Diary of a Fat Cat: Nippes, How I Love Thee

We're back! Four countries, 1500+ kilometers, and 2 weeks later, we're back home and (attempting to) get back in the 'every day' groove. This includes mundane things like grocery shopping, catching up on TV shows on the couch, snuggling the cat, and taking walks around the neighborhood--things I have missed while we were away! While my mom and sister were visiting, we stayed for three nights at our apartment, and I wanted to not only show them the main sights in Cologne, but also our neighborhood, Nippes. It has been home for the past 8 (!) months, and we have grown to love it.

I'll admit that the name, Nippes (pronounced 'nip-pez'), definitely made me giggle the first few times I heard it. But once I got over the name and we settled into our apartment, I began exploring and discovering what a fun neighborhood it is. Here are the reasons that I love Nippes...

1. The daily market

Every day (except Sunday) from 8am-12:30pm, a big outdoor market takes place in Wilhelmsplatz, just around the corner from our house. There are vegetable and fruit stands, clothing stalls, cheese and meat wagons, and everything in between. It was a bit smaller in winter, but now that the weather is warm the market has been growing and growing! It's a great place to get inexpensive produce, flowers, cloth for crafts, as well as household goods.

There's also a monthly flea market in the square, which is a lot of fun. I usually grab a curry wurst or reibekuchen to munch while browsing the stalls. In addition to professional vendors (including one guy who sells only lederhosen!), there are always at least a couple very enterprising kids with their old barbies and books spread out on blankets. So far I have resisted their cuteness and haven't come home with any used toys :)

2. Music, classes, and events

the view from our balcony
the white building on the right is the music school!

Nippes and the City of Cologne have really wonderful cultural programs, too. There's the music school just behind our apartment, and there's also another building complex just up the road where you can catch a concert or comedy act every Thursday at 4pm or grab a beer and snack at the outdoor cafe. Community classes are held at both locations, too.

There's nothing like hearing the strains of choir practice drift through our windows in the evenings or listening to piano (or tuba! or clarinet! or sax!) practice while working on my laptop on the balcony. I'm going to miss this happy apartment when we move!

3. Parades and Festivals

Nippes is the official kick off location of Karneval every January, and there's also a special local Karneval parade with the Nippeser Bürgerwehr and other local groups.

Nippes also organizes an annual street festival in May, called the Nippeser Bürgerfest (Bürger as in the German word for citizens, not as in a hamburger festival). They close off a huge section of the main street, Neusser Straße and set up 2 stages, tons of food carts, and games.

4. Luthurkirche und Kulturkirche

Just a 5 minute walk from our apartment, you'll find Lutherkirche Nippes. Cologne is a catholic city, so I feel pretty fortunate to have a protestant church so close! Services are auf Deutsch, so I get to practice my listening comprehension -- sometimes I'll catch 80% of a sermon, sometimes only 10%. It's always interesting, though, and I really enjoy singing familiar hymns (and new hymns) in German with the organ playing accompaniment.

The church is also the home of Kulturkirche (culture church), hosting entertainers, events, and town meetings. It's one of the few buildings that survived the intense bombings in WW2, and the inside is still painted with beautiful pastel patterns of flowers and stars. Old fruit trees (including a huge fig!) stand outside the church and shade the grounds where they hold festivals and events.

5. The Zoo & Botanic Gardens

The Cologne Zoo and the Botanic Garden are both located in Nippes, about a 30 minute walk to the east of our apartment. When I need a pick-me-up, the Botanic Gardens are one of the best places to go. Currently, they're working on refurbishing the beautiful old greenhouse (called the Wintergarten-Palast) that was destroyed in WW2.

6. The atmostphere

Nippes is filled with cafes, family bars with patios, fun little local gift shops, and pretty much anything you need to live and enjoy the European lifestyle. (I know I sound like an advertisement, but I really do love our neighborhood!) We also have a nice park just up the street from our apartment, and the Grüngürtel (green belt) is only a 15 minute walk. We love to take a blanket and beers to the park to relax and read in the shade. Even on week nights, the parks are always filled with families and friends having cook outs.