Cologne Suggestions

First of all, move this to wherever it should be - it’s a non music query!

I’m off to Cologne (I can’t do the fancy “o” for Koln…) next weekend with 3 mates. We like a bit of cheek and nonsense and a lot of drinking. Unfortunately for them I’ve been asked to come up with some ideas for stuff to do while there which is where, I hope, some of you may be able to help!

I’ve only got as far catching some football with Leverkusen playing at home to Mainz on the Saturday… And a lot of random drinking around that.

Any random suggestions from the Elektronaut gang?! Help!

Cool club is Odonian (www.odonien.de).

Are you coming for Carnival madness specifically?

Since I will be in Geneva during summertime. I also want to visit Germany. I’m more into small town and outdoors where would you recommend I go?

Yes and no. I don’t think any of us knew much about the carnival before hand and just thought “yeah, it’s random so why not go for a laugh” without realising it’s actually a bit of a big deal from what I can tell now!

So we’ll probably make sure we’re involved with things and having a bit mad party of it. If we make the football then great, no big deal if not!

Embrace yourself for some German craziness. Most of the year all the decent citizens are behaving well and … decent. But they go wild on carnival. You’ll probably see a lot of drunken people but mostly in positive way. And get prepared for carnival music. I personally would have to get drunk as well to stand it :slight_smile: But it’s worth of experiencing it … once :smiley:

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Ha ha! I’m sure we’ll have a great time. Always like drinking on the contenant, far fewer idiots than on UK soil! Just a shame I hate beer! Might need to make a forced exception next weekend though…

“Dirty English” by Juicy Couture is a fabulous cologne.

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Oh, yeah, beer … you’ll most likely drink Kölsch which is Cologne specific type of beer. It can surprise you, it’s rather light so you can drink a lot of it but then you suddenly find your self wasted without noticing :smiley: It’s usually served in small thin glasses (0.2 L) and has to be drunk fast because it gets warm quickly and looses it’s appeal then. This is what’s dangerous about it :wink:

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Field recording. That’s my suggestion :smile:

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If you are in Köln during Karneval you simply cannot avoid it. It’s the Karneval capital of Germany, and for the street parades on Sunday and Monday there are always around a million people in the city. If you like a bit more of an alternative approach to the whole affair, try this one on Saturday night: http://www.geisterzug.de It started off as a “anti-establishment” affair, but Cologne has a habit of assimilating things into its cultures very quickly (“If you have done it more than twice, it’s a tradition!”). So basically the whole city/region (the whole Rhineland) will be in a total state of madness and you can expect to find heavy drinking everywhere. Pubs spilling over and if you are game, you might be able to sneak into some private affairs. But be warned: You will stick out like a sore thumb without fancy dress, and don’t try hitting on dressed up drunken ladies until drunken and dressed up yourself - that’s frowned upon and not well received!

[I used to live in Cologne for a few years, am not much of a street carnival guy myself, but there is lots of fun to be had, so enjoy!]

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Karneval is EVERYWHERE in Köln (here are some spare ö for you: ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö) next weekend. But it´s not as wild as you would expect: I had to be in Köln on november 11th when the karneval season started. Everyone was drunk at 10:00 in the morning but they were still separating the waste in the right bin! I was impressed.


I also saw this amazing bike from a guy who collected empty bottles - masterclass!

Sorry for not being really helpful with your party plans but at least you get the picture.

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I have kids and I’m practically married so no hitting on women from me! I shall, however, be highly drunk so at least from that point of view I’ll fit in…

I think we have very much underestimated Karneval - whoops! What are the chances of finding something for fancy dress in Köln? Not sure we’ll have time before Friday. Amazon Prime may have to be called on! All the pictures seem to show folks dressed up as creepy clowns!

Yeah I shouldn’t make any assumptions about motives etc, should I? It’s just about the wildest party time of the year in the city - and Cologne is already a pretty good place to have a party.

I’m sure that you would be able to find everything you need there. The link I posted is specifically “scary” themed. Zombies, undead, vampires etc.

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I always enjoy spending some hours at Music Store (www.musicstore.de) in Köln - my wallet usualy doesn’t. They’ve got a huge collection of synths and very knowledgeable staff. Most of the stuff they sell is on display and you’re free to play with. There’s a humongous eurorack system on demo. Everything Elektron, Moog, DSI, Korg to name a view is ready to be played…

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You should try…ENGLISH LEATHER! Grow a dad mustache.

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I’ll pick some up in duty free for the occasion…:grinning:

Well guys, I survived. Just. What a crazy weekend and a fantastic city (not that I seen that much of the place!). Will definitely be visiting again!

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Glad you had fun! I have really fond memories of Cologne, definitely the place where I have been to some of the best parties and concerts…