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Dining in Europe > Kiel Kiel´s varied gastronomy has something on offer for every taste. From a breakfast to a midnight snack, a small bite to a 5-course-dinner and from a coffee to a cocktail there are modern or traditional, cheap or rather expensive as well as international variations available. Breakfast and cafés: A sumptuous breakfast is a good start to the day, and you can make up your own combinations at the Taktlos. If you prefer a buffet, the Alcatraz, Avocado or Bar Centrale are worth a visit. You will be provided with everything including coffee, Prosecco (champagne) and the daily paper here. À la carte fans should try the Cafe Lucy and the L.A., while the freshly baked croissants and rolls available at the Non Solo Pane are much recommended for those who prefer to have breakfast at home. Kiel´s cafes try to cater for all the different coffee lovers, and in summer, places like the Luzifer at the pedestrian precinct with its large terrace are particularly popular. The ExLex has a modern interior and mainly draws a young crowd, but fans of fine coffee blends can also be found here. At Werkstatt Cafe you can admire lovely jewellery, while the cafe at the Museum of Art displays changing exhibits by various artists. Those who also like a cup of coffee other than in the afternoon should pay a visit to the Nachtcafe. In addition to live music, cocktails are also available here, which makes the place just right for nocturnal ramblers. There are numerous student pubs and bistros in Kiel, and if you grow hungry, you will find many places to stop and grab a bite at in the city centre and near campus. It is advisable to leave the car at home and take the bus or go by bike. The Oblomov is very popular with freshers. Together with the Bazille and the Colloseum it belongs to the most well-known student pubs. As all of them also offer a lunch special, they are a nice alternative to the cafeteria.The Storchennest has many regulars who come here often, especially computer freaks. These 'offline meetings' are an alternative to the Internetcafe Edit. If you stay on Kiel´s Ostufer, you will find a fine combinations of all this at the Bambule. Inexpensive, quick and filling applies to all the food served at these pubs which are an ideal location for meeting friends in a pleasant atmosphere. Nice and inexpensive restaurants Traditional cuisine and plain cooking One of Kiel´s best known restaurants is the Klosterbrauerei. The medieval ambience at the rustic pub and restaurant near Alter Markt and the popular home-brew draw tourists and locals alike. It is ideal for cheerful and lively private or business-related festivities. Those who prefer a cosy, typical northern German restaurant should visit Oma Plüsch, where home-made specialities of the Schleswig-Holstein cuisine are on offer, prepared with lots of loving care. In addition to the Friesenhof, it is the perfect place for green cabbage in the winter and the freshest asparagus in spring. There also are fish dishes on the menu, of course, you can order anything from plaice to smoked culinary highlights. The Angler, on the other hand, is a true fishermen´s pub where the local 'Platt' dialect is spoken and one beer too many is also no rarity. Every city has them and needs them and all of us have been there at least once: take-aways. Kiel has dozens of them, some of which are much recommended. If you like Turkish food, Muharems Döner Treff or the Alanya Grill are a must. You can get kebab in many variations here. A typical German take-away with tables at which you have to stand up, fries, curried sausage and burgers is the Aurette. It is centrally located at Dreiecksplatz. And those who would like to try something different for a change should visit the Cantina on weekends, where neo-Mexican finger food is served quickly until the early hours of the morning. In recent years, the fine art of cooking has found a home in several Kiel restaurants. Fresh and creative food is served in these, and the Restaurant im Strandhotel and the Feld range among the most sophisticated houses for seafood dishes. The Feld also offers a choice of cigars after a nice meal, while the Lüneburg Haus is famous for its original variations of local dishes. And those who prefer modern culinary creations will find something suitable at the September or the Quadrat. Little gems with only a few seats but lots of fresh and innovative specialities on the menu are the Ruffini and the nearby Lammers Eck at Blücherplatz. Neo-Mexican and American food is available at the Santa Fe, and you´ll be delighted to find out that tender bison steaks and classy cocktails are what it´s all about here instead of burgers. Euro-Asian cuisine has become very popular lately, and sophisticated examples of this combination can be experienced at the MAX- Restaurant, where Asian wok dishes and middle European specialities go together in perfect harmony on the menu. This recent culinary trend in Schleswig-Holstein´s capital will certainly be developed more over the next few years. Suitable evening wear and a reservation in advance are advisable with all these restaurants. Sometimes all you are in the mood for is a drink, and Kiel also provides the suitable locations for such purposes. In addition to beverages, live music is often played in some of the bars and pubs, like at the Trio and the Irish Pub, for example. The Brokers, the Mangos and the Hemingway have got large lists of beverages with a great choice of imported beers, longdrinks and cocktails, while the Piola Bar is a bit more exotic. The Bodega Latina does not only offer fresh Caribbean cocktails, but also dancing courses. You can swing the hips to southern American rhythms and get into a holiday mood here. Last but not least, there are the classic hotel bars with a stylish ambience and a silent bar keeper. You can find them at the Maritim and the Contihansa, for example. As you can see, Kiel offers an interesting range of culinary treats. Lovers of the traditional cuisine will find something suitable, as will the fans of modern cooking. Because of the University, there are many little restaurants, bistros and cafes where you can pleasantly while away some time. It is inviting to go out and spoil yourself with a nice meal here more often than elsewhere because of the moderate prices. In order to quote some inspiring places before we leave the choice to you, we will go on a little trip around the world: Starting off at the harbour, the ship takes us to England, where the Strongbowz has ale and Highland Whisky, which makes the trip across the 'big pond' to America seem much shorter. We can grab a tasty bite at Deckers Sportsbar and watch some Football, before