Hi,
I’m flying into BRU next Thurs morning and plan to head to BCN on Friday (Haven’t bought plane ticket just yet). I saw mention of Carnival in Cologne and I’m thinking that might be a fun way to spend Thurs/Thurs night. A few random questions:

Is Thursday a big day/night? Parades, events, etc?

How late are the bars/pubs open on Thursday night?

Will I be out of place if not dressed up? (I don’t see packing any sort of costume as I’ll only have a small duffle and maybe a messenger bag.)

The best I’m seeing as far as train fares to/from BRU is €58. Does that sounds about right?

There’s a train that leaves BRU at 10:09am. Assuming my flight gets in on time (8:40am arrival) and no checked bags, would I be able to make that one? (The next train isn’t til 12:39pm.)

A quick look @ hotels says pricey. Obviously. Was thinking about staying in DUS where I can get a much better hotel for a lot less $$$. Any problems with that idea? It looks like the trains run late into the night, if not all nite, yes?

Would the fact that I don’t speak any German be a problem?

Thanks!