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Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has all kinds and styles of restaurants and eateries. Vina Asia Express, located at Bonner Strasse in Cologne´s vibrant "Suedstadt" quarter, is a great place for lunch. Crispy Chicken with Fried Rice

Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has all kinds and styles of restaurants and eateries. Ludari, located in the vibrant "Suedstadt" quarter, offers best Italian food - and over noontime tasty pasta dishes are served here. Mille gracie, Natalie! Mille grazie, Ciro! www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyrbH3OoLdc - Spaghetti alle zucchine

The buildings of the former Augustinian monastery, founded in 1242, now host a very convenient hotel with a pretty good restaurant. Filet mignon with rösti, broccoli and apples.

Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has all kinds and styles of restaurants and eateries. You´ll find the restaurant "Comedia Wagenhalle" in a building, that, located Vondelstrasse 2-4, was the fire station "No.4 Cöln Süd" for a century. After renovation and rebuilding in 2004 the "Comedia Theater" moved in - and the restaurant now serves as well as a wonderful foyer for the theater. There is a great garden behind the building, where lunches are served. Restaurant www.comedia-wagenhalle.de/home.php Theater www.comedia-koeln.de/ Endive salad with stripes of beef filet.

Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has all kinds and styles of restaurants and eateries. You´ll find the restaurant "Comedia Wagenhalle" in a building, that, located Vondelstrasse 2-4, was the fire station "No.4 Cöln Süd" for a century. After renovation and rebuilding in 2004 the "Comedia Theater" moved in - and the restaurant now serves as well as a wonderful foyer for the theater. There is a great garden behind the building, where lunches are served. Restaurant www.comedia-wagenhalle.de/home.php Theater www.comedia-koeln.de/ Mascarpone with compote and crumbles

Cologne has so many museums... The "Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst" ("Museum-of-East-Asian-Art") goes back on a private collection, that was donated in 1908. Today the museum, located near the "Aachener Weiher", is in a wonderful building, erected 1976. It was designed by japanese architect Kunio Maekawa. Even the museum´s cafeteria, managed by "Salon & Metzgerei Schmitz" is worth a visit. Not only for a cappucino (or a tea!) and lunch, but for the beautiful setting. A perfect place just to sit in the sun and watch "the wheels go round and round". www.museum-fuer-ostasiatische-kunst.de/Museum-of-East-Asian-Art

Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has all kinds and styles of restaurants and eateries. Latio is a nice restaurant / espresso bar, located at (little noisy) Vorgebirgsstrasse. Here nice lunches are served. www.latio.de - Zucchini al formaggio

Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has all kinds and styles of restaurants and eateries. Latio is a nice restaurant / espresso bar, located at (little noisy) Vorgebirgsstrasse. Here nice lunches are served. www.latio.de - Scaloppine al limone

Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has all kinds and styles of restaurants and eateries. Café "Südlicht", located at Eifelwall, opposite the building site of the new municipal archive of Cologne (the old one collapsed into a subway tunnel in 2009) is a nice little coffeshop, where you can choose between three kinds of milk for your "grand creme". Traditional cowmilk, almond milk or oat milk. Offered are as well homemade cakes - and lunches. Quiche and salad

It is widely believed, that the first King of Portugal, Afonso I (aka "Afonso o Conquistador"), was born in Guimarães in 1109, so Guimarães is sometimes referred to as the "birthplace of the Portuguese nationality" . For some decades, Guimarães was the capital of the County of Portugal, however due to the needs of the Reconquista, Coimbra became the kingdom's capital later. We visited Guimarães in heavy rain, so a lot of time, we spent in cafés, where it was dry and warm. The Café Snack-Bar Bilhares is a very nice one.

A Roman settlement, named "Aeminium" existed here. When the neighbouring town "Conimbriga" got conquered and destroyed by the Suebes in 468, the survivors moved to "Aeminium" - and renamed it. The Visigoths under King Wittiza named the town "Eminio" later. In 714 the town was conquered by Muslim troops, who changed the name again. Coimbra was finally recaptured in 1064 by King Fernando de Castilla y León. Coimbra became the second capital of the Kingdom of Portugal (after Guimarãesin) 1139, a status that moved to Lisbon in 1256. The University of Coimbra, founded by Denis of Portugal (aka "Dom Dinis") in 1290, is one of the oldest in Europe. Today more than 20% of the Coimbra´s population are students at the university. So the number of coffee shops and small bars in the old (and hilly) part of the town is no surprise.

