Hello everybody! It’s veeeery nearly the weekend… And between the scorching weather and the lovely time I’ve just spent picking out pictures to use in this post, it really does feel a lot like I’m still on holiday! Hopefully a little of that will radiate out from your screen as you read… Now, let’s catch up with Explorer Beastie and see what he got up to on our first day in Düsseldorf!
Aha! He appears to have waded into a Beastie-sized jungle. It’s certainly an adventurous way to kick off the holiday! Maybe we’d better stick to the paths, though?
When we visited Düsseldorf last spring we were only there for a few days, so we pretty much stayed in the city centre. This time, we took advantage of a bright sunny morning and hopped on the underground to Nordpark – a park made up of a series of themed gardens. Perfect for an early summer walk!
Everyone we saw stopped for a photo op with the fountains, so of course Explorer Beastie wanted to as well.
And as we ventured in deeper, we found some formal walks to wander along…
… And some places where Nature seemed to have gained the upper hand!
Explorer Beastie found some interesting beetles wandering around here… Does anyone know what these are?
And then, around the next corner, we found ourselves on the other side of the world!
Welcome to the Japanese Garden!
It’s a beautiful place to relax and stroll through – lush and shady, and there are even koi carp in the pond!
Something you may not know about Düsseldorf is that it has one of Europe’s largest Japanese communities – in fact, the third biggest after London and Paris! In the years after the Second World War, a handful of Japanese firms set up in the city so that they could export metal and machinery from Germany’s industrial heartland back to Japan. Word spread, and by the early 1970s, 200 Japanese companies were registered there, and 2000 Japanese people called Düsseldorf home.
The community continued to grow through the 80s, but numbers dipped a little in the early 90s, when Germany’s capital relocated to Berlin and Japan’s economy took a downturn. However, Japanese people began to drift back to Düsseldorf from the late 90s onwards. Why? Because it already had everything they needed to help them feel at home when working in Europe – a support network for new arrivals, a Buddhist centre, a Japanese school and even a weekly Japanese newspaper!
So, to celebrate this special bond, in 1975 the Japanese garden was gifted to the people of Düsseldorf by the “Japanischer Garten in Düsseldorf” Association, a group of Japanese firms and members of the city’s Japanese community.
I’m not sure that those people could ever have imagined that one day, a little woolly monster from Ireland would be climbing in those perfectly-manicured trees…
… Peering over the bridge…
… Or catching some rays beside the stream!
Feeling very zen indeed, we took one last look back at the Japanese Garden…
… And continued our wanderings! I really loved this place, too… A sundrenched meadow where the long grass was full of singing crickets!
Having successfully “Beastie-bombed” my tranquil vista, Explorer Beastie tore on ahead to our next destination, at the end of this tree-lined path…
Where are we off to? You’ll have to come back next Friday to find out!
In the meantime, enjoy the weekend – are you enjoying the same heat and sunny climes as we’re getting in Ireland? Let us know in the comments! And be sure to join us again on Tuesday to meet another new Beastie friend!
What a lovely trip round Düsseldorf. We only spent about half a day there, so this was a lovely walk!
Thanks, Catherine! I was surprised to discover that I’d only scratched the surface on my last trip too… There’s a lot to see in this city, and Nordpark is definitely worth a visit. Thanks for joining us on our wander! 😀
Wonderful snapshots of Düsseldorf! I have always wanted to see more of Germany, so thank you for sharing EB’s latest adventure. The Japanese garden looks like the perfect place to enjoy a peaceful moment (watching koi is so calming!), and that’s some magnificent beetle-life, too. It has been *sweltering* over here;
your post reminds me to pick up some radler on the next errand! Cheers and happy weekend. 🙂
Heehee! It’s really perfect radler weather, isn’t it? I’m surprised Explorer Beastie didn’t sneak a tin or two into his backpack for this adventure! Thanks for joining us on our stroll, Shirley… And should you ever find yourself on this side of the pond, I really think Germany is Europe’s most underrated summer holiday spot! Enjoy your weekend, too 😀
Wow! This is really interesting! I had no idea there was such big Japanese community in Dusseldorf. And what a wonderful gift of a garden – quite a contrast to the heavy industry that brought the Japanese to the city in the first place.
Thanks Queen Bee! Yes, it seems like a nice way to balance things back out, doesn’t it? There are also loads of Japanese restaurants and cafés in the city centre, too… It makes for an interesting blend! Thanks for calling in! 😀
Looks like a lovely place for a wander around. I had no idea there was a connection between Japan and Dusseldorf 🙂
It really was… I reckon you and your camera would have had a great time! As for the Japanese connection, one of my friends told me about it on my last trip. It surprised me too! Thanks for dropping in! 😀
Explorer Beastie! I thought it would be Paddy and Plunket. I like Explorer’s yellow sunglasses and the photos are fantastic. Love the “Beastie Jungle”. Catching rays by the stream is my favorite photo though – awesome!
Yes, exploring is hard work when you’re only 6 inches tall… That means frequent photo and sunbathing stops! And don’t worry, I’m sure Paddy and Plunkett will be back on your screen shortly 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Tierney! 😀
I didn’t know the Beatles were still doing gigs in Germany….bwahahaha!!!! EB has really gotten the hang of tree climbing, and branch perching. He may have to teach Finn some of those skills. Although I think they’re about equal in the relax-while-the-human-makes-all-the-effort department. The Japan-Germany connection is fascinating.
Thanks, Tammie! Yes, I notice a very definite thread of “hey look, I can do it by myself” in Beastie adventures… Until a long stretch of walking is called for, and then it’s all about hopping into the nearest handbag to hitch a lift! 😆 And the Beatles? Groooooooan! 😂😂😂 Cheers for stopping in!
They also seem to disappear whenever it comes time to pay for anything…pesky little freeloaders!
Hahaha! Yeah, now you mention it… 😂
How interesting re Japan! And that garden is just beautiful. I’m glad to see that EB made the most of it. He loves a nice bit of sun bathing, doesn’t he? Just tacked up my July calendar in which he promotes safe sunning practices most effectively by featuring his flawless stripes next to the bottle of sunscreen. Bring on a nice gentle autumn, I say!
Oh, I so agree! Much as I’ve been enjoying the benefits of the good weather (so much daylight!), the heat is starting to slowly melt me into a puddle here! 😆 At least EB is making the most of it… And of course, sensibly using a mid-factor sunscreen despite his lovely dark blue skin tone. Thanks for stopping by, Weekes… I hope your July calendar is filling up with lots of auditions and fun activities! 😀
Today I can even contribute something helpful to your blog. HaHa. Those beetles are Totengräber (grave digger) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burying_beetle. They are super interesting as they are true to their name and bury carcasses!
Mystery solved! Thanks, Ivonne…I just read about them from the link you included, what fascinating creatures! Although given the number of them we saw in that small area, there must have been something dead nearby! 😆
The creepiest part about this is that I only know what they are because there’s a huge colony at the nursing home my grandmother is living in. It’s kinda funny … and not.
Eeeek! Yes, I’d definitely find that disconcerting! 😲
What an adventure for Explorer Beastie. Thank you for the beautiful photographs of beautiful gardens
Thanks, Mariss! That park was so beautiful… Walking around it was the perfect start to our vacation! Cheers for joining us! 😊