GERMANY Archives - Wandering Everywhere

AMY AED IS THE FIRST PERSON TO WALK THE DANUBE RIVER

Amy Aed — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:51:38 +0000

…is probably what the news articles will say once I finally reach the Black River this December. (update: it took significantly longer, but people still wrote about it.)

This September, I began walking along the river Danube, with the hope that I might just become the first person to walk its entirety from source to sea. For some reason, no one had tried to walk all 2,850km of the river before, so I thought that I may as well attempt it myself.

When I later told my spicy little Spanish friend, Inés González Miguéns, about the trip, she ended up booking a last-minute flight out to Germany and joining me for a grand two weeks. That was until Vienna, where she slinked off to a back alley hostel in Slovakia to lead bar crawls and get foot tattoos.

To date, I’ve covered 550 miles out of a (suspected) total 1,770, with the last major city stop being in Vienna, Austria. The Danube flows through more countries than any other in the world, so I still have Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine to look forward to. If they’ll have us, that is.

So far, we’ve slept in nunneries, communes, Mc Mansions, farmer’s sheds, luxury apartments, forest floors, “man caves”, and old bank buildings. We’ve stayed with spiritual healers, MLM pushers, cult leaders, Michelin star chefs, homophobes (oops), tea masters, and one guy who tried to molest us in the night. Every evening, we stay with a new stranger, relying on their kindness for food and a place to rest our heads, and have met some truly incredible people along the way (apart from that last guy, who ended up calling us “unworthy” for rejecting his advances).

Each night is completely new and a little crazy, and I’m absolutely loving it.

One question that we’ve been asked a lot along the way is, what’s the motivation for doing something like this? Apart from the temptation of international fame or elevated success within the adventure industry (neither which, unsurprisingly, have happened… yet), there were a couple other reasons to set out on a journey like this.

Doing it for the girls and the gays

Firstly, one of the biggest motivations for undertaking this expedition was to break down stereotypes for female and LGBTQ+ travellers.

I’ve always been told that travelling as a woman is dangerous, and that we simply aren’t made for this sort of thing – and yet, here I am, doing something that was previously deemed impossible. I don’t know if you’ve noticed the straight white ‘heroic’ male archetype that seems to plague the travel isles at Waterstones and the interviews on Good Morning Britain, but frankly, it’s started to grate on me. The industry is completely over-saturated with people like this, and as such, those who don’t quite fit that criteria face incredible prejudices when undertaking similar expeditions.

And so, I hope that by doing a walk like this, I will be able to challenge the stereotypes and expectations for queer female travellers in the industry, breaking down whatever walls that have been put up to stop us from doing exactly what we’re meant to be doing.

So far, this journey has been empowering unlike anything else I have ever experienced. Amongst the fairytale beauty of the Black Forest, the quaintness of European villages, and the wilderness of the continent’s many great forests, I can’t help but think, holy fry, I’m really doing it. Being able to roam the earth freely in a way that my female ancestors could not makes me feel both honoured and empowered.

And frankly, that’s enough motivation for me.

Doing it for the crohnies

Or at least, it should be, in theory.

But then there’s also the fact that I have Crohn’s Disease.

On average, I aim to cover around 35km a day, burning no less than 3,000 calories in any 24-hour period. This would presumably be quite difficult for an able-bodied person, but for someone that suffers with Crohn’s disease and everything that comes with it, it often feels pretty much impossible.

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2014, and since then, have constantly been battling against an autoimmune response that aims for nothing other than shutting down my whole body. I get blepharitis, psoriasis, and all of the blood, sh*t, and tears that come along with not having a single functioning intestine. It is, quite frankly, the most horrendous thing to ever happen to me, and I still battle with it daily.

Still, I knew that I wanted to do something big, and there was no way in hell that I was letting this illness get in the way. So I bulk ordered my medication, bought endless digestion tablets, and told my doctor that I was about to do something incredibly reckless and it would be great if he could remain contactable, and booked my flight.

