Europe,  Germany,  TDM,  Travel Journal

Cologne and Bonn: Road trip Germany solo 1/2

After a week criss-crossing Belgium, I leave the country of chocolate and fries to go to a neighboring country: Germany. Not speaking the language, I only went there twice… but our initial plan was to go to Austria for a month, so I thought it was a good idea to do a 3 weeks road trip in Germany (alternating between tourism and work), but solo this time. JB being in France at the moment

Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Diary

Before this trip, I had nightmares… I put it down to my anxiety or fear of traveling alone again for 3 weeks in a country where I don’t know the language – after years of traveling together as a duo. But on the other hand, I was glad to have a recent experience to reassure solo travelers – even if it is in Germany, one of the safest countries for solo travelers. As the trip approached, I realized that these nightmares were more or less premonitory, but related to other things? A few days before my entry into Germany, I discovered that the first cities I would visit are not that far from a coronavirus outbreak in Germany, in North Rhine-Westphalia. This is followed by Bavaria, which I am supposed to visit as well.

With these elements in mind, I tell myself that not only is my Asian face not necessarily going to reassure the population, but I also put myself and others at risk by moving from one city to another. So, a few days before my arrival, I was able to get my hands on antibacterial wipes, I put myself in “I can’t get sick” mode by taking moringa capsules (which I fortunately was able to find in Nicaragua) to boost my immune system.

When I arrived in Germany, I was relieved to discover the supermarket selling “ginger shots” made from ginger and lemon – THE miracle drink to boost the immune system but also to protect the respiratory system. And here we go!

Days 1 & 2: Cologne

The journey from Brussels to Cologne by train (Thalys) goes without any problems. In front of work, I choose an Airbnb south of Cologne where I can stay two nights(Airbnb link, private room with a work table. If this is your first reservation, click here to get a 35€ discount). The Asian community is very present in Germany, I find without any problem a delicious Korean restaurant and a Thai restaurant the next day, serving lunch to the employees around.

As I have already been to Cologne, I simply take advantage of the end of my working day to quickly get to the Cologne Cathedral. I visited it 10 years ago and it is still as impressive (and black) as ever. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is the third largest cathedral in Gothic style (after the cathedral of Seville and the dome of Milan that I had the opportunity to visit). Of the 3, I still have a small preference for Milan.

The facade is absolutely grandiose and if you look carefully, every detail is executed with great care.

The stained glass windows are really superb. The interior is a little empty because the cathedral is huge, and we are on weekdays so there aren’t many visitors.

The altarpiece of Agilolphus, named after a colonial bishop of the old century, is a polyptych altarpiece in the Antwerp style created around 1520. Like the other altarpieces of this school, it is large (about 7 × 5.5 meters) and contains in its central part many carved scenes of the life and Passion of Christ (source: Wikipedia). The central part, in 3D is really impressive, there are so many details and so many “characters” that it takes a long time to admire the whole.

I strongly advise you to walk around the cathedral. There are so many details to admire, to look at. There is a small museum next door to see the treasures of the Cathedral. This museum being closed quite early, I couldn’t visit it.

Alter Markt

The central square right next to the Cologne cathedral and next to the town hall (under construction) is full of restaurants. But during the week and in the low season there are absolutely no customers. I’ve seen the pictures in summer, this square looks super lively and super interesting. To be visited so when the good weather comes back.

Eau de Cologne at the Perfume Museum

A few streets away is the Perfume Museum, which sells all varieties of cologne. The cologne, which I frankly don’t think is very good, has met with a lot of success because it was invented at the right time. Before, perfumes were used to camouflage bad smells (since people didn’t shower). Once the shower was reinstated, people no longer needed strong perfumes to camouflage smells but to perfume themselves, so the lightness and freshness of the eau de Cologne came just at the right time and made it an immediate success.

I’m sure the museum (5€) has a lot to tell us but ditto, I arrived much too late, there are 2 guided tours per day in English, 2 days in Spanish and 2 days in German per day.

