Jo Dew-Jones
I write this in the lobby of the Hyatt Cologne hotel, and will try not to sound like a giddy lass – but it IS wonderful. This sound of water gushing behind me is the fountain flowing neatly down from the second floor; the two-storey windows present a panoramic view of the imposing gothic cathedral, the arched railway bridge and the rest of Cologne’s river front. Steve and I are sitting off our epic breakfast – surely the most mammoth spread I have ever seen – and between the four of us we munched through an impressive quantity of cereal/ fresh fruit/ pastries/ boiled eggs/ bacon/ sausage/ dim sum/ fresh bread/ mackerel/ roast beef/ tomatoes/ leafy salad/ salami/ emmental (not all at the same time) accompanied by plentiful orange juice/ green tea/ coffee. A good start to the day, one might say. To prevent me waxing lyrical for too much longer, in short: the Hyatt Cologne comes thoroughly recommended.
Hyatt Cologne – an acrostic
Hyatt Cologne, we salute you
Yes, your hotel was a wonder to behold
And such a smorgasbord of Deutsch delicacies for breakfast
To keep us fuelled till lunch
To have as fuel for lunch…
Köln was a pleasant town around which to wander
Ö my, what a vast cathedral!
Look, too, to the strange collection of padlocks on the bridge.
Now we head east. Farewell, Hyatt Cologne!
Yes, your hotel was a wonder to behold
And such a smorgasbord of Deutsch delicacies for breakfast
To keep us fuelled till lunch
To have as fuel for lunch…
Köln was a pleasant town around which to wander
Ö my, what a vast cathedral!
Look, too, to the strange collection of padlocks on the bridge.
Now we head east. Farewell, Hyatt Cologne!
12:43
Deutsche Lände
Trees trees trees trees trees trees.
Green fields green trees green forests.
Windmill! Bridge! Roundabout? U-turn!
Evergreen spiky green no green (purple).
Deeeeeeeeeep valley. TREES.
Trees trees trees trees trees trees.
Green fields green trees green forests.
Windmill! Bridge! Roundabout? U-turn!
Evergreen spiky green no green (purple).
Deeeeeeeeeep valley. TREES.
Steve Dew-Jones
A bounteous breakfast at the Hyatt in Köln was a wonderful way to start this second
consecutive long day on the road. The breadth of Germany in a little over seven hours: Köln to Dresden; Hyatt to Kangaroo Hop – the contrast is stark. Gone are the city slickers; instead we have found Dresden to be the home of the alternative.Buildings are colourful and quirky. Bars and restaurants clutter the streets of the neustadt (new town), frequented by hordes of hip-looking twenty-something’s, although our tattoo-covered hostel manageress tells us that numbers would be significantly multiplied if this were any other day than a Sunday.
Our meal for the evening was Vietnamese, specific dishes chosen completely at chance due to the lack of an English translation. I ended up with some kind of chicken soup, courtesy of Bryn’s index finger landing upon number 94 on the menu. It was nice enough, so our friendship remains intact.
Tomorrow we head for Prague, and I must say that I am looking forward to venturing further East and into generally less familiar territory. Germany has been fun, but it isn’t very different from home. Our experience can best be summed up with the following words: bakeries, bread, beer, a lot of trees, beautiful mountains and valleys, and a non-decipherable dialect. That is about all I have to say on the matter. 
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