The train to Dusseldorf, Germany was as lovely as the train through Amsterdam. Easter Netherlands and Western Germany is gorgeous country side with pockets of suburbs and the occasional industrial town.
Once in Dusseldorf, Hotel Diana was a walk away. We were very excited for this stretch of the trip for three reasons. 1.) It was Halloween. 2.) We were meeting up with some of Alex's friends, Blake and Omar, who had already visited us for a few days in Spain while backpacking through Europe. Great folks. 3.) We were going to see an incredible DJ called Laid Back Luke at a club in Dusseldorf that night. Despite these jitters, I still took in the scenery as we trekked to our hotel.
I took pictures of the street signs and other texts for my dad. Just so he could see his language skills in action. :]
Once at the hotel, we had to be sneaky about how we got in once again. The maximum number of occupants was two and this hotel was in my name. So Brandon and I went in and checked in with the hilariously dry German, Marcos. He was a crack-up, and later didn't really care when he saw all five of us pouring out of the room.
Brandon seducing the camera.
We then walked around Dusseldorf in search of Blake and Omar who were also exploring the city. Once we found them, it was a "YES!" moment just like when we Alex answered the hotel room door in Amsterdam. Sweet victory!
Nighttime in Dusseldorf was very busy, but it was Halloween after all. The city is urban, but not nearly as urban as other cities in Germany.
After exploring, we were famished! Blake showed us a nice little place to get some delicious German bratwurst in Kaiser rolls. They were amazing. Even I, who does not care for red meat or pork, absolutely loved it.
We returned to the hotel to dress up for our evening of house music (or "has" music). As I said in my previous entry, Ryanair prevented me from dressing up as Quail Man from the old Nickelodean cartoon Doug. :( So we just slapped on some masks and dressed up like any night at the club.
Blake and I being delightfully awkward:
However, Blake and Omar did us in with their costumes. They really did.
The club was insane. We don't think the establishment that is known as 3001 was prepared for such a crowd. The coat check line was like a torture chamber of suffocation and trampling. The drunken German guys eerily reminded me of an American fraternity. But the music was incredible and we had a great time. :]
Bus ride to Dusseldorf airport on Monday, November 1.
The next day was the panic attack. We had a flight that was supposed to land in Madrid at 4:30 p.m. (ideally). The only bus that Brandon, Natasha and I could find from Madrid to Granada left at 5:30 p.m. Ryanair is notorious for landing about an hour later than expected. There was no other option but to PRAY the flight landed on time AND that the metro from the airport to the main bus station wasn't running slow because of the holiday. By some holy miracle, our flight landed a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule! And we made our bus putting us home in Granada around midnight. Just in time to study for my midterm the very next day! Yeah, if I missed that bus, I would have missed my midterm. Just saying.
Overall, amazing trip! I could easily see myself living in Amsterdam for a few months. And I desperately want to see Berlin now, as everyone just built it up so much.
Also, German is going to be my next language. I've decided.
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