Pleasantly Surprise by Düsseldorf

Before this weekend, I'd been to Düsseldorf once. But only to the airport so it doesn't really count. Kevin's been a bunch of times. His company has an office there so all of his visits were for meetings. Quick in-and-out trips that left no time to go anywhere outside of the corporate office parks.

Rick Steves, with his "I've edited the world into only what's worth seeing" attitude doesn't mention Düsseldorf in his German and Austria guide. My other guidebooks don't write overly glowing reviews of the city either.

Taking all of this into account, it's not surprising that even though it’s only a little over an hour from my house by car, I had never visited Düsseldorf before.

This weekend all that changed. I had found a few shops online that I though looked rather nice. We were home this weekend without any huge plans, so I though Saturday would be a nice day for an outing to Düsseldorf.

Düsseldorf is, after all, one of Germany's wealthiest cities. It's home to a number of well-respected museums and cultural venues. It is also renown for its rowdy nightlife. With these credentials I thought it was worth at least and afternoon.

What a pleasant surprise. We started by walking along Hohe Strasse, which has a bunch of boutiques and antique stores. Then, we wondered some more around the mostly pedestrian-only old town (Altstradt). Filled with plenty of shopping, a huge market that left me bummed that I’d already loaded up on fruit and veggies in the morning, pleasant outdoor cafes, and tree-lined streets it was a wonderful way to while away a lovely late summer day.