Ramblings from the Rhine
Sep. 9th, 2018 02:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dizzojaySo, I'm just back from a lovely 5-day soujourn to Germany.
Germany is a place where I had spent a woefully short amount of time during my life - cosidering it's so close - but the main point of my journey was to meet up with some very dear friends. During my trip, I was able to spend time with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
herminekurotowa, sinfulslasher and meazrael_64 and for that reason it was a very special week.
My trip started when the plane touched down in Dusseldorf airport, andherminekurotowavery kindly came to collect me, this bemused looking Dizzo wandering heplessly around the airport concourse. I owe a big debt of thanks to herminekurotowa and her lovely family for housing me and making me feel very welcome during my stay.
My first outing was on Tuesday when I headed off from Dusseldorf to Cologne to meetsinfulslasher. At the main station, I was confronted with a dazzling array of train lines - the U-bahn, the S-bahn, the D-bahn ... I thought, 'if I don't end up in Stockholm at some point during this trip, it will be a bloody miracle!'
The Deutsche-Bahn inter-city express
However, luckily, I hadherminekurotowa on hand to make sure I got on the right train, and got safely to Cologne where I was met by sinfulslasher who I know from Jus in Bello. We had an awesome day, and I was simply overwhelmed at how beautiful and how historical Cologne was. And this is coming from a Brit - I have plenty enough 1,000-years-plus history to call my own - and yet I was still agape at the sheer heritage on display in Cologne. The Cathedral itself took almost 700 years to complete, and is, I believe, the second highest cathedral in the world at approximately 160 metres. For that reason, didn't take any photos of it because I would have probably had to be standing in Frankfurt to fit it into the camera screen, but here is an internet picture taken from goodness knows where ...
We visited the Lindt chocolate museum, and thankfully because the day was blazing away at about a zillon degrees, I was justified in not buying anything from there because there was no way I could keep it cool. Afterwards, I sampled a local beer in a local brewery - and as a non-beer drinker, I was pleasantly surprised at how refreshing it was!
At the end of the day,sinfulslasher put me on the right train to get back to Dusseldorf central, and from there I made my way back to herminekurotowa's apartment via two trains (one of which ws going in entirely the wrong direction, hence the need for a second train), and a lengthy association with Google Maps!
On Wednesday, I was excited to meet up withmeazrael_64. I first connected with meazrael_64 on fanfiction.net where we started our association simply by reviewing each others' stories. From there our connection grew closer and more personal, and extended into email and later, to here and on Facebook. We have been corresponding for roughly 10 years, and yet had never met 'in the flesh', and so this was a very special day for both of us.
herminekurotowa and I met meazrael_64 off the train from her hometown at around midday, and our face-to-face connection was effortless; we bonded absolutely as well as we always believed we would.
herminekurotowa proved to be a great tour guide around Dusseldorf, taking us for a tourist bus trip around the city before we stopped off for lunch. After lunch, herminekurotowa had to head home for family matters, and meazrael_64 and I continued our association, making our way, via rather disorientated wanderings, across the city toward the station that we both needed to head back our separate ways, stopping off to sample a very promising looking wine bar along the way!
The following day was another day spent with these two lovely ladies, another stroll around Dusseldorf, with a few drinks and lunch beforemeazrael_64 had to head homeward bound. I'm so delighted to have taken this opportunity to finally meet her, and I'm sure it won't be our last face to face meeting!
My final day in Dusseldorf was spent withherminekurotowa strolling around Dusseldorf, taking a boat trip along the Rhine, and generally enjoying my last full day in Germany. We finished off on a ladies night out with cocktails in the old town!
So yes, this was a trip I have been planning to take for a very long time, and it was thanks toherminekurotowa that it became possible. I'm thrilled to have finally spent some time in Germany at long last too. (And in that respect, I'd like to apolgise to Germany as a nation for the standard of my attempts at speaking German ...
Final thanks have to go, once again, toherminekurotowa who took me back to the airport, and guided me brilliantly when due to a cancelled train, my journey there went from one train to three. Without her help, I probably really WOULD be in Stockholm by now!
A few random mugshots of a fabulous week:
Travelling in style in Cologne
sinfulslasher
On the bank of the Rhine
Don't look up!
Beautiful old medieval building
The 4711 headquarters. 4711 was my Gandma's favourite Eau de Cologne, so this brought back lots of poignant memories for me!
The inside of Cologne Cathedral
Withmeazrael_64. Zum Wohlsein!
Friends across borders - our own mini European Union!
Much hilarity withherminekurotowa at trying to take a selfie in Dusseldorf
wild and windswept on the Rhine
Vielen Dank Deutscheland!
Germany is a place where I had spent a woefully short amount of time during my life - cosidering it's so close - but the main point of my journey was to meet up with some very dear friends. During my trip, I was able to spend time with
herminekurotowa, sinfulslasher and meazrael_64 and for that reason it was a very special week.My trip started when the plane touched down in Dusseldorf airport, and
herminekurotowavery kindly came to collect me, this bemused looking Dizzo wandering heplessly around the airport concourse. I owe a big debt of thanks to herminekurotowa and her lovely family for housing me and making me feel very welcome during my stay.My first outing was on Tuesday when I headed off from Dusseldorf to Cologne to meet
sinfulslasher. At the main station, I was confronted with a dazzling array of train lines - the U-bahn, the S-bahn, the D-bahn ... I thought, 'if I don't end up in Stockholm at some point during this trip, it will be a bloody miracle!'The Deutsche-Bahn inter-city express
However, luckily, I had
herminekurotowa on hand to make sure I got on the right train, and got safely to Cologne where I was met by sinfulslasher who I know from Jus in Bello. We had an awesome day, and I was simply overwhelmed at how beautiful and how historical Cologne was. And this is coming from a Brit - I have plenty enough 1,000-years-plus history to call my own - and yet I was still agape at the sheer heritage on display in Cologne. The Cathedral itself took almost 700 years to complete, and is, I believe, the second highest cathedral in the world at approximately 160 metres. For that reason, didn't take any photos of it because I would have probably had to be standing in Frankfurt to fit it into the camera screen, but here is an internet picture taken from goodness knows where ...We visited the Lindt chocolate museum, and thankfully because the day was blazing away at about a zillon degrees, I was justified in not buying anything from there because there was no way I could keep it cool. Afterwards, I sampled a local beer in a local brewery - and as a non-beer drinker, I was pleasantly surprised at how refreshing it was!
