eifel und köln
I dragged my copious baggage down the platform at Gare du Nord, shoved my giant Osprey into a tiny train storage rack, and headed to Belgium. My colleague Tom picked me up in Liege, where we had a glorious reunion after two whole years! I delivered his 3 year anni flags, which he later flew at the highest point in Belgium!
Our first stop was visiting a retailer in Liege. Then we headed east, where Tom was staying for the week on an annual getaway to Germany’s Eifel National Park. A pit stop along the way brought us to the Highest Point in Belgium, which had some arctic tundra vibes!
We stopped for lunch in Monschau, which I had found on the internet and demanded we visit. Because, look at the cute!!
We walked “downtown” on the hunt for schnitzel, and were delighted to find that it was Schnitzel Montag at a local brauhaus. This meant that, because it was Schnitzel Monday, you could literally only order one of three varieties of schnitzel for lunch. That’s it. Schnitzel or bust, folks.
We also learned that they didn’t accept credit cards… and that a $50 euro bill was too big for them to break. Thankfully Tom scraped together some coins. Welcome to Deutschland!
We arrived at the German holiday park, where I met Tom’s bestie John and his daughter Greet. I caught up on work for the afternoon with, weirdly, the best wifi I would get all trip, while the boys prepared a Belgian Dinner of Dreams.
Lamb roasted over an open flame, local forest pâté, buttery and bitter Belgian endive, juicy brussel sprouts, cheesy scalloped potatoes… and some mile-high cake slices Tom and I grabbed in Monschau. Thank you Tom, John, and Greet for the amazing welcome, conversation, and NOMS!!
In the morning Tom and I made use of kickin’ wifi with the smooth, soothing sounds of German network news in the background, then headed to Bonn for a retailer meeting. Along the way we stretched our legs at bucolic Vulkan Eifel, which believe it or not was once the sight of a megavolcano. (I might be embellishing a little here but there was definitely a volcano involved).
After a questionable lunch at a totally empty but yummy Vietnamese restaurant, and a nice visit with another retailer, Tom dropped me at the Bonn train station. I headed to Cologne for the conference.
Köln was a new city for me. The train station is steps from the massive Kölner Dom- wowie!
I settled in to the hotel, did some pre-conference prep, then went out in search of dinner. Cologne on that early winter Tuesday was crisp and quiet. I landed at Haxenhaus where I had this delicious tasting but disgusting looking sausage/potato moment.
After dinner I wandered towards a faraway ferris wheel with dreams of German fair food (deep fried pretzels??)… but it was just a rando ferris wheel. I obviously still rode it, and remembered that ferris wheels are actually terrifying.
I survived unscathed, and the next morning headed to the trade show. Overall, learned a lot, made good connections, and was happy I added it on to the trip.
Crossing back over the river at the end of the day, there was a noticeable shift in the vibe. There were a LOT more people, and they seemed a LOT more… how do I say… drunk and wantonly?
I went to a spot I had scoped out for dinner the night before, Brauhaus Sünner im Walfisch, which Google Maps describes as “Traditional beer hall in a 1600s stepped-gable house, serving house-brewed Kölsch & meaty dishes.” Acccurate.
I ended up sharing a table with another solo traveler, Christian, a suspenders-clad older gentleman from Berlin. We talked for two hours and he bought me a little dessert that he said “reminded him of childhood.” Aw! Christian gave me the lowdown on the frattiness I had picked up on. On 11/11, at 11:11:11 am in Cologne, Carnival begins. People dress up like it’s Halloween, drink like it’s Oktoberfest, and satire the police like… yeah, I didn’t quite understand that element, but a lot of people wear police costumes.
Sure enough, above was the scene as I walked to the conference the next morning. At 7:30 AM, the streets were mobbed, everyone was piss drunk, and I had some major FOMO. I didn’t need to worry, though, as the party was still going strong when I returned from the last day of the conference. Unfortunately, I had to head to the airport… which was complicated by the revelry. I attempted to take public transport but that was an absolute non-starter. I will have nightmares about being hot, sweaty, and masked with way too much luggage, trying to decipher German train timetables while obliterated teenagers scream EuroPop acapella style. I waited for a train for about 20 minutes, realized my odds of making my flight were slim with that plan, and headed back out into the fray outside. A well-timed taxi saved my ass for the second time that trip.
So, now you know… if you want to day drink in a onesie on a chilly November morning in Germany, Cologne is your spot!
where: eifel region + cologne, germany
when: november- very nippy!
how: hotel mondial m cologne , greener manufacturing show
