At this moment in time I am living in Brussels. Last weekend I drove over to Cologne. The main station is a hub on the European fast rail system with ICE (Inter City Express) and Thalys High speed trains throughout Germany and to Brussels and Paris. Book in advance for really low fares i.e. Brussels – Cologne from €15 one way and Paris – Cologne from €25 one way.

Germany has many measures in place minimise waste and energy wastage. Litter bins in the station are segregated into paper, tins / metal, glass e.t.c. The Brauhaus where I sampled some local beers and food had the Dyson Airblade hand dryers. These use considerably less electricity than normal hand dryers and are very effective. My hands were dry 10 seconds after placing them in the dryer.