Day 19 - Stuttgart, Germany
Spent the morning finding lodging for a rather impromptu weekend trip to the Black Forest. It took quite a long time and we hoped the accommodations we picked would be ok. There weren’t too many choices available.
After lunch Vanessa and I headed to Stuttgart. We drove about 15 or 20 minutes to a train station. It offers all day parking for just 1 euro.
Vanessa bought tickets for our trip on the transit app. The train company is trying to get rid of all physical ticket machines, but due to pushback from tons of folks, they have postponed the ticket machine removal.
The train ride was a straight shot into downtown Stuttgart.
We got off at the station near the Markthalle Stuttgart and the pedestrian shopping area.
There was a church on the way to the market and we wanted to check out the inside. From the outside we could hear organ music. Once inside I realized it was the most amazing and unusual church organ music I had ever heard. It lasted just a few exciting and resonant minutes, then abruptly ended. As we exited we saw a poster announcing a summer organ concert series by internationally-renowned organists. Apparently we had caught a warmup session.
Just before entering the market we passed a public bathroom. That was open and free. It was very unusual but appreciated.
It was interesting and enjoyable to “window shop” at the booths in the market. There weren’t many obviously vegan baked good options, but I did get a pretzel for a euro. This was one of my “to-do in Germany” items. Even better, it was softer, fluffier, and more delicious than I expected.
We wandered toward the palace and spent the afternoon wandering up the palace grounds, essentially urban green space. There were flower gardens, fountains, ponds, and playgrounds. There was an excellent zip line that was perfect for adults as well.
Construction and random closures of the pedestrian walkways (for a special event that evening?) caused problems getting to a train station in that area. We wandered getting more frustrated as seemingly every way we could go was eventually blocked. We did make it to the station eventually and caught the train back to the car.
At home we made dinner, ate, and showered, excited for tomorrow.
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