Me and North Rhine-Westphalia

What is the capital of Noordrhien-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia)?
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Dortmund          Düsseldorf          Essen          Köln (Cologne)

This is a map of Germany's states.

Source: By Korny78 – Own work. Selbst gezeichnet., CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1843666

                   This is just Nordrhein-Wetfalen. 

I couldn’t answer even though I’ve been to North Rhine Westphalia four times.  Quiz Club offered me a 50/50 chance, and I took it! I’ll give it to you too. It’s either –  

Düsseldorf          Köln or Cologne

What do you think?
I guessed Köln, but I was wrong. It’s Düsseldorf! I’ve never been there, not once. 
 ​Part 2 – Fun Facts about Düsseldorf
1. North Rhine-Westphalia has more people than any other state in Germany, but Düsseldorf is the 2nd biggest city, and its capital.
2. ‘Dorf’ means village in German. It’s a funny name for a HUGE city.
​3. The biggest city in North Rhine-Westphalia is Köln. I can say Cologne, but not Köln. I just can’t do vowels with double dots, and we don’t have that sound in English.
4. Düsseldorf is the sixth best city IN THE world to live in.
5. Its airport is the 3rd busiest in Germany. Frankfurt and Munich are busier.

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Picture Source: By Ingo Valentin< - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3196930

6. Düsseldorf is an international business and financial center. It’s known for its fashion and trade fairs.
7. It’s also known for its Rhenish Carnival. It’s in 3rd place behind Köln and Mainz. Do you know what a Rhenish Carnival is? Think ‘Carnival . . .’ In the US we call it Mardi Gras!
Source: https://quizzclub.com/games/bonus/which-city-is-the-capital-of-the-german-state-of-north-rhine-westphalia/answer/463750/

​  Part 3 – My Favorite Place in Germany

​Find Münster and Osnabrück on the map. My favorite place is in-between. Lengerich is 18 miles north-east of Münster. It’s 9 miles south-west of Osnabrück. I love both cities, but not as much as Lengerich.

Lengerich and my hometown Wapakoneta, are sister cities. I discovered Lengerich in 2007 when I chaperoned a sister cities trip for my son and his classmates. I didn’t know then, that my life would never be the same again.

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I found two photos on the internet of Lengerich, and I’ve been to both.

This is a Fachwerkhaus. That’s German for half-timbered house, and it’s their traditional style home. Half- timber comes from its wooden frame.

This Fachwerkhaus isn’t a home anymore. It’s a store with a parking lot.
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The address – Im Hook 5. I’ve sent letters to a friend who lives on this street. Back in 2007 I would never have dreamed I’d have a German friend.

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​This is the Gatehouse from Lengerich. It’s called the Römer, and it’s one of the places Lengerich Sister Cities loves to share.

The gate was built by the Romans when the Empire was alive and well. It’s incredible to stand beside a structure that’s probably 1000 years older than our country.

I’ve walked through the Römer, but I’ve never been inside. It looks like a Fachwerkhaus.
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Back when I walked through Lengerich that first time, I never dreamed of writing. I was a wife, a mom, and a teacher. Writing wasn’t on my radar, but I’ll share that story in another post. 

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