Comments

  2. Alex the Pretty Good says

    I hear you can get good beer there.

    Lager.

    But for the real good beer, you have to go a little bit more to the west, where there are still monks who do the only thing they’re good for: brew Beer with a capital ‘B’.

    I’ll probably bring some along to show you.

  3. keenacat says

    JEEBUS FUCKING CHRIST COLOGNE IS ONLY A 1 1/2 HOUR TRAIN RIDE FROM ME!!
    Also, it is AFTER my big exams and I’ll totally have time to go and ZOMG where will I get the monies for a ticket? I also have a few friends at Cologne who might be able to accomodate me.
    And a best friend who will maybe accompany me.

  5. Compuholic says

    I’m tempted to go there. Just need to find a way to cough up the money for the ticket/train/accomodation. Not that easy to do on a student budget and – no offense – there are things on my TODO-List with a much higher priority.

    Lets hope that there will be a video of your talk.

  8. says

    juliet,

    not just the Americans, the English do too. In fact it has many different names.

    Cöln (German variant)*, Cologne (French)*, Colònia (Catalan)*, Colonia (Italian*, Spanish*), Colónia (Portuguese)*, Cołonia (Venetian)*, Colonia Agrippina (Latin)*, Cwlen (Welsh)*, Keln – קלן (Hebrew)*, Keln – Келн (Macedonian*, Serbian*), Kel’n – Кельн (Ukrainian*), Keln – קעלן (Yiddish)*, Kelnas (Lithuanian)*, Ķelne (Latvian)*, Kèlóng 科隆 (Chinese)*, Kerun – ケルン (Japanese)*, Keulen (Afrikaans*, Dutch*), Kjol’n – Кёльн (Russian)*, Koelleun / K’oellŭn – 쾰른 (Korean)*, Kolín nad Rýnem (Czech)*, Kolín nad Rýnom (Slovak)*, Kölle (Cologne Ripuarian [dialect]*, Kölle (Limburgian)*, Köln (Azeri*, Danish*, Estonian*, Finnish*, German*, Hungarian*, Icelandic*, Romanian*, Swedish*, Turkish*), K’oln – Кьолн (Bulgarian)*, Kolon – कोलोन (Marathi)*, Kolon – โคโลญ (Thai)*, Kolonia (Basque*, Polish*), Kolonía – Κολωνία (Greek)*, Kolonja (Maltese), Kūlūniya – كولوني (Arabic)*

    (Source)

  10. hermanno says

    Good beer in Cologne????

    Beware! NEVER LET YOURSELF BE TRICKED INTO DRINKING KÖLSCH!

    They simply can´t brew beer in that place!

    Shalom
    Hermann

  11. says

    Oh damn! It’s just 2 hours by train from me, but I already have plans to visit my girlfriend in London that weekend :-(

  12. Maarten says

    But dear PZ, with all the trouble with your heart some time ago, you convinced all of us that you had no heart:

    Your heart is a shriveled black lump starved of charity, decency, charm, and kindness,” [the nurse who called you said], “a gristly godless clot of marginally functional fibers.”

    Please don’t go soft on us by insisting that they actually grew you one back then.

    For the record, I will not attend. Köln is easily reachable for me, but attending these conventions is not something I find interesting. But since my heart knows kindness, and I know that you like chocolate, visit the Chocolate Museum. That should make up for my absence.

  13. greenhome says

    Eek! My flight to Barcelona is on the 31st, and changing it would cost zillions… I may just have to go to the Reason Rally instead.

  14. Stevarious says

    You’re not going to break my heart by not showing up, are you?

    Nope. I’m pretty certain me not showing up isn’t going to bother you a bit.

  15. sc_7a22dd19afe019500881657c84767074 says

    Hmmmm… I’ll have to see if my friend with JetBlue can get me over there.

  17. David Marjanović says

    Huh. That’s being announced on short notice.

