La Vie en France: February EuroTrip Part 2: German Escapades

The fun already had begun the second we got onto the train. After hauling our luggage to the metro stop under a rainstorm, we were all ready to chill out and have a few drinks on the 3 hour train ride from Paris Gare du Nord to Cologne. We were well-stocked for the voyage, except for the wine key which I lost in the hotel room (sorry Mom). The restaurant server was thankfully very nice, and he proceeded to open all of the bottles that we had brought for the trip, and I don't even think that he judged us. Or at least we couldn't tell if he did. We sipped on drinks and ate our sandwiches that we packed for the road, even though I don't think any of us were very hungry after a big lunch.

Once in Cologne, we got to the hotel and were really excited to find an adorable little place right by the train station and city center. The parents all said they were going to bed, but we couldn't resist exploring the city. All it took was telling them "we're going out" to twist their arms, and we all set off together to explore Cologne and have a quick drink.

After being blown away by the lit up Dom cathedral which is right next to the station, we came across a typical brauhaus called Sion. Our server quickly brought us each a Kolsch beer, which is served in a small 20cl (7oz) glass, and it's a light beer unique to Cologne and it's surroundings. The beer is brewed in Cologne and can only be served for 6 weeks after, which is why it's never exported. I thought we could use a little snack so I ordered us some sausage and schnitzel to give the family some samplings of my favorite foods ever. I like to tell myself that I can understand German sometimes, and usually I can at least order food. Well, they started bringing plates, and they just kept them coming. We each found ourselves with dinner plates full of any and every sort of potato dish imaginable, as well as 2 full meters of sausage (about 6 1/2 feet) and a side of schnitzel. My bad. We had the most delicious meal ever, which we spent the rest of the trip talking about. In spite of already eating dinner, we all were proud members of the clean plate club and successfully managed to take down every last bite of the 6 foot sausage. Disgusting, I know.

Afterwards the parents finally did make it back to the hotel, and Matt, Megan and I decided to go out for another drink. We walked by numerous bars with horrible music, and finally came across our new favorite bar: Papa Joe's Jazzlokal. Live jazz music plays here every night of the week, and it is one of the most famous jazz clubs in Germany. When we first walked in, I think that Matt and I both had the same reaction, and all we could think about was my grandpa. The band was playing the exact same kind of music that he played and loved, and even played a song that was requested by him to be played during his funeral. A little spooky, but I think that was a nice sign to show that he was really happy that we were there together. We ordered some more Kolsch beer and enjoyed the live music and fine hospitality of Papa Joe himself, and were the last people to leave the place.

The next morning we got up and checked out the breakfast buffet at the hotel, which I really wish I had a picture of. Meats, cheeses, bread, veggies, yogurt, cereal, you name it. I grossed myself out as I found myself eating yet another feast. Who says that a turkey and cheese sandwich shouldn't be had for breakfast? Why not two?

We went into the city without much of a plan, I think everyone was still exhausted from the 2 days before and quite frankly I was already sick of tour guiding, so we took a walk on the riverwalk and just hung out until Thibaut's parents arrived in the afternoon. Since they had never met my Mom and Ernie, or Matt and Megan, they decided to drive up and stay with us in Cologne for a few days so everyone could meet. We chilled out in the hotel in the early afternoon, and then set out with the intention of sightseeing the rest of the day. Unfortunately it had turned from cold to freezing, and we decided to take shelter in the nearest bar. Of course we needed some more Kolsch to warm us up, too. We hung out there for a while and chatted, and then moved on to another Brauhaus for yet another delicious meal. We were craving what we had at the Sion brauhaus, and even though our dinner was pretty good, it just wasn't up to par. At that point it was already decided where we'd be going to dinner for our last night in town :)

The next morning Thibaut arrived bright and early from Paris to spend the day with us. Thankfully his Mom is quite the tour guide, and she took over my guiding responsibilities for the day. We walked down the main shopping street, and visited the home of the real, original "eau de cologne" house. Afterwards we grabbed a quick lunch, and hurried back to the cathedral to catch our guided tour in English. We really lucked out with the tour because our guide was awesome. He explained everything about the history of Cologne and the cathedral, and pointed out a lot of things that we would have never noticed. After the tour, we all sort of split up and did our own thing, some went shopping, and us youngsters made the big climb of 509 stairs to the top of the cathedral. I think we all could use some serious cardio after the sausage that we consumed over the past two days, and the view was pretty cool too.

That night we returned to the Sion to show the Force's what we had spent the last day raving about. We actually got put in an enormous conference room all by ourselves. They kept the Kolsch beer coming all night, and we of course ordered loads of schnitzel, potato salad, and the famous 6 foot sausage again, this time served family style. It was definitely a feast. I think it was a perfect way to end a great trip to Cologne. After dinner we had to show Thibaut Papa Joe's, so we spent the rest of the night hanging out there and listening to another great jazz band. The next morning we had a quick breakfast, and headed over to the station to catch a train to Amsterdam. To be continued!