Stuttgart, Deutschland. Wednesday, 11th May 2022.
It is 08:47. We are readying to go out, after breakfast. Plan to be in the city today - visit Markthalle; a beer garden with views of the city;; and Birkenkopf, another spot situated at a height, offering reportedly great views of Stuttgart. When one mentions 'Germany', one hardly thinks of Stuttgart as a tourist's paradise. It is seen more as an industrial city, boasting a few of the big names in the engineering industry. It is also a popular destination among Indian students. However, it is the place to head to if one is an automobile enthusiast (for automobile museums)or a lover of chocolate(for the Ritter Sport factory cum chocolate shop at Waldenbuch)! If one wants to take it easy yet enjoy being in a modern city with top class infrastructure, then Stuttgart is the place! More later...
It is now 15:45. Had a packed morning, a bit strenuous at times but rewarding too. Left the hotel at 09:45 after relishing breakfast. The Gruppe Tage Fahrkarte (Group day ticket) is very handy. Caught the U-bahn train U12 from right outside our hotel (Hampton by Hilton, Budapester Platz, just one station away from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof) and enjoyed the ride to Charlottenplatz. Exited the underground station, to be greeted at the surface by a familiar sight - broad roads, cobbled pavements, glittering buildings and the mandatory church. All in bright sunshine under a cloudless sky. Turned into a side street to our right and walked slowly towards Markthalle, which turned out to be a wonderfully laid out market selling everything under the sun; housed inside a charming old two-storeyed building; and spread out on the ground and first floors. The market was rectangular in shape, with the shops arranged in neat rows and columns. On the ground floor was all edible stuff - fruit, vegetables, packaged items, bakery products, frozen foods, etc. Each shop was spic-n-span, neatly arranged. I found Lady Gray Tea at a stall, but it was in powder form, not in tea bags, which I wanted! The entire setting was pleasant - bright and colourful. We took our time examining every shop. To my delight, I spotted the elusive cherries at a wonderfully laid out fruit stall. The fruit seller said that the cherries were imported from Spain. The fruit was big and dark red; and looked quite inviting! Purchased a few and weren't disappointed at all. On the first floor were arranged items of domestic use, non-edible. The entire experience was wonderful! It is always a pleasure visiting a local market, in Europe.
Before exiting, we went onto the balcony on the first floor, to take in the serene surroundings - tree-lined avenues, sprawling gardens, magnificent constructions !
Walked back to Charlottenplatz. Boarded the metro U5 to Marienplatz. Exiting the station, we once again marvelled at the setting - buildings with old world charm rubbing shoulders with modern shops and restaurants, tree-lined avenues used by people in colourful attire laughing and talking excitedly, not to mention eating and drinking. Also spotted a 'train station' with a track going uphill and guessed it must be the funicular. Stuttgart is an interesting city with a wonderful layout - spread out on hills and in the valley between!
Following Google, we started walking up a slope. It was noon and for the first time on this trip, we felt hot; and to my utter surprise, were perspiring slightly! Not the ideal conditions to walk up a slope - certainly not in Europe - but little did we know what was to follow! After labouring for approximately 150 metres, Google advised us to turn left. There was no road shown on the map, so we expected a dirt track or something. What we had come to was a flight of stairs! Urmila was already a bit tired and groaned at the prospect of a strenuous climb! I was in no mood to give up (having come this far, the beer garden with city views was too tempting to miss!); and kept on. She had no choice but to follow! Of course, I took care to ascend very slowly. After three flights of stairs, we came to a metalled road, running perpendicular. Across the road were more flights of stairs! Wow! Urmila asked me to go on alone and said that she would wait there. I would have nothing of it and resumed the climb.
Another three or four flights of stairs! At the top, we asked a gentleman the way forward and he pointed to yet another flight of stairs! Groan!! However, he must have sensed our mood, because he then pointed to a narrow path leading upwards and advised us to follow it. We took his advise and within seven minutes, were at the beer garden, having come up a serpentine path that allowed us views of the city as we climbed higher. The views of Stuttgart from the top were amazing and worth the effort!
The beer garden offered outdoor seating - true to its name - and one could sit, sip and take in the lovely vistas under huge umbrellas erected to keep away the sun. We ordered a 0.5 litre Keller draft, one cappuccino; and a slice of apricot cake. There was no lunch menu! Sipped our individual drinks, relishing the views and getting rid of the fatigue caused by the climb.
After half an hour or so, we began the descent back to Marienplatz. This was easy of course and we were back at the Marienplatz Bahnhof in a jiffy. Spotted the bright yellow coloured funicular at its station and decided to give it a go. Its destination was Degerloch; and after ascertaining from the driver that our ticket was valid on that line, we rode it to Degerloch. The track, with the motorable road alongside, was curving and climbing, affording us more wonderful views of the sprawling city! There were stately constructions by the side of the road, nestling in abundant verdure; at times we passed by entire housing colonies so spic-n-span that comparison with India was inevitable!
Reached our destination and found that the U-Bahn station was right adjacent to the funicular station. The former was served by the U12 line, that went directly to Budapester Platz, the station where our hotel was located. This was a direct route to our hotel. Left the funicular station and went down to the U-Bahn platform, pausing on the way at a supermarket to buy biscuits and drinks for the evening/morrow. A comfortable ride saw us back at our hotel, within twenty minutes! Plan to visit an Indian restaurant for dinner, tonight. Narrowed down on one called 'Prince of India', near my favourite area of Olgaeck.
Missed mentioning that after the visit to Markthalle this morning, we travelled by the metro U5 from Charlottenplatz to Olgaeck. Walked along the sloping road under a hot sun ( I love this area of Stuttgart!) and this was perhaps the reason for Urmila's tiredness on the ascent to the beer garden. We walked on along the clean road, admiring the surroundings - buildings with old world charm, tree-lined roads branching off the main road on either side - till the next train station of Dobbelstrasse, a delightful two-platform station, on a slope, directly accessible from the road on either side! Caught the first train that arrived, to Charlottenplatz where we changed trains for Marienplatz, as mentioned earlier.
As decