CommunityBuzz! - DUS this Saturday 06/29 - Infos? Meets?

Hi all,

I've just booked an ultra-cheap SWISS web fare to Dusseldorf this next Saturday. It's basically a mileage run but I included a full day there so that I've got enough time to see the city and/or take the train down to Köln.

Since DUS seems to be a place quite a few FTers have been to before http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif , may I ask for things I shouldn't miss while I am there?

Also, if anybody's around I'd love to meet for drinks or so...

Thanks.

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airOli (http://www.olimade.com/airoli), the Swiss Air Line. ;)

I wish I were in Duesseldorf this weekend, but I will have to watch the Soccer World Championship at the "Heidelberg" in NYC instead.

Here some suggestions for your trip:

On Saturday go to Koenigsallee, the main shopping street in Duesseldorf which I think is quite attractive, even if you do not intend to buy anything.

Then move on to the Altstadt, have a Erbsensuppe for lunch at the "Uerige" in a great atmosphere. Just sit at any table and start talking to whoever sits next to you. That's how it works, even better after a few glasses of Altbier which is basically the only choice of drink.

Then see the Burgplatz with the Rathaus and Kurfuerst Jan Wellem, the Reinuferpromenade, Lambertuskirche, and the Schlossturm.

For dinner go to "Schumacher", a traditional Duesseldorf restaurant with an extensive menu. Here again, don't be shy, you can always join other people at a table.

Then enjoy the over 250 bars and pubs in the Altstadt. The best digestive, called "Killepitsch" is to have at "Et Kabueffke", a tiny place right across from the Uerige.

Sunday morning jogging through the beautiful Hofgarten with Schloss Jaegerhof is a healthy start. If you are into art, see the Kunstsammlung NRW which I think can compete with the MOMA here in NYC, or take a boatride from the Altstadt to Kaiserswerth and get some suntan in the beautiful beer garden of the "Burgschaenke" (from there it's only 10 minutes by taxi to the airport).

Be careful, I am afraid some people might get wild on the streets after the game on Sunday. Especially if Brasil wins. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Enjoy, but whatever you do: DO NOT GO TO COLOGNE! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by reisevergnuegen (edited 06-26-2002).]

AGREED on Cologne, Reisevergnuegen

Airoli ... I'm sorry that I can't show you around, but I'm in the US right now. RV already told you a lot of things to do and the right ones, too.
There ias just one more thing: If you'll be in town during the soccer final, go watch it at "Succos do Brazil", which is adjacent to Altsatdt ("Carsch Haus"). It's absolutely fabulous to watch a soccer game together with Brazilians.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">It's absolutely fabulous to watch a soccer game together with Brazilians. </font>

I am not so sure if this holds true should Germany win on Sunday. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif

[This message has been edited by reisevergnuegen (edited 06-26-2002).]

&lt;local patriotism on&gt;

OK, you had to fly to DUS because of the great fare, fair enough, even I have to do that sometimes. But do yourself a favour and upon leaving the airport head south towards Cologne, dont even waste a second in that miserable place called Landeshauptstadt. Even more on sunday when in Cologne you will have a decent beer and will be able to celebrate with the large brazilian expat crowd there Brazil's 3 to 0 victory over that bunch of uninspired players that happen to form Germany's national team nowadays.

In which league is Fortuna Düsseldorf playing these days ? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

&lt;/&gt;

aioli, the Düsseldorf-Cologne rivalry is similar to our swiss Basel-Zürich teasing http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

This is great information, thanks everyone!!

There are two points that will definitely give me away as a foreigner (apart from the hearty alpine accent):
I don't usually drink beer. I don't care for Fussball. When people ask me for my comment on 'the game', I usually ask 'Do you mean Cricket or Curling?' http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Regarding the Cologne-Dusseldorf rivalry, Cologne was CHF99 from ZRH while DUS was CHF129. But CGN was sold out already. Make up your minds about this... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

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airOli (http://www.olimade.com/airoli), the Swiss Air Line. ;)

Like Rudi and several others here, I have been to two excellent DUS FT weekends in recent years .. hosted by Bernie.

This below is mizu's website from the first one. Has some great background info etc on tabs at left:

http://www.workflow-research.de/flyertalk/duesseldorf.htm


IIRC there is a THIRD FT DUS weekend planned for mid 20903?

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~ Glen ~

paulusst, looks like there is still the old grudge in Berlin against Duesseldorfers throwing horse apples at Friedrich Wilhelm IV during a parade on Kastanienalle. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif Kastanienalle was renamed Koenigsalle to make good for this incident.

