MIKE AND JESS' TRAVEL DIARY
Netherlands and West Germany Trip
Day 9 - December 9 2023
Written by Mike:
Today was our last full day in Dortmund. Unfortunately we still weren’t feeling 100%, so we took the morning slowly. We originally planned to visit Essen today to see their “International Christmas Market.” We even started our way toward the train station when we thought better of it. Even though it was only a 25-minute train ride each way, we decided to save our energy, especially with the football (soccer) match in the evening.
Before our trip, Jessica read about the way many Burussia Dortmand (that’s the name of their football team) fans like to enjoy match days. And that’s to enjoy some beers in town before walking to the stadium. So, instead of leaving town, we made the tough decision to sit around and drink beer.
On the way to get food and beer, we made a detour so Mike could get a little more video of the Christmas Markets. We’re not sure if everyone was out because it was a Saturday, a match day or both, but the markets were slammed. The Christmas Markets are better when there’s a crowd, but this was pushing the limit. We’re thankful we got plenty of Gluhwein and market food here in Dortmund over the last couple of days. So we kept going to the restaurant Jessica found, Zum Alten Markt, a restaurant serving traditional German food.
What we didn’t quite realize when we decided to try to get food and beer at Zum Alten Markt is that it was adjacent to one of the Chistmas Markets, so it was of course really, really, really, really ***deep breathe*** really busy. But we weren’t deterred. So we stepped into the 2-story mad-house. We found there weren’t any hosts/hostesses to help you find a seat and instead it was a first-come, first-serve situation. Just as the realization set in, a group of people dashed past us to claimed a table that was being vacated. Oh well. Luck would have it that shortly afterward a pair of ladies were getting up from their table nearby and we were able to swoop in. It felt a little awkward standing really close to the table even while they were still collecting their coats and bags, but that’s how the game is played. They didn’t seem bothered, but maybe they were. It doesn’t matter, because we managed to snag a table in this wildly busy place.
It didn’t take long before we decided what to order. In fact we probably knew before we got there. We may have known before we woke up that morning. Because we were definitely ordering fried pork knuckle and schnitzel before we left Germany.
To wash it all down we ordered a couple large hefeweizens. Followed by a couple more large beers. Afterall, we had 90 minutes or so to kill before we started our walk to the football stadium.
After finishing our beers we stood up to leave and unsurprisingly people were very eager to claim our table. If Jessica had been a beat slower, a lady may have just sat in her lap. We made a quick stop at the hotel we started our 30+ minute walk to the stadium.
Just as Jessica read before the trip, many other people were walking to the stadium as well. On the way to the stadium we were reminded that drinking in public is OK. Feeling it would be rude let the dozens of other people drink alone, we dipped into a kiosk (corner store) for a couple beers. We noticed the kiosk because of the numerous other people doing the same thing. There were 2 employees and 1 of them was dedicated to popping the tops off beer bottles for people.
Beer in-hand we continued our walk to the stadium, with the herd of fans growing larger the closer we got. We had to go into different lines to get a pat-down by security before getting into the stadium.
We made a stop at the fan shop, so Mike could get a new hat. Then we made our way to the seats. Just kidding. We stopped for more beer and a sausage.
We nearly hit our heads on the roof getting into our seats near the top of the stadium, however, we were pleasantly surprised that we didn’t feel far from the pitch. We’ve been to a some arenas were the upper decks are so steep that it’s quite uncomfortable if you don’t enjoy heights, like Jessica. The photos won’t reflect it, but it was so easy to follow the match and see everything as it unfolded.
Borussia Dortmund lost 2-3, but the atmosphere was fantastic and there was a ton of energy from the home crowd when their team scored. Mike can’t wait to do it again.
We got back to the hotel around 9 PM. Even though we had time for the Christmas Markets, we didn’t dare try to navigate the crowds after seeing how busy they were in that afternoon. Instead we called it quits for the day and get ready for another travel day tomorrow. Frankfurt, our last stop, is up next.