Since I was
too cheap to pay 4€ for what the hostel offered for breakfast, my day started
with a long walk, as I wandered in the hope of finding a better option. Strangely enough, I can’t actually remember
what I ended up with, but I think it was just some kind of raisin bread.
I had my
heart set on going on one of those little
tourist trains which tootle around pretty much every European town, so I
headed off to the pick-up point by the cathedral square. There were 2 routes, and I chose the one
which went to the zoo as a) I thought I was less likely to walk that way, and
b) the botanic gardens were right next door.
Well, the gardens were nice, but not amazing. And, I have to say, I was a little bit
disappointed. I didn’t feel that I saw
too much on the route, and I couldn’t really hear the commentary that was
playing since the train itself rattled so much (although I did have the windows
open, so maybe that didn’t help)! Also,
the commentary was in German and then in English, so I found it quite hard to
work out whether we were still beside what they were talking about, or if we’d
already passed it.
Felt that I
was obliged to eat some kind of sausage while in Germany, so I cruised around
town until I found a little place which sold currywurst. I was rather
pleased with myself, since I managed to do the (albeit very simple) transaction
in (very, very bad) German. Sometimes,
it’s nice not to be the obnoxious English speaker.
On my way
to this place, I’d passed so many interesting shops that I had somehow got into
a shopping mood. So, in the next few
hours, I leisurely browsed my way through Cologne. And I managed to limit my purchases to one light grey scarf. I promise that I actually needed it… And it was on sale.
After some
chilling time, I headed out again, to a place I’d discovered on my search for
breakfast: Papa Joe’s Jazzlokal. This place is actually mint, and I’d
recommend it to any jazz-lover who goes to Cologne. It’s really central, and just one street back
from the Rhine. It’s also tiny, so get
in early. Every night at 8.30, there’s
live music (outside, you can grab a brochure with the dates, and names of the
groups and a brief description of their music) and no cover charge. The drinks are a bit pricier (because of
this, I guess) but hey – you get live entertainment and peanuts still in their shells.
;p The walls are plastered with
jazz memorabilia, the light fittings are trumpets, there are saxes hanging off
the walls.
The night
that I went, Papa Joe’s own ‘jazzmen’ were playing and, even though I couldn’t
understand what they were saying, they were pretty entertaining chaps. They played heaps of standards, in a kind of
trad, perhaps slightly Dixie style.
Awesome.
A Dutch
train driver who spoke very good English befriended me, and we had a good chat
over a few Kölsh (when in Cologne…),
so all in all, a great night.
