Although not far away from my hometown Cologne I have to admit that I never really cared for this city while I was living in Germany. I was happy in my own little world and there was no curiosity whatsoever on my part to see the Capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. Besides when you grew up in Cologne you had to listen to all those rivalries between the cities, which are separated by 40 km along the River Rhine. Actually the rivalry between those cities started centuries ago and it was mainly a commercial conflict. But over the years the beef reached ridiculous dimensions when they started arguing whose beer was better Altbier or Kölsch or who celebrated Fasching (sort of Mardi Gras) better. It got even worse when the English declared Düsseldorf as the Capital of North Rhine-Westphalia after WWII although Cologne was bigger.
So when I went to Düsseldorf this year to spend a week for the exhibition I had mixed emotions. I stayed at the Business Wieland Hotel in the city center and I must say it was simply perfect. The staff is really friendly trying to help you with any problem that you have. The rooms were beautifully designed and it had a very good location. Breakfast was great too. I enjoyed my conversations with the receptionists as they were great guys. Always friendly. So I have only good things to say about the hotel itself and if I should ever go back that will be the only hotel where I'd stay.
Düsseldorf was pretty cold but that didn't stop me from exploring the city. The 'Weihnachtsmarkt' was great and I drank some tasty 'Glühwein', which made me forget about the freezing weather.
One night we went to a restaurant called Riva at the harbour, where the food was great although a bit expensive. But the ambience was great and I was in good company so I could not bitch about anything. The 'Altstadt' of Düsseldorf is quite nice and worth a visit but not as nice as the one in Cologne.
However, one thing that Cologne has not is a Japanese quarter. Düsseldorf has one of the biggest japanese communities in Europe, which is based on the fact that there were a lot of Japanese companies. There are some splendid japanese restaurants where people cue up at lunch time.
So overall it was a nice experience except for the one I had at the REWA grocery store across the street of the Hotel where they confused me for a thief because I took a bottle of Vodka from the liquor cabinet and gave it to my friend who was going to buy it. One of the employees saw me taking the bottle and the next moment I didn't have it anymore so he must have thought another wino stealing our liquor. He came after me with his colleague asking where I had put the bottle of Vodka, which caught me by surprise. I got mad, yelling to them that they can't accuse me out of nowhere and showed them my friend who had the bottle in the shopping basket. The clerk got all red on his face and started to blubber apologies and he disappeared to his back-office faster than you could say 'asshole'!
So..Düsseldorf is nice..nice restaurants..nice people..but KÖLSCH-beer will beat Altbier anytime, anywhere. no arguments there!
So when I went to Düsseldorf this year to spend a week for the exhibition I had mixed emotions. I stayed at the Business Wieland Hotel in the city center and I must say it was simply perfect. The staff is really friendly trying to help you with any problem that you have. The rooms were beautifully designed and it had a very good location. Breakfast was great too. I enjoyed my conversations with the receptionists as they were great guys. Always friendly. So I have only good things to say about the hotel itself and if I should ever go back that will be the only hotel where I'd stay.
Düsseldorf was pretty cold but that didn't stop me from exploring the city. The 'Weihnachtsmarkt' was great and I drank some tasty 'Glühwein', which made me forget about the freezing weather.
One night we went to a restaurant called Riva at the harbour, where the food was great although a bit expensive. But the ambience was great and I was in good company so I could not bitch about anything. The 'Altstadt' of Düsseldorf is quite nice and worth a visit but not as nice as the one in Cologne.
However, one thing that Cologne has not is a Japanese quarter. Düsseldorf has one of the biggest japanese communities in Europe, which is based on the fact that there were a lot of Japanese companies. There are some splendid japanese restaurants where people cue up at lunch time.
So overall it was a nice experience except for the one I had at the REWA grocery store across the street of the Hotel where they confused me for a thief because I took a bottle of Vodka from the liquor cabinet and gave it to my friend who was going to buy it. One of the employees saw me taking the bottle and the next moment I didn't have it anymore so he must have thought another wino stealing our liquor. He came after me with his colleague asking where I had put the bottle of Vodka, which caught me by surprise. I got mad, yelling to them that they can't accuse me out of nowhere and showed them my friend who had the bottle in the shopping basket. The clerk got all red on his face and started to blubber apologies and he disappeared to his back-office faster than you could say 'asshole'!
So..Düsseldorf is nice..nice restaurants..nice people..but KÖLSCH-beer will beat Altbier anytime, anywhere. no arguments there!
