Six places that will take you on a trip around the world

With the best conscience through space and time 

Do you also get wanderlust at regular intervals? Although the airport in Düsseldorf is very close, many a longing place seems to be just out of reach. But there is land in sight. Düsseldorf has an unbelievable number of places that will whisk you away to the four corners of the earth in no time at all. The advantages are obvious. First, you travel climate neutrally, on foot or by bike. Secondly, you can visit several continents in a single day, and thirdly, without any jet lag. Fourth: You not only cross space, but also overcome time. Many of the international locations still exude the charm of days gone by. But now let's go. You will experience your blue miracle. That's a promise. 

Ilha Formosa  

Portuguese sailors called it Ilha Formosa, the beautiful island, when they discovered it. In some European languages, this name has stuck for Taiwan, the island nation 180 kilometers east of China. But, to be honest, the restaurant on Charlottenstrasse has little of a beautiful island at first glance. Its brittle charm is best justified by its much-vaunted authenticity: Lanterns dangle from the eaves, a hometown station plays on the television, and the furnishings are rather sparse and utilitarian. But as soon as one of the sumptuous beef soups with wide noodles and pak choi hits the table, or the aroma of one of the spicy lu rou fan dishes (braised pork with rice) fills the small eatery, the famous rice noodles danzaimian wander out of the kitchen, followed by a mangguobing, the delicious mango ice cream, you find yourself in a kingdom of culinary delights. And suddenly Ilha Formosa is an island after all. A place of pleasure with like-minded people, including many Taiwanese, that is buffeted by the traffic of the station district, waiting to be discovered by even more people.  

Cologne street  

You miss the bustle of Marrakech's Djemaa el-Fna, the legendary square of the jugglers? Admittedly, the most famous square in North Africa is inimitably colorful, and in Düsseldorf the public order office would probably quickly put a stop to the snake charms. But a touch of North Africa also surrounds the Oberbilker Markt, where Ellerstrasse merges with Kölner Strasse. The latter in particular is ideal for a stroll: Spice stores alternate with greengrocers, tajines stand next to dried fruit, in between kebab skewers and textile merchants offering scarves and tunics. Düsseldorfers affectionately call their multicultural mile the Kö of Oberbilk, and even Michelin-starred chef Anthony Sarpong regularly stops by from Meerbusch to get new inspiration.

Japanese garden 

In the most northwestern corner of the Nordpark, where the park is at its quietest and most tranquil, is a jewel of a special kind - the "Japanese Garden on the Rhine". The so-called Garden of Reflection measures over 5,000 square meters, and if one follows Far Eastern mythology, then every tree and pond, every stone and spring here has a deeper symbolic meaning. The garden was planned and laid out in the 1970s by Japanese garden and landscape architect Iwakii Ishiguro and his son Shojiro. Since then, the trees, mostly pines and Japanese fan maple, have been pruned in the traditional manner. The topiary gives the black pines, for example, a filigree, cloud-like structure. Especially beautiful: the four stone lanterns, traditional stone carvings made of natural stone. Our tip: A sushi picnic on one of the stone benches by the pond will transport you to the land of the rising sun in no time.  

Magazine Ardealul 

No, it's not garlic chains that are on sale in Ardealul magazine, the small Transylvanian supermarket. According to legend, they are supposed to ward off vampires. But the eerie bloodsuckers are hardly to be reckoned with here at Färberstrasse 104 in Bilk, some 1800 kilometers from Transylvania. And so the magazine Ardealul, whose name can be translated into German as "Siebenbürger Laden," focuses on a varied selection of foods that are appreciated in this Romanian region. Such as: spicy sausage, similar to a salami, cured meat and mici, the Romanian version of cevapcici. For the sweet tooth, in addition to cakes with cream filling and chocolate chips, a special specialty is on hand that generations of children in Romania have grown up with: "Eugenia" an elongated double cookie wrapped in colorful foil with a chocolatey filling. However, Romanian adults prefer to stick to "Grasă de Cotnari," a sweet white dessert wine, after their meal. If that's not strong enough for you, you'll also find an original Romanian brandy on the shelves in the form of Alexandrion. 

Takagi 

It is the oldest Japanese bookstore outside Japan: Takagi has been on Immermannstrasse since 1974. Before it was founded, Japanese daily newspapers were still imported by airmail at great expense. The need in Düsseldorf was great, the local Japanese community longed for news and literature from their homeland, and so the parents of today's owner, Yurie Takagi, went into the bookselling business. In the first decades, Takagi was primarily a meeting place for Japanese - for example, a Japanese radio station also provided them with daily news here. In the second generation, under the management of Yurie Takagi and Stefan Böhm, the store became a contact point for an international fan community of Japanese pop culture, especially anime and manga. Since then, crochet, knitting and origami enthusiasts, kimono and calligraphy hobbyists, and Japanese model-making enthusiasts have found what they are looking for here, as have those interested in languages and culture. Takagi has been soothing the homesickness of the local Japanese for almost five decades - and your wanderlust along with it. 

Thai massages  

Even if your last trip to Southeast Asia was a while ago, there is a way to get back there in the blink of an eye. Make your way to one of the relevant Thai massage studios and let yourself be carried away by the mixture of scents, which is characterized by ylang-ylang massage oil as well as ginger tea or simmering jasmine rice. In every district of Düsseldorf there are now relevant wellness institutes where you can escape the Western European hectic for an hour or two. Whether with or without oil, with herbal stamps, as a partner experience or quite classically - from around 40 euros per hour you are on the journey to relaxation. The advantage: once you've found the Thai therapist of your choice, no return flight can thwart your permanent subscription to bliss.

Title image: Düsseldorf Tourism