure what it is about travelling alone, but somehow things that wouldn't ordinarily be a big deal, produce a reaction in me that they wouldn't anyother time. I arrived at Cologne airport at about 6pm on Saturday the 15th September, and found the ticket machine for the train and proceeded to try and buy a ticket. Unfortunately, I didn't have the correct fare in change (about 2.60 Euros if I remember correctly) and the machine wouldn't take a 20 euro note for that small amount. So, I made my way back up to the main section of the airport and found the nearest shop which was the tourist office and tried to buy a 1 euro postcard with my 20 euro note. Unfortunately, the man at the desk told me that he didn't have enough change and did I have anything smaller, at which point I started to cry and say "I just need change for the train". The man told me to try the train office which was just a short walk away, to which I replied "Six o'clock it closes" (I'm not sure what it is about travelling in a country which speaks a different language which makes me want to speak in broken English- or really bad French!). Anyway, the problem was solved when I went next door to the little supermarket-type shop and bought a packet of chewing gum. So, the moral of the story is: when travelling in a foreign country, it is a good idea to have some small change on arrival to buy a train ticket (something which I really should have learnt after Amsterdam!).

After that though, there were no dramas in getting into Cologne and then getting to my hotel- which was surprisingly easy to find.

On the Sunday, I did a bit of sightseeing in the city. First stop was the Dom (cathedral), which is the main tourist attraction in Cologne. It is a HUGE, gothic structure, with twin towers, and was the tallest building in Cologne until the television tower was constructed.

I also did a bus tour of the city, which was actually a little disappointing after my bus tours of London and Belfast. After first having to supress tears as the driver wouldn't let me on the bus because I had the wrong ticket (the guy in the tourist office across the street sold me the wrong one), and I didn't understand what he was trying to say to me (he was trying to tell me to go back to the tourist office and get them to swap it over), I finally got on the bus and we set off on the tour. The commentary turned out to be a tape-recording, which is fair enough, as they had 4 languages to translate, however, it was also a little boring as it was mainly; "On our way we will pass the Opera house, Dom etc", and "get off at the next stop for the Hard Rock Cafe, Cologne museum etc." There was hardly any comments about the history of the town which is what I usually find most interesting in a new City.

That night, I had dinner in the Argentinian Steak House which was below the hotel I was staying at. Here, I had the best steak I have ever had (well, recently anyway)! It was cooked to perfection, tender, and tasty!! It may have had something to do with the fact that they cooked my 250 gram steak in about 500 grams of salt!! The fries and barbecued corn on the cob were also yummy (and salty)!

On the Monday, I caught the train to Bonn. I was going to catch the ferry and cruise down the Rhine to Bonn, however, I didn't research this very well, and when I got to the pier, I found that the only boat of the day left at 9:30am which was 2 hours before I got there (and it also took 3 hours to sail there!).

Shops and restaurants lining the Pier in Cologne

Bonn is a lot prettier than Cologne. The town hall is a Pink and White building with a black outside staircase with gold trimmings. The post office was a yellow and green baroque palace with a monument to Beethoven out the front. The house that Beethoven was born in and spent the first few years of his life is still standing and is now a museum which houses some artefacts from his life, including his last piano. I had a look through the Beethoven house while I was there.

The Postoffice in Bonn

The Bonn Town Hall

Beethoven's house

That night, I went to see Xavier Rudd, who was playing at a nightclub which was just around the corner from my hotel. For those of you who are not familiar with him, Xavier Rudd is an Aussie musician who plays several different instruments (digeridoo, drums, guitar etc,) and also sings- all at the same time. The show was a sellout, and I was suprised to see that they were mostly Germans in the audience (I was expecting there would be lots of Aussies there), and that they knew all the words to his songs (which I must admit, I didn't!). They were also very polite, and practically made a path for me to the front, because I was short and couldn't see!

The next day was my Birthday, and after a bit of a sleep-in, and a big buffet breakfast, I caught the train to Dusseldorf for a little look. Here, I walked down the main shopping strip called the "Ko" (Kollingsallee- which means "Kings Avenue", so named after an incident which occurred here when King Friedrich Wilhelm IV in 1848 was riding through the then "Chestnut Avenue" on his horse and someone threw horse poo at him. The name was changed in 1851 as a goodwill gesture). I had some cake at a cafe (well, you have to have at least one piece of cake on your Birthday), then took a stroll through a park to the town hall.

I was unsure what this sign in the park meant...

Until I saw the ducks.

Outside the town hall is a monument to Jan Wellem the Elector who granted the right of freedom of Religion to his subjects. It shows him on his horse, and apparently it is the most important equestrian statue north of the Alps!!

I then strolled along the Rheinuferpromenade, a footpath which runs along the Rhine. I walked as far as the media park which features some interesting looking buildings, before heading back to the train station and Cologne. I visited the Argentinian Steak House again for another delicious steak for my Birthday Dinner!

On Wednesday the 19th September, I caught the train to Freiburg im Breisgau, which is a town situated in the Black Forest. On the train, I met a German third year medicine student called Marina. She was returning to Freiburg to study after her summer break. She had spent 18 months travelling in Asia and thought that I looked like a familiar sight, lugging my backpack around! She was very helpful, and pointed out where I could find the tourist office.

I had a late lunch/early dinner that afternoon at a local pub. I had a veal and mushroom dish which was cooked in cream, and served with small potato rosties, which I think was a local dish.
For dessert that night I had Black Forest Cake!

The next day, I went hiking in the Black Forest. First, I caught the "Schauinslandbahn", a cable car, up to the summit of the "Bergwelt", which is the highest peak in the Black Forest. It takes 20 minutes to get to the top. Then I walked around some of the short hiking paths at the top, before walking back down the mountain, which took about an hour. I didn't have any breadcumbs with me in case I got lost, but I didn't see any gingerbread houses either. I was surprised to find that the Black Forest is made up, not only of trees, but also plenty of farmland.

After my trip to the Black Forest, I decided that it was time for some more Black Forest Cake, so found a nice little cafe which served it. This one had Kirsh Liquour in it, whereas the one the day before hadn't. I have decided that it is no good without the Liquour.

I was very stiff in the legs the next day after my hiking!

On the Friday, I wandered around Freiburg, and found that it is also a very pretty town. I saw the large, red Cathedral, which is also a big tourist attraction in Freiburg (there doesn't seem to be a town in Europe which doesn't have a church as a tourist drawcard!). There was a market on in the Market square surrounding the Cathedral and it was here where I had my first German Bratwurst, which I must admit was pretty good for a sausage. I even nearly tried it with the currysauce, before remembering that curried sausages is actually the one food that I don't really like. I always assumed that it was the English which gave us the curried sausage, but I'm beginning to think that maybe it was actually the Germans...
There were lots of buskers around the streets, and I saw one of the best street artists I have ever seen. He was a young guy who used spray paint and a few simple tools to come up with some really clever paintings. This was a very clever idea, as not only did he get some money for creating the paintings (in the form of donations by the people who watched him), but also he made quite a bit by selling each painting for 20 euros. He sold at least 3 while I was watching!

Walking through some of the narrow back streets, I found some really attractive buildings with frescos painted on the outside. As I said before, it was a really pretty town.
On Saturday, I caught the train back to Cologne. The train followed the Rhine, and as I had a window seat, I saw some more really attractive looking towns, and quite a few castles, perched on the edge of cliffs.

I flew back to London that afternoon.

Proof that Nanny WAS right: Hoss IS a german!