Biking in Beethoven's Home Town

Bonn is the home town of Ludwig von Beethoven, and there is a museum at the house where he was born. A statue stands outside another house where his family once lived. I found a little spare time to rent a bike and cruise the streets, visiting the cathedral that was in ruins after World War II. While posing in front of a tower from the old city wall, I managed to drop the bike on my leg and will probably limp for the rest of the trip. A small price to pay!

Although it is no longer the capital of Germany, Bonn is a very livable city looking for a new sense of purpose. The DHL delivery firm is based here and Bonn is agressively tryng to lure agencies from the United Nations, the EU and NATO with mixed results. The highlight of the bike ride was the path along the river, which led to a delightful park. A family of swans frolicked in a peaceful lake in view of DHL's high-rise headquarters.

Welcome to Bonn, the surplus capital

When east and west combined, Berlin ended up with more than one of everything from city halls to zoos to airports. Now Hitler's famed Templehof airport, later used for the post-war Berlin airlift, is closed and the abandoned runways are a public park. West Berlin still has Tegel airport and this is the former East Berlin's airport called Schonefeld. It the home of low-cost airlines like German wings and has none of the former Nazi mystique of the old Templehof terminal.
Germany also ended up with two capital cities. The RIAS group flew from Berlin to Bonn, which is Germany's surplus capital now that the seat of government has moved to Berlin. The Rathaus or City Hall was all dressed up for the World Cup and we enjoyed a match in a bistro that had great pizza and holds English conversation nights once a week. The football commentary on Sky News featured a young hottie with an ancient guy who seemed to actually know something about the game. Good times and lots of "koelsch," the local beer made in nearby Cologne.