At the end of the day,
sinfulslasher put me on the right train to get back to Dusseldorf central, and from there I made my way back to herminekurotowa's apartment via two trains (one of which ws going in entirely the wrong direction, hence the need for a second train), and a lengthy association with Google Maps!On Wednesday, I was excited to meet up with
meazrael_64. I first connected with meazrael_64 on fanfiction.net where we started our association simply by reviewing each others' stories. From there our connection grew closer and more personal, and extended into email and later, to here and on Facebook. We have been corresponding for roughly 10 years, and yet had never met 'in the flesh', and so this was a very special day for both of us.herminekurotowa and I met meazrael_64 off the train from her hometown at around midday, and our face-to-face connection was effortless; we bonded absolutely as well as we always believed we would.herminekurotowa proved to be a great tour guide around Dusseldorf, taking us for a tourist bus trip around the city before we stopped off for lunch. After lunch, herminekurotowa had to head home for family matters, and meazrael_64 and I continued our association, making our way, via rather disorientated wanderings, across the city toward the station that we both needed to head back our separate ways, stopping off to sample a very promising looking wine bar along the way!The following day was another day spent with these two lovely ladies, another stroll around Dusseldorf, with a few drinks and lunch before
meazrael_64 had to head homeward bound. I'm so delighted to have taken this opportunity to finally meet her, and I'm sure it won't be our last face to face meeting!My final day in Dusseldorf was spent with
herminekurotowa strolling around Dusseldorf, taking a boat trip along the Rhine, and generally enjoying my last full day in Germany. We finished off on a ladies night out with cocktails in the old town!So yes, this was a trip I have been planning to take for a very long time, and it was thanks to
herminekurotowa that it became possible. I'm thrilled to have finally spent some time in Germany at long last too. (And in that respect, I'd like to apolgise to Germany as a nation for the standard of my attempts at speaking German ...Final thanks have to go, once again, to
herminekurotowa who took me back to the airport, and guided me brilliantly when due to a cancelled train, my journey there went from one train to three. Without her help, I probably really WOULD be in Stockholm by now!A few random mugshots of a fabulous week:
Travelling in style in Cologne
sinfulslasherOn the bank of the Rhine
Don't look up!
Beautiful old medieval building
The 4711 headquarters. 4711 was my Gandma's favourite Eau de Cologne, so this brought back lots of poignant memories for me!
The inside of Cologne Cathedral
With
meazrael_64. Zum Wohlsein!Friends across borders - our own mini European Union!
Much hilarity with
herminekurotowa at trying to take a selfie in Dusseldorfwild and windswept on the Rhine
Vielen Dank Deutscheland!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2018-09-09 02:11 pm (UTC)Looks like a fabulous friend-filled trip. The best kind!
no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 08:55 pm (UTC)Nice pics
Date: 2018-09-09 03:12 pm (UTC)RE: Nice pics
Date: 2018-09-16 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-09 03:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 08:58 pm (UTC)I only went the wrong way by train once, but by foot... if t wasn't for Sonja or Google Maps, I'd probably be wandering aimlessly around Berlin now!
no subject
Date: 2018-09-09 05:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 08:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-09 11:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 09:00 pm (UTC)But, yes, I loved Cologne!
no subject
Date: 2018-09-10 01:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 09:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-10 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 09:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-10 11:10 am (UTC)show inspires such care-taking between followers.
Thank you for watching out for our Dizzo. Chuck knows
WHERE she'd be without you. O_O
no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-13 06:05 pm (UTC)So you have memories of the cologne 4711. My grandmother and mother also wore the cologne while I was growing up. That was the only thing they wore. Later on my mother wore other perfumes because 4711 was so hard to get. But, when we were able to find it, she was excited. I still have my mother's last bottle of it. Not sure how it smells anymore, as cologne can go rancid after awhile too. But, just having the bottle in my dresser is like I still have a part of my grandmother and mother with me.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 09:10 pm (UTC)Seeing the 4711 headquarters was such a bonus. I think t must have been a very popular cologne for ladies of that era. My Grandma used to love it, and I would still recognise the smell to this day!
no subject
Date: 2018-09-14 12:58 pm (UTC)But London is calling next year, definitely no matter what.
I'm glad you had such a great time and you enjoyed the trip. I can't tell you how much I wished I could have been there, too.
Thanks for sharing the Pictures, you all look fantastic! *hugs you closer than Close*
no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-17 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-15 06:26 am (UTC)I loved having you :D I'm glad you had a great time and didn't get lost without me. I actually find it quite funny that you always turned to walk the wrong way, even if we already walked it a couple of times before :))))))
no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-17 08:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 04:51 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you had a wonderful time. I thoroughly enjoyed showing off my hometown (and our amazing beer *g*).
See you again during Christmas-Market-Time! *wink wink*
no subject
Date: 2018-09-16 09:14 pm (UTC)Christmas Market time - yes ...
May need to wait a Christmas or two, my bank manager might actually take a hit out on me if I have any more overseas trips this year!
xx