The family had already traveled for 3 weeks in Austria and Germany when Shu headed out to join them in Essen, Germany.
There was already snow in parts of Germany, including Munich. While Essen did not have snow, the days were relatively (to California, anyway) cold and the leaves were clearly showing their fall colors.
On my first day, our aunt and uncle took me on a stroll through downtown Essen. Essen is to become the 2010 European Capital of Culture as designated by the European Union. As a result, there was much construction in Essen, as it remodernized its facilities in anticipation of the coming year.
On the second day, we went to Grugapark, a wonderful park complete with farm animals, horseback riding for toddlers and a train ride.
The fall colors were absolutely beautiful in the park.
Our next day was spent shopping at a local mall, Galeria Kaufhof. The shopping center was already gearing up for the Christmas holiday.
We spent our next day at the Limbecker Platz, the new mall in Essen. We also ate some good German for lunch: schnitzels, rabbit and beer.
We ended our afternoon at home with some baumkuchen (which, if you go to Japan, is also very popular, and they taste the same).
Our new day started with a visit to the Gasometer Oberhausen. It was having its solar system exhibit in its lower floors; but more importantly, this is a historical landmark for Germany because this area of Germany was a coal mining area. This gigantic tower once stored blast furnace gas; now a museum, it still reminds the people of Essen its roots. From high atop this tower, we could see modern Essen, with its highways and railroads surrounded by trees.
We also visited the Zollverein Museum, where coal was once washed. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and boasts a very nice restaurant called Casino Zollverein, which boasted as being one of the best restaurants in the Ruhr region. It was a terrific restaurant. They had kept the original coal mining facility as a setting for this wonderful restaurant (sorry, no photographs were allowed inside).
Rabbit and schnitzel as entrees
On our next day, we hopped onto the train to go to a quaint residential area of Dusseldorf to see family.
They live just minutes walking distance from the Rhein River and the Kaiserpfalz (a castle). Once the home for Emperor Barbarossa, the remaining ruins of the castle tells the story of the kidnapping of the young King Heinrich IV.
We crossed the Rhein River on a little ferry for a little visit to the other side.
The yellow and orange leaves were falling to create a colorful walkway along the path. The path led to a quaint little downtown. If there were a place to live in Germany, Dusseldorf would be my city.
We finished the night with a dinner at a "Japanese restaurant" in Essen, where they served primarily Chinese food.....
On our next day, we rode on the Monorail in Wuppertal (which our daughter calls "upside down train"), and then took the train back into the heart of Dusseldorf. There, we had lunch at the famous Zum Schiffchen restaurant. Our choices consisted of Sauerbraten, liver meatballs and blood sausage.... and beer.
Our stop in Dusseldorf would not be complete without going to the famous Zum Uerige bar. There, the family enjoyed beer in a traditional setting.
We finished the afternoon with a beautiful stroll through downtown and along the Rhein River and some afternoon serving of waffles.
Boat ride across the Rhein
Castle ruins in the background
We attended a family party celebrating a 50 year wedding anniversary. Family members form all over Germany came together for the event.
The following day our aunt and uncle took us on a drive toward Munster and saw castles along the way.
Castle Raesfeld was a beautiful castle, made especially enchanting as the morning fog rolled along its waters.
This castle was somewhat unique in that it was surrounded by a moat rather than it being built atop a hill.
Castle Ahaus was reconstructed after the war to its original glory.
We had lunch at a restaurant near Castle Ahaus - a terrific meal! Here, I had rabbit with red cabbage and potatoes. This is what excellent German food is all about.
Burg Huelshoff is also a castle surrounded by a moat. The reflections of the calm waters and the surrounding fall colors made for a wonderful walk around the castle grounds.
We had our afternoon coffee and cake in the cafe inside the castle.
Our last stop was in Muenster, an old town with brand name stores lined on the ground floor. The traditional architecture highlighted by lighting from major brand stores made for an interesting combination of modern society in a historical setting.
The leaves littered the green grass, making for an amazing contrast of colors on the castle grounds.
My wife spent a day with her childhood friend and went shopping at the Limbecker Platz. The rest of the family took it easy for the day and went shopping for chocolate and baked goods.
We spent the following day in Mulheim for some last minute shopping before the trip home.
Here, I learned that people eat so much variety here - including various fish (marinated and otherwise).
After 5 weeks of travel through Germany, the family flew back to the States.
I had one more day in Germany, and so our aunt and uncle took me for another historical trip with a visit to the Deutsches Berghau-Museum to see a real coal mine.
The tour illustrated what it was like to live as a coal miner, as well as show what technological advancements were made over the course of the 20th century. Now, these mines are a mere reminder of the Ruhr region's past.
We finished my last night in Germany with a trip back to the "Japanese restaurant" and a short walk in the plaza to see the beginnings of the holiday season.
And so ended another great vacation. There is one striking observation throughout this trip: what's with all the bakeries? There were literally 2, 3 or even 4 bakeries on each block or train station. They must eat so much bread!
Three bakeries on one corner at the local train station.
