Willkommen nach Köln

It's 1931, my name is Sally Bowles and I'm a cabaret singer working at the Kit Kat Club. Alan is teaching English to rich German women and our friend, Maximilian is treating us to extravagant outings...wait, that's Liza in Cabaret co-starring Michael York! Nevertheless, we're in Germany, Cologne to be exact and having a great time with our friend Oliver. There are over 1 million people living in Cologne with a huge gay population. It's very strange because I can't read or speak the language. I'm completely at the mercy of our friend Oliver or Alan (who can speak the language quite well for an Australian). Try translating an entire menu, it's not easy. I have a cold, so Tuesday I spent the day in bed and watched television. 'Friends' in German just isn't the same. I can't even follow the news. Ignorance is Bliss. My first impression of Cologne wasn't very favourable. The city was destroyed during the second world war, with the exception of the Cathedral which is wonderful. It dates back to 1248. The rest of the buildings were built around the 1950's and they're not inspiring at all. Oliver lives in the heart of the city on Ehrenstraße, which is one of the main streets in the city. After walking around the neighbourhood we've discovered quite a remarkable district of shops, bakeries and cafes. We've done mostly shopping since arriving on Monday. There are so many stores and such a selection of clothing, it's a shoppers haven. There are so many people shopping - don't the Germans work? The weather is in the low 20's and sunny, which is unusual for this time of year, so we're told. I enjoy speaking some German like 'Goodbye', 'Cheers', 'No' or 'Thank you'; however the german language is a complete mystery. Including this keyboard which is backwards...We may take a cruise along the Rhein River tomorrow. At the moment, I'm enjoying the warm autumn breeze and the cathedral bells tolling in the background. Auf Wiedersehen darlings...