20 things about leaving Dusseldorf

Twenty things about 

leaving Dusseldorf...

Given the fact I leave Dusseldorf in six days I felt it was time I made a list of things that I will love and hate about leaving. This partly sums up my reasons for my mixed feelings. Some of you may read these and understand but others of you might not. It took me a lot longer to write the things I won’t miss so I think it shows which way I am swaying with those mixed feelings.  Also, I have probably forgotten a fair few things but I wrote this in twenty minutes. Enjoy!

10 things I will miss about living in Dusseldorf:

1. The transport to and from anywhere. Trains, buses and trams everywhere!
2. The Alstadt and people partying til 7am, also the fact that it is legal to drink on the streets!
3. Forcing myself to drink beer because it’s the cheapest thing to buy…after a couple of vodkas of course!
4. Its proximity to Cologne which isn’t half bad for gigs. 30 minutes on a RE train however a lot longer on a slower one.
5. Walking by the Rhine at night, seeing the bridges and the tower lit up.
6. The lack of hills – it is basically entirely flat. I don’t like hills and Winchester has a lot of them.
7. Getting ridiculously drunk before campus parties and walking home at 5am even when the parties were rubbish, but the alcohol making it seem amazing. Student parties are nothing like ones at student unions in England, especially at Winchester - depending on the crowd they can get pretty crazy!
8. Being right on campus and having a 2 minute walk to lectures and an even less walk to the campus restaurant which sells 3 euro pizza.
9. Happy Hour on jumbo cocktails…but ‘hour’ meaning basically all day until 8/9pm.
10. Feeling safe walking around at pretty much any time of the day.

10 things I won’t miss about living in Dusseldorf

1. Feeling bad when I don’t speak German...okay feeling ridiculously stupid when I don't speak German.
2. The fear of being fined when crossing the road before it goes green. Yes I know someone who has actually been fined - it happens.
3. The weird organisation of the university. The do-it-all-on-your-own attitudes they have been brought up with.
4.  The amount of homeless people I see. It really upsets me and I always wish I could do something for them.
5. The price of drinking vodka on a night out…I like it too much. Oh, and some of the perverted foreign men on a night out. 
6. The temptation of all the different foods and places to eat. I am a big food person.
7. The weird smell that always seems to hover about. Anyone else know what I mean?
8. The horrific view and noise from my window. They have been building the entire time I have been here; always greeted by about a dozen buildings in the morning.
9. Having to walk and get  a tram to Real (local supermarket)when I always buy too much food and complain carrying it home. I have learnt to suffer in silence now though.
10. The amount of distractions there are. Will be weirdly nice to get back to Winchester where it takes a lot to get me out my house…most boring and dull place ever.