ODE TO COLOGNE As we set out one May morning “It was evening, I hear you groan.” The DCU all took their flight To the city of Cologne. To Stansted Airport we made our way To catch the flight for Germanay In a Ryanair aeroplane we did squeeze To fly off to the town of Weese. A double decker coach we then did board To drive to Köln with one accord. The drive, on the whole, went fairly well And we disembarked at the Sofitel. As we queued to check in, John asked me a question “Is that your brother behind reception?” My dear old Dad would have been in trouble If Mum had known I had a German double! The following morn we arose quite late The hotel info made it sound quite great. “With views of the Dom by night and by day.” Apart from two ruddy great cranes in the way! And a big blue pipe to take water to the population. John said it constituted Colonic irrigation!! Then the morning was free to see the sights And to sample a few of Cologne's delights. Now off to rehearse at the Church St. Apostel Fifteen minutes away – if you run like hell! And when we sang “confundar NON” The echo just went on and on. (And on and on&on&on  etc.) The time for the concert soon came round We entered the Church and there we found To our dismay - alas and alack, The choir was sitting at the back. “Do not worry – it will be alright As it usually is upon the night. Just give them eye contact.” Richard said But you can't give eye contact to the back of a head!! The concert went well, and after a pause The audience responded with great applause. A standing ovation from all – not a few Or did they just want to get out of the pew? We woke the next day to see the sun shone And we boarded the bus for the Altenberger Dom. Dressed in our finery we went to look round A little overdressed to be tourists we found. We were to perform – the girls noted with glee- With the second biggest organ in all Germany!!! A lightning rehearsal we learned was the norm As within a few minutes we had to perform. We got into our places all ready and alert To be welcomed by the girl from the Scottish Widows advert. The Haydn Te Deum, it came and it went To be followed by a reading from the New Testament. Sadly the Priestess didn't know her Fauré Because half way through it she started to pray. A moment of panic – what shall we do? So we just carried on with the Pie Jesu. The poor Scottish Widow didn't know there was more So we finished the Requiem as a sort of encore. The folk from the Dom were very impressed “Will you come back again?” was their simple request. Our last night in Cologne we were all in good cheer And we ate German food and drank German beer. At the end of the evening as the weather was fine We went for a stroll on the banks of the Rhine. But now I must come to the end of this rhyme All of us had a jolly good time Over in Deutschland we all had a ball So thanks go to Gill for arranging it all.