Muensterland

Because it's not really reasonable to party for three days straight anymore (we're old, it's true), we headed out of Dusseldorf to try and soak up some of the culture in Muenster and Muensterland. This mostly green, flat, and rural area is filled with castles - more than 100 - that area all linked together by bike path. Since it was pretty drizzly, we decided that the car was a better idea.


We arrived in the town of Muenster a little bit before lunch. Parking, we set off on foot for the center of town to look for a good restaurant. Instead, we stumbled across yet another Karneval celebration! We heard it before we saw it. Rounding a corner, we spotted the uniforms of another marching band. Decked out in red and yellow, the colors were a preview of the what was to come. We walked past the Muenster cathedral and noticed that the main street was covered in red and yellow streamers and crowded with people. The crowd seemed to be either very old or very young. Anyone in between was probably back in bed, hungover from the night before.


For lunch, we found a German cafe and I was able to order rahmschnitzel, a dish of pork in a mushroom and cream sauce. Not so healthy but when I saw it on the menu, I knew I had to have it - it was my Grandmom Blum's speciality. While it wasn't close to being as good as her version, it was definitely a delicious lunch. Afterwards, we decided to explore some of the many castles in the area.


Our first stop was the Schloss Nordkirchen, called by some the 'Versailles of Germany'. While it was certainly large and impressive, it was no Versailles. However, it is pretty interesting since it sits on an artificial island, surrounded by a moat. The castle was built in the French Baroque style and is entirely symmetrical - not just the building itself but the gardens and courtyard too. A tree-lined avenue leads to the castle and ornamental sculputre gardens. Unfortuntely, you can't tour the interior of the castle since it's the current home to the Financial College for North-Rhine Westphalia.

Next, we headed to the Burg Vischering, a castle built in the late 13th century in the renaissance style. Like the Schloss Nordkirchen, this castle is surrounded by a moat. The inside is supposedly quite ornate but since it wasn't open when we visited, we wandered around the grounds and exterior for a bit instead.

We returned to Dusseldorf for a Greek meal (of all things) and to rest up for the very exciting festivities that would occur the next day.