Delectable Dusseldorf

Dusseldorf, Deutschland. Wednesday, 4th May 2022

Sleep broke at 04:15! Lay awake for a few minutes, the drifted off to sleep again. Woke up at 05:15, making the 05:30 alarm redundant. Got ready to leave by 07:30. Ate breakfast and left the B&B at Paris, with luggage, at 08:15. The bus stop was just adjacent to the hotel. This reminded us of our departure from Hotel Apollo, Bratislava; May 2017. Bus no. 54 arrived in a minute, as Google Maps had indicated. Rode it till the Gare du Nord. Once again we passed through the chic areas of the city, typical of a European capital. We also drove past the infamous Moulin Rouge.

Reached Gare du Nord well before time and waited at the concourse that led to the platforms. the station building was magnificent, oozing old world charm. Watched the departure of 'Thalys' to Amsterdam, at 09:25. Finally, the platform no. for our 'Thalys' to Dusseldorf was announced. It was no. 9. We had expected it to be so as a 'Thalys' was already docked there. My fears of our vaccination status being checked proved unfounded, as all that they checked was our tickets! But yes, the insistence on wearing masks throughout the journey was very much there. Our bogie no. 28 was the last (first from the end of the platform) hence did not have to walk much. The 'Thalys' has an interesting silver cum maroon livery; a red coloured engine at either end. The bogies are hardly six or seven in number. We occupied seat numbers 81 and 82, reverse facing. The interior of the train was nothing to write home about; neither were the seats(non-reclining). Wonder why this train is hyped so much! But yes, it is fast! Very fast! From this perspective, I enjoyed the journey lasting 3 hours 50 minutes - appreciating the speed, journeying down to the other end of the train to access its restaurant, bringing back a pint of Duvel beer; and cappuccino; and as always, admiring the European countryside with its green and yellow carpets and petite villages with the mandatory church standing out. I love this facet of Europe!

Disembarked at Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof on time, at 13:55. With the help of Google maps, walked through the underground passage with its restaurants and shops. Typical Germany! Exited the station in bright sunshine and were immediately struck by a sense of familiarity. The layout of the town just outside the station was charming - just like that at Heidelberg or Herrenberg, etc. It is a wonderful feeling being in Germany - we feel completely at home!

A brief, pleasant walk brought us to our hotel - Novum Maddison Dusseldorf. Allotted room number 520 on the 5th floor. Rear facing. A charming room, with furniture of unpolished wood. Lovely to look at ! Bigger than the room at Paris. Quite comfortable. The only thing missing was the electric kettle. Will request reception for one, let us see if they oblige.

Set off at approximately 15:30 and found a restaurant named Piazzo. Correctly guessed that it might be a pizza special. Ordered one normal (turned out t be an XL!) Chicken-broccoli pizza, Cappuccino; and the mandatory beer - unfortunately tap beer still eludes me on this trip! Then walked to the tourist information office bang opposite the railway station in bright sunshine, enjoying the typical European ambience. The ladies at the office were quite impressed with our 'knowledge' of German and smilingly helped us to know whatever we wanted to. Purchased three attractive refrigerator magnets. Entered the station building to purchase the '24-hour 2 adults ticket'. Struggled at the machine, because the total cost was Euros 10=90; and while the machine readily accepted a Euro 10=00 note, it just would not accept the Euro 1=00 coin! A friendly bystander volunteered to help, put in his own Euro 1=00 coin; the result was the same! Finally, the friendly gentleman used his own card to complete the transaction! I paid him Euro 11=00 in cash. May god bless him!

Caught the Stadtbahn no. 75 from the Hauptbahnhof to a location called Townhalle, on the banks of the river Rhine. The journey was short and sweet. The surroundings at the townhall were superb - a clean road hedged by plenty of greenery, running adjacent to the track. A huge garden bordered the road on the other side. Stately homes bordered the garden on the opposite side. The road led us to another, broader one, running perpendicular - we were at a T-junction. This road ran alongside the Rhine; and on its sidewalk, occupying the area between the road and the river, was a carnival - complete with Ferris wheel and carousel. People, especially children, were letting their hair down! One could see colour everywhere, hear delighted shrieks and yells over which were parents' voices trying to be heard! It was a wonderful fair! We spent a few minutes at the river front, watching a long barge pass by; and in the distance a cruise boat heading for the pier, to offload its human cargo after completing a river cruise. To our left was a bridge across the river, a couple of skyscrapers in the distance . We took in the lovely scene for a while longer, then retraced our steps in the direction of the garden, seen earlier.

