Samstag in Köln

Ah, Cologne.  I am sad to leave you behind, yet also very happy to get back to my own (occupied) bed.

I am air-blogging again from the plane, somewhere over the North Atlantic.  This has been a great trip, mainly because I have been able to take a little more time to be a tourist than usual, instead of working 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.  Still, it wasn't enough.

I had heard that the people of Cologne were friendly, but that was apparently an understatement.

Cologne is fast becoming one of the major gay hubs of Europe, and it is threatening to dethrone Berlin as the gay capital of Germany.  There are two main gay neighborhoods, one of which, Rudolfplatz, my hotel is smack-dab in the middle of.  Conveniently, it is the younger and more twinkish of the two areas.  The other one (east of here, near the main bridge across the Rhine) is older, hairier and abounding with leather.  (Sorry, bears, them's just my tastes.)

On Friday night I went to a bar called "Ex-Corner."  (Thanks to the reader who suggested it.)  People there were exceptionally friendly, initiating several conversations.  I did my best to speak almost entirely in German to them, which most of the natives agreed wasn't bad for not having spoken it in about 15 years.

The bar was playing an interesting variety of music.  There was popular American stuff like "Hung Up," the ubiquitous Abba, and some older but fun American songs.  (Who knew so many Germans knew all the words to the theme song from "The Fall Guy"?!)  There was also a lot of German pop music that I had never heard.

Everybody sang along to almost every song, even the ones in English, and then when they would play these cheesy German ballads, it almost became like the stereotypical German beerhall (but without the putsch).  Everyone would grasp arms, raise their Kölsch's high in the air, and sway to the music.  It was a very cool tourist moment for me, and it felt great to feel accepted and part of the crowd.

We've all heard so much about how Europeans supposedly don't like Americans very much these days.  Maybe I was expecting them to quiz me about Iraq and whether I support the president, or whatever, but there was thankfully none of that.  Anti-Americanism might hold sway in some places across the continent, but not last night in Ex-Corner.  There were just friendly, fun people.

But how they drink all that beer and stay thin, I'll never know!

By the way, I really must find a way to take photos without making a spectacle of myself, because I need some visual proof that the men of Cologne, as a group, are among the hottest guys I have come across in any city anywhere.  But take my word for it, and considering penciling in some travel plans of your own.

A few tourist snaps follow after the jump.

In any language, it still means "crap."	One of what seemed like an inexhaustible supply of head shops.
Doing my part to expose American celebrities who are too cowardly to do their selling out domestically.	The first of several shots of the Cologne Cathedral ("Dom").  That M.F.'er is so huge that I had to go a few blocks down the street just to get it all in the same shot!
The bones of the "Three Wise Men" are reputedly housed in the Dom.
The Dom is a magnet for protesters of all stripes.  I saw an anti-nuke group, Falun Gong supporters, and this protest just down the street.  The sign says "My meat belongs to me!  If you still want to eat meat, it will bite you in your own ass!"	But the Dom also draws all manner of street performers and artists.

Comments

[Gian]

Germans are the hottest guys in Europe. Without a doubt. And as an American whose lived in Europe since 97, travelling to most countries, I can safely trust my observation. If you think Kolner's are hot, you should go to Munich. Bavarian men are deadly.

[J Indy]

Nur ein Wort – glücklich. :)

[MT]

I'm glad Germany is fast becoming recognized as the great country it is. I have family there and have been visiting since 1994. From the very first, I was blown away by the friendliness of everyone I encountered. The cities themselves were beautiful and well-maintained. If you go back you should take a short trip to some of the Hansa Stats (I'm sure I didn't spell that right) like Lubeck. Lubeck is a particualrly beautiful medieval town. Considering it was flattened in WW2 and rebuilt brick-by-brick, it is even more stunning. The WW2 memorial in the church of St Mary's (I think it was St Mary's) is particularly poignent. They left the shattered bells where they fell during a bombing raid at the base of the bell tower. It speaks very powerfully. It may be a little sleepier than Berlin or Cologne, but Hamburg is my all-time favorite German city (and European city for that matter). It's sort of like the San Francisco of Germany while Berlin is like their version of New York. It's definitely worth a trip.

[Sean S]

Amen to Gian's comment on Munich guys. I was there for the first time in January, and my head nearly exploded from the buffet of blond hotties. I also found the Germans in general (although especially the ones out in the gay clubs) to be very American-friendly. One guy told me there's nothing as sexy as German spoken with an American accent.

I think it's time I started planning a trip to some of the other major parts of Germany.

[Malcontent]

Sean: I got your email. The only thing that would have made that trip better would have been having someone to share it with! I tried to get the hubbie over there, then we realized his passport had expired.

In 2001. :-)