Stuttgart, Deutschland. Monday, 23rd May, 2016
Out of bed at 06:00, set off at 09:00. Walked with out host and good friend, Mr. Salgarkar to Vaihinger Strasse Stadt Bahn station, in a very light drizzle. Had to cross the road, just outside the station. Mr. Salgarkar advised us to press a small, yellow panel fixed to the signal post on the sidewalk, for the traffic to stop and allow pedestrians to cross along the zebra! A unique system! On the platform, he also showed us how to purchase tickets. We boarded a U-2 and headed in the direction of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof. Mr. Salgarkar alighted at a station in between, we continued on our way. Urmila and I spoke about how helpful he was and how hospitable the family was.
At Arnulf-Klett-Platz (Hauptbahnhof) we asked for directions to the main platforms; and before we walked to them, halted at McDonald's for a quick bite. Enjoyed chicken burger with coffee. That done, we purchased two blocks of Ritter Sport, our favourite chocolate; and a packet of Skittles. The train left Stuttgart on the dot at 10:18 and was soon speeding in the direction of Heidelberg. The countryside viewed from the upper deck of the train was simply delightful, though the continuous pitter-patter marred the journey somewhat. Relished the Ritter Sport during the journey while continuing to admire the countryside.
Reached our destination at 11:49 and climbed up to the station, to exit. Found the tourist information office just outside the station, where we purchased tickets for the funicular that would take us to the castle. The helpful lady at the counter advised us that as we had the Baden-Wurttemberg day ticket, there was no need to buy separate tickets for the local transport of Heidelberg.
Boarded bus no. 33 which took us through the charming town right up to the funicular station. The town had a wonderful, cosy feel to it , in spite of the continuous drizzle and the cold. A three-minute ride on the funicular - our second on this trip, the first being at Interlaken in Switzerland - saw us at the approach to the castle.
The castle itself was not very impressive, but the views of the heavenly town from the top were nothing short of spectacular! The rain which was continuously falling, albeit as a light drizzle, was the only spoil-sport. The vista would have been better and the visit enhanced manifold, had the day been bright, sunny and warm.
We walked to the courtyard of the castle with the feeling of having travelled back in time; and down into the wine cellar, which also housed a restaurant. There we sampled sweet wine - rather expensive at Euro 8,00; but of top quality. Retraced our way to the funicular with halts on the way at souvenir shops. Then back to Heidelberg Bahnhof by bus no. 33.
Lunched at 'Thai Gourmet', at the station. Ate 'Chicken Orange', comprising fried chicken with orange sauce and noodles, served on a plate; and 'Box no. 30' comprising baked chicken and noodles, served in a colourful paper cup (reminded us of Vienna; 2014). I tried German tinned beer which was good, but not as good as 'Rugen Brau' can at Interlaken. That done, we whiled away our time stepping into different shops, Urmila sipping coffee from a thick plastic cup. We also admired kids and babies in prams! The cold had increased with the chilly winds blowing strongly. We longed to descend to platform no. 5 and occupy seats in the train to Stuttgart, scheduled to depart at 16:10. The train arrived at 15:50 and we promptly boarded it, finding comfortable seats on the upper deck. It left on the dot and also arrived at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof on the dot.
Exited the station (it was pretty cold here too) and descended to the U-Bahn platform to catch the metro to Vaihinger Strasse. A brief ride saw us alight at our stop and we walked into Lidl supermarket, just adjacent to the station, close to the Salgarkars' home. Noted that Ritter Sport was available for the very attractive price of Euro 1,09 and planned our next day's (the last day at Stuttgart) purchases. Also purchased an ice-cream pack for the Salgarkars. Discussed our visit and many other things over dinner - prawn masala, chapati and veg. pulao - delicious! Booked the Baden-Wurttemberg day ticket for tomorrow, online. Hope we have better weather as we have planned a long-distance visit to Triberg - a visit that would take the entire day; tomorrow.
It is now 22:08 and I am off to sleep.
