First Day in Aldstadt @ Düsseldorf

So while I was planning out my eastern European trip, seeing as how I was flying into Amsterdam, the only reasonable way I could get from or to Krakow (one of the must-see cities on this itinerary) was from Dortmund airport flying Easyjet. Having done my research though, Dortmund, being a relatively small town, didn't have as much to see to warrant 3 days between flying into Amsterdam and flying out of Dortmund.  So I picked Düsseldorf, a nearby city to Dortmund to do some travelling. It wasn't until later that I realized Köln, better known to me as Cologne, was just as near; as I had really wanted to see the Cathedral at Köln.  But since I didn't recognize its other name, I ended up missing out =( oh well, next time!

In any case, Düsseldorf was an excellent pick as the first German city for me to visit. Fresh off the train from Amsterdam, I started off the afternoon in the Altstadt (Old Town) at the Heinrich-Hein-Allee metro stop.

There were literally hundreds of people in the streets so I wondered whether there was some festival that was going on that I didn't know about.

As I got closer however, I realized I was in the immediate vicinity of Uerige Hausbrauerei, one of the four main altbier (old beer) breweries.  This particular name was given due to the brewing method of using top-fermenting yeast.  It was selling for just 1 euro a glass so I figured why not!

As you continue to head east, you'll eventually hit the boardwalk next to the Rhine where you can definitely feel the cooler effects from the water. Here, there were plenty of people enjoying a late afternoon walk.  There was actually a huge book sale going on as well.

As you can see, my timing was just a little off as they were just bringing out advertisements for Oktoberfest. =(

Just another shot of the Düsseldorf skyline with the Rhineturm, a telecom tower, standing tall in the back.  On the right is the tower from St Lambertus.

Stopped for a dinner of pork schnitzel, pizza and Bavarian sausage.......mmmmmmm.!

The Altstadt area actually got a lot more crowded as the evening wore on as more and more people came to enjoy the surroundings and grab food from the restaurants in the area.  The thriving atmosphere was extremely festive reminding me somewhat of the night markets in Taiwan.

Went back to the hotel to sleep after the jetlag started to kick in a little. Was really looking forward to the next day as Schloss Benrath was on dock for tomorrow!