We made it to Germany!  There wasn’t a border or pass but the street signs and architecture changed almost immediately.  The bike paths changed too with a little more off roading.

We needed to get settled for the Easter long weekend due to the public holidays and didn’t want to get caught in a smaller town with nothing open.  Being close to a bigger city would give us more options with shops and sightseeing.  We picked Sturzelberg Camping  as a good base for day trips into the major city Dusseldorf.  62km down and we had made it, setting up with the Rhine just a few metres from our tent.

Dusseldorf’s commercial district was completely closed so we decided to make our way to Old Town.  It seemed like the rest of the city had the same idea.

The riverside was filled with people celebrating Easter Sunday with long leisurely lunches.

We stayed street side watching the crowds go past at Uerige brewery and pub.  One of the oldest breweries in Dusseldorf, since 1862,  they serve a dark Altbier.  The waiters come round with a tray full of beer in small .25 liter glasses.  You signal if you’ld like another and they will tally up the glasses on your coaster.  When you’ve had enough you put your coaster on the top of your glass.  They also do the same with bar snacks, making the rounds with platters of bratwurst and rissoles.   We discovered this is a very common practice with German pubs and we loved it!  No going up to the bar, no waiting in line and no choice.  It was the house brew and that’s it.  A glass is about €1.30-€1.60 depending on the pub.

We equalled out the beer with a trip to Lidl, settling in for some camp cooking.  The food haul below tallied up to €9/$12AU, we eat very well when we buy groceries.

Our lovely next door neighbours invited us over for a coffee and campfire. We had the best time meeting Frank, Kerstin, Lena and Tobias (thanks so much guys!) and they told us all about the massive storm that came through last year, with a tree crumpling the caravan in front of them!  Luckily no one was hurt.  All the trees on the property got a very severe trimming after that.

Sunsets over the Rhine, just stunning…

Daily Costs:

Day 1
Camping: €14.50
Cafe/Restaurant: €15.99
Groceries: €1.35
Total costs: €31.84

Day 2
Camping: €14.50
Groceries: €11.92
Cafe/Restaurant: €3
Total costs: €29.42

Day 3
Camping: €14.50
Cafe/Restaurant: €16.08
Total costs: €30.58