Luckily, we haven’t been camping as much as I expected we would (in fact, after the first night we camped and woke up covered in parasites, we sent the tent home to never be used again), so I’ve had steady(ish) access to people’s homes, and the stability of a bed and toilet each night. Regardless, the seven hours minimum of walking each day leaves a lot of room for error, and it’s been especially challenging to keep it all under control.

Regardless, I am constantly impressed that my body even has the strength to do something like this. Who knew that my diseased, withering, pathetic human shell could walk 550 miles in a month and still be ready to function the next morning? Now, I truly realise just how strong I am and how much potential my body has, and want to shout to the world about it. This is a massive difference to when I was first diagnosed and wanted to keep it all under wraps, too ashamed to tell anyone about it, and I’m proud of just how far I’ve come.

With the finish line looking to be in eastern Romania in late December, I’m super excited to see how cultures, languages, and landscapes change along the way. And of course, I am honoured to do so as a female LGBTQ+ traveller with Crohn’s disease, with my head thoroughly stuck in the clouds.

Doing it to save the river

Over the past century, the Danube River has been gradually polluted with micro-plastics, chemicals, antibiotics, and other waste, which has resulted in a decline of the many rare and endangered species that live in it. What sort of fate awaits this incredible river? This is yet another thing I was itching to find out for myself.

In fact, the Danube is the most polluted river in Europe. A thousand cubic metres of Danube water contains – on average – 317 plastic elements, and fish are filled with it. In 2020, a lot of the pollution was coming from Serbia’s capital of Belgrade, where the trucks queued to dump waste into the river on a daily basis – but the damage has been continuing for numerous years.

Truly, the fate of the river is bleak, and no one seems to know or care about it. Millions of people rely on the river Danube, and it’s pretty messed up just how polluted we’ve allowed it to get. As such, by doing something like this, I hope that we can raise awareness for the importance of protecting the Danube. I have already learnt so much about the river and the people that live alongside it, and would like to bring all of this knowledge back home and help people to understand the current situation… and the fate that awaits this incredible river.

Doing it, quite simply, for the vibes

But of course, there are endless reasons at the heart of why I wanted to do a trip like this. When people ask, I sometimes just skip all of the above and go off on something else: I read a lot of Levison Wood, I have nothing better to do, I want to be known for doing things that no one else has done, I like rivers, I wanted to explore Europe, I thought that it would be a great way of sampling each town’s version of dumplings. Whatever the reason, though, no one seems to be satisfied… So quite simply, I am doing this whole darn thing for the vibes.

Of course, I will let you all know how we get on over the next few months. To stay up to date with the expedition, you can always follow my Instagram at Wandering_Everywhere or sign up to the newsletter (subscription box is at the bottom of the page).

UPDATE: We finally finished the walk on the 14th September 2022, more or less a year after we started. Stay tuned for the next adventure!

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HOW I TRAVELLED COLOGNE DURING A CROHN’S FLARE UP

Amy Aed — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 00:44:28 +0000

When travelling with Crohn’s Disease, the best thing you can do is be fully prepared before you go. Things such as travelling with extra medication, taking a doctor’s note, packing a medical kit, and calling the hotel in advance to make sure that there’s a fridge in the room to store liquid meds are SO important to do in advance. It’s bad to be caught off-guard as an able-bodied person, but with Crohn’s Disease, the risks are so much higher.

A couple months ago before the Coronavirus pandemic blew up, I went on a small trip around Europe. During that time, I thoroughly indulged myself in chocolate and cheese in Switzerland (note: I’m intolerant to dairy), along with partaking in other activities which usually cause gut irritation (constantly travelling, having no sleep, etc). When I finally landed in Cologne, my stomach was in turmoil – and I ended up spending the whole trip trying to get back to my former self.

