BUT, this summer our programme organizers came up with some great ideas.

One of the highlights was a day at the race track in Cologne, an internationally well-known race track, as we learned during our guided tour. First, we had a tour of the grounds with lots of information about horse racing around the world.  And of course some advice about betting, which most of us promptly tried out. Not only the horse is important but also the jockey. It was surprising to see how many female jockies there are.

After our guided tour we found a table in the crowded Biergarten and enjoyed a typical German snack, Bratwurst and of course Kölsch, before the races began. Most of us wanted to try our hand at betting, since you could start as low as 1 €. We inspected the beautiful horses and their jockies before each race, then placed bets. Either the name of the horse or its colors were particularly pertinent for us non-professionals. None of us became rich that day financially, but certainly rich on new experiences. And it was just great fun. Here’s hoping we can put this on the schedule next year.