The train is beautiful as is the countryside. We arrive, late, at a busy D�sseldorf station but nowhere near as busy as Amsterdam was. Now we must find our hotel which is a "five minute" walk from the station according to the Hotelclub.net web site. We stop at the TI office to get directions and some idea as to where we are in relation to the rest of D�sseldorf. We realize we are facing a "10 to 15 minute" five minute walk and struggle with our bags through a seedy neighborhood to our hotel, the Residenz Hotel.
We have trouble rousing anyone to come to the desk. When a young man and woman finally show, they seem strangely unfamiliar with the procedures to check us in. They are, obviously Middle Eastern and speak little English. Somehow we manage to get checked in. I am second guessing my decision to get a hotel near the train station. In retrospect, I would have been better off booking a hotel closer to the river. The taxi fare would have been worth it. I find that the train station areas in Germany are not nearly as desirable as they are in Italy or France.
The room is spacious but Pam will have to do her internet thing while sitting on the bed since there is no desk. This arrangement creates a bit of a problem since I am hoping to take a quick nap before we head out for sightseeing and dinner.
Somehow, I doze off and an hour later we are off to the center of D�sseldorf, a "30 minute" 15 minute walk. We first wander down K�nigsallee, the Rodeo Drive or Champs-Elys�es of D�sseldorf. The weather is clear and sunny but cool. We walk down to the river and stroll along the bank. We also check the schedule for the boats that ply the Rhine as we plan to take a boat tour later in the week.
We circle back into the Altstadt in the old part of the city looking for a restaurant. I want to go to the same brewery I had been to the last time I was in Dusseldorf, 1986. I was working for a Saudi company at the time and was so starved for beer and atmosphere that I fell in love with the Braueri Uerige. Pam resists because the menu shows only heavy German dishes and snacks available.
We compromise by strolling around and choosing the Altstadt Restaurant which serves the Uerige Alt beer I want but also has an extensive menu of Pam-like items, mainly green stuff. We can sit outside and people watch while drinking and eating. I order the specialty of the house, roast pork knuckle, and wash it down with a liter and a half of beer. The food surpasses my expectations. The beer is as good as I remembered it. We josh with our waiter who is working hard to get an American family at the next table to order something other than roast beef.
We need a walk to open up room for dessert. We get to the "K�" - K�nigsallee to the locals - and find an Italian place where we can sit under the trees, eat tiramisu, drink cappuccino and watch the people parade by. D�sseldorf is not that popular a tourist destination so most of the passers-by are locals. I don't understand why D�sseldorf isn't more popular. The town has a number of attractions and the Altstadt is one of the nicest, pedestrian-friendly eating and shopping areas in Europe. Rick Steves doesn't even mention it in his guide to Germany - a serious omission.
We stagger back to our hotel as full of good food and drink as possible. Pam decides to pass on the internet so I fall asleep watching CNN. I don't believe Pam snuck a look at her e-mails while I was asleep but I'll never know.
At the station, we walk around the area. We visit St. Nicholaas Church, but pass on the more famous Oude Kerk or Old Church. We could spend every waking hour visiting tourist-worthy churches in Europe and still miss some of them. St Nicholaas is showing its age but is still beautiful and worth exploring.
We take another canal boat, this one going south and west on the canals. We see a lot of the harbor including the old forts and warehouses which now make up the Maritime Museum. The boat captain takes a chance, at our urging, and drops us off at an unused dock, saving us about a mile walk to get to where we want to go. We have to choose between visiting the zoo and the Resistance Museum. Zoos are everywhere. We choose the museum.
I lose myself in the exhibits. I am depressed and uplifted simultaneously. We budget an hour and spend two. The exhibits are well done and educational. They cover everything from early cooperation to eventual wide spread resistance. I wish Bush and his minions could see this. Maybe they would understand the nature of resistance to an invader better .
At first the German's treated the Dutch as possible collaborators to the extent even, that a volunteer Dutch regiment was formed to fight on the Eastern Front. The Germans thought the Dutch would be sympathetic. A political party urging loyalty to the German occupiers, Nederlandse Unie-NU (the Netherlands Union) was established and millions of Dutch paid their dues and joined. Things started to break down when the Germans started arresting Jews. Dutch labor leaders called for a successful one day work stoppage. Events went downhill from there. I am especially fascinated with the exhibits showing what daily life was like during the occupation and how people hid their resistance activities.
We walk to the nearest canal boat stop through the lovely Jodenbuurt and Plantage area including Hortus Botanicus and Wertheim Park. We ride the boat back to the Leidseplein stop near our hotel. What a relaxing way of getting around Amsterdam. I love it! We still need to lie down for a short while before meeting my friend from Mattel, Phil Taylor, for dinner.
I'm not sure why but we decide to eat at a nearby Italian spot, Bice Ristorante. I guess it's because of location, location, location. The food and wine is O.K. but pricey. We discuss all kinds of things through dinner from the Holocaust to how he likes living in Holland. Phil admits he misses the pace of life in Hong Kong but enjoys the lifestyle in The Netherlands especially for the kids. Phil is a rarity - a human resources executive who is inventive, realistic and likes people. I believe it is because he was a line manager at one time.
We get back to the hotel in time to catch the latest bad news on CNN. Even Pam is too tired to access the internet so we both fall asleep almost instantly after turning off the TV. The last thing I am aware of is "Starry, Starry Night" still playing in my head. At least it isn't "Happy Birthday."
We have another terrific breakfast and after some internet time and check out. Amsterdam has one last surprise for us, though - a laundry charge of 85 Euros. We could have damn near replaced the laundered items for that. Amsterdam deserves it's reputation as one of the most expensive cities in Europe.
Still in sticker shock, we checkout and head for the Central Station. We get another Yemeni taxi driver so the conversation is limited.
(Return to EJ's Place Home Page)