After my few days in Eindhoven, I decided to book a train eastwards to experience some Germanic flavour. in Cologne. I’d been to Cologne before, but many, many years ago, and had [...]]]>

After my few days in Eindhoven, I decided to book a train eastwards to experience some Germanic flavour. in Cologne. I’d been to Cologne before, but many, many years ago, and had only then spent a day there, so I was interested to see what it had turned into as a city.

The train set me back €30 or so which I had booked in advance (through hispeed.nl if you’re interested). If you book really early you can get dirt cheap farea; I’d left it a little bit late and so my fare was middling. Regardless, it was far cheaper – and a lot cheaper – than the UK trains. I love the German ICEs; they’re amongst the best trains in Europe.

My accommodation was far from shoestring, but I felt like splashing out. I’d found a deal with a 4-star hotel, managing to bag three nights for just €40 per night. The luxury felt justified to me; a hostel dorm bed would’ve been €18 or so, so for just a bit over double per night I had given myself a private room with tea/coffee facilities, fridge, TV with satellite/cable and my own bathroom.

Cologne was a beer town. It’s famed for its bitter-but-nice-tasting Koelsch, which is served up in long, thin glasses that are difficult to get my oversized schnoz into. Still, I managed to do so quite a bit in my time there, and it bumped up my food and drink bill quite a bit for the long weekend.