Cologne 2006

I went to Cologne for the weekend and had a great laugh. Very tired now but well worth it.

9 of us went in total. Seven from work and two girlfriends.

We arrived at 11pm (10pm UK time), and headed straight out to sample the Cologne nightlife. The first thing that was surprising was the beer glasses. They only served beer in 200ml glasses. The second was that you only ever paid at the end. The waitress simply marked your drink totals on a beer mat. Very useful if you often forget how much you've drunk. The girls went back to the hotel at 3, the men, all three of us stayed out till gone 5am and then staggered into a Burger King.

Saturday was good too, in the morning we had a leisurely wander around the city centre (1 million inhabitants) and then climbed up the city's cathedral. 509 steps to be precise! Quite an effort, but worth it as the view was quite something. We then grabbed some traditional German food, on the menu there was jellied pigs head, but I opted for the safe option and just had some sausage. We then moved on to a pub to watch the FA cup final.

What a game. Very exciting and nerve racking, almost on par with last years antics in the Champions League.

In the evening we went out for a Mexican meal before moving onto the student district. Again, lots of fun. Not quite as late however, only till approximately 3am.

On Sunday everyone was shattered so we ended up going to the chocolate museum before heading back to the hotel to collect our stuff. I eventually got back at a very tired 11pm, but it was all good fun.

Unfortunately I have a very busy week planned with work and play. Indoor golf tonight, out in Greenwich with old flatmates Tuesday, Champions League final on Wednesday, meal with work on Thursday and 'Dentist appointment' on Friday so I doubt I'll get a chance to recover before I go on holiday.

Wish me luck.