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Day Two began with Ellie heading out on a solo mission to locate some pastries for our breakfast. She always enjoys a morning wander in a new city and returned with a successful haul of a strawberry tart (for me) and apple donut (for her), plus a couple of cups of tea from downstairs at the hotel reception.
In comparison to yesterday’s start time (is 2:30am so early it’s actually very late?) it was a comparatively relaxed beginning to the day and we both emerged from the hotel mid-morning with a spring in our step. Speaking of Spring, it seemed that Germany was actually having one and we found ourselves in glorious sunshine and temperatures so mild they were edging on ‘warm’.
Our first destination involved walking south through the city centre and then alongside the River Rhein to one of Köln’s primary tourist attractions, the Chocolate Museum. The museum was in partnership with Lindt and I was insistent that the factory element would be exactly as shown in their adverts, and as such I would get to both meet the famous ‘Master Chocolatier’ and see golden Lindt Bunnies hopping about here, there and everywhere. Anything less would be flagrant false advertising.
Should the Master Chocolatier indeed exist and not be the figment of a Swiss advertising exec’s imagination, I hope he has a less unfortunate name than the jolly chef whose face greeted us on an advert every time we entered the lift at the hotel - I’m not sure I’d fancy a meal cooked by someone called Bernd Stuff.
We handed over our Euros and headed inside the museum. The first half of the tour largely consisted of a history of the cocoa plant, including how and where it’s grown and harvested (with example ‘rainforest’ section) and the growth in popularity of chocolate across the world. This section was pretty busy as we’d evidently arrived at the same time as several German school groups who were being given organised tours. I hoped that they were being given extra information about the role that Oompa Loompas play in the chocolate manufacturing process, as this seemed to be oddly downplayed in the museum’s exhibits.
The second half of the tour was the main attraction, as this was where we found ourselves in a miniature chocolate factory. There were numbered sections on the various levels showing us each stage of the production process, which naturally culminated in each guest getting the chance to receive a free sample, excitingly served by a robot arm, which would pick out a piece from the conveyor belt and deliver it down a chute.
There was also a nearby chocolate fountain, albeit operated by a human being, which also gave us the chance to sample the chocolate in liquid form.
With even more free samples received on the way out we decided we’d sit out the sugar crash in the museum cafe by the river watching the boats and occasional brave kayaker cruise by. By the time we’d finished our drinks it was about time for lunch, and being determined to tick off as many traditional German foods as possible on this short trip we stopped off at what looked like a popular bratwurst spot. My sausage came in a crusty bread roll with a generous portion of sauerkraut and was excellent, whereas Ellie opted for a salty pretzel and also seemed very happy with her decision.
Our next stop was back into the city at Museum Ludwig. We’re not usually ones for high art but having researched in advance it seemed that this museum housed enough works by notable artists to keep ignoramuses such as ourselves amused. Sadly, after making the walk it seemed that the work of Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and others would remain closed off to us. The building was dark and doors locked as the museum was very much shut on Mondays. A quick bit of improvisation was required - our options were narrowed down to either walking to the botanical gardens and zoo about 40 mins north, or as we were already in sight of the station we could catch the train to nearby Bonn.
I left the final decision with Ellie who found the idea of a nice sit down and train journey a lot more optimal than another lengthy walk. So with that in mind we headed inside and after a minor battle with the ticket machine we secured ourselves tickets for the short journey to Bonn. The nearby city is most famous for being the capital of West Germany when the country was divided into two, and also being the birthplace of one Ludwig von Beethoven. I mapped out a quick walking route while we cruised through Köln’s outer suburbs and into the German countryside, and soon enough we arrived into Bonn’s slightly dingy station.
Thankfully the city was more attractive than the initial impression we’d received, with several large open squares surrounded by ornate buildings and churches, including a city hall that looked more like a palace and a statue of big LVB himself. Like most of the paintings of him, his statue featured his face in an angry scowl - you think if you’d knocked out such bangers as the 5th Symphony (you know, ‘Du-du-du-DUM! Du-du-du-DUM!’) you’d have looked a bit happier. We walked past the musical grouch’s place of birth and then found ourselves resting on a bench in a small area of gardens back by the Rhein.
After we’d restored some energy into Ellie’s legs we completed the second half of our walk back to the station through Bonn’s very pretty old university. The sun was at its peak at this point and we were actually glad to arrive back into the concrete shelter of the train station. It was a crowded journey back to Köln but we luckily both managed to find a seat, although in different areas of the train.
We found a cafe in the main city square to while away the time before dinner with some drinks. It was a very pleasant way to spend an early evening, aside from our encounter with a roving accordion player who was demanding money for his unwanted busking from all the cafe patrons. He looked very disappointed with the 20 cents I put in his cup, I felt this was 20 cents more than he deserved but judged it a worthy fee so he’d judge me a cheapskate and not play the accordion in our faces in the search of more tips.
Our final meal of the trip was at the nearby Gilden Im Zims. We were initially greeted by a very unfriendly fräulein who seemed most unimpressed by the cut of Ellie and I’s jib. Thankfully she was soon replaced by a waiter who seemed to be aiming for the ‘Jolliest German’ award, he was a great laugh and we very much enjoyed our Schnitzels followed by an incredible Apple Strudel to share for dessert. It was an excellent meal to end our time before we sadly headed back to the airport to make our way home.
Aside from Ellie setting off the usual alarms at airport security, as is tradition (sorry Ellie), it was a smooth journey back to Norwich - albeit a sleepy one as the 10:50pm flight time meant that even with the hour gained by the shift in time zones we weren’t back in our beds until 1:30am. It was still a thoroughly worthwhile trip and we look forward to seeing more of Germany together in future.
Auf wiedersehen!
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