It’s all a fairy tale, beautiful Bremen is more than a historic city preserved with all of its romance and magic, it boasts a tale by the Brothers Grimm; The Bremen Town Musicians. As the tale goes, there were four farm animals who had reached an old age and we’re no longer of much use to the farmer. So the farmer thought to kill them. The donkey, dog, cat and rooster ran away to become town musicians in Bremen, the city of freedom saying, “We can find something better than death anywhere.”

According to the fairy tale, the Bremen town musicians never made it to Bremen but the town put up a monument to them anyway on the west side of the Town Hall. Visitors who touch the statue are said to be granted a wish and will one day return to Bremen.

This is my first visit to Bremen and yes, I like everyone else, touched the donkey’s feet meaning I can look forward to returning to this beautiful town. I love to sit in the Old Town Square at one of the restaurants. All of them have tables that spill out onto the square. It’s tradition to sit and sip a Beck beer (it comes from Bremen). It’s exceptionally amazing to be among the towering, ancient buildings and the large statue of Roland. Both have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the other side of Town Hall is Domshof. Since the Middle Ages this large square has been a place of public meetings. Today it remains a community-gathering place around the farmers’ market and a beautiful flower market (open six days a week). The flower market offers tulip bulbs in hundreds of different varieties and colours. The hundreds of crates arranged for display makes you want to take a few hundred home with you.
I love to wander through the market looking at the different offerings of meat, fish, fruit, herbs, culinary ingredients, even clothing and warm foods you can eat while strolling. I picked up a few apples and black plums to eat as I stroll.

Germans love sweet black plums wrapped with cinnamon and sweet yeast pastry. They bake them all together for a delicious pastry I feasted on for breakfast. You can also find black plums lining the tops of thin cake like little soldiers waiting to be devoured by anyone with an appetite for the delicious side of Bremen.

Buy a salty pretzel and walk along the River Weser. The pretzels here are fat and large but mouthwateringly salty and yeasty – so good. At the Weser River there is a wide promenade called the Schlachte Weser Promenade full of restaurants, cafes and beer gardens spilling onto the promenade intermixed with artisan shops. Stroll along the promenade with views of beautiful ships and enjoying your pretzel with a coffee.

A tip on Bremen sweets, here they love peppermint sugar sticks. These long, narrow sticks of sweetness can be found in almost all of the artisan candy shops. It was invented by local candymaker Albert Friedrich Bruns. They’re delicious and last a long, long time. The traditional Bremen Klaben is a large bun loaded with raisins and dusted with lots of sugar. It looks rather sexy and irresistible in pastry counters and it’s not to be confused with the Bremen Kluten which is peppermint fondant covered partially with chocolate, another delicious must try food of beautiful Bremen.

While walking the streets enjoying your peppermint sugar stick you’re inevitably going to walk through a maze of tiny streets all strung together like beads on a string. In fact, this area is called Schnoor and it means “string”. Schnoor is the oldest preserved section of the town with a different charm than the Old Town Square.

The 500-year-old buildings hold each other up for support as the houses romantically wind their way into laneways, mini courtyards and alleys so narrow that only one person can pass at a time. Here you’ll find artisans of jewelry, chocolate, hand crafts, weavers, sewers and more. There’s even a fruitcake shop that also makes authentic Bremen Klaben and at Christmas time they make Wickelkuchen, cinnamon stars and gingerbread. The little shop prides itself in using as many local ingredients as they can in their authentic German specialties.

The Katzen Café is one of the better restaurants with classic French cuisine. Yes, they serve traditional German cuisine but you can also find a delicious Bouillabaisse. Stop by the Feiner Tee for a cup of warm Ronnefeldt tea served in fine porcelain and accompanied by home made delicious cakes. In a city of pork and sauerkraut, the Feiner Tee offers up a full vegetarian menu.

For all of your shopaholics, you’d be impressed with Bremens complex and varied shopping area that starts where Town Square ends. Many of the streets and walkways have been covered in glass making it an all-weather, outdoor shopping experience. There’s everything here from independently owned shops to international chain stores, from boutiques to specialty stores all are intertwined with irresistible bakeries, cafés and restaurants. Shop until you’re hungry for more cultural experiences or until your stomach aches for more of Bremen’s unique dishes.

If you have time for only one restaurant in Bremen, you must make it the Ratskeller. It dates back to 1405 and is the oldest restaurant I’ve ever eaten in. Descend into the basement of the Town Hall, and the restaurant unfolds before you with polished white cathedral ceilings and giant wooden casks. The long narrow restaurant ends with a beautiful, glassed in room for private affairs. Here they serve traditional German fare with Bratwurst, Suckling Pig and even a dish of pork fat you can spread on bread – very hardy German fare.

There is more to see and eat in Bremen than I had time for in my three days but if you’re looking to explore a new beautiful town in Europe, Bremen should definitely be on your list.