I have escaped on my first foreign trip for a couple of years.
It started in Köln, with a flight there from Edinburgh on Eurowings. The travel was frustrating, at least until I arrived in Köln-Bonn Airport. Things picked up there. Passport control meant queuing for at least… 90 seconds. The bags arrived quite quickly and my first thought after that was to buy a delicious German sandwich to eat before finding my train.
I felt at home right away.
The next day I did some desultory sightseeing to stretch my legs after a travel day, and to renew my acquaintance with the city centre. I felt more at home as the time passed.
In the evening I went to a Friday evening football match – Viktoria Köln against Hansa Rostock in the 3.Liga. It cost me €12 for the cheapest ticket (standing). Amazing value for money. It was a great game with the locals winning 3-0 thanks to some Sunday league defending from Hansa.
On my final morning I was up with the 6am alarm and by 9am was at the Rheinpark Parkrun. It is a lovely place for a Parkrun.
I enjoyed the first 3km and then struggled. I had just recovered from Covid 19 so I was a bit short of training and stamina.
My hotel was excellent, mostly. The exception was smokers standing by the front door and talking loudly at all hours. The noise was irritating even in my room on the 5th floor.
That was a pity. I suspect a room at the back would have solved the problem. It is The Deutz, part of the Marriott chain.
I used 24 hour public transport tickets to get me around on trams and the Ubahn. They cost €8.50 (for an old guy like me) and the Sbahn into the city from the airport is included. A good deal.
There you have it – just under 48 hours in the city and then off to the Hauptbahnhof to catch a Saturday lunchtime ICE to…
ⓒ iain taylor, 2024
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