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Tag: Köln

IC Hamburg – Köln & ICE Köln – Brussel

Published on 13 September 2020
Train route from Hamburg to Brussels, over Köln

My first leg of the journey was on an IC train. I’m not sure if it’s typical for this type, but it felt quite a bit older: lots of fake wood, actual curtains, no airconditioning… Next time I’ll try to make sure I only book ICEs!

And like it was on purpose, to rub in the fact that I had to cancel a large part of my trip, there was a ÖBB Nightjet waiting in Köln station!

The last leg was a proper ICE again, and even in seat 61! Perfect temperature, comfy seat, loads of space, and Komfort Check-in again! No clue how they actually check it, but every time I used it, they’ve always passed me by during ticket control.

Well, that was it, I’m almost back home! Hopefully next trip will be a bit longer again…

Off to Berlin!

Published on 10 September 2020

Wait, what? Straight to Berlin? What happened to Wien and Budapest? Well… because Hungary suddenly closed its borders for tourists, I had to change my plans a bit. The sleeper train adventure has been put on hold for now, and on this trip I will only visit Berlin and Hamburg, meaning I’m going straight from Brussels to Berlin. I’m still keeping it classy though: first class tickets all the way!

As usual, I had to change trains in Köln, giving me the opportunity to quickly grab something to eat. Don’t be afraid to ask them to put your order in your own reusable packaging, even abroad! No time to grab my usual coffee in the coffee bar just outside the station, so a train coffee had to do… Really nice of Deutsche Bahn to serve it in proper cups, at your seat!

Now just a couple more hours of podcast listening—I was running behind a bit anyway—and enjoying the view, and I’ll be back in Berlin!

Köln Trip

Published on 11 December 2017

It seems I somehow never posted anything about my Köln trip. So when I found out about this a couple of years later, I decided to delve into my photo archive, and publish at least a couple of photos of that trip!

Most of my trips revolve around craft beer, or at least include some beer bars or breweries. Köln is a bit different: very traditional, and the city only had one craft beer bar when we visited… What the city did have, and stil has, is Kölsch! So of course, on the evening of our arrival, we went to one of the best places to drink it: Brauhaus Päffgen!

The second day we started in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum⁩.

After Himmel un Äd for lunch at Peters Brauhaus, and a visit to the Römisch-Germanisches Museum (no photos), we visited the only craft beer bar in Köln: Crafbeer Corner Coeln.
We enjoyed dinner—Kotelett mit Kartoffelsalat—at Lommerzheim.

On the last day, we had some Currywurst for lunch, and after some more sightseeing, a beer at the Gaffel am Dom. We ended our trip with some Bratwurst mit Kartoffelsalat at Max Stark.

Departure Day

Published on 17 September 2016

Our departure day was cold and rainy — completely the opposite of the previous days — so our daily cup of coffee at the Bonanza Roastery was a welcome break from our last few strolls through Berlin.
We were briefly tempted by the Oktoberfest tent in front of the Hauptbahnhof, but a Maß (liter) of Märzen lost its appeal after all those great beers we had over the last week.
Our first ICE train had a bit of a delay, barely leaving us time to grab something to eat in Köln. We’ll be crossing the border to Belgium soon, signalling the end of this Berlin trip.
However, some more — and better — photos will follow soon!