Bonn on the Rhine

Inspired by our cultural success the previous day, we booked in for a 'Beethoven Tour' on the Rhine. 

It was a nice cruise, however there was no mention of Beethoven at any stage, nor any commentary for that matter.

Given we saw old art in a modern art museum, I guess we shouldn't have been surprised by a Beethoven tour that didn't feature Beethoven.

How to console ourselves? 

We were not the only ones bemused by the lack of Beethoven. A group of partying ladies at the next table asked the steward that very question, and received a shrug of the shoulders and a request for their drinks order. Mary solved the problem by playing one of Beethoven's symphonies on Spotify, much to their amusement!

Safely back on shore we walked around the UN precinct, which includes the old West German parliament.

We did wonder why the streets were so empty, however our hosts reminded us that it was Friday afternoon, and finding a civil servant still at work would be extremely unlikely.

We satisfied ourselves with a casual stroll around deserted streets, admiring the architecture, not to mention the peace and quiet. 

It still did beg the question 'Where do all the workers go at that time?'. We decided to head to the rooftop bar of the Marriott Hotel from where we could get a good view of the whole area. Purely for research, of course. 

Lo and behold, the bar and restaurant were full, so that mystery was solved.

Not wanting to cause a diplomatic incident we thought it best to blend in as best we could... 

Next day, it was time to extend our range beyond Bonn to experience Münster.

Münster is a bike city. They are everywhere! 

One particular street formed a nearly complete circle around the city centre and is for pedestrians and cyclists only. Normally it looks like this:

Today we happened to be there on the day of an outdoor music festival, when 72 separate acts line the street at preset intervals. At any one time there are many options from which to select, or to experience just by wandering around. The acts are coordinated to play at set times so that the sound of each performance is far enough away from the other acts, also performing in that time slot, such that the sound doesn't overlap. Then the street looks like this:

An amazing afternoon!

We also explored the city centre's beautiful architecture... 

sampled the traditional treats at the Saturday market... 

and most importantly, went shopping...

Sadly our wonderful time in Bonn had drawn to a close. Thank you Tomas and Christiane for your wonderful hospitality! We hope we can return the favour in NZ. 

Next stop, Vienna....