The “Schäl Sick”

South of Mülheim the Rhine Park connects the neighborhoods of the right Rhine side. The park is a reminiscent of a flower exhibition from the 1950s.  You can still whiteness some of the parks 50s architecture, if you explore the vastness of the recreation space. Then you will also see how the green area also is an event location. The Tanzbrunnen (literally: dance fountain) is one of the nicest Open Air venues in town. If you are up for a break at this point an option would be the Strandbar, which is a beach club close to the river. If the weather is to chilly you may keep on cycling a bit further down south. Just beyond the next bridge the Grissini and the Sticky Fingers are indoor restaurants on the Rhine Boulevard with one of the best views on Colognes historical center. Here you can get a good bite to eat as well.

From here on our route turns eastward. First we will pass the Cologne triangle which has a observation deck above and the historic 19th century train station of Deutz. Notice the red wheel monument on the plaza in front of the station? It resembles the first motor that was invented here by Nicolas August Otto. Good however that we don’t need it on our tour, although you might wish for a little support when climbing up to the LANXESS arena. From here on we are slowly approaching the neighborhood of Kalk. The working class districts monument is the water tower from the 19th century but our final destination is the old Sünner brewery. This is another good stop to get food and drink but make no mistake, appearances can be deceiving. The neighborhood has better places to offer than a first glance may suggest.

Finally we will start our way back, not without taking a small loop through a part of the town which gives us a little bit of Maghreb flair. Just a few blocks down the road we’ll pass the brutalist building of the technical university and head straight into the heart of Deutz a typical “Veedel” of the town (Cologne Dialect for: neighborhood). Here we find perfect closure for our tour. Either you go to the Lommerzheim Pub for a deserved Kölsch and some hardy local food or you head for the Rhine Boulevard with the restaurants mentioned above. Anyone who wants to go back in time may visit the ruins of an old Roman fortification, part of the Limes and UNESCO World Heritage Site, which are embedded in the Boulevard.

Finally we cross the river on the Deutz Bridge back to the right Rhine side, with the impressions of the Schäl Sick on our mind.

Here you can download our gastronomy tips.

You can download the GPX file here: The “Schäl Sick”.