Day 109: Rest Day in Düsseldorf

August 21, 2025

Day 109: Rest Day in Düsseldorf

Yesterday, I met up with Joe at Carlsplatz Markt where we had coffee and juice. I wanted to thank him for servicing my bike so we also went for lunch at a restaurant called Soupday. We reminisced about the college days and chatted about the German culture. I learned that when moving to an apartment in Germany you have to bring your own appliances, such as a refrigerator, a dish washer, etc since nothing is furnished. I found that to be weird.

I came back to Jan’s apartment after meeting with Joe and had some time to myself. I decided to look at the job market in Germany and applied for a couple of jobs. I also updated some webpages on my website, especially the Resources page. It felt like a real rest day where I just relaxed.

Around 5:40 PM, I went out again and met up with another friend named Diego. I met him in Seoul, South Korea, about two years ago when I was backpacking in Asia. We decided to have Korean food at Korea Haus, not too far from Soupday.

Diego was impressed by my bike tour and asked me all kinds of questions. I was glad to see him because he just came back from vacation the day before and was able to meet me.

After dinner, we went to a shop that sold a Chinese dessert called Bingtanghulu. It’s hawthorn berries on a stick coated with hardened sugar syrup. I used to eat it when I was a child and I was surprised to see them in Germany.

Diego and I took a walk in Hofgarten then we parted at the promenade where he had to catch a train back to his place.

After I came back to Jan’s apartment I was exhausted. When Jan came back from his yoga classes we chatted a bit more before I went to bed.

This morning, I bid farewell to Jan when he had to go to work early in the morning. I will get packing then have breakfast before riding to Dortmund.