C O L O G N E
My favourite activity was the theatre

   My favourite activity was first and foremost the theatre. I had my first experiences of theatre in Cologne at the ‘Schauspielhaus’ [performing arts theatre]. Not only Schiller and Goethe, but I also got to know Shakespeare, which came in very useful for me when I later went to an English school. From the age of two onwards I went to the Hänneschen Theatre [puppet theatre] every year, at first being taken there, but later going on my own. I’m always happy when I hear Kölsch [dialect of Cologne] being spoken. My mother came from Cologne and spoke Kölsch beautifully, and I remember very well how much I loved the Kölsch dialect.
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