Jimmy and I were made travel plans to visit Düsseldorf in Germany over the 3-day weekend of the Dutch Koninginnedag (30th April). I did some reading online and found out that Düsseldorf is a bustling metropolis of sights, art, culture, and most important of all (for me), fashion and shopping!
We packed our overnight bags and started on our 3 hour journey by car at a little after noon. We arrived at our hotel, the Van der Walk Airporthotel Düsseldorf, at about 4pm and freshened up a little before heading into the Düsseldorf city center.
 |
| The Hotel at Night |
 | ||
| The modern but cozy hotel lobby |
 |
| The first thing we see when we stepped out of from elevator on the 14th floor! |
Yes, I know that the hotel is out of the city center and it's about 15 minutes by car but we wanted a quiet getaway and that is not going to be possible along the honking dusty streets.
 |
| My Steak |
 |
| Jim's Salmon & Prawns |
 |
| Our Shared Dessert |
We wanted to have authentic German food but we were half starved and Maredo was just right there in front of us, so it was the most convenient choice. We had a crazy time trying to talk to the waiter who could only speak in German but we successfully managed to order an all-chocolate dessert! Haha..
And after dinner, we went on foot all the way to the the Altstadt (Old Town) for the quiet lanes and cobblestones and saw old houses still resplendent in their old glamour. Then it's off to the Rheinuferpromenade to feel the breeze of the Rhein River and to check out the brightly lit pubs and eateries. We melted into the crowds of people sitting by the Rhine embankment promenade, with a drink in hand, gazing off idly into nothingness.
After walking so much for a day, we went back to the car to make our way back to the hotel for an early night.
On Sunday, we had breakfast in the hotel and headed out into the city center to visit the Rheinturm (Rhine Tower), only to get stuck in a horrible jam! The roads leading into the city center were closed for a local marathon. We did not want waste any more time stuck in the traffic so we went instead to see the Benrath Palace & Park.
 |
| Schloss Benrath |
 |
| Photo of Us with Schloss Benrath as Background |
Tired from all the walking, the compound around the Palace was enormous!, we stopped by the Schlosscafe Benrath that was located right at the entrance of the Palace for some refreshments.
The cafe was done up a matching concept to the palace and had an exquisite, quiet elegance interior to match. There was a patio overlooking the canal surrounding the castle for those who want to bask in the sunlight. The drinks were lovely and the menu was unique.
All that however, was spoilt by crappy customer service. I was at the cafe's website and boasted of a "friendly competent staff". Right. I guess the place was understaffed and when we asked to pay the bill, the waiter told us to sit back down at our tables and WAIT until they are free to come. What peeved us off was him adding a racial slur to his comment.
That aside, after finally paying (Jeez.. It's like we have to bend over backwards just to pay!) we drove back into the city center (the roads have been reopened) and headed off to see the Rheinturm.
 |
| Rheinturm |
 |
| The Rheinturm against the Night Sky |
 |
| The Dancing Towers of Düsseldorf Harbour from the Rhine Promenade |
 |
| The Theodor Heuss Bridge Over the Rhine River |
We paid the entrance fee to go up about 170 meters onto an observation deck to see the 360 view of Düsseldorf. There's also a revolving restaurant in the same tower but we did not plan to have dinner there cause we really wanted authentic local food.
We went to the Brauerei Schumacher, on Oststrasse for dinner and it was truly, truly an authentic, German experience! They've been around since 1838 and they brewed their own beer, the Schumacher Alt. Loved the cozy ambience, the food and the price. A definite must-go if we ever go back to Düsseldorf again.
 |
| The Best Pork Knuckle Ever! |
Bubble Tea!! And it's like none I've ever tasted before. Like the typical bubble tea, you get to choose the type of tea (red or green), to opt or milk or not, and if you would like to add flavour to the tea.. But instead of just having the typical black tapioca pearls, this place had different types of pearls that you can opt for. Flavoured bubbles! They have it in passion fruit, yoghurt, strawberry, lychee and mango. I was curious as to how it would taste like so I requested for some 'lychee pearls' on top the typical black tapioca pearls. The 'lychee pearls' were lychee syrup encapsulated in a thin membrane-like fibre that bursts in your mouth. And it was very refreshing because the tea was sugar-free.. First time I ever tasted something like that and I thought it was pretty cool. Been finding good bubble tea shops in Germany :)
After that, Jimmy and I just headed back to the hotel for some spa time... The hotel had a good spa area complete with a steam room, a sauna room and a solarium. There were also lounge chairs in the spa room complete with foot wash basins. And even our room came complete with a jacuzzi.
There's nothing better than settling down and enjoying the sunset and each others company. Leaving the everyday stress and issues melt away. Watching the beauty of God's creation makes our everyday troubles seem so insignificant :)
After a restful night, we were all geared up for a full day of shopping ahead before heading back to Netherlands on Monday. We checked out at about 10am and headed into the city center for some shopping time...
We basically just window shopped and visited the main centers like the Sevens, Schadow Arkaden and The Kö-Galerie. And we just walked along Königsallee (affectionately referred to as "The Kö") and people watched.
 |
| Königsallee |
I didn't want to buy anything because as you all know, I'm saving up for a special trip ;) Hee Hee... But I saw this bag once on the Longchamp Spring-Summer Collection Ads and fell hook-line-sinker!
 |
| Le Pliage Cuir |
It's beautiful isn't it?? It's made from soft goat-lamb leather and it's simple yet versatile. I have loads from the typical Le Pliage line but this one and Planètes takes the cake. I was aiming to get either a red or a pink one but the lady in the store said it was out of stock in most of Europe and what I could do was to make an order online and wait for the next batch. She only had the big one available in orange and I didn't like that one at all! I was a bit relieved as well because it cost a little over EUR300 and I wasn't ready to part with the cash so it was kind of a mixture of relief and disappointment.
The Jimmy said I should choose another one to make Düsseldorf even more memorable and I was looking in the shop and through the catalogue with the sales lady, and she was a lovely person! So patient with me, showing me stuff from storage as a lot of these bags were not on display. And I was just looking for something small, like maybe a purse or a wristlet.
And then, Jimmy found THE bag.
 |
| The Deltaligne Tote |
The tote was hiding on the display shelf behind two other bags and it was MAGNIFICENT! It was also waaay above my initial budget and I was reluctant to part with my cash. Yes, moving to Europe has made me frugal (not to mention stingy! haha..) And Jimmy was selling the bag to me like he was on commission! Gah!! So in the end, I bought it and walked on cloud nine for the next few days.
In total, we spent over one and a half hours in that store and we had to start on our journey home because it was getting late. And that's how our Düsseldorf trip ended... On cloud nine :)
No comments:
Post a Comment