In any case, I forgive Cologne. They have been occupied by so many forces (Romans, Clerics, Napoleon, Prussians, etc.), they had to find a way to survive. It's called Koelsche Kluengel and once you understand this you can compete with Enron, Worldcom and the likes. The more positive part though is, that the occupiers left some good things behind, such as Roman ruins, the Dom, 4711 Eau de Cologne, and, to show their affection to Kaiser Wilhlem, the Hohenzollernbruecke. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

So next time there is a Special, then go to Cologne. Just do not combine the two cities on one trip. Few people from Duesseldorf have ever travelled the 20 miles to Cologne, so who would you ask in Duesseldorf how to get to Cologne? It's easier to fly there direct from Zuerich. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif


[This message has been edited by reisevergnuegen (edited 07-01-2002).]

Airoli, it's not about your likes or dislikes (drinking beer / fussball) ... it's all about "atmosphere". You'll get a lot of that at the Uerige on a Sat or sun morning - especially if weather's nice.

And you'll sure get a lot of that at Succos do Brazl. There's no need to be interested in Fussball but in people.

BTW it's extremly funny to look at those defenders of our most "beloved enemy" 20 miles up the river from that far away (MSY)

rudi,

and basel = d'dorf! They share the architechtural concept, that goes like that: have as many ugly and uninspired 1950s and 1960s buildings as you can in the center of town.

reisevergnügen,

good one, but Enron? WorldCom? Small audition mistakes. Ha, that's not our style here, we do it big, we have Müllverbrennungsanlagen (what a nice word) scandals http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

bernie,

you needed to go that far to get some relief from having to live there?

airoli,

enjoy your weekend, but bring some rain gear, its going to get chilly and very wet. if it comes down to the climate both towns s*ck equally. But dont get me started on Berlin in that respect.

Again, thank you all. I'm sure I'll have a good time.

Some comments:

Thanks to a German Late-Night-Talker, I'm well informed on the Cologne Müllverbrennungsanlagen-Klüngel! I wouldn't have thought the SPD has these skills too...

RE the architectural concept, paulusst, you must have been to Berlin Alexanderplatz?

And unfortunately I won't be in DUS on Sunday, so the World Cup celebrations (if any) will happen without me!

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airOli (http://www.olimade.com/airoli), the Swiss Air Line. ;)

PAULUSTT ("They share the architechtural concept, that goes like that: have as many ugly and uninspired 1950s and 1960s buildings as you can in the center of town")
- same goes for Cologne as well. Both cities have been heavily destroyed during WW II, remember ?

and btw ... though I like living in DUS very much, there are a lot of veeeery nice places around the globe (Cologne NOT being one of 'em) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

OK, I'll bite. What the heck is Müllverbrennungsanlagen-Klüngel!

airoli,

I only speak for West-Berlin. I seldom cross the (now invisible, but for locals still very noticeable) border to East-Berlin (different city). On Alexanderplatz they feature the finest selction of "Plattenbauten" on earth. Compared to that city center even DUS should be on the UNESCO world heritage list.

As for Cologne being destroyed during WW II: True, but with "Klüngel" we managed to get some nice buildings in recent years AND they left us the DOM and there is nothing even remotely like that in DUS, no matter how hard they try.

Now, if we only were so smart to voluntarily burn down our airport like them, to get a nice new one. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

(*trying to confuse the opponents*)...but I still like Muenster Airport (FMO) better than DUS or CGN... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

FMO = FOR MOELLEMANN ONLY

ozstamps: Muellverbrennungsanlagen Kluengel simply means Incineration Plant Kluengel. Kluengel can not be translated into any other language, not even into German.

In this particular case it means that a bunch of good friends from politics and business got together over a few Koelsch (the yellowish stuff they call beer there) and decided to built this huge, expensive plant nobody really needed. This was good for business, and on top the friends made sure it would put some nice money straight into their private pockets, too.

As this is not legal, not even in Cologne, the guys decided to take the money to http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/eek.gif, yes, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/eek.gif, Switzerland.

Now you also understand why the flights between Zuerich and Cologne were already sold out when airoli inquired for a reservation. This is a very busy route http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif



[This message has been edited by reisevergnuegen (edited 06-28-2002).]

Thank you all guys ... this is a funny thread. Thank you RV for explaining Kluengel in such a nice way. (and thank you für die Seitenhiebe as well). LOL

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.trienekens.de http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif And real video: Der Kölsche Klüngel (http://video.sat1.de/ramgen/schmidt/media//02/03/06/kluengel_56.rm).

A couple of years back, CGN-ZRH was also a popular route with the Flugbereitschaft of the German Air Force. I hear Mrs. Süssmuth accumulated quite a few Flugbereitschaft miles...

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airOli (http://www.olimade.com/airoli), the Swiss Air Line. ;)