Walk in the Siebengebirge
For information and contact details about the next Walk in the Siebengebirge click on Sunday 13 August on the BEN calendar. Meeting place: Margaretenhöhe Car Park – 13 hrs . Full details and contact email / phone details in the Calendar entry.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Climb Every Mountain Part 3
BEN meets Robert on Sunday 11 June to conquer the third mountain in the Siebengebirge. Full details about the walk, where to meet, timings etc can be found by going to the "Ben Events calendar" and clicking on 11 June. John Hurd’s "Onwards and Upwards" report with photos on the last walk in May can be viewed by going to "Hurd about Bonn" . Details also on www.meetin.org/bonn
Popularity: 5% [?]
Climb Every Mountain Part 2
Walk in the Siebengebirge Sunday 14th May, start 13:00.
Meeting is the same place as before at Margaretenhöhe. I will be in front of the Margearetenhöhne restaurant (in their front garden) direction road, on the wall and with a Union Jack flag hanging over the railings.
Help for getting to the meeting place: Via car: get onto the main road from Königswinter to Petersberg, continue past the Petersberg and after about 2-3km upwards you will see some traffic lights (this is Margaretenhöhe, you should see me on the wall on the left), go left at these lights and park, the most distant carpark behind the restaurant is free. Via public transport (also check www.bahn.de): Start at Bonn Hbf (train station) at 11:45 jump on the tram No.66 direction Bad Honnef. Change in Oberdollendorf by stepping into the bus No 520 at 12:08 direction Oberpleis. Jump out at the top of the hill i.e. Margaretenhöhe restaurant on the left (time would be 12:31). Via hitching: good luck, let me know and I will ask around if anyone can give you a lift. If you are interested please let me know (email: donald3_uk@yahoo.com Tel: 01785-403-917) The main hills of the Siebengebirge: Ölberg (summit reached 9th April 06), Löwenburg (walk planned 14th May 06), Drachenfels, Petersberg, Wolkenburg, Weilberg & Stenzelberg. Looking forward to seeing you there,Robert Donaldson
P.S. its mother’s day on the 14th so, don’t forget your mum.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Bad Munstereifel – A Day Out
Bad Münstereifel is a beautiful walled mediaeval town easily reached by car or train from Bonn or Cologne. It is a tourist draw for Germans because it is the home of folk singer Heino, who owns the famous Rathaus Cafe in the town centre! The town is less often visited by Brits and Americans but is well worth seeing.
The biggest attraction of Bad Münstereifel is its many cobbled streets lined with black and white half-timbered houses. The town is surrounded by mediaeval walls and it is possible to climb up onto these and walk part way round the town, with some fabulous views. At weekends you can also visit two of the towers which are located at intervals along the walls – one houses a fossil collection and the other a nature exhibition.
There is also the famous red Rathaus decorated with two soldiers in relief on the front. The Rathaus is famous because the person who conducts marriages there also does the marriages for the German "Traumhochzeit" programme! Also worth seeing are the Windeckhaus with its superb coloured carvings, the Stiftskirche or collegiate church and the Pharmacy museum.
For nature lovers and sports fans there are some wonderul trails around the town – pick up the mountain bike map from the tourist office at the train station or follow the Nordic walking signposts. The Eschweiler Tal to the north of the town has some particularly lovely walks, with rare flowers in springtime.
After all that exercise there are lots of great cafes – The Erft Cafe on the main street by the river gets my vote for being family friendly but German tourists all go to Heino’s Rathaus Cafe of course!
Bad Münstereifel is at the end of a direct line from Bonn Hauptbahnhof. From Cologne take the train to Euskirchen and change there for Bad Münstereifel.
READ ALSO Helen Grant’s feature The Haunted Eifel in the May June issue of Rhine Magazine. (says caroline)
Popularity: 5% [?]
WALK IN THE SIEBENGEBIRGE
Sunday 9th April, start 13.00 hrs
Goal easy round loop covering Little Ölberg and stopping for refreshments at the Main Ölberg.