In Crohn’s Disease, a flare-up is a sudden reactivation of symptoms where inflammation becomes more present in the body – and by my own carelessness and gluttonous nature, I had provoked it into returning. I had several weeks to really focus on bringing that inflammation down, and after just a few days, my stomach had returned to normal (or at least, as normal as it can be for someone with Crohn’s).

This is how I did it.

TOOK IT EASY

My travel partner and I became the queens of slow travel once we’d finally landed in Cologne. Aware of the fact that we hadn’t relaxed properly in about a week, we took our time visiting museums and bookstores, and interspersed each visit with long stunts of cafes and rest. We took everything real slow and were careful not to overdo it – after such a hard couple of weeks on my stomach, it was beneficial to just take some time out to really listen to my body.

SWITCHED DIETS

After the dairy overload in Switzerland, I decided to switch to a diet that would be kind to my digestive system. I cut out food groups that are known to cause inflammation, and introduced more gut-friendly foods. My diet was low-fibre, but I still made sure that I was getting at least the recommended amount of vitamins. In times of flare ups, it’s hard to make sure that you’re not bordering on malnutrition, so it’s even more important than usual to keep re-introducing the good stuff to your body.

MADE MYSELF COMFORTABLE

Instead of bunking down in a stressful little hostel, we stayed in a private room in the gorgeous Koncept Hotel. This directly contributed to making sure that I got enough sleep each night, so that I would give my body a chance to heal during REM. Staying somewhere comfortable and avoiding stress is a key thing to keeping inflammation down, slowly helping to draw myself out of the flare up. Another key thing is to not stay sedentary – so little strolls and spending time dedicated to moving about is just as important as slowing down and taking it easy.

TOOK EXTRA MEDICATION

Luckily, I always pack more medication than I should need for this very reason. Not only does it cover my bases in case I lose a bag at the airport, but it also means that I can double-dose my medication when I feel like I need it most. Depending on the type of medication you take, this may not always be possible – but it’s worth checking with your doctor beforehand to see if you can double the dosage or incorporate another drug into your diet, should you desperately need it.

WATCHED WHAT I DRANK

Throughout the whole trip, I made sure to avoid alcohol (especially the much-loved German bier!), as the carbonation and acid would irritate my digestive system and contribute even further to the level of inflammation of the stomach lining. I also avoided fizzy drinks (due to the sugar and carbonation) and anything heavily caffeinated, instead sticking solely to water and green tea.

STAYED HYDRATED

Making sure to stay hydrated with bottled water and calming teas such as jasmine and camomile, I was able to both make up for the liquids I was losing, along with helping move on the toxins forming in my body and keep my digestive tract clear and ready to heal. It’s one of the most basic things to do when you’re a sufferer of IBD, and yet its importance is often overlooked.

BOOKED A DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT

Whilst it didn’t seem necessary to book an appointment in Germany for the short time that I was there, I still made sure that I would have an appointment waiting for me back home. Doing this meant that I was prepared with what to do next, making sure that I could bring myself back up to top health as quickly as possible

Crohn’s Disease is an auto-immune disease affecting every part of the body – from the stomach, to the joints, to the skin, to the eyes. Unfortunately, I seem to have every little side-effect relating to Crohn’s, which can make it quite an overwhelming illness at times. However, when my dream is to become an explorer, I really can’t let a little thing such as having an incurable disease stop me. Some things are simply more important.

If this has educated y’all a little more about what it’s like to travel with Crohn’s or has helped you in any way, let me know in the comments below!

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BEST LAST-MINUTE GETAWAYS FOR A SOLO TRAVELLER

Amy Aed — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 13:16:08 +0000

I’ve written about solo travel several times on this blog before, from the pros and cons to just simple tips, so I think that it’s pretty clear how much I love new friends, new places, and the opportunity to gorge on good food without anyone I know judging me on my sixth burger. It’s so important to take time out for yourself and recuperate from the stresses of life – especially when your home is in London where life runs at twice the speed. On a solo trip away you want the magic mix of a full itinerary, friendly locals, and an abundance of gorgeous dishes (that’s my priority, at least) – and so, I’ve compiled a short list of some of the best places to visit within Europe for a mini “me-trip” away, starting with the city of love.

