Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
The trip is now well and truly underway! After months of excitement building since the announcement of myself as the new 'travelmeister', now that we are here it's finally all sunk in. Our first stop was the historic town of Dusseldorf. From our brief encounter with the beautiful town, what is most noticeable is it's seemingly effortless mixture of old and new architecture. When breezing down the promenade, alongside the large snaking river Rhein, which splits off into its multiple estuaries and harbours like extending limbs all interlinking into the one vast body of water, it's clear to notice the close relationship between the old and the new. From the television tower overshadowing the city at one end of the promenade, to the famous 'Alt stat' with it's many inviting bars and pubs at the other.
Sampling the nightlife briefly after our long journey, we found comfort in a local karaoke bar, found among the old town's many hidden alley ways. The locals were friendly beyond belief, and many didn't waste anytime before expressing their love and pride for their nation to me and Matt, a patriotic point of view which explains why this country is so efficient and well governed.
It was a shame to leave such an exciting town so quickly, however we are now currently set up in the quieter suburb of Bottrop, not too far away from Dusseldorf itself. After a long day of testing the ski slopes at the highly popular indoor ski centre, known as the Alpincentre we're ready to explore what Bottrop has to offer at nighttime. The centre itself happily mixed beer drinking and high speed skiing, with its open bars, outdoor terrace and club music, set up with its windows overlooking the white slopes, something which would be unheard of in the UK. Skiers could happily pass from the snowy descent, to the beer filled bars, then head back out to tackle the 500m slope! Without dwelling on stereotypes of German culture too much, it's hard not to agree how substantial the love of beer is here in this fantastic country!
The journey carries on early tomorrow, crossing into the nearby town of Munster!
Guten tag Deutschland!
- comments