March 2026. Cologne. Germany. Back from Bonn on our last night with the lads in Germany, with a BIG indie gig (not Nicole) to come in Cologne. Indie gigs don’t start till late, so no rush; I walked Mrs RM back to our ring-road hotel and popped in Paffgen for a quick couple of the… Continue reading Pfaffen, not Paffgen
Nicole in front of a washing machine, Bonn
March 2026. Bonn. Germany. More highlights from our half day in Bonn, which seems to have stolen the Pied Piper from Hamelin for its pedestrian crossing. Apart from schnitzel and a beer, the essential activity in Bonn is a visit to Haus der Geschichte Bonn, 10 minutes south of the station by tram or underground… Continue reading Nicole in front of a washing machine, Bonn
Wobbly glasses and Willy Brandt in a dodgem. The Brauhaus Bönnsch
March 2026. Bonn. Germany. You can’t really claim to have visited a German city till you’ve bought a pastry in Rewe, misunderstood the local transport system, and checked in a beer on Untappd. At Brauhaus Bonnsch you go for the cloudy Kolsch in a weird vessel that’s vaguely reminiscent of that Lees glass you stole… Continue reading Wobbly glasses and Willy Brandt in a dodgem. The Brauhaus Bönnsch
Roll over Beethoven. Bonn in an hour.
March 2026. Bonn. Germany. 3 nights in Cologne, 1 new city (Wuppertal), 3 revisits. The only memory I had of former West German capital Bonn, 11 years ago on a post-exam (his, not mine) trip was a long closed kneipe, and the Haribo shop. In 2005 James came away with a kilogram bag for a… Continue reading Roll over Beethoven. Bonn in an hour.
A murky interlude in Kolschland.
March 2026. Cologne. Germany. With mild alarm I realised that our two lads had actually been to nearly all the Old Town pubs, having arrived a day earlier and stayed out after Monday’s Proper Kolsch Day Out. Never seen them drunk. They recommended “Salzgasse”, but I needed to try the craft bar, which tellingly our… Continue reading A murky interlude in Kolschland.
Sünner im Walfisch
March 2026. Cologne. Germany. Back in Cologne from Dusseldorf, an early night we admired the Dom, then persuaded Mrs RM that despite our exertions, another tick in the 2006 German Beer Guide was required. Perhaps it’s the name, but I’d wanted to visit Sünner im Walfisch, between Heumarkt and Fischmarkt. Nothing like the showpiece Brauerei… Continue reading Sünner im Walfisch
Finally, Schlussel.
March 2026. Dusseldorf. Germany. You can’t come to Dusseldorf and just do one Braurei, even if that one is Uerige. I’d made a list, I was checking it twice. But I already knew I had to pop in Schlussel on the Bolkerstraße, one of the world’s great pub streets. 3 years ago with the lovely… Continue reading Finally, Schlussel.
Uerige, from the inside
March 2026. Dusseldorf. Germany. I realise some of you have never been to Uerige, one of my Top 5 pubs in the world*. So I may struggle to explain the appeal of standing at an outside bench by the Rhine, drinking endless 0,25l measures of an Alt I can only describe as “a bit like… Continue reading Uerige, from the inside
A dash to Dusseldorf
March 2026. Dusseldorf. Germany. Day 2 of our German mini-break (ugh); time to leave Wuppertal‘s anarchism, and head to the teutonic order of Dusseldorf, where the boys would no doubt have enjoyed a cultural afternoon. The DBahn website taunted us with cancellations, and rail replacement buses lined the walk to Wuppertal Hbf, so the sight… Continue reading A dash to Dusseldorf
A Wuppertal Untappd check-in
March 2026. Wuppertal. Germany. We’re following the self-guided tour map for Elberfeld, centre of the nascent tourist trade for Wuppertal. I guess you’ll be wanting to see a pub. Sadly there isn’t a pub guide for Wuppertal, perhaps Mrs RM will do one; but there’s loads of Untappd check-ins; That King’s Head has bottles of… Continue reading A Wuppertal Untappd check-in
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