PARIS, FRANCE

Whilst many people look at Paris and automatically place it as a couple’s destination, who’s to say you can’t take a trip there to fall in love with their beautiful country, culture, and whilst we’re at it, yourself?

My favourite thing about Paris is that there’s just so much to see and do all the time, rendering it one of the most enticing places I’ve ever had the opportunity to explore. It keeps surprising you throughout your whole stay, even after you’ve seen the Eiffel Tower and the City of Pompidou and all the other guide book marvels. Within minutes of your arrival you’ll pass quaint flower stalls, faded archaic buildings, and hoards of local residents mixing with the tourists in order to buy the best macarons in the city (which, FYI, are in the Musée du Louvre).

The people are also some of the nicest I’ve ever met, which is a stark contrast to other major cities (looking at you, London). Despite how much you may want to explore the city alone, you will still find yourself utterly surrounded by people – like how I was taken around the Louvre by a fact-wielding French lass, having had an utter stranger take me under their wing to book metro tickets after someone else ushered me behind a shop desk to show me a city map on their Mac. I’ve never met a group of people more willing to spend their time helping confused tourists – except in Dublin.

DUBLIN, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Dublin is made up of one of the nicest groups of people I’ve ever met – my local highlight was having a dark-haired, thick-accented Irish woman point out the Leprechaun Museum, which I can confirm was as wacky and beautiful as the rest of the city.

The best way to explore this city is by bus as everything is easily a ride away, and it’s the quick and easiest way to both see the city and hop on and off at will – although if you’ve brave I’m sure you could scour the whole city by foot for days on end.

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When you leave for Dublin you will likely get friends and family ushering you to try the Guinness – but a lot of pubs don’t actually serve it. I know a bunch of people who have been insanely disappointed by the fact that they can’t just meander to get sloshed off the tap at their local inn, but there is actually a Guinness factory tour you can go on. I can’t recommend it though, because I happen to be one of the sane people that are aware of how disgusting Guinness is.

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

I had never seen the appeal of German cities before, because why would I want to spend a trip being yelled at by people with thick, scary accents, eating food that is just pure starch and fat? Turns out, I’m an actual idiot for believing in the stereotypes. If I hadn’t booked a trip to Dusseldorf as a cheap spontaneous getaway, then I never would have realised how beautiful the city was, with amazing food and sights for next to nothing. You can easily score a whole trip away here for less than £150, which is pretty insane for an upcoming European city.

The people were lovely, and the accents weren’t horrendous – although a lot of the locals don’t speak English (gasp) which can be a problem. Never have I had to communicate in motions and noises to that extent before whilst at the front of a long bus queue, but there we go.

Then we have the food. Massive pretzels baked in thick lumps of salt and mounds of ice-cream are easily the best snacks to eat out and about. Two locals brought me to a nameless ice-cream house sat between winding alleys and outmoded monuments, where the ice-cream is brought in the same day and handed to you by a large woman with an accent equally as thick – and both the atmosphere and the actual sweet treats are amazing. I did momentarily consider the idea that I was about to be kidnapped by these strangers, but it turns out that solo travel is filled with lovely new people who just want to buy you things and add you on Facebook.

ROME, ITALY

My favourite place in my favourite country, with my favourite language and favourite cuisine. Frankly, I adore absolutely everything about Italy and it’s much loved city of Rome. Whilst Florence is a close contender with it’s history and stunning architecture, the slightly more tourist-vibed Rome has to top it. Every corner you turn is filled with crumbling buildings and people creating music, littered with wabi-sabi structures and rustic houses. It’s the best place to find beauty in the crumbling, with everything steeped in history and culture.