Note: the downtown sites are accessible on foot from the Central Station, but as I’m in the South of the city, I opted for an unlimited ticket for 24 hours for 8,8€ (knowing that the single ticket would have cost 3€)

Days 3 & 4: Bonn

Today, I don’t work, so I take the opportunity to change cities. I only take trains in Germany to have more flexibility. Fortunately because I was planning to leave at 8 am but with the rain and the cold, I didn’t manage to leave the Airbnb before 10 am !

For my trip in Germany, I bought a discount card, valid for 3 months, to get -50% on mainline trains and -25% on local trains. To
go from Cologne to Bonn, there are several options :

  • take streetcar 16 and get off at the terminus in Bonn Hpf : 8,2€
  • or go to the Central Center and take a regional train: 10,8€ normal fare or 5,4€ with a BahnCard 50 2nd Class like me

Note: every city in Germany can have 2, 3 or 4 railway stations. Stations ending with “HBF” (for hauptbahnhof) are central stations.

Well, now we have to answer the question: why Bonn. German women, seeing my itinerary, all ask me why I am going to Bonn. There are many other picturesque towns and villages along the Rhine. Why Bonn? I am equally surprised by their answer since it has always been my dream to go to Bonn. Anyone who has spent time at the conservatory has heard of Bonn as Beethoven’s hometown, come on! 😀 The place is as sacred as Salzburg, Mozart lol’s hometown. I’ve already been to the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, the Mozart Museum in Vienna, I absolutely have to go to Beethoven’s birthplace in Bonn.

Drachenburg Castle

But first of all, I have to go to Drachenburg Castle, 44 minutes from downtown Bonn. Not having the time to go to the Airbnb, I leave my luggage at the station, for 4,5€ every 24 hours. I confess that I hesitated a lot to go there, it’s raining, I’m tired and I’m lazy. But when I learn that it is considered as the Neuschwanstein of the Rhine, I am fully motivated, because I have always loved fairy tale castles 😀

So buying streetcar tickets isn’t easy in Germany, you have to know in which zone the arrival station is located and buy the corresponding fare. Compared to Bonn main station, this castle is in zone 2b (Königswinter), so it is more interesting for me, since I have to take the return + another route, to opt for a 24 hour ticket at 11,1€. Fortunately, all this is explained on a small poster in English.

From the streetcar stop, you can walk to the castle but through a forest and in the rain. No thanks! Instead, I go to Drachenfels Railway. With a combined ticket of 17€, you can go up with an old train to the ruins, go back down to the castle (halfway), visit the castle and then go back down to the train station. You have to keep this ticket because you will have to scan it several times.

So here I am on the train. The ruins don’t look that interesting, but there is a very affordable restaurant with an incredible view on the surroundings. That’s good because all restaurants in the center of Königswinter are closed and I have absolutely nothing to eat in my bag. I order a currywürst (what else?), I forgot how much they like to pour a whole bottle of ketchup over the sausages. It was very good, the service is impeccable. Since I arrived in Germany, people have always treated me very well. While I was expecting racism due to the coronavirus, I didn’t feel any special treatment. Phew.

We see a lot of freight boats passing by. They know the location of the sandbanks by heart because they all follow the same path.

What a view !

I then take the train (which passes every 30 minutes at 15 and 45′) which drops me off at the foot of the castle. Under such a gray sky, the pictures don’t look great but with sunshine, it would have been beautiful. Even the reception building (to scan the entrance ticket and which also serves as a café) is beautiful!

On this side, the castle looks much bigger than it really is. It is a castle made to be seen (hence its location at the top of the mountain). From the other side of the Rhine and even from Bonn, it could be seen. It is the work of a man – who became very rich – but who did not even sleep in his castle one night, preferring his F3 in Paris !!!

