Bremen - Great Beer, Food, and More

Last year, we took a 5 country "beer tour" in October with Bremen as our 2nd stop. We spent 3 days there enjoying the sites, visiting the historic center of the city, going to a cool science museum, and taking advantage of the great Autumn weather.

The paths along the rivers in Bremen are great for bike riding, jogging, or just taking a nice stroll. If you're not feeling energetic, they have a well developed public transport system to get you wherever you need to go. You can get a discounted pass that covers several days. We spent most of our time walking since the weather was so good and the locals were very friendly.

The center offers many gorgeous buildings as well. If you're a fan of different architectural styles, you will likely find many of these structures quite interesting. I especially enjoyed the sculptures that adorn the tops of some of them. You can grab a coffee (or a beer in my case) in the center at a variety of restaurants and sit outside in the sunshine while gazing up at these huge throwbacks to another day.

One of my favorite areas of the center was an alleyway lined with shops and bronzed sculptures. One wall, in particular was covered in lights so I returned there one night to see what it would look like.

Some Intriguing Signs Outside Buildings

On our journeys back to our rented apartment, we noticed that several businesses advertised not only what they sold, but what they believed in. Additionally, there were some businesses advertising peculiar events.

I guess they made their sentiments very clear, but does anyone self identify as an "Asshole"?

During a week of "Utopia", you are welcomed to enjoy "Fuck Up Night" - Unfortunately, we didn't make it there for the event.

Russians and Bremen Musicians

As the teaser headline implied, there is a special relationship between Bremen and Russian/former Soviet people. There is an old fairy tale about a band of musicians from Bremen. Many books and cartoons have been made about the tale in parts of Europe.

The musicians include a man, a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a chicken. A statue in Bremen of the characters is one of the main attractions for tourists. However, this is especially true for Russians because the popularity of a cartoon titled "Бременские Музыканты" (Bremen Musicians) that was made in the late 1960's in the Soviet Union. It featured many songs that most people know by heart. When one of the songs is played nearly everyone will sing along. Granted, in the U.S. people all know songs that accompanied popular cartoons, but I never saw a room full of people start singing when the theme to Beauty and the Beast or "Hakuna Matata" from the Lion King came on in a restaurant.

Here is the cartoon with English subtitles -

Two sequels to this cartoon were made in the early 1970's. I think you'll find that many of the songs are catchy, even if you don't speak Russian, but as my wife explained to me - she watched this cartoon over and over again as a child. With a limited amount of fresh entertainment growing up, she learned every line of every song like many of her friends. As a result, the Bremen Musicians are more than just a fairy tale or statue - They are a heavily endeared childhood memory.

Interesting fact: There is a replica statue of the musicians located in Riga, Latvia (former Soviet Republic).

Whether you are Russian or not, Bremen is a pleasant place to visit. It isn't as expensive as many other German and European destinations and it features enough to keep you busy for a few days.

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