A Roman settlement, named "Aeminium" existed here. When the neighbouring town "Conimbriga" got conquered and destroyed by the Suebes in 468, the survivors moved to "Aeminium" - and renamed it. The Visigoths under King Wittiza named the town "Eminio" later. In 714 the town was conquered by Muslim troops, who changed the name again. Coimbra was finally recaptured in 1064 by King Fernando de Castilla y León. Coimbra became the second capital of the Kingdom of Portugal (after Guimarãesin) 1139, a status that moved to Lisbon in 1256. The University of Coimbra, founded by Denis of Portugal (aka "Dom Dinis") in 1290, is one of the oldest in Europe. Having a "late coffee" in the old part of Coimbra.

Porto is with a population of about 250.000 the largest city in Northern Portugal. In "Greater Porto", the metropolitan area, live even more than 1.7 million people. The historical center of Porto was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Port wine is named after Porto, since the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern banks of the river Douro are the centers for packaging, transport and export of the fortified wine. Some years ago I had been here for a couple of days before I started the "Camino Portugues" here. Portugal has a long colonial history and Porto has had an important harbour where ships unloaded the goods from the colonies in South America and Africa. The "Casa Oriental" was founded in 1910 and offered coffe, tea and chocolades in the early year. Meanwhile Portuguese products are offered, sweets, sausages, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, olives and bacalao (stockfish). www.casaoriental.pt/base.asp

Porto is with a population of about 250.000 the largest city in Northern Portugal. In "Greater Porto", the metropolitan area, live even more than 1.7 million people. The historical center of Porto was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Port wine is named after Porto, since the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern banks of the river Douro are the centers for packaging, transport and export of the fortified wine. Some years ago I had been here for a couple of days before I started the "Camino Portugues" here. A night stroll through the city. Here is another example of Portugal´s colonial history. The "Pastelaria Tupi", an agreeable bakery and take away, is named after the Tupi people. The Tupi people were indigenous to Brazil, inhabitating almost all of Brazil's coast when the Portuguese first arrived there. The population may have numbered up to one million around 1500, but it argely disappeared because of European diseases or because of slavery.

Porto is with a population of about 250.000 the largest city in Northern Portugal. In "Greater Porto", the metropolitan area, live even more than 1.7 million people. The historical center of Porto was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Port wine is named after Porto, since the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern banks of the river Douro are the centers for packaging, transport and export of the fortified wine. Some years ago I had been here for a couple of days before I started the "Camino Portugues" here. A night stroll through the city. The "Café Majestic" is, following by guide-book, one of the most beautiful café - worldwide. I admired the wonderful marble art-deco facade and decided to return and see the interior during daylight. www.cafemajestic.com/en/Majestic-Cafe/History.aspx

Porto is with a population of about 250.000 the largest city in Northern Portugal. In "Greater Porto", the metropolitan area, live even more than 1.7 million people. The historical center of Porto was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Port wine is named after Porto, since the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern banks of the river Douro are the centers for packaging, transport and export of the fortified wine. Some years ago I had been here for a couple of days before I started the "Camino Portugues" here. Having a coffee in one of the coffe-shops around the "Praça da Batalha" with a view onto to the "Igreja de Santo Ildefonso". The church was erected in baroque style between 1709 and 1739, when finally the towers were completed. Since 1932, the facade is covered with (around 11.000) azulejo tiles

Porto is with a population of about 250.000 the largest city in Northern Portugal. In "Greater Porto", the metropolitan area, live even more than 1.7 million people. The historical center of Porto was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Port wine is named after Porto, since the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern banks of the river Douro are the centers for packaging, transport and export of the fortified wine. Some years ago I had been here for a couple of days before I started the "Camino Portugues" here. Finally I had a coffee in the "Café Majestic". Following my guide-book, this is one of the most beautiful café - worldwide. Somebody had told me, that British author J. K. Rowling, who worked as an English teacher in Porto in the early 1990s, wrote down the first part of first of all Harry Potter novels - in the Café Majestic. www.cafemajestic.com/en/Majestic-Cafe/History.aspx

This was my first "choucroute de la mer", a dish similar to "choucroute alsacien" but instead being served with pork, it is served with seafood and fish here. I do like kraut and potatoes, but this dish was kind of "flat" and pretty uninteresting. Maybe my expectation was too high and/or my tastebuds have become unsensible.