While Cologne has its share of churches and museums, it's the less tangible, cultural aspects that make this city in northwestern Germany truly unique and worth a visit.
While the Cologne Cathedral certainly lives up to its reputation, rest assured that the charms of Cologne are not limited to this landmark. Major attractions in cities such as Paris and Amsterdam, London and Rome, are well known and well visited. However, if you're willing to take a chance on a lesser known city, the rewards can be endless.
Cologne is the type of city that garners just a few paragraphs from a European travel guide. Beyond the Cologne Cathedral (which is magnificent), the attractions are few. It would be a mistake, however, to think that this city in northwestern Germany can't hold a visitors attention for longer than a tour through the cathedral.
But there's a reason the charms of Cologne aren't in a travel book: They're something you have to discover on your own. For many travelers, this insider view is the only way to go.
My traveling companions and I were lucky. One day, after a long, leisurely bike ride along the Rhine river, we stopped into a tiny pub for a beer. Cologne, we soon learned, has its own beer, Kölsch. You can find it in almost every pub in Cologne, but to these Germans, Kölcsh is like Champagne to the French: It can only be called Kölsch if it's brewed in Cologne. Also, it must be served in a specific type of glass: Tall and thin with a thick base. Because of the shape of the glass, the beer drinkers in Cologne tap the bottom of their glasses when offering a hearty "prost!" Finally, while the glasses only allow for a small amount of beer, it's usually only about one euro ($1.25), which makes it go down all the more easily.
After tipping back several euros worth of beer each, my friends and I started asking the bar mistress about the ribbons adorning the bar. No sooner had we asked then the proprietor of the pub locked the front door and strapped on his accordion. His impromptu performance lasted about an hour and included much Kölsch-fueled audience participation.
The next night we stumbled upon a jazz club called the Metronome. Again, the pub was tiny and the Kölsch was cheap. The pub owner, who was from Chicago, entertained us with his jazz records and knowledge.
Cologne taught me one of my biggest lessons about traveling: Just because it's not in the travel guide doesn't mean it's not worth getting to know.
