Dinner in Düsseldorf

I recently got back from a quick little layover in Düsseldorf. It was actually my first time visiting the city, however it’s never been somewhere I’ve been particularly interested in visiting.

The flight over was relatively busy but only around 6 hours, so we were there before we knew it. Our hotel is right next to the airport, so we walked over from the terminal and once I got up to my room I collapsed onto the bed!

I’ve been doing a lot of flying lately with not many days off in between so I was pretty exhausted (even if it wasn’t a long flight, getting up at 4am takes its toll!).

A few hours later a few of us met up to head into town for some dinner. Since it was Sunday, almost everything was shut, as is the norm in Germany. If not I would have made more of an effort to see a bit of the city, but I’ll have to save that for my next trip there!

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After a quick trip on the train, we were in the city centre. It was pretty quiet, and although it was chilly, it was nice to get some fresh air and see a new city.

IMG_0717We crossed over the river and walked a little bit further to a street which was full of restaurants. I don’t remember the name now, but it was one of the only areas that was busy and bustling that evening.

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Most of the buildings were very pretty, and we wandered along until we found the restaurant.

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The captain had been recently and had a restaurant in mind, which served typical German food so we were all happy to try that one. It also had a giant pig out the front which was quite a novelty factor!

I had a delicious schnitzel, and the others all had some kind of typical German dish, ranging from curry-wurst (a sausage chopped up and served with a kind of curry sauce) to huge pork knuckles.

After dinner we strolled back through the street and stopped at a restaurant/bar which specialised in beer. We encountered the rudest waiter I have ever seen, and since I don’t drink beer the only other drink on offer was apple juice. We left after one drink as the service was absolutely terrible and the waiter was just incredibly rude to us! Who knows why, since myself and one of the other girls spoke German, so it can’t of been that we were speaking English amongst each other. If only I remembered the name, I’d tell you so you never have to go there, haha!

On our way back to the train station we stopped to get an ice-cream …perhaps not ideal for the freezing weather, but very yummy!

The next morning there was time for a quick workout in the gym and a spot of breakfast before the flight home.

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All in all it was a pretty uneventful trip to Düsseldorf. Here’s hoping I get to do a bit more exploring next time! 🙂

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9 Comments

  1. Bronte
    September 30, 2016 / 9:27 am

    Hi,

    I love you blog, it was one of the main reason why I tried out with Emirates in the first place.

    I join with Emirates on the 28th of October and would love some tips on what lipsticks and lip liners you use?

    Also any tips for packing, items you wished you packed or things you could have packed less or more of? A 50kg limit, I am finding is not a lot.. oops!!

    Thank you 🙂

  2. September 1, 2016 / 11:47 pm

    Hey there, I think you have been to a Brauhaus, a brewery. I live in Düsseldorf and the rude behavior of the waiter is just tradition as it is in Cologne. Don’t why that is but it is a custom. Don’t be offended by it. Next time you are in town, let me know. I’ll show you some good places. Cheers Laura

    • thedubaidiaries
      Author
      September 3, 2016 / 1:22 pm

      Honestly it wouldn’t have been my first choice as I don’t like beer, but I’m usually happy to just go along with the rest of the crew! I’ll let you know if I ever get another Düsseldorf flight! 🙂

  3. M
    March 20, 2016 / 9:44 pm

    Rachel,

    You look absolutely fantastic in your Emirates uniform!! I had a ‘final interview’ with Emirates in Chicago in February and my online status just changed to ‘Final Interview Completed.’ I am hoping!!!! 🙂 (knock on wood).

    I really appreciate your blog and perspective. I’ve always wanted to join Emirates Cabin Crew and think if I get selected my dream would be to be Purser.

    I am a guy. I am coming from USA and know UAE is different from what I read. I am gay and just a tiny bit worried that I may feel threatened or alone when in UAE. (Like I know I could never wear eyeliner or a skirt like I could in San Francisco when going to a friends house for a party). I imagine accepting a position with Emirates will require me to put some of my personal values and behavior and life on hold and be 100% professional is this true? Did you feel a difference when moving from UK to UAE? I hope this isn’t too judgmental and assuming of Dubai culture. I just would like to hear what you you think.

    • thedubaidiaries
      Author
      March 27, 2016 / 4:04 pm

      Hi there! Thanks so much for your kind words. Congrats on getting so far! (I’m guessing “Final Interview Completed” means you’ve got the job – I think it was slightly different wording when i joined!)
      So realistically Dubai seems to be a pretty easy-going place for gay guys (especially since most of them work at Emirates, haha!) but you could definitely not go out in public wearing a skirt (cross-dressing is illegal!). From what I’ve heard there are actually even gay clubs here (I haven’t been to them so couldn’t tell you what they’re like). It’s generally a bit more conservative than say Europe or the UK; I hold hands with my boyfriend without a second thought but we would never kiss in public for example. One of my best guy friends here is gay and he is very happy here, so I think you’ll see and make your own opinions when you get here! 🙂

  4. m
    March 17, 2016 / 5:15 am

    Hello!

    On layovers does the crew typically go out together in groups and explore with each other or do they like to individually mingle with the locals to make new contacts or look for a one night fling?

    Also, if you don’t mind saying, do you speak with a German accent or a British accent?

    Thanks!

    • Fabian
      March 20, 2016 / 11:09 pm

      Could you say the airports where you stay in the cities u go, I always had that curiosity !!

      • thedubaidiaries
        Author
        March 27, 2016 / 4:04 pm

        I’m not quite sure what you mean here! Do you mean if we stay at the airport? Or our hotels?

    • thedubaidiaries
      Author
      March 27, 2016 / 3:59 pm

      Hi there! Generally crew meet up with each other to go out, or say I’ve been to the destination a couple of times before I’m happy to go out on my own. I never hear of any crew going out to meet locals.
      I speak “Hochdeutsch” when I’m doing the German PA or chatting to passengers onboard, and with an Austrian accent when I’m with my friends in Austria 😉 But my normal accent is British, I’m from the UK.

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