Dusseldorf, an old town where you can chill out

A friend who went to Dusseldorf to celebrate her birthday remarked, "There is nothing here. I just want to be back in Paris!". Call it a coincidence. This happened a week before my trip to Dusseldorf. The good part of this conversation was I knew what to expect before even I reached the city; essentially nothing. Having said that, it wasn't bad. The primary intention was not sightseeing. The main idea was to meet the teetotaler.

This was my first foray into Germany if you discount all the stopovers in various German airports during flying to US of A. The inherent ignorance or overconfidence (depending on the way you look at it) prevented me from learning a few basic phrases in German before the trip. It wasn't bad. Everybody in Germany could talk English. Don't be surprised. I was a tourist. So keep in mind I would only have visited the tourist places. The visit to Dusseldorf also makes me wonder. What is the with the German speaking part of the world that make them want to have a Altstadt in their cities? I went to Zurich a few months back. They had an Altstadt. Now, here is one in Dusseldorf. I understand it means "old town" in German. But seriously, can't you think of a better term than this?

I walked along the King's Avenue, Konigsallee, The small canal with bridges across it and lined with trees has a cooling effect on your mind. This also brought out comments like "Alleppey can be like this!" from one of my friend, although he tried to suppress the naughty smile while saying this. Yes, I was born in Alleppey and spend a lot of time there. So, it is imperative that my friends has to bring in a reference to Alleppey whenever possible in a sly manner. The green tinge of the avenue is in fact reminiscent of Alleppey.

Then we walked into the Alstadt. Here, you find cobbled pathways and centuries-old house which brings a whiff of romance. It is a great place for pictures. Walking through the streets, you reach the promenade along Rhine where you can get a view of Rheinturm and the bridge. The promenade houses a lot of restaurants. So it is customary to take a break, sip on a beer and chill out especially sunny like the day we were there.

Tags: Travel,Dusseldorf,Germany

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