On a weekend in October 2017 I decided to go alone to Köln, Germany to watch a soccer match between Werder Bremen and the 1. FC Köln. And of course I used the time to go to the zoo and the chocolate museum, too. When I came home I told my family about my visit and the reaction was foreseeable: we want to go there, too!
First stop: Bonn
That’s why half a year later I had to do the same trip again. To see something new we’ve split the trip up and went half the time to Köln and the other time to Bonn, Germany – a city I’ve never seen before. First we went to the factory outlet shop of HARIBO – the famous gummibear producer. It’s impossible to see how they are produced (the factory next to the shop has been relocated anyway) but you can buy nearly all kind of candy there.
As we still had some time we parked our car at the vast Rheinauenpark, walked through the park and explored some playgrounds. Then we checked in at the H+Hotel Brühl between Köln and Bonn – a good location for a trip to both cities. Our room was rather small but breakfast was good!
Königswinter, Bonn and Cologne
On the next morning we woke up too early and therefore decided to ride Germany’s oldest cog railway – the Drachenfelsbahn – up to the 321 meters high mountain Drachenfels. Afterwards we played at the Deutsches Museum Bonn, a science museum within the Wissenschaftszentrum Bonn. They had an additional LEGO exhibition and quiz there – and the interactive elements were quite fun.
But the day wasn’t over yet so we continued to Köln for the Chocolate museum. The highlights are always the chocolate fountain and the chocolate production line; the rest of the museum isn’t so interesting for younger children. The next day we spent in the large zoological garden and the attached aquarium. Especially because of the big playground this is a full-day event.
Riding the monorail and planning trips
On our way back we stopped at Wuppertal to ride the suspension railway (a monorail) and made a coffee break at the final stop Vohwinkel. A great trip and as always I found new good reasons to return in the future: at least the Odysseum at Köln, the Zoom at Gelsenkirchen and the mondo mio at Dortmund. So much to see!
Köln/Brühl/Königswinter/Bonn/Wuppertal
Germany
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