To get a real taste of life as it’s lived from day to day in Gelsenkirchen no visit to the town is complete without a trip to a typical small bar. This one is like plenty of others, complete with a few nooks and crannies for serious drinking, a huge Shalke flag on the wall and a sprinkling of middle-aged men propping up the bar. Note the joyful opening hours. If only all countries were as civilised as this one.