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The Week in Germany: Culture April 27, 2007 Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Summer Fun in Cologne
In this youthful slice-of-leisure-life snapshot, Friederike Sophie Lentz contributes an original feature story to The Week in Germany about visiting her big sister Katrin in Cologne. German-born Lentz, 22, is a big fan of long summer days in this bustling city on the banks of the Rhine River. Raised in Germany, Belgium and the United States, she has lived near Washington for the past eight years. Lentz is a senior in communications at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. An aspiring journalist, she hopes to write more fun features - and hard-hitting news stories - in future. Her irreverent sense of humor peppers her tongue-in-cheek tale of hanging out on holiday in Cologne, widely considered one of Germany's most fun and friendly cities to spend some down time in. A quick trip by train, car or boat just up the Rhine River from Cologne also leads to Düsseldorf, with its equally fun riverside attractions and popular old town, and a quick trip down the river leads to Bonn, the picturesque and historic former German capital with a lovely riverside promenade. Historic Aachen, famous for Charlemagne's medieval crown jewels, is also close to Cologne. The proximity of so many German cities in one area makes the region well worth a visit. Lentz's story has been divided into a two-part series - this is the second installment to run in The Week in Germany. We pick up where she left off, about to delve into Cologne's culinary traditions and some summertime nightlife options. You hungry? All right how about some breakfast in the kitchen. What, that doesn't sound appetizing to you? Well I do not mean you have to eat it in your kitchen, but die Küche (the Kitchen), where amongst old sixties and seventies kitchen cabinets and the like you can enjoy an enormous cup of cappuccino that would give Starbucks a run for its money and perhaps a "Paris Breakfast", consisting of two croissants, butter and an assortment of jellies. No, want something heavier - ok, how about the "Farmer's Breakfast", consisting of scrambled eggs and ham, a pickle, butter and farmer's bread?
Now what do you like more for lunch - Turkish or Greek? Gyros or Döner? Don't know what the heck I am talking about? Gyros is Greek, and Döner is Turkish, but both are basically the same. This simple and filling meal, popular across Germany, is a pita bread of sorts filled with lamb or beef, an assortment of veggies and a white sauce, which most order with a side of fries with mayonnaise or a salad or both. A Döner Kepab can be eaten almost anytime of the day, though it is especially good as a quick meal at 4 a.m., after a night out on the town, or as a hangover meal at 4 p.m. Now for dinner and a very traditional Bavarian evening of beer and sausages, or whatever floats your boat, I like to go to the Weiss-Bräu. If you're only there for the beer and have a minimal hunger, you should try a Halve Hahn (a roll with a slice of cheese and mustard). If your appetite is larger they have a full menu that offers you anything from schnitzel to goulash. The dark wood paneling, high ceiling and smoky atmosphere are very soothing, making this a comfy place to unwind. As for entertainment, well are you a fan of "American Idol"? (I am!) Then Linus' Talentprobe (Linus's Talent Try Out) is the place to go. It happens every summer from May to October, and is already more worth it than "Idol" because you are the judge. So here it is: imagine you are surrounded by a crowd of drinking, shouting and singing people and you are trying to do your best while the two regular dancers (who are Indian twins) are shaking their rumps at you and host "Linus", who has more funky suits than Elton John, is watching from the side.
And you think you are doing fabulous, but all of a sudden everyone turns around, sits on the floor and starts singing Karnival songs - popular tunes during Cologne's famous February carnival parade season. Some even hoist their friends onto their shoulders with a belt around their neck, making a hangman motion. This, my friend, is bad! They do not like you and this is how they treat everyone they think sucks. If they love you,well they sing along and those annoying cigarette lighters come out swaying. And after the winner is chosen … everyone hits the town! You could head to the aforementioned (in part one of this series) beach club KM689, for instance, which is immediately adjacent to where the show is held every year, or you can take a cab (one of the main ways to get around town, by the way), and go to one of the many clubs and bars in town. If you are a dog lover, I recommend one place I went to where the cocktails were huge and pooches shone from every wall: The Fiffi-Bar is covered from top to bottom in all things canine. There are dog heads swaying over the bar, dog light fixtures on the walls and an ugly dog statue on every table. Red indie wallpaper and a satin-cushion window seat, bathed in eclectic tunes and mellow light - welcome to Boogaloo. A projector throws images of jazz musicians against the walls and if you happen to sit by on the windowsill you might see the occasional punk or goth group pass by. Köln is a party town, where you can go everywhere within minutes
and the next event is only a few blocks away. You see more, can do more
and go more places in a small amount of time and space than you could
ever imagine. There's no place like Cologne in the summertime.
Die Küche (The Kitchen) is located at Simrockstrasse 2, 50823
Köln-Ehrenfeld. Linus's Talentprobe takes place at Tanzbrunnen Köln,
Deutz-Mülheimer Str. 30, 50679 Köln (Tel. +49-(0)221-821-2121). Links: Urban Underground - Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich (Germany.info) German National Tourist Office (GNTO) |
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