Some Light Reading

I have been living in Cologne about a week, and language school has already begun to occupy much of my time. This means I have had less spare moments for exploring than I might like. Since my days have been almost entirely filled with the German language, I decided to allow myself a small treat of the Muttersprache to and from school on the train. The only English reading I had brought with me was a collection of Edna St. Vincent Millay poetry, which – like that really good chocolate you have every intention of making last for a very long time – I had consumed rather quickly. So, I went in search of a bookstore that sold novels in English.

What I found was English Books and Tea .

Located on Ritterstraße just off the Hansaring (the main road where the CDC is located), English Books and Tea is a small shop that sells eponymous wares to what appears to be a circle of loyal customers, many of them British and American expatriates. I was rather surprised to find a shop specializing in books in English in the middle of Cologne, though fellow CBYX participant Sannie tells me that the phenomenon is actually common in major German cities. She seems quite educated in these matters, so I believe her. That said, I have not seen any others, so I was elated to find exactly what I was looking for less than four blocks from school.

The proprietor is an Englishman named Chris Potter – go ahead, make a Harry Potter joke, I’ll wait – originally hailing from Essex. From what I can tell, he speaks terrific German, and he claims to speak excellent Russian as well, though to that I cannot speak informedly. He alternates between English and German from behind the counter while making tea for customers and conversing on all manner of subjects with all manner of people. The first time I visited his shop, he did an excellent job of helping me defuse a rather disgruntled member of the American Air Force, who decided to quarrel with me when he overheard that I a) was from New York, and b) believed most Americans do not care very much about history. I politely indulged the Flatbush native’s loaded questions about my education and take on various topics, and Chris was courteous enough to mediate the whole situation. This proved to be quite indicative of Chris’ general demeanor, which is at once self-effacing and witty in a way only the British can pull off.

Taken altogether, English Books and Tea and its proprietor have been one of my more pleasant finds thus far. Chris’ heritage is half-German, and he’s been in Cologne for seven years, so he and his shop could technically be considered part of the local color. The community certainly seems to think so. His shop is home for everything from reading groups to AA meetings to the kind of gossipy exchanges that bind a neighborhood. Chris also knows the area quite well. A few of us from CBYX have befriended him, and he was kind enough to take us on a small Kneipentour (a Cologne version of a pub crawl). So take heed, English-speaking travelers. Should you find yourself in Cologne, be sure to visit Chris’ shop. I’m sure it’s hard staying afloat as a proprietor of a small bookshop, especially when most of your customers stand around talking rather than buying. So if you’re in town, give Chris some business. He might even show you around.

And yes, I bought a book… eventually.

Bussi bussi.