The weather is warm for most of the year, and the clear skies lend to the most incredible sunsets. Some of my favourite evenings have been spent wandering the old alleys with locals strumming on guitars under a teal and orange sky, with me probably en-route to get something to eat. The food itself is on a whole other level, with dishes handcrafted to the style of each restaurant owner’s taste. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much good food, and I felt like such a blessed being to have the opportunity to drink hot coco at a cafe overlooking the famed Colosseum.

Like with Paris, Dublin, and Dusseldorf, Rome is the perfect place for a solo traveller, especially with so much to see and do (and eat). Like the others, it’s the perfect place to start a romance – but this time, to remember what it’s like to fall in love with adventure, and yourself.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these cities, or some of your own personal favourites in the comments below!

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WHY COLD COUNTRIES ARE UNDERRATED

Amy Aed — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 12:41:00 +0000

Here I am in London, where we’ve only just reached fall (although it’s hard to tell as it’s already pouring with rain and freezing) and yet I can’t stop myself from reminiscing the days last winter when I was back in Poland. It’s a pretty random place to miss when you think about it, especially as I slept in the tiniest dingy little room with my newly demoted ex-boyfriend, only £180 to my name and without any grasp of the language – or warm gloves. It was a massive culture shock being served vodka and blocks of butter with my lunch, with the flight home consisting of the plane falling out of the sky several times as it fought against a storm with everyone on board screaming. It’s the sort of trip most people would look back on and grimace, and yet here I am craving the disorientation, the new language, the beautiful backdrops, and just how everything completely disconnected me from the stresses of home life. If I’m completely honest with you, this one wacky little sojourn introduced me to the wonders of cold countries, and may have even started to turn me from a summer person to a cold, wrap-up-warm-lest-you-freeze-your-arse-off person – and here’s why.

LESS ANIMALS WANT TO KILL YOU, AND THEY’RE ALL SNOWY AND CUTE

Imagine, narwhals! Snow leopards! Arctic hares! Adorable little fluffy wildlife is something I’d rather look out at from my hotel window than, say, killer snakes and spiders. My cousin lived in Australia a while back, and loves telling the story of how he nearly put on his shoe before his friend warned him to shake it out first – and a highly venomous bug fell out. I simply don’t have the balls or dedication to deal with that on a daily basis, and have a colossal hate for mozzies – something I doubt you’d find in -20 degree weather. Along with a distinct lack of pests, diseases don’t tend to flourish in that climate either.

YOU FEEL BETTER

This is mainly just from experience, but I find that you typically feel better when sweat isn’t dripping into your eyes and you’re struggling to breathe from walking up a shady sidewalk in 50 degree heat. I went to Turkey a few years back where they literally had to put warnings out on the television telling people not to leave their homes lest they overheat and die. Imagine, I went to the Aegean for a warm summer holiday but instead ended up spending it at the bar in the shade. At night, all you need in cold weather is a nice duvet to fall asleep, but in hot countries there’s nothing you can do except sleep in the fridge.

HOT COCO

I stand by the fact that one of the greatest joys in life is hot coco, and the only reasonable time to drink it is when you’re freezing your bum off in a foreign country. Imagine holing up at a snowy table with a hot chocolate in your mitten-clad hands as a bunch of snowboarders whizz past, or inside a warm car with ice crystals on the windows as you glance out over the aurora borealis. It’s so much better than when you’ve got perspiration sliding down your eyebrows, and definitely makes the colder moments sweeter.

LESS DRUNKEN ENGLISH TOURISTS

Whilst I’ve loved going to slightly warmer places like the canary islands, I hate that most people just visit for a cheap piss-up, doing things like knocking your camera out of your hand and shouting drunken comments at you. By my reckoning, the further north you go, the less crazy tourists with regrettable tattoos and gonorrhea there are. Maybe it’s just because Tenerife is a lot cheaper to fly to than Sweden or because the drinks are insanely expensive, but I’m pretty chuffed with it either way.

