Top 10 Reasons to do Boot Dusseldorf
-
- The beer. Düsseldorf is famous for its Altbier and there are, I think, five brew pubs which brew Altbier on the premises. Its taste is pure and for a reason. According to the German Brewers Federation, “unlike breweries abroad, German breweries are still not allowed to use artificial flavors, artificial colors, artificial stabilizers, enzymes, emulsifiers or preservatives. Beer brewing is still limited to the use of the four natural ingredients water, malt, hops and yeast – making it significantly more complex and demanding than in most foreign breweries.” The old town boasts the longest bar in the world, really a collection of hundreds of bars where in January we were comfortable standing outside chatting with whomever joined us at the table, with our glasses being replenished by tray bearing waiters who recorded our consumption on a coaster. Doodling on your coaster is ill advised….
- Killepitsch – Just try saying, I’m only having one… Until you buy the second or fifth one from the take out window!As the Killespitch website says, “A taste of Düsseldorf – Award winning, premium herbal liqueur, Killepitsch, has been voted by an international jury again and again as one of the “Best Spirits” in the world. Consisting of over 98 organic herbs, berries, and fruits from all over the world and ripened in ancient clay containers, Killepitsch is truly a complex burst of flavors. The recipe has been a family secret for over 70 years and continues to combine tradition with state of the art advances in the industry to conquer new markets and new generations of users. Let it convince you, as an ice-cold shot or longdrink.”
- The city with a small town feel. Friendly people. You can get by in English. Easy to get around. Reliable transport. Dusseldorf embraces Boot. Subway transportation is free with your show ticket. Seriously, where else does that happen?
- German Food. Every now again you need a meat platter for 2 that actually would feed your entire crew. Follow that with sauerbrauten, crispy goose, schnitzel, bratwurst and goulash… at least that’s what I started with. A late night spaghetti bolognese also went down well after a night of Killepitsch. And for a change, with the third largest Japanese community in Europe, authentic Japanese food is in abundance.
- Dusseldorf is the fashion capital of Germany. Did I say shopping?
- Parks, museums and theatres galore. So little time…
- You get to use google translate to figure out how to do the laundry in the all in one washer/ dryer at your air bnb. Who knew that “cupboard dry” and “fling” were laundry options?
- See everything you didn’t know existed. See things you’ve only ever read about. Seriously. I don’t just mean mega yachts but everything from production sailboats to equipment. How could I have never heard of these brands? I really do go to boat shows, follow blogs and read sailing magazines….Rob bought tools for work that he can’t get easily at home. There’s everything you want and more…. Yep, including everything you’ll never want! I’ll leave you to decide which is which. Current trends and innovations are all happening at Boot.
- Discover that sailing is actually a booming sport. In 2018 Bavaria alone had 12 sailboats there, including 5 world premiers. Many manufacturers have most of their current models at the show, so you really can make accurate comparisons. If you’re in the market for a 45 for example you can view the Bavaria 45 next to a similar competitor’s model to see for yourself the differences in quality and craftsmanship, determine which layout works better for you and make an informed decision. We think when comparing apples to apples, Bavaria comes out on top.
- It’s big. I mean really big. I was told it was big and I thought, ya ya I get it. Uh uh. I didn’t get it. 15 buildings. Your fitness tracker will explode. It is an experience. Last week I was done the Toronto show in 3 hours. It took me 3 hours just to see the Bavarias. On day three I still have a list of what I want to see and do. I won’t even get to actually doing things like scuba diving, surfing real and virtual, wakeboarding, rock climbing, kayaking, fishing, dinghy sailing…. There is something for every sailor, including miniature models made of paper. As the world largest indoor boat show with 1800 exhibitors from 70 countries it can be overwhelming and I highly recommend taking a break-day to sightsee. If you’re anything like me your brain goes numb on the third day in a row.