Blogs from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe - page 10

We had always wanted to go to Aachen. It is one of those magical places with a history that stretches back into antiquity. It begins with Charlemagne. Sounds like a hint to start some horrible history here. But before that we had found another stellplatz handy for our visit to Aachen. So we headed off and found it. But the reality didnt actually manage the blurb we had read. We found ourselves on a bit of waste ground full of cars and old caravans. Not quite what we expected . There were supposed to be showers and electric. But nothing like this on this car park. Whilst Glenn parked up I took off to check out the next road which was blocked off by road works. After a bit of a walk I found what I ... read more

Duisburg Germany 23 September 2014 We wanted to see more of the Industrial Rout of Germany. The area we were travelling in, from Dusseldorf, to Duisburg, Oberhausen and Essen have been the industrial powerhouse of Germany for centuries. Through its coal mining, power generation, steel making etc, was also the region which manufactured much of the ammunition and war-power for the 2 World Wars. Since those days, it has been a leader in manufacturing, particularly of items made of different metals, but not limited to this. The innovation coming out from this region has been extraordinary and used by much of the world. As we know, the industrialisation era has diminished and so this region in Germany has been left with massive infrastructure that is no longer used - smelting works, coal mines and all that ... read more

Dusseldorf Germany 23 September 2014 After arriving in Dusseldorf at about 6.00pm at a camp site that was on the banks of Lake Unterbacher. Before dinner, we went for a walk along the banks of the lake. We noted there were a lot of permanent caravans in the camp grounds, many of whom had developed their little front gardens with flowers, Bar-B-Qs, deck chairs etc. In the evening, we saw several fairy-light trees lit up. The next morning we drove into Dusseldorf and found a park about 5 tram-stops from the Old Town. We met 2 couples from New York, one of whom guided us on which stop to get off. This couple were actually living in Dusseldorf as he was a German. The 2 couples had been neighbours 42 years ago in New York and ... read more

Although I have been studying German for a good while now, I have only ever been to Germany once before, and that was on a thirty-six hour round trip from King's Lynn, England, to Aachen, Germany. That day, I spent around eight hours in Germany, in a city which is basically in Belgium, so I don't think it counts as much. So, since moving here, I have decided that I need to make a bit more of an effort to see the country, as I have neglected it in favour of France for so long. I am pleased to say that the area I live in is really pleasant. As I was driving back here on Thursday night, there was layers of mist hovering over the fields, and the greenery of the mountain forests was so ... read more

390km to Kongswinter. Small village on Rhine. Easy jolly, now 34C. Rhine is big fast river, with lots of barge tragic, which makes slow progress upstream, we saw so many near misses - an opinion. On Wednesday took train (oldest in Europe) up mountain 371m to see Schloss Drachenbung, this trip is a jolly to see stuff.... read more