we move towards Mexico. Tacos and Fajita are served at the El Paso, and after such a hot meal we can look forward to the cocktails at the Brasilian Cabana Rodizio. Via Polynesia with a Caribbean atmosphere and the best curry dish in town we reach Japan. The Soho creates excellent noodle variations and sushi, and the colourful interior already prepares us for the next stop on another continent. The Arena, a restaurant with African and Italian dishes on offer gives us a very graphic example of the term 'international cuisine'. And eventually, we return back home to Kiel via Bar Celona, a Spanish-Mexican tapas bar. This culinary cruise has hopefully been a pleasant experience, which you will want to repeat, adding some of your own stops along the way. Entertainment in KielThere is not just an attractive range of cultural and maritime events on offer in the summer, but you can also visit an interesting museum or enjoy a good concert or play in the winter. Opera and theatre Kiel´s Opera at the town hall has got more than merely operas on the programme. There are frequent ballet and theatre performances, classical concertos, and every year at Christmas, a fairy tale draws numerous school classes to the spacious old building, which creates a suitable atmosphere for these performances with lots of red velvet. The modern Schauspielhaus mainly shows plays with well-known German actors in them. Its programme ranges from comedy to dramatic plays. The Niederdeutsche Bühne Kiel has got an impressive repertoire of entertaining plays in the local northern German dialect 'Platt', which is spoken in Holstein. If traditional drama is not your favourite genre, you might want to pay a visit to the performances at the Theater am Werftpark, where the audience can participate in the improvisational plays and even have influence on the plot. This kind of interactive theatre is very creative and exciting. Moreover, the establishment offers lively plays for children, especially at the weekend. The Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein maintains the Theater im Sechseckbau, where mainly modern plays by rather unknown authors are presented by a student ensemble of actors. Considering this varied cultural programme, you could say that Kiel does not deserve its reputation as a provincial capital. Museums and sights Kiel, the city by the sea, can be explored in a very graphic way at the Museum of Seafaring with its Museum Harbour. Information on Kiel´s development as a port and naval base throughout the centuries is available here, and you will learn something about the general character of the city. For those interested in architecture and crafts a visit to Molfsee open-air museum is imperative. The old buildings and demonstrations of traditional crafts are very impressive. Just like at the Ethnological museum you can learn a lot about the history of Schleswig-Holstein here and experience a completely different approach to everyday items and situations. Emil Nolde is not only famous in Holstein, so visitors to the Museum of Art will be delighted to find a large number of works by the artist here. In addition to the permanent collection, there are also changing photography and sculpture exhibitions. Opposite the museum, the Kiel Aquarium with local fauna and exhibits from abroad is located. The seals' open-air basin is particularly popular, as you can watch the gorgeous creatures swimming to and fro through thick glass windows. Local and exotic plants can be admired at the Botanic Garden, and a tour of the worlds different vegetation zones is simply a must, and not only for experts on the matter. Finally, the Marine- Ehrenmal in Laboe is worthy of a mention. You can visit and explore a submarine here and learn about the historic importance of Kiel during World War II. Live music Kiel´s largest stage for international stars undoubtedly is the Ostseehalle which seats an audience of 10.000 people. Second in line is the concert hall at Kiel Castle, especially where classical music is concerned. Locations with smaller halls for comedy, theatre and musical performances are Traumfabrik, Pumpe and Räucherei at Kiel´s Ostufer (eastern banks). In addition to these bigger event venues, there are lots of pubs and bistros with live music performed by bands of all the different musical styles. And you can experience lots of live music at Kieler Woche, of course. Anything from a shanty choir to a Hardrock band can be seen on the several small or large stages throughout the city, so every visitor can find something to suit them. Screen The Cinemaxx at the railway station is Kiel´s largest film house. All the latest films from the cinema world are presented here. A few weeks later, you can find these films at the Brücke and the Studio, although the Studio also shows classic films which left the screens years and decades ago. The Traumfabrik and the Kommunales Kino in der Pumpe are popular repertoire cinemas. The latter has a particularly sophisticated programme with exotic short films, classic movies and interesting theme nights. Nightlife As far as Kiel´s nightlife is concerned, the harbour district is first in line with many clubs like the Velvet or the Nachtcafe. A similar entertainment mile can be found at Bergstraße which draws a mainly young crowd. At the Six Pack / thelunaclub you can experience an unusual music mix and creative DJs who play track after track from House to Techno. The discotheque at Traumfabrik is also quite popular, especially when the 1-DM-party is on. The MAX is only open at the weekend and offers Friday night theme parties like the Campus Club or 'Ü-30', a party for thirty-somethings. When all the discos close their doors, the Tanzdiele, with a nightclub atmosphere and Reggae and Trance sounds, gets busy. The Tamen T and the LiLaLü, on the other hand, play Charts tracks and are mainly frequented by an older crowd of regulars. Events The biggest annual event in Kiel certainly is the Kieler Woche, with lots of concerts, art, food and sailing competitions. By the end of the summer, the Hafentage draw a lot of visitors to the Hindenburgufer, where the Kiel Triathlon, an increasingly popular event, takes place. Horse lovers can hardly wait for the trotting race at Nordmarksportfeld and the Baltic Horse Show in the autumn. These events with lots of renowned international participants are well known even outside the state of Schleswig-Holstein. By the end of the year it is time for the lovely Christmas market at last. And in case you have received too many Christmas presents, you can try to sell them at the flea market on the town hall square, which starts again in spring. Dining in Europe > Kiel
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