One of the best things about living in this corner of Germany is carnival (Karneval).

Though carnival might be most closely associated with cities like Rio de Janiero, it’s still widely celebrated across Germany’s Rhineland – with Dusseldorf, Cologne and Mainz considered the three main ‘strongholds.’

So this year, I got to experience my very first Karneval in Dusseldorf – here are a few things I learned.

1. Berliners are a big part of Karneval celebrations

Kicking off Karneval in November at work

Berliners (that’s a jam donut to you and me) are a bit part of kicking off the Karneval celebrations (don’t ask me why). Karneval officially begins on 11 November at 11:11 but the real partying doesn’t start until the week before Shrove Tuesday.

Both “starts” are marked by Berliners and wine. Not too shabby.

1. 11 is a recurring theme

The number eleven crops up a lot in…