Rested on a bench, basking in the sun. Recalled a similar activity at Brussels, four years ago! Surprisingly, Urmila said that she was getting bored! We discussed the possible reasons - first impression of Paris was not good, she was not able to access the internet on her phone except in areas with wi-fi, a feeling of 'deja-vu' with Europe! She suggested we take up a different destination the next summer - Canada or Australia. I reminded her of Scandinavia, which was different from the rest of Europe. She answered that if Scandinavia were different, she would like to go.

Returned to the Hauptbahnhof by Stadtbahn no. 76. Went to Lidl supermarket for nothing in particular - visiting a Lidl store on every visit to Europe has become a habit - but with an eye on our favourite Ritter Sport chocolate! Sure enough, we found Ritter and a new flavour, Cherry! Also purchased mineral water, 'Western Gold bourbon Whisky-Cola' and 'Rachmaninof' Vodka & Lemon. Armed with our 'catch', we trooped back to our room. Collected the electric kettle plus sachets of tea and creamer at the reception. Urmila suffering a mild stomach upset, skipped eating and drank only black coffee. I enjoyed sipping the Whisky-Cola, which was superb! As I write this line, I am sipping the last of this wonderful drink. Must buy it again tomorrow!

Thursday, 5th May 2022

Sleep broke round 04:00; then fell asleep again, to finally leave the bed at 05:15 or so. The tea was lovely – Darjeeling and Assam! Figured out possible visits for the day and decided on three destinations.

Walked down to an institution, after a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. We happened to reach their old address and couldn’t locate them. Obviously! A few locals also tried to help. People here get easily impressed by our use of the German language; thus are eager to help. One of them consulted Google Maps and informed us that the new location was just an eight-minute walk away. Found the building easily and climbed up five floors, not daring to use the lift that seemed small and claustrophobic. A lady of Indian origin greeted us and a pleasant interaction of twenty minutes followed.

Left the building and walked along Koningstrasse, a magnificent tree-lined avenue with shops on either side and a long canal in between. The town of Dusseldorf is indeed beautiful! We boarded the Underground train route U 79, for Kittelbachstrasse, the stop to alight at for the International School of Dusseldorf. The twenty-minute ride afforded great views of the town and we fell in love with a German town yet again! The uniformity in constructions; the aesthetic appeal; the traffic discipline; are unparalleled.

The Kittelbachstrasse station and its environs took us back to Tovaroskert in Hungary (2017 trip)! Enjoyed a very pleasant seven-minute walk to the school, admiring the homes, the roads and the traffic sense, all the way. The ISD building was shaped like an arc and did not impress us much. We found easy access to a door, opened it and walked in! Came upon a teacher (we assumed she was one!) whom we asked for the reception. Instead of answering, she questioned us, “Whom do you want to meet? Do you have an appointment?” We mentioned the name of the person and said that we did not have any appointment. At this, she asked us, “How did you get in?” We answered, “Through a door which was not locked. We simply pulled the door and it opened.” She looked shocked and took us to the security. He too was shocked that we had managed to ‘sneak’ inside without any appointment and without anyone noticing us! He also said that we were lucky to have not been caught! He insisted on our showing him the door through which we had entered the building. We did so and he was convinced that a lapse on their part had left the door partly open and that we were not to be blamed. He then took us back to Security and asked us to seek a proper appointment and come first to Security.

We left the place, waving goodbye to two teenage girls who were in their P.T. area, adjoining the road. Returned to the Hauptbahnhof by U79; then boarded a tram for Berliner Allee, just two stops away. Alighted at our stop and walked down to Rajdarbar Indian Restaurant (we had initially shortlisted Jaipur Restaurant), off Berliner Allee. Having suffered a stomach upset yesterday, Urmila wanted Indian food – rice, dal, curd. I ordered Mutton Thali that comprised Mutton Curry, Dal, Plain Rice, Naan, Veg Raita and one Gulab Jamun. Urmila had similar items except mutton, in her veg. thali. I sipped beer, of course – draught beer – which was wonderful! Lunch done, we walked back to our hotel for rest.

At 07:15 p.m. I went to Lidl to buy the Whiskey-Cola drink that I had so enjoyed yesterday; plus, other stuff. Checked out Al Natura supermarket on the way. Returned to the hotel via the Hauptahnhof, where I purchased a small spray of ‘Thermal Water’ at an Apotheke. Collected sachets of tea, creamer and sugar at Reception. Enjoyed our individual drinks in the room, to the accompaniment of Paprika and Banana chips; taking in the night views of the town. Called it a day at 10:00 p.m.