    I suppose I should come. Chocolate museum!?! :-9

  18. rolak says

    I’m coming .. to the convention in Köln. How else should I when it’s that close: Some minutes by feet ;-)

    Hi julietdefarge, even here ‘Cologne’ is used sometimes – but it is only a relict from centuries ago. Imho it’s quite natural for Umlaut-less languages to have a workaround for the mismatches.
    The unknowing German tend to pronounce foreign words & names as they would be spoken when they were a german words. That’s sorta disturbing even for me…

  20. trinebm says

    I’ll be there! I’ve bought tickets, food tickets, hotel is reserved, and I’ll be going to the Köln Oper Sunday evening to see Tosca! How will we all know each other? I could be wearing my owl-jewelry … tentacles don’t really suit me too well.

  23. benjaminbreuer says

    Counter one sentiment above, Kölsch is pretty good, if not very strong. AFAIK, it’s an ale (top-fermenting yeast). The best ones on my taste buds are Mühlenkölsch (from the Malzmühle brewery) and Päffgen. Früh is a close second, or third.

    If you’re in for that, some places serve excellent blood pudding (Blutwurst), locally called Flönz.

  24. says

    Cosmic Teapot,

    I’m pretty sure that was ironic, given that David M. commented on the original thread if my memory serves.

    Anyhoo, question to all German atheists: do you know the Giordano Bruno Foundation? If so, I’d have some questions about it, maybe by email in order not to derail this thread? Thanks.

  25. hermanno says

    I second the “Schokoladenmuseum”, but if you feel really adventurous try to get some “Altbier” – MUCH BETTER than Kölsch, but it might enrage the natives – there is a slight rivalry between Köln and Düsseldorf!

    Shalom
    Hermann

  26. allencdexter says

    Sounds great. I’d love to see Germany. Some of my ancestry is from there, but I’ve only been to Canada and Mexico and have an expired passport. No money for the trip either.

    I’d be happy to settle for a few such things in this country right now, but even they pose economic limitations to a retiree. If a big event transpires in Arizona, maybe I can swing it.

  27. ltzippy2 says

    Well, having done Copenhagen and Dublin over the past couple of years (not to mention Burbank,Montreal and Houston), I would be shirking my responsibilities not to….

  28. Christian says

    I’d be delighted to come, especially as I don’t live very far from Cologne.

  29. keenacat says

    there is a slight rivalry between Köln and Düsseldorf!

    This might be an understatement.

  32. Ray, rude-ass yankee says

    Um, PZ? Are you sitting down? Good. Look, It’s not you, it’s me. I just can’t afford to fly to Germany. I wanted to let you down easy, but I just need to say this: I am not showing up. Please don’t cry or anything, I’m not worth it. You’re too good for me. It’s all for the best, you’ll see. I’m sure there will be plenty of other people there to party with who can help mend your broken heart. Chin up.

  33. David Marjanović says

    I’m pretty sure that was ironic, given that David M. commented on the original thread if my memory serves.

    Wasn’t ironic at all. When PZ mentions it now, doesn’t that mean that, like, tickets are now available or something – only 2 months before the event? I’m used to conferences where registration closes 3 months before the event.

    rorschach, Berlin? Tell me more! That’s where I am!

  35. trinebm says

    David: I bought mine about a month ago. They had a sort of early bird-reduction. Might still have that.

  36. evader says

    So they’re not making a cologne out of all the speakers from the convention? Or have I misread something? :)

    And no, sorry. I probably wouldn’t buy it.

  37. tarentolamauritanica says

    Ah finally….
    PZ will be in town.
    Some 2 hour drive to one of my city’s most proficient carneval rivals …. but i guess i will have to endure it in order to see the master of tentacles .. the desecrator of crackers .. the man who buries holy books in his garden…

    ;-)

    Beer … no problem there is plenty of it. And actually so many variants that you should read some books about them before comming here :-)

    PS: In case you are interested in the oldest printed bible by Gutenberg …. who knows if you want to bury it in your garden too … take a short trip to Mainz. I could show you where to find it. (http://www.gutenberg-museum.de/index.php?id=41&L=1)

  38. tarentolamauritanica says

    By the way ….
    Be aware of the Salafist Movement in Köln.
    Pierre Vogel and his lot live there.