Bremen is a city on a river, although it has really only acknowledged this fact in the last ten years. Whereas other major centres have always advertised with their lakes and rivers in order to garner tourist capital, for a long time Bremen has been content with just two restaurants on the Weser.

Now a so-called food mile has be created along the Schlachte, beer gardens and wine taverns alongside Japanese, Mexican and Cuban restaurants, plus a landing pier with more than fifteen restaurant-ships and even a theatre-ship. Bremen was late, though not too late, in discovering the advantages of being a city on a river. But surely that’s a feeling people in other cities also have. Somehow your own city is always too late. And sometimes it’s just as well.