A good breakfast in Austria got us going, and an easy drive to the airport got us on our way to Düsseldorf. Arriving less than two hours later, we needed to now travel by train to our nearby hotel. A bit perplexed by "S" trains and "RB" or Regional trains, we finally figured out the schedule and made our one stop hop. Walking less than a kilometer from the RB stop, in a mostly residential area, we found our quaint modern hotel. One of its amenities is a 24 hour whiskey bar voted best in DUS!!
Although early, we were able to check in and clean up a bit before heading to the "Altstadt" by the Rhine River. Our reception clerk was most helpful with further train information and we had only to walk around the corner to catch the tram into downtown. The street tram took about twenty minutes as it wends its way through the suburbs making frequent stops. Eventually the landscape became more big city as we encountered shopping malls and business districts. Our stop: Heinrich-Heine-Allee, right in the heart of the central city. From here we walked through the shopping district into Altstadt. Düsseldorf Altstadt is also known as the "longest bar in the world". Hmmm... I wonder what one does here. ;)
There are over 300 bars in Old Town, many connecting to each other via long tables outside. The Altbier is famous here, having been brewed in only a few places in the world since 1858. Uerige, a local brew, is what we tried on our first stop along the Rheinufer Promenade.
After a yummy lunch of wurst, French fries, herring and bratkartoffeln, we enjoyed the beautiful weather with a stroll along the Rhine. The weather was perfect, blue skies, sunshine and beautiful clouds drifting by.
Venturing back into the small Altstadt we wandered through the streets, past the many restaurants, bars and shops including Schweine Janes, a restaurant that I had heard great things about and that is known for its schweinehaxe (roasted ham hocks). We made a mental note to return later for dinner and continued our wanderings, eventually finding an outside gelateria where we grabbed the last table and savored two large gelato bowls filled with nuts and sauce and liquors and deliciousness as we watched the ever growing crowds drawn here by the perfect weather and Friday evening atmosphere.
As we ate, we could hear lively music off in the distance. It sounded like a marching band(?) but we couldn't determine its direction from our table. After finishing our treats, we set out in search of the music, along the way discovering the Düsseldorfer Senfladen Mustard Museum (a landmark that I had been wanting to find)! After exploring the mustards, we resumed our search and soon came upon a 16-piece brass band, all wearing red-checked shirts and suspenders, playing traditional German drinking songs (among other selections) for the singing and dancing crowds that now packed the center of Old Town. The band set the perfect atmosphere and we would happily encounter them repeatedly throughout the evening.
As the music wound down here, we went in search of more side streets to explore, eventually returning to the Rheinufer Promenade where we found a grassy slope to rest for a moment and enjoy a short nap.
Properly refreshed, we sampled another of the promenade's biergartens, before going on one final, last minute souvenir search in the shopping areas adjacent to Old Town. That being accomplished we made our way back to Old Town and the famous Killepitsch bar. Killepitsch, an herbal liqueur, is a 70 year old secret recipe founded in Düsseldorf, and is used to aid digestion. The original bar, Et Kabüffke, is still here with its traditional décor and cozy, crowded space. After we ordered our two shots and "Prost"ed, we "toss back" the drink as intended by its maker. Mmmm... The 90 fruits, berries, herbs, and spices work their magic as the 42% liquor slides smoothly down our throats.
The night ended much too quickly, but we had an early morning start, and so we made our way back to the tram stop. Finding "our" tram listed as late and perhaps never coming (due to some hazard that remained vague) we figured out alternatives to the route and made it back to our nights lodging.
An early morning walk back to the RB train stop. An S train arrives (too soon) bringing us quickly to the International Airport. Long slow moving lines at the airline counter give us more together time.
A slow walk to the international security line, and...
It's time for GMan's flight home.
A sad separation...
Each of us with divergent journeys ahead, at least for a while...
Adventures never end... And soon ours will bring us back together!
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