Tour will last about 2 hours, bring water, nibbles & money if you need refreshing at the watering hole (pub).
Meeting is at Margaretenhöhe, to help with maps the road that takes you from Königswinter
to Margaretenhöhe is called Ferdinand-Mühlhens Str. I will be
sitting on the wall in front of the restaurant at the Margaretenhöhe car-park.
If you don’t know what I look like here’s a quick description: a splendid looking short slim chap, pre-middle age, ca.5ft 8in (176cms), blue eyes, brown hair, lovely English accent and with a baby in my back pack.
Spring has started, officially summer time is upon us, and I have decided to start English walks on the Siebenegebirge. For long time I have wanted to visit each of the peaks of the 7-hills (Siebenegbirge). But I just need a motivational kick to visit all of these hills. For all that want to see the 7 summits of the Siebengebirge come along. My goal is to organise a walk on the 2nd Sunday of each month around and over the 7-hills, visiting one of the hilltops during each meet. Therefore we will need 7 months to visit the 7 peaks and by the 7month it will be winter and I can go back to hibernating.
OK I have a goal, a plan, I just need a name so you know which walking club to ask for…drum roll please welcome “RWD†which stands for Ramblings With Donald.
If you are interested please let me know (email: donald3_uk@yahoo.com Tel: 01785-403-917)
Splendid, I’ve just looked at the map and noticed that there are definitely more than seven hilltops. Oh well, the main ones are as follows: Drachenfels, Petersberg, Löwenburg, Ölberg, Wolkenburg, Weilberg & Stenzelberg.
Ölberg being the only mountain, we will start with this on the 9th April.
Last note for people that enjoy public transport: Start at Bonn Hbf (train station) at 11:45 jump on the tram No.66 direction Bad Honnef. Change in Königwinter-Oberdollendorf by stepping into the bus No 520 at 12:08 direction Oberpleis. Jump out at the top of the hill i.e. Margaretenhöhe restaurant on the left (time would be 12:31).
Looking forward to seeing you there, Robert Donaldson Email: donald3_uk@yahoo.com Tel: 01785-403-917
Popularity: 2% [?]
Day Out to Ahrweiler-Advent Market
BEN outing to Ahrweiler and a chance to enjoy the Christmas Market in Ahrweiler. Open every Advent Sunday from 11 – 20 hrs.
This BEN outing is proposed for one of the Advent Sundays in December. We meet 10:49 am Platform 5, Bonn Hauptbahnhof. to take the Regional train RB 30. It only takes 37 min to get to Ahrbrück, Bahnhof. We arrive at 11.26 hrs (For latecomers the next train is at 11.49. arriving at 12.26 hr).
About 15 minutes walk to the Christmas market (this allows time for anyone bringing small children). For details of train times on the return journey visit "VRS" website listed below.
If you would like to do this outing please contact Monika, to liaise over which date, times, ticket prices etc.
Email: Gladserena17@aol.com
http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschland.de/weihnachtsmarkt-ahrweiler.htmlwww.vrsinfo.de/cgi-bin/assRoute.cgi
Popularity: 5% [?]
British Days & Country Fair
A taste of Britain need not involve a flight across the Ocean. Burg Linn in Krefeld has been bringing Britain to Germany for a few years now. The ‘British Days & Country Fair’ offers ‘Typische britische Aktivitäten, Sportarten und Lebensgewohnheiten’. We donned our Barbour jackets, packed our umbrellas and set out to check if this was the real thing.
The British
atmosphere was apparent from the moment we walked through the entrance to Berg
Linn’s ‘British Days & Country Fair’ on Saturday. The strains of ‚Teddy Bear’s Picnic’ drifted
up from the main stage. To get there we
had a pleasant walk ahead of us through all things British: Irish woolly jumpers, Barbour jackets and
innumerable garden accessories and tools. A sharp pair of shears or wind-light on a spiked pole would have been the
ideal purchase for creating ‘personal space’ on the train later when we encountered
a compartment full of
football match. For the moment though
all was tranquil and, dare I say it, very British on the surface at least.
