Yesterday I went south of the river( well west really but I can’t get the London out of me) took the U-Bahn which sort of also acts as a tram too.Not really sure which system it is as it runs on all the same tracks in many parts here…anyway went to the first stop after the big bridge and for that first mile it was all very nice and middle class.Again my London centric view was expecting the Düsseldorf version of Bermondsey…had a mooch around then decided to carry on…ended up at the terminus in a place called Neuss…
In my ignorance I looked at the map and assumed Neuss was just a suburb of Düsseldorf but it is It’s own separate entity.Infact there’s a lot more history here than most places,it goes back to 16BC ( yes you read that correctly 16 B bloody C) and has a population of over 160k so quite possibly the biggest German city I had never heard of(no football team you see) Walking round was quite interesting as it was market day,it was pretty busy but it felt like I was on the set of Cocoon…everyone looked so old! As it was a Tuesday afternoon I figured all the local young folk were busy working in the many magnificent huge factories that dotted the Rhine in Neuss.If you don’t know I have a thing for big old factories.I see them as temples to the industrial past.The fact that all these appeared to be open and operational was a bonus unlike many in the Black Country…
Anyway many of these old folk were spending money in the shops,market and many cafes that lined the streets and this got me thinking about how much disposable income these pensioners have.The pension in our country basically keeps our pensioners on the breadline so many have little or no disposable income but over here it seems they’re well cared for and spend their money accordingly which of course helps the economy greatly and pushes things along.I mentioned yesterday about how busy many European cities are compared to many in the UK and yesterday in Neuss was another example but it was the older folk chipping in this time…
Got back to Düsseldorf,went and had a couple of beers down by the river,it was a glorious day.Nearly mid October and it’s shorts & T-shirt weather.Crazy…went back into the Alt Stadt and had a beer I went to yesterday.The same woman served me and didn’t even ask what I wanted just bought me the same beer I had the day before…if you know the strip in Düsseldorf it’s next to Lucas Podalski‘s Doner shop(yes really.It would be like Harry Kane having a burger van in Leicester Square) after a few the barmaid asked me to pay as her shift was ending.This is common over in Germany as the bar staff are essentially self employed so it’s not the bars money but theirs,they pay rent to the bar.One reason they work so bloody hard and another reason not to do a runner as you‘d be ripping off a fellow worker and not the bar…she told the place was open till 5am every night.Lord it’s a young man‘s game now this going out lark…
I like the service in German bars rather than all scrambling at the bar in British pubs but I am also aware that being a bit British means if I have a tab I can’t just have one drink on that tab.I feel obligated to build it up with at least two drinks and usually more.If I pay up once I get a drink I don’t care about staying but somehow it feels wrong to leave after one after they’ve opened a tab for me…is that a normal reaction or am I too sensitive about barstaff‘s feelings?
Laundry time…laters
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