The main facade is less wide but more beautiful, with its small towers and two golden deer on the front. There is an undeniable “fairy tale” side to it. I like it very much ! It is one of my best visits during this stay in Germany

The “guided tour” is done thanks to an application that can be downloaded for free on the smartphone. Wifi is provided for the download. It’s really great! The explanations are numerous and sometimes accompanied by photos so that you know where to look. If you want to download it before your visit, look for the Lauschtour application, then choose the place “Schloos Drachenburg” (the explanations exist in French too).

The inside is smaller than the outside suggests. But everything is tastefully decorated. The place has been heavily damaged by World War II, squatters and treasure hunters. There are some wall drawings, which are made on a canvas and then glued to the wall, cut out – to be sold. A lot of things have been renovated by students of Fine Arts, it is more or less well done 🙂 During my visit, some mini-renovations are still in progress.

The stained glass windows are absolutely magnificent. The rosette you see on the picture is original. In the reception room, you can see stained glass windows, one of them with Beethoven, the local child.

At the end of the visit, one can take two small spiral stairs to get to the top of the North Tower. It’s very “Sleeping Beauty” ahahha End of the visit.

On my way to the streetcar station, I cross a parking lot and am seized by the beauty of these cherry blossoms. It reminds me of the cherry trees we saw in Japan – whiter than pink. Seeing so much beauty moves me a lot, especially in this context of epidemic and uncertainty.

Downtown Bonn & Beethoven’s House

My Airbnb is a private studio with a small kitchen. I am only 5 minutes walk from the city center. It looks like there is a drug-dealer right in front of my building, because I always see him smoking and going around in circles. Either, the kebab right next door is really good and cheap (4,5€ for a huge plate), the bubble tea in the city center is to fall too.

Not having much time in Bonn (I have to work), I hardly have time to go to a beautiful place where the statue of Beethoven is: Beethoven-Denkmal. All Beethoven’s statues are based on plaster made during his lifetime. He was frankly not a handsome guy, and he also had this hard side – with his pinched lips.

The house where Beethoven was born has been turned into a museum. It is forbidden to take pictures inside so you will only get the picture of the outside. There is no more furniture from the period, but a few objects here and there, including a piano, violins, and custom-made instruments for him to hear – before his total deafness

One can also admire scores written by Beethoven himself. His writing is atrocious, and so are his scores. He has a notebook of ideas – then to work on his scores, he will use a pencil, then corrects over it, then puts ink – then annotations. To be able to decipher his scores, good luck!

Beethoven was trained as a child by the greatest, and being assistant organist at the Court, he was able to make a name for himself. He was supported for years by aristocrats (patronage), allowing him greater artistic freedom – instead of accepting a position offered by Jérôme Bonaparte. However, he was not always paid on time, and because of inflation, this contract became less and less interesting over the years.

The explanations of the museum are numerous but only in German. I strongly advise you to choose the audio guide (free with the entrance ticket – 10€)

To discover the rest of my road trip, click here

Part 2: Practical Tips

Budget

  • Transportation
    • Probe Bahncard 50 2nd class: 71,9€ giving -50% discount on main lines, -25% on regional lines for 3 months
    • Thalys Brussels – Cologne: 31€
    • 24h ticket to Cologne: 8,8€
    • Cologne – Bonn: 8,2€ (by streetcar) or 10,8€ (by train) or 5,4€ with the Bahn Card 50
    • 24h ticket Bonn – Königswinter (zone 2b): 11,1€
  • Lodging : click here to get 35€ discount on Aibnb for your 1st reservation
    • airbnb in Cologne: 31,6€ per night – private room, bath for sharing (airbnb link), 10 min by streetcar to the main station
    • airbnb in Bonn: 46,2€ per night – private apartment (airbnb link), 10 min. walking distance to the main train station
  • Visit :
    • Perfume Museum in Cologne: 5€
    • Castle + the train : 17€
    • Beethoven’s House : 10€
  • Food :
    • korean restaurant : 19€
    • thai restaurant : 8,5€
    • restaurant with view : 12,5€
    • bubble tea : 4,5€
    • kebab : 4,5€
    • ginger shots: 2€/shot (I think) at REWE supermarkets

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