Cheap tickets on EasyJet took us to Düsseldorf & Köln for the summer solstice. Located about 500km downriver on the Rhine, Düsseldorf is Germany's wealthiest city (the only city in Germany not currently in debt) and is known for fashion (the Königsallee is Germany's busiest upscale shopping street) and partying (the old town has the "longest bar in the world" - home to more than 300 bars). We arrived late Friday night and the streets of the old town were filled with people enjoying the summer night and the city's famous Altbier (served out of small wood barrels). Very crowded and we saw a *lot* of stag parties!
On Saturday it didn't take us long to explore the city (it's pretty small). After walking through the old town in daylight and enjoying a pastry & coffee, we walked along the Rhine past the Rheinturm (a large communication town) to the harbor, recently renovated with cutting edge architecture.
We spent the afternoon window shopping along the Königsallee, enjoying the mix of high end shops and more reasonably priced options. Kate managed to find a casual dress from a Japanese store called Muji, shrink wrapped into the size of a large ring box!
To celebrate the solstice the city set up the "longest table" along the Rhine, a continuous table spanning multiple city blocks with food and drink vendors lining one side. It was nice to sit along the river eating good food and enjoying cool drinks. Wish it was warmer, but at least it didn't rain. (STILL waiting for summer over here!)
On Sunday we took the train to Köln, about 30 minutes from Düsseldorf. Known mainly for its cathedral (the most visited landmark in Germany), the old town feels a bit more modern than Düsseldorf (95% of the city center was destroyed during WWII).
Köln & Düsseldorf have a fierce rivalry, with each city producing their own style of beer (the darker Altbier from Düsseldorf and the lighter Kölsch from Köln). We tried both, and keeping with our Swiss residency we have decided to stay neutral on which one we like best - they are both good!
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| Altbier |
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| Kölsch |
Overall not one of our most exciting weekend getaways, but still an enjoyable time.
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