Finally, as June and summer hits, my next long journey has started. After cycling mainly in Bavaria so far (read more here), my bike is sitting nicely on top of my car and I am set to go. From my home in Bavaria to the Netherlands, Belgium and France, the aim is to explore the countries by car as well as bicycle enjoying the outdoors and nature. My first stop was Düsseldorf, Bonn and some other towns in Nordrhein-Westfalen (West side of Germany).
I booked a hotel for two nights outside of Düsseldorf, in small town Neuss. The old city part is actually quite cute and the first thing I noticed was the set up beach area right in the centre of town. Germany love their beach bars and I have been to a few already. Perfect spot to hang around with friends in summer!
Neuss
Düsseldorf
The days are long again with a sunset just before 10pm. So there was plenty of time to take my bicycle for a ride to Düsseldorf after dinner in Neuss. I was in search for some Ice cream and the 9km to Düsseldorf seemed just long enough to enjoy a leisurely ride.
… I haven’t done that one since I got my bikes…
Düsseldorf was my favourite out of all the towns in Nordrhein-Westfalen I have seen so far. It has a great old town and very pretty to walk around in, however the city itself was packed with people. I guess it was Friday evening after all. Maybe a few too many party people for my liking, but it made the city more alive. So after my ice cream it was time to head back.
Cologne, Bonn and the Castle ‚Drachenburg‘
The reason for me to go to Cologne (Köln) was to see the cathedral only. Which is quite stunning actually and definitely grand! Everything else has been rebuilt after the WWII and I felt it lacked character. That said Cologne is more a business centre (as most other towns in Nordrhein-Westfalen) than an ‚idyllic‘ city so no reason for me to like it.
Bonn on the other hand (although I wanted to skip it all together) I really liked. It has a pretty idyllic old town full of charm. Bonn was much prettier than Cologne (Köln) as most of the old town had still their charm and historic characteristics.
In addition, as it was once the birthplace and home of Beethoven, Bonn was celebrating his 250th Birthday with a unique Beethoven statue exhibition, called ‚Unser Ludwig’ at the Münsterplatz square. It looked amazing and made for some great shots. I wanted to take one Beethoven home with me but they were a little bit too expensive to purchase. Great timing to have seen the exhibition though!
Nearby was also the castle ‚Drachenburg‘ and, as I love visiting castles, I wanted to see this one. It looked magical from the outside, sitting on top of a hill surrounded by a green forrest. Unfortunately I couldn’t get in as I was one hour too early before their opening time (10am in June). Shame! I had a great view though.
Münster
Besides a surprisingly pretty old town, and a grand Dom Cathedral (St. Paulus) Münster has a darker history, when (without going into too much detail) around 1533 the Anababtists took control of the town but failed in 1535. After the siege by Bishop von Waldeck, the remaining Anabaptists then were slaughtered and their corpses were exhibited in cages on the Tower of the St. Lambert’s church. Can you see the cages on the photo? Amazing to see them still there, clearly visible.
I liked Münster but I didn’t stay too long. It was time for me to continue my journey. Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) is a great part of Germany to visit and I definitely recommend Düsseldorf. That said, I can’t wait to explore more on my next trip. For now however, Netherlands is waiting for me!
