Alte Neustadt

My accommodation for the night is in an old East German Caravan decked out with Finnish flags and even a wooden Viking sword and shield. I’m in Bremen, Germany, staying in a rather unique ‘indoor campsite’. Inside an old wearhouse, caravans and huts have been set up, each one themed to a different country. It’s far from glamping but it’s a lot of fun and means I have my own space for the next few nights which has become a rare event in the past few months.

Bremen itself is a city in need of a little… TLC. Its Germany’s second largest port and as my accommodation is out at the docks, I get to see a fair bit of it walking into town. It’s very much a ‘working’ city and I sort of get the impression it might be the Dundee of Germany in the sense that it’s not the most aesthetic city but it does what it says on the tin.
That being said, the old historic centre is home to some beautiful buildings and rather odd statue with a cockerel standing atop a cat which stands on top of a dog, who in turn stands the back of a donkey. It’s an ode to the Brother’s Grimm fairytale, ‘the Musicians of Bremen’ in which the four animals, having been neglected and mistreated, decide to run away and become musicians in Bremen. In the original tale I don’t believe they ever make it to the city of Bremen but why let that stand in the way of a good story… or in this case, statue? A short distance away from the statue, there’s a manhole cover, known as Bremmer Loch, which if you’re daring enough to pop a coin into, you’re rewarded with the sound of one of the musicians. The money goes to charity and they must collect a fair bit if the flock of tourists surrounding it at all times is anything to go by!

On my potter around the city I stumble across a windmill which has me wondering if I’ve ever actually left the Netherlands. Turns out Bremen is home to five windmills, all of which were working mills in the past and a hint at Bremen’s Hanseatic heritage and trading past.Read more