An addictive city!

Cologne is a city whose streets, squares, restaurants, events and people become addictive! During my Erasmus I went to many other beautiful cities, such as London, New York, Dublin and Amsterdam, but at the end of my stay I couldn't wait to return to Cologne and to see once more the two spires of the famous gothic cathedral! I think I gained such an affection for the city as a result of the people who lived there: there is a multi-cultural society and the Germans who live there are said to be the most open and welcoming in Germany. Both males and females there are all interesting and habitually travel and undertake many experiences before starting university, know at least three languages, travel alone or in groups and have lived in many exotic countries. Additionally, they live in their own houses, work and get by independently. They are always interested in getting to know foreigners and always compliment you on your language progress or pronunciation. They are passionate about parties: Cologne is in fact a city with a bustling nightlife as there are many concerts and shows, great exhibitions and interesting museums. There are all sorts of bars and restaurants there where they play all kinds of music: hip-hop, reggae, electro, techno, swing, etc...

Source

The clubs are located all around the city (Bogen2, Booths and Stadtgarten are particularly good ones) and many are in the Ehrenfeld district (such as Werkstadt, Underground, Live Music Hall, Papierfabrik and Odonien) and most are open until the early hours. The cuisine is rich and international, the restaurants diverse and thanks to this experience I learnt to cook Thai, Indian and sushi! On the street you hear many languages being spoken , and their social integration is very successful as foreigners have learnt to respect the German culture in which they live and equally the Germans are very tolerant of immigrants.

The city reaches its peak during the summer months: the parks are filled with students and children as they study, play and sunbathe, and barbecues are organised every evening in these parks which give out a delicious smoky air. Many parties are out in the open, and amongst the most important is Summer Jam, the biggest reggae festival in Europe that takes place in early July with up to 30, 000 people. These festival-goers move near a lake around thirty minutes away from Cologne, build their tents and listen to today's best reggae groups.

Source

But the most important week of the year is the carnival , which is famous in the whole of Germany. The city hosts around 1. 5 million tourists on top of the one million inhabitants: the carnival begins on a Thursday morning when all children, adults and pensioners dress up and fill the streets of Zuelpicher Strasse, Heumarkt and Clodwigplatz. Most pubs, beer houses and restaurants play typical carnival music right from the early morning to evening and host all kinds of people from young to old, who dance and drink the typical Koelsch beer. The party goes on until Tuesday, with amazing parades of carriages, marching bands at every hour and they finish with the traditional ceremony Nuebelverbrennung. This is when mannequin figures get burnt to symbolise the expelling of their sins and the madness that takes place during the carnival. Cologne in conclusion is a must-see city, as by just being there you can truly perceive the avant-garde atmosphere, enjoy its multiculturalism and proudly feel part of a city that is unique, exciting and full of life!

Source