"A good reason to visit Bruhl" Brühl by Steve-H

Here's the reason I went to Bruhl, don't they look great? The flags make it look like an official picture, President Sven & his First Lady.
Bruhl was great, very small and friendly and only 20 minutes south of Cologne. I tried two different hotels because the first one was too far from the happy couples' house and that's where all the fun was happening.
My next visit was for the Sylvester celebrations (New Year) to usher in 2009 with my friends. Germans do new year celebrations really well & you are guarateed a good time and plenty of fireworks.

The old & the new.

Bruhl is this kind of place, surrounded by countryside and agriculture it has its roots in farming but it also has a more modern side to it, there is every convenience but it still retains a lot of it's charm. You can find peace and quiet here too. On Sunday it was a pleasure to sit outside the local ice-cream bar (very, very cheap & tasty) and watch the world go by, there were lots of Sunday bikers and a few buses that head just outside town to the Phantasialand, a theme park full of scary rides etc. I get the impression that Bruhl isn't in too much of a hurry, the pace of life here is far more agreeable than in London.

It was like this everywhere you looked.

The fireworks were amazing, everyone lets them off, no organised displayes here! They lasted for almost an hour with lots of pops & bangs well after that. All around you the sky is lit up and the germans are having fun, everyone joins in and the noise is incredible. This celebration is going in my 'Things to see before you get too old' list. This is the public letting rip! much better than any organised event, London & Sydney might make the news with their displays every year but this is far better, it goes on for miles and miles.

• Pros:Not too far from Cologne (or Bonn)
• Cons:Don't expect the heel-clicking efficiency of the city
• In a nutshell:A gem of a town, quiet and untroubled.