Something I cant quite describe makes me keep going back to Duisburg.
Now, back in Spain and after a memorable week in Germany and Holland, I ve rescued this extract from my diary. It is already some months old but let me tell you that first impressions do last =)

November 2011

"Days go by, paperwork piles up on my desk and exams draw nearer, but somehow I always manage to devote some time to travelling. So many rewarding experiences compacted in short trips! For educational and social purposes, travelling can easily lead the way. But while these goals may abruptly dilute in some trips, travelling still holds an amazing potential for crafting new and innovative ideas…

Today I am just recopiling some impressions of my last trip to Germany which was supposed to last for 72 hours but ended up in a 3 week stay in some wonderful cities: Duisburg and Frankfurt.

Events did not turn out as planned and I was given the two sided news that I would be stranded in Germany for an unpredictable period of time (most probably a couple of weeks). With no passport to cross the border, my mind had no other option but to abide by the idea. Germany! Not that it was my first time in the country but surely the first time I was compelled to stay with no previous plans whatsover. Reasons that are not worth mentioning in this chronicle set my new coordenates in the West, and so I spent 48 hs in Frankfurt before settling down in Duisburg.

The only time I had visited Duisburg had not been extremely memorable, just a lightening business trip for a couple of hours on a super busy weekend. So I was a bit unsure about what to expect. Oh I can´t believe reviews do not make justice to such a beautiful city. How can someone fall in love in a city whose language and culture are completely incomprehensible? I don’t know. But I did. I simply fell in love with Duisburg.

Koningstrasse is the backbone of the city centre which extends from the Train Station to the river/riverside. Magazines follow one another on what seems to be a neverending avenue…for a couple of blocks, the joy of consumption can easily be satisfied. Globalization plays its part here so there is no point in going into details. Shops, plus shops plus more shops…similar to the ones you can find in almost every German city: Mac Paper, Rosenthal, Starbucks, H&M, so on.

The city centre, though similar to many others, still retains some Duisburg-ish characteristcs: the old Opera near City Palais, and a couple of kitsch sculpture which I personally don´t like but consider them useful to find my way around: such as the Michelin like man at the entrance of Deutsch Bank and the rosy cheek David on the corner of the main park facing Kaufhof galleries.

One of my favourite “parcours” is trying some fresh fruit from the street market while browsing second hand books at local bookstores…nothing compares to the frustrating pleasure of examining books in German and trying to work out what the words mean, especially when it comes to medecine or noveaux romans. An extra plus the city has is the inspiring music from street musicians that enlightens the urban atmosphere…Hungarian violas and violins tangling together in complex melodies!"