Germany's city centres have a tendency to be shiny but sterile, and at first sight Cologne is no different. Viewed through the camera lens, it doesn't leap out as anything unusual - World War II is responsible for that. And yet this is one of the most unconventional of German cities; its residents are creative, cosmopolitan, liberal and easy-going in a very un-Teutonic way. They like to laugh, to hang out, to dress up, to eat out, and at times, on a summer's evening, the embankments of the river Rhine - which flows through the heart of the city - feel more like the shores of a Mediterranean city than somewhere that is far closer to the chilly North Sea. There's a buzz and a friendliness here which still takes me a bit by surprise, even though I've been here many times.
Of course, a lot of people are passing through, as I usually am. The city's location on the Rhine makes Cologne the start and end point for many Rhine cruises, and its railway station, right next to the stupendous (and Unesco-recognised) cathedral, is also one of the busiest in Germany, with high-speed connections to Brussels, Paris and London. But besides being a gateway city this is a city of big occasions, in particular Carnival, in late February, when the whole place comes crashing to a halt for several days. And the Cologne Messe, a trade fair centre, hosts several of the world's largest events, showcasing everything from food to furniture. For all these events Cologne is like a rather unflappable and indulgent hostess: tolerant, amused, and keen to make sure guests have been adequately fed and watered.
A creative city implies creative accommodation, and Cologne has a couple of notable examples. The Hotel im Wasserturm (www.hotel-im-wasserturm.de; 00 49 221 20080) is exactly what the name implies: a hotel in a former water tower. The rooms are imaginative (they have to be, with curved walls), the furniture is custom-made and the location is excellent. This is where the top CEOs and TV stars stay, the former attending trade fairs and the latter making programmes with the TV companies based here. Double rooms cost fromUS$230 (Dh846), not including breakfast.
In the early days of the Hotel Chelsea (www.hotel-chelsea.de; 00 49 221 207150) guests used to be able to pay with art work. A lot of that art still remains on the walls, and the hotel is still popular with young designers and media people, who gather in the downstairs bar. The best rooms are up in the curiously-designed roof extension. Doubles cost from $120 (Dh440). Breakfast is extra.
The obvious starting point is the cathedral - the Dom - whose 157-metre twin towers somehow managed to survive the war and retain most of the mesmerising waterfall of carvings on the outside, where they are mostly visible only to God and passing microlights. Cologne's city fathers have ensured that their giant cathedral is still unchallenged as the tallest building in downtown, and it requires an 80-strong team of masons to keep it in good condition.
Towards the river, in the cathedral's shadow, is the first of Cologne's multitude of museums, this one the Museum Ludwig, which specialises in contemporary modern art. Below that is the riverside walkway, a lively parkland in summer, with a terrace of restaurants leading to a little maze of streets that represents a slice of old Cologne. Walk inland from here, through the old market square - you'll find street musicians and performers in summer - and you'll come to the main pedestrianised shopping area, which is not really any different to any other shopping area in Germany, except that it is built on Roman Cologne, and if you go downstairs in the town hall or even in the McDonald's in Schildergasse, you'll come across proper Roman rubble.
The Belgian quarter, in a nest of streets just to the west of the city centre, is the trendy place to be. In the evening, locals gather in Brussels Square, in the lee of St Michael's church, to sit, talk and drink in a civilised, impromptu street gathering that happens virtually every day of the year, provided the weather is kind. When I was last here, I had a conversation with someone who knew the whole second series of Blackadder off by heart.
The best designer shopping is housed in what the locals have nicknamed "the whale", the giant glass Peek and Cloppenburg department store on Schildergasse, which looks like a cross between an airship and a greenhouse. Elsewhere, there's an unusual shopping centre on Breiterstrasse in the form of the WDR Arkaden, which has television studios on the ground floor, so you can watch programmes being made and then pop into the Ossiladen (East Germany shop) opposite for communist-era chocolate bars.
"Be careful of the half chicken," muttered my neighbour in Peters Brauhaus (www.peters-brauhaus.de; 0049 221 2573 950), a traditional restaurant in the older quarter of the city. "It's actually just a bread roll with cheese." There are other oddities on the menu of this traditional, convivial eating place: "heaven and earth" (mashed potatoes and apple sauce) and "Cologne caviar" (blood sausage with onions), but the food is hearty and the welcome is friendly. Expect to pay $20-26 (Dh73-97) for a main meal.
Beware cyclists! This is a big cycling city, and pavements are shared with cycle lanes. Cologne's liberal attitudes mean that two-wheelers can be even more of a law unto themselves than elsewhere in Germany. As one cyclist said to me, "What's the point of travelling by bicycle if you have to obey red lights?"
The new residential district, the Rheinauhafen, on an island in the river (which it shares with the Chocolate Museum). The reinvention of former docklands for living space is a well proven formula in many European cities, but doing it in a former river port is a bit of a first. Interesting architecture, riverside cafes, and the longest underground car park in Europe. travel@thenational.ae Andrew Eames' latest book is Blue River, Black Sea (Bantam Press).
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Company%20profile
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Smart words at Make Smart Cool
Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
