So I recently had the opportunity to travel to Rüsselsheim, Germany for a week and it was a very interesting experience. I’d technically been to Europe before (in Turkey) but if I’m being honest this was my first proper trip to Europe (and thus my first time traveling to Germany).
Most of my time was spent in the town of Rüsselsheim, a suburb of Frankfurt, which is where the Opel engineering center is located – this seemingly random fact is relevant because I went there for work (aka meetings) with the Opel engineering team.
Rüsselsheim is very much a “automotive company town” and it certainly feels like it while you are walking around, got a bit of a Detroit vibe with all the graffiti, auto displays, and car advertisements. There is even a Opel Mausoleum!
Two things I learned pretty quickly:
- My corporate AmEx card was pretty much useless – I don’t think it was accepted anywhere in Rüsselsheim. Luckily I had cash, and cash is always king (along with VISA).
- It’s very easy to walk anywhere you need to go. Each morning before work I picked a new direction and mapped out a meandering route that led from my hotel to the Opel offices, great way to wander and see a new part of the city every day.
I was fortunate and able to spend the only non-rainy night of the week with some colleagues exploring Frankfurt. Even though I was only there for a few hours it was still a memorable experience, I particularly liked the blend of old and new architecture styles. Like Rüsselsheim it’s very easy to walk around and it being still somewhat cold in early March I found it to not be very crowded at all.