Highland Games
I had the
impression that the secret to looking British abroad these days is not a Barbour
coat or
arena where the Highland Games were taking place. These were the sort of guys you want to find
when the car breaks down and needs pushing or the removal van needs
unpacking. It was impossible to tell if
the competitors were all genuinely Scottish but seeing the muscles on their
arms I wasn’t going to argue their right to take part if they weren’t. A few visitors tried their hand at
‘Wellington Boot Wanging’ (Wellie Boot Throwing), almost removing the heads of
innocent bystanders. This was obviously
an event that needed a bigger field.
The Falcon
Show also required audience participation at times to duck from flying
objects. In this case the flying objects
had sharp talons and beaks. When one of
the larger species (no ‘LBJ’ this one) disappeared into the trees for five
minutes we all feared spending the remaining day with one eye to the heavens
and one arm round small children. Relief
was palpable when the offender finally flew back with a satisfied expression
and empty claws.
Five Pints per Mile
The main
Stage was an excellent place to sit down and also offered Irish Music in the
shape of ‘Five Pints Per Mile’. Celebrating their tenth Anniversary they played a lively blend including
an almost Punk rendition of ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ and the Ewan Mcall classic ‘
way to be there – from
away. They were certainly worth another
visit and so I did – returning to the stage for all their later sets, needing
no alarm clock, only an ear open for a good Irish tune drifting down the
fields.
CATS – ‘Anyone need a robot?’
A note is
due also for the ‘CATS Theatre Club – Rheindahlen’ with their entertaining
‘Do-it-Yourself Frankenstein Outfit’ theatre piece. It deserved more audience participation but
since the audience was very reserved I concluded that THEY certainly were
largely British.
All in all
a very enjoyable day out with only two regrets:
That I was unable to stay for the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ that
concluded the Country Fair – and that I never made it in time to see Paddington
Bear presiding over the ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic’.
Still, it’s something to look forward to for next year.
Popularity: 2% [?]
RHEINBACH – TOUR & KULTUR
This time, only rain can stop us! On Sunday, 7 August at 11 AM,
Lipstick
will be appearing as part of the Rheinbach "Tour & Kultur"
summer program in the Himmeroder Hof.
Again, we will take a musical journey down memory lane with swing, boogie, pop and soul hits from the thirties to the eighties.
It’s free entry, so we are expecting (if it doesn’t rain) a big crowd to show what the General-Anzeiger calls our "spirited program".
We’re looking forward to seeing you!
Faith Gibson
‘LIPSTICK’
www.lipstick-music.de
Popularity: 5% [?]
Brunch
Die Glocke
For brunch in a delightful setting, Die Glocke, is the perfect place to be. Sundays from 11 – 14 hrs. Reservation is a must.
Price per head includes a glass of sekt, tea & coffee, soft drinks, and a sumptious breakfast and lunch buffet – with optional kid's corner – where they can have french fries, chicken nugget type lunch if they prefer. Children's entertainer and separate children's room indoors and play area outdoors with someone keeping an eye on them so parents can brunch in peace.
Die Glocke, Kölnstrasse 170, 53757 Sankt Augustin- Hangelar
Tel. 02241 921880
Popularity: 5% [?]
Labyrinth in Lohmar
From Thursdays- Sundays, new labyrinth set in a Corn on the Cob field, makes an unusual and rather ama(i)zing day out.
The Mais-Wald-Labyrinth in Lohmar opens on mid-July, then from every Thursday - Sunday weekend until its time for the corn to be harvested, the public are invited to enjoy puzzling their way past 250,000 sweetcorn plants - or corn ma(i)ze.
Thursdays – Sundays 11 – 17.30 hrs,
Bauernhof Schiefelbusch, Lohmar
Entrance: Adults Euro 3,50, Children Euro 2,50
Tel. 02205 83554
Popularity: 4% [?]
