We wanted to get away for the weekend, so a couple nights in Düsseldorf sounded awesome. It’s a very modern city; lots of chic restaurants, bars and shopping. We got on a train early on Friday, worked for the couple of hours that we could, and arrived in the late afternoon.
On our first full day, we took a short train ride down south to Schloss Benrath, an estate and palace where the benefactors of artists such as Mozart lived. The grounds were large, but the palace inside was actually pretty stunning; there was some very unique ornamentation (devilish goat sconces!) and a ceiling unlike anything I’d ever seen. The cherub softly pulled back a blanket to reveal the heavens beyond. It felt like a Michelangelo or Bernini sculpture, where the marble looks soft and pliable. I was really amazed by it.
Later that day, we visited one of the art museums after walking around a bit and getting a couple glasses of wine in the Aldstadt or old town. The art museum had a stunning Mondrian exhibit.
On Sunday, our final day, we visited the other main art museum; the only really memorable experience was the In Orbit where you put on a jumpsuit and climbed around a netted structure way high off the ground. It was an experiential art piece and also a very cool thing to have done! I was proud of Stéphane for overcoming his fear of heights.