YOU APPRECIATE THE HOTEL ROOM MORE

When I went with my ex-boyfriend to Poland we stayed in the ugliest, most cramped room ever, and normally I would have completely hated it. But coming in from freezing, slightly uncomfortable weather to this cosy little room with blankets, junk food, and the Peep Show on Netflix, I was super happy every time we went back. The staff were super rude, our neighbours kept using the water I’d just boiled in the kettle, and from the outside it looked slightly like we were in a public prison – but it turned out to be the most fun I’d had on a trip in an age, and I was lucky to share it with someone who became my best friend. Cold countries and odd experiences bring people together, and being able to laugh about it in a teeny little room with some pretzel sticks is one of those experiences you’ll feel blessed to have had.

CWTCH YOUR BOO

I love being warm indoors in cold weather, by a little fire and wearing super fluffy socks. Staying somewhere cold also gives you the opportunity to cuddle in closer with your loved one – plus it’s super adorable to look out and see snow and mountains and people messing around on ski lifts together.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Cold weather is proven to be better at tightening and toning your skin, and being surrounded by fresh alp air and clear water makes you feel instantly better. Merely standing around being cold burns calories, and the lower climate outside aids inflammation within the body. Along with helping you sleep better, giving you more energy, clearing your mind, and helping you breathe easier, some studies suggest that colder weather even produces longer lifespans. Imagine, you get to spend more time on the earth feeling better – and you get to make snow angels!

WINTER SPORTS

I have been dry-skiing in warmer countries, and honestly, I don’t think that it really lives up to the hype of normal skiing down snowy saloons that are dotted with little huts selling fratwursts and warm pastries. When it’s icy out, you can ice-skate on frozen lakes and ride a snow mobile, along with bob-sleighing, snow kiting, and sledding down hills with your friends. I can assure you that by contrast, no one’s looked at Namibia on a map, sighed, and wistfully said “man, I wish we could go to Namibia so I could do sports that make my fringe stick to my forehead with sweat”.

NORDIC LAKES AND SWISS MOUNTAINS

The gorgeous landscapes of colder countries really can’t be matched. Whilst I adore the concept of visiting the Sphinx or looking out at elephants in the wild, I am also fiercely drawn to the idea of being able to stare at some incredible sights that have been carved wholly by nature, whilst throwing snowballs at people. It’s pretty insane when you’re in places like this to be able to look up at the view and realise that the backdrops are all natural wonders – especially when I clock that I’ve lived in the concrete jungle of London for the past few years.

Despite what a lot of people say, cold weather can be fun – and you might even fall in love with a trip to a colder country. For me, Poland is one place I am craving to go back to, but I’d also adore to visit someplace like Moscow or Iceland. The culture shock is straight up one of the best things to experience, but for me, I’ll always be won over by a nice warm mug of hot coco.

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HOW TO TAKE A TRIP TO DUSSELDORF, GERMANY ON LESS THAN £150

Amy Aed — Sat, 23 Apr 2016 16:45:00 +0000

A couple of weeks back, I was feeling very restless because I hadn’t flown cross-country in a while, and so I went onto my #1 flight search engine site, Skyscanner, to book some cheap flights out to, well, literally anywhere. And weirdly enough, a little German town called Dusseldorf came up, offering flights for only £15 each each way, and I just couldn’t refuse (despite not knowing a single thing about the town). Honestly, I thought it’d just be full of museums and art galleries – but it turned out to be so much more.

Due to the fact that I’m still only 17, and this is the first international trip I’d taken without a family member, I had a strict budget to stick to – £150. Now I knew that this budget could be pretty difficult to stick to, with hotel rooms and food out, but I managed to do so, simply by asking around and figuring out how I could save the pennies. As it turns out, it’s easy to get a 5* German experience.. if you know where to look. .

The view from the Altstadt was one of my favourites, as it had such a simple, yet gorgeous, skyline

Tiamo was a big cafe duplex with amazing food at insanely cheap prices

THE HOTEL ROOM – £60

Initially, I knew that the most expensive thing would be the hotel room, as I would be staying in a fairly large German town with plenty of tourists for the season. So naturally, I turned to Booking.com, because they don’t sacrifice quality for the price. It took a while to find somewhere central and of a good reputation whilst still staying within my budget, but I managed to do so.

I found a lovely place called The NH, which turned out to be very big and clean, with things like a sauna and gym inbuilt to the place, and the most excellent reception service. In total, it cost £120 for two people for three nights, which honestly is so insanely cheap, you would probably pay more for a hostel. The reason it was so cheap of course, was because not only did I choose a good site to book it on, but I also booked waaaay in advance, so the rooms probably hadn’t even started selling for that date yet.

FLIGHTS – £30

I already briefly mentioned the flights and the fact that their cheapness was the reason I went to Germany in the first place, but I didn’t mention why they were so cheap. It was because not only did I book at the prime time for flights to Dusseldorf (a little research with your chosen flight company will likely give you information on the best time to book), but I also chose one of the least reputable companies to fly with – Ryanair.

Now I’m sure you’ve all heard the horror stories about the tiny planes and added charges, but honestly, if you research beforehand you can save all that hassle. For example, I only realised after researching the company that you have to check in via the app before you fly, otherwise they will charge you extra at the gates. Also, I managed to avoid extra fees by going economy class and not buying any extra baggage allowance, because one bag was enough for me for three nights. Saying this though, it is true about the lack of legroom (sorry to my tall friends) – but for an hour’s flight, that didn’t bother me all too much.

ADDED EXPENSES – £23

This includes food, drink, trips out, and magnets, with the majority of the cost being taken up by lots of little things like Kinder Eggs, ice cream and waffles, because frankly, I wasn’t missing out on any German food.

Tiamo was a place we found on our second day, which we thought to be just a little cafe. As it turned out though, it opened into a giant duplex with a cinema inside, and yet held the most reasonable prices. The above image, for example, shows what £3 could buy, I’m not kidding. In total, the whole meal came to £12, including three courses, a bottle of still water (be careful – sparkling is default and gross) and a decent tip, which is insane – especially for such a big town. Also, for my fellow vegetarians, I’m glad to say that there was a huge amount of vegetarian cuisine on offer, which was a big relief for me.

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Once we arrived in Dusseldorf, a friend called Emily recommended that we try a Bretzel (big German preztel), and I’m so glad that I did because it was insanely delicious. We found that food was incredibly cheap out there, like you could get a big oven-baked pizza for £3, or a big vat of pasta for even less. My favourite places, however, were the Fritten Piet, a small shop that sold sausages and fries, and Pia Eis, an ice-cream shop that we went back to everyday because 1, it was incredibly delicious, 2, it was very cheap (£1.50), and 3, the lovely blonde German lady gave me a bowl-worth of ice-cream each time. Also, the wafer cones were to die for.

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The Rhine Tower, situated upon the river, was the best thing I spent money on (other than a giant marzipan rabbit at a place called Heinemann), as for £7.50 you could go up the 600ft to the top, and overlook the town. My friend and I went just as the sun was setting, and it was amazing. We had a 360 view that looked all the way out to Cologne, with music playing from the bar and the sky slowly turning pink. Also, can you see the circular glass at the top of the tower? Well that’s where I leant all the way back on the glass, feeling like I was going to fall through and dive to my death. It was both terrifying and brilliant at the same time.

FREE THINGS TO DO

As it turns out, Dusseldorf is just crammed with things to do – and all for free! Some of my favourite things were;

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Walking down the Promenade, between the Rhine River and Altstadt, was one of my favourite things to do, as there was an abundance of beautiful things to look at. During our last night, we stopped for a Coke on the Promenade by the river, and I pretty much felt like Shirley Valentine sipping my drink as the sun set in a stunning country.

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The little no-name museum, featured in the above photograph on the right, is a museum with German-only captions, all about the Rhine River and the local life through the ages. I say that this was free, but as we went at ‘Happy Hour’, we got in for absolutely nothing at all, although this won’t be the case if you go at, say 9am instead of 4pm.

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The marina and the Neue Zollhof and Gehry buildings are probably the most famous parts of architecture in the whole town – even my companion studied them during an art course! When walking down to the famous Rhine Tower, we happened to stumble upon them, and whilst they’re not something I would have gone out of my way to see, I still found them super cool and I’m glad that I did see them.

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A small town church we came across up by Nordpark was one of the many cheap views we got in the North, which was although lovely in some parts, was quite spooky in others (point and serve)

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The Japanese Gardens, featured in Nordpark, is honestly the most adorable thing that I saw in perhaps the whole of Dusseldorf. It was lovely there, and if you wander up far enough, you come to a little waterfall which I explored enough to find myself standing at the top – now one of my favourite places in Dusseldorf. It was on my list of things to see in Germany, and I’m so glad I did because we spent hours there, walking and soaking up the sun.

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The Rhine River was undoubtly my favourite thing in Dusseldorf, and we went back everyday. The above photo was taken just before the sun set, and the sky was bursting with heavy clouds, creating the most dystopian-looking scene. Each day we went back, the area would have something new to offer – maybe a pink sky, maybe hoards of boats, maybe kids sitting around playing loud music, but frankly, I just loved sitting by the river and looking out to the town.

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The Altstadt (old town) was another place we went to every day, as it was filled with shops and things to see, and was most beautiful when the twilight hours dawned. Around here is where we met the two lovely Malaysian locals who showed us around and gave us a bunch of advice on Dusseldorf.

Along with the above mentioned places, there were also some pretty cool things to see at Sudpark and Konigsallee and the Hofgarten, which we passed through on our travels but didn’t really stop at. Also, we found places like Synagogs (note: we may have accidentally gate crashed a Jewish funeral service) and mini art galleries which were all pretty awesome and showed some stunning things.

IN-COUNTRY TRAVEL – £35

The third most expensive thing turned out to be travel – via coaches, trams, buses and trains, but again, I managed to save precious euros on that. As I briefly mentioned earlier, on our first night in Dusseldorf, my friend and I met two Malaysian students studying in Germany, who were super friendly and offered to take us around. They turned out to be brilliant, by advising places to eat, things to see, and of course, how to save on travel. They said that the best way to travel around is by trams, and boy were they right. They also said that as we were travelling as a pair, we could get a paired ticket rather than a bunch of singles, saving us euros every time we travelled.

However, the morning we left we had to get a coach, which was £15 each (the same as a single flight) and very irritating, as it was slower than a tram would be, and yet our only form of transportation to the airport. Because of this, I would recommend trains and trams as a main form of travel, and you can save even on those if you’re part of a group, or a student, or anything of the like.

Also, bear in mind that a percentage of this cost was spent on my companion who conveniently forgot their wallet at times when we were getting the more expensive methods of travel.

Some of the most famous parts of Dusseldorf are in this shot – the Rhine River, Rhine Tower, Neue Zollhof and the Gehry buildings

The view from the Rhine Tower, which was beautiful, was also pretty damn scary if you leant all the way across the glass

Walking down the Promenade was one of my favourite things to do

In total, the whole trip cost around £148, which is slightly incredible for almost four full days in one of the most well-known German cities, staying in a wonderful hotel, flying cross-country, and experiencing some pretty awesome food. I’ve passed on some of my best tips to navigating the budget-side of this town, and so I hope that this post has given y’all some good ideas on how to take a cheap-as-chips trip to Dusseldorf, Germany – if it has, let me know below!

And remember, in Dusseldorf beer is cheaper than water!