The longest bar in the world: Dusseldorf’s Altstadt

by Grant Martin on

In traveling to Eastern Europe last week, I had a fairly substantial layover in Düsseldorf, Germany. Figuring I could make it into the city and back during those nine hours, I checked a few of my favorite internet resources and discovered that Düsseldorf is home to the self-proclaimed longest bar in the world. Thus being the studious Gadling researcher that I am, I decided to investigate.

Altstadt can be reached with a few train transfers (unless the union is striking) from the airport in about 45 minutes. Once you exit the subway you’ll see a swarm of people walking in one general direction. Follow them — they’re headed towards the beer. “The longest bar in the world” is a series of several blocks of brick pedestrian walkways, connected and curving through the old city. Scattered among them you’ll find your typical food joints, although most of the bars serve standard German fare; I was able to get “barbecued meats” and a huge wheat beer for about 12E (tip: that small fillet of meat that looks like a liver cut in half actually is liver).

Make sure you stop by the Barrique Düsseldorf Altstadt, where you can purchase liquor by the liter out of giant glass globes and peruse the limoncello and grappa collection.

To get to Altstadt from the airport, take a commuter train to the Dusseldorf HBF, then transfer to the Heinrich-Heine-Allee metro stop. You’ll know where to go once you reach the surface.

Berlin: A Bargain City with Bargain Hotels

by Neil Woodburn on

With a plummeting US dollar, there remains very few places in Europe that are a bargain for visiting Americans. Fortunately, Berlin is one of them.

Berlin is my favorite German city because history has raised and dropped it so many times that it is practically bipolar in nature. These days, the city is neither at is nadir or zenith. It is somewhere in between, suffering financially and economically.

Berlin’s woes, however, are travelers’ good fortune, according to a recent AP article, Berlin Hotels offer high style at budget prices.

Apparently, a troubled economy coupled with Berlin’s quirky, artsy character has resulted in a number of very cool, very chic hotels popping up around the city that are cheap and exceptional for their value.

Budget chic. I love it.

Take, for example, Ostel. This great pun on the word Hostel and Ost (German for East) is a communist themed retro hotel with rooms going for just $53 (above photo). Or, there’s the $65 a night Arte Luise Kunsthotel in which every room has been personalized and designed by a local artist.

If you’ve ever dreamed of going to Berlin, now is the time; because if you don’t act soon, it will soon be as expensive as the rest of Germany.

1 in 5 Germans Want The Berlin Wall Back

by Martha Edwards on

Here’s an interesting tidbit I heard on the radio today while driving to my favourite sushi place: 1 in 5 Germans want the Berlin Wall back. An iconic symbol of the Cold War and the divide between communism and capitalism, the Berlin Wall was broken down amidst much celebration in 1990.

And perhaps even more surprising? Those who want it back are mostly Eastern Germans. Apparently, breaking down the wall didn’t put an end to differences between the east and west in Germany; Despite the absence of a dividing line, Easterners in Germany still feel like second-class citizens compared to Westerners. And I don’t blame them — salaries in the east are 25% lower than those in the west, and unemployment rates in the west are half of that of the east. Yet despite all that, 73% of Western Germans don’t feel that Eastern Germans are at a disadvantage.

As a side note, if you want to see a movie that depicts the effects of the Berlin Wall falling, rent Goodbye Lenin — it’s excellent.

Pack Your Bags Now. Germany Proposes Seven-Year Limit on Marriages

by Iva Skoch on

I know what you are thinking. Seven years is still eternity by the standards of some. It is still a long time to stay with someone you married in Vegas intoxicated. Either way, restricting marriages to only seven years sounds like the best idea the 21st century has put on the table so far. Followed closely by the iPod, of course.

Gabriele Pauli, a German politician, has put the temporary marriage issue on her agenda. This is how it works: “You will only commit for a fixed period and will actively have to renew your vows if you still want to continue,” she explains. If they don’t want to continue, there is no need for divorce.

Now, somebody needs to figure out what to do with children born into temporary marriages. Do I hear temporary child rental?

Also:

Photo of the Day (9/20/07)

by Neil Woodburn on


Dammit!

I’ve been to this exact location and after trying many “cool” angles, the best I could come up with was this.

Ace photographer Pirano, however, has managed to snap the coolest shot of Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial I’ve ever seen. The dark looming pillars, the glimmery shine, the little brick path the runs on forever, and foreboding doom that hangs over this masterpiece really blows my feeble attempt away. Congrats, Pirano, for an excellent photograph.

If you’d like lavish praise heaped upon your photography skills, jump on over to our Gadling Flicker Pool and upload your most worthy efforts.