Okay so when I say ‘family’ I mean Rob and I and Daisy. But it totally counts. Daisy likes a day out as much as the next dog. She actually found an unexpected interest in a local tourist attraction and a special fountain but I shall get to that in a minute.

I have loved Bremen my whole life. Most people will have heard of it from Grimm’s Fairytales – The Bremen Town Musicians and they are important enough here to have a monument of their own.

The town has the prettiest little medieval town square and many things are pretty much as they have always been (I love that about Germany).

It is a clean and friendly city with a lot to see and you can basically walk around it. No cars needed. It has trams and buses and trains of course but actually, a decent pair of shoes will get the job done.

Not gonna lie, the weather was a bit ordinary. It was spring time and not overly cold but the grey weather did not show things at their best. The place really lights up in the sun.

The first port of call was the cathedral. If you are ever in a German city, this is a pretty good place to start even if you are not into church for church’s sake. The architecture and history is mind blowing. To give you some idea, this one was built in 789 and is still being used today. I’ll just leave that there to sink in….

Built to last and no mistake! 789 is incredible and it is in pretty pristine condition too. Daisy wasn’t allowed in this time so Rob and I went in singly and afterwards, I sat with the little one in the church garden and did some apologising.

Then it was time to take a stroll around and find something that she might like. The result may surprise you actually!

In the town square, just outside the church was a peculiar grating in the ground and it was linked to the Bremen Town Musicians. We put a coin into the slot and out came the animal noises at random. The rooster, dog, cat and donkey. Daisy LOVED it! We spent quite a lot of money amusing her! The other children around us were more interested watching a little dog enjoying the attraction with the delight of a child.

Next it was off to find the iconic Town musicians statue which has been there my whole life – although it is amazing how I imagined it bigger (when viewed from the perspective of a child). I visit these every trip to Bremen and they never get old.

The obligatory family selfie had to be taken too. Then it was time for a spot of pigeon watching with a backdrop of the cathedral and a fountain with a bronze sculpture of Poseidon emerging from the waves.

And a look at a special fountain which has a drinking part for dogs in the base with Dachshunds dispensing the water. Honestly the attention to detail is astounding

Then time to get back to the car (we had a two hour trip home). On the way though, there was one more thing that I wanted to see up close.

I adore these old windmills. And this one is not THAT old by German standards – practically new after the cathedral. It was built in 1898 and it has a restaurant inside.

It is so beautiful and I love that it is just right there, pretty much in the middle of the city and surrounded by offices and shops and places of business.

For me, it all just adds to the fairytale feeling surrounding Bremen. This city is definitely worth a visit and if you are there with a dog, I can certainly recommend the animal noises! Someone slept all the way home.

See you next time!

Debbie

xx