DUSSELDORF, like the rest of Germany, fell in love with the Tartan Army and Scotland during this year’s Euros.
The national team may not have played a game in the city, but the reputation of our fans travelled all across the country, so much so, a petition was launched to try and make Germany v Scotland an annual game as they wanted the Tartan Army to visit every year.
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My wife Louise and I headed to Düsseldorf to watch the local footie team Fortuna and try to get a flavour of what so many Scotland fans experienced across the country.
We arrived a few days ahead of the game to get in some good old fashioned sightseeing, and after checking into Hyatt’s lovely and welcoming Me and All Hotel, we hit the Old Town or Altstadt.
This beautiful area sits on the banks of the Rhine, and is known as the ‘longest bar in the world’ as there are over 260 bars and restaurants squeezed into just half a square kilometre.
Needless to say we would spend a lot of time in the Altstadt!
The streets bustled with activity day and night, with people shopping, eating and drinking, and they take their drinking very seriously in the Altstadt.
The Old Town is home to a very unique drink called Altbier, which is a traditional dark brown ale, served in all the bars. Only five breweries actually make it and are all located here in the Altstadt.
Now at this point we need to talk about the waiters. Known as Köbes, they constantly circulate with a tray choc full of Altbier and as soon as you sit at a table they will automatically serve you one.
The first time this happened we thought they had brought us someone else’s order. Every time you get to the bottom of your glass, the Köbes will bring you a fresh one. It sure beats having to queue at a bar or order on an App.
Had your fill? Place your beer mat on top of your glass. Genius!
Altstadt has cuisine to suit all tastes. From pizza to dim sum, bratwurst to patisseries, and traditional German fare, you certainly won’t go hungry. Now do you understand why we spent so much time here?
After being fed and watered, we headed to the humungous 240 metre tall Rhienturm tower that looms over the city. As you’d expect the horizon-spanning views from the top are breathtaking.
Then it was time for a leisurely stroll along the tree-lined promenade, dotted with cafes, cool pop up bars and even an underground art museum.
Keeping the relaxing vibe going we jumped aboard a river boat to see Düsseldorf from the water and sailed to the redeveloped harbour area where the famous wobbly Gehry buildings are located, with one striking structures shimmering in the summer light thanks to its reflective silver panelling.
Dinner came in the form of Heimwerk restaurant in the Altstadt, which specialises in schnitzel. Louise went for chicken and I pork. Both were delicious. there’s even veggie and vegan schnitzel too.
The next morning we grabbed a great breakfast at the hotel and headed for the game, where Fortuna Düsseldorf took on arch rivals Köln. Getting to the Merkur Spiel-Arena stadium was a breeze on the underground.
Taking advantage of the fact you can drink at your seat here, we grabbed a jug of lager each and a ridiculously long bratwurst to go with it.
As the teams came out onto the pitch the decibel level went up and the home supporters went wild, waving their flags, setting off flares, chanting and dancing.
Unfortunately, the football on the pitch wasn’t quite as entertaining, but it was still an amazing experience.
In lovely sunshine, we strolled back to the city centre along the riverbank, where we encountered another Düsseldorf tradition of match-day pop-up wooden shacks along the Rhein for fans to enjoy a drink to and from the game.
By the time we made it back to the Altstadt the place was jumping. I’ve no idea if this is what it is like every Saturday night, if the good weather had brought everyone out or if the football game had contributed to the party atmosphere, but the Old Town was the place to be. Safe to say our day had been lively from start to finish.
The following morning we took it easy by indulging in the cultural side of Düsseldorf. First up was a guided walking tour of Little Tokyo, showcasing the largest Japanese community in Germany.
The history and traditions were fascinating, as were the manga comic book stores, but the pride of the area are the superb restaurants where locals form large queues for a bowl of ramen. There’s nowhere in Europe like it, the most authentic Japanese experience you will get outside of Japan.
GO: DUSSELFORF
GETTING THERE:
Eurowings fly to Dusseldorf from Glasgow with prices from £140. See eurowings.com.
STAYING THERE:
Rooms at the Me and All Hotel from £109 per night. See duesseldorf.meandallhotels.com.
MORE INFO:
Tours of the city start from £14pp. Football tickets from around £30 (book at f95.de). For more info see visitdusseldorf.de.
Then it was a short trip across town to the Kunstpalast and the K20 art museums, which are a must-visit, believe me.
After exposing ourselves to all the wonderful art we headed to the town centre for our final cultural excursion, a guided tour of the Altstadt and the Altbier breweries.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
We were taken through the historic streets, and learned everything of Düsseldorf’s humble fishing village beginnings to its post war rebuild, whilst popping into couple of the brewery Inns sampling the Altbier as we went, it was the perfect combination.
Leaving the city I couldn’t help but add my voice to calls for an annual game between Germany and Scotland, just so more of us can experience the tradition, the culture, and of course the Altbier of Düsseldorf.
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