Going to an international business school was the best choice I could have made… especially because of the friends I now have all over the world. Once again thanks to some sick Ryanair deal from Dublin, I found myself on another $19 flight to see some good friends.

What I did:

Kolsch beer— Chris and Julia took me to an adorable little beer house, Em kolsche boor, for dinner and of course, local beer! I started with a raw, minced pork on bread, and then had bratwurst and potatoes for my main course. I got to try some of the local blood sausage specialty as well.

The quirky thing about Cologne is that the beer is served in what can best be described as elongated shot glasses. No massive beer mugs like Oktoberfest; Julia explained that the beer is meant to be consumed cold and quickly, and in the larger glasses the beer gets too warm. They get made fun of for their baby beers. So cute haha. Also, Kolsch beer has to be brewed in eyesight of the cathedral. Boom! Knowledge.

Christmas Markets— Cologne has one of the best Christmas markets in the world. I was blown away by their lights! More Christmas trees everywhere. Different than Nuremberg, but in a good way. Started at the main one near the Cathedral and ended up at Heumarkt. The gluhwein was just as I had remembered, but Chris convinced me to try Feuerzangenbowle – which is basically gluhwein with a sugar loaf set on fire, extra rum, and then you mix it all together for that extra kick. Not for the faint of heart or easily hungover.

I would also try the reibekuchen mit apfelmus — a traditional cologne dish very similar to large, fried hash browns and served with applesauce. SO yummy.

Sightsee/good eats— I started with the quintessential Cathedral visit. The cathedral is one of the most breathtaking Gothic cathedrals I have ever seen. What it lacks in intricate detail it makes up for in height. 4th tallest church in the world.

Next, I walked across the love lock bridge to the other side of town. It was nice to get a perspective of the town from across the river, but that was about it. I hate love lock bridges and don’t see the point.

For lunch I went to Salon Schmitz, one of Julia’s favorite spots. I got made fun of for ordering a white hot chocolate with espresso… and very confused when it arrived in a soup bowl. I felt very self conscious about ordering white chocolate soup. Then I had to walk outside and go next door to order my meal? The veal pappardelle was fantastic, as was the décor and virgin Mary alcohol shrine!

Bars and clubs— we went to Reineke Fuchs and Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld….it’s in a train station which is really interesting. Unfortunately that is literally all I remember about the night, other than everyone speaking German the entire time.

Tip–

• The trams are really easy to figure out, but I never saw a ticket machine. So many German cities I never see anyone validating anything? Not so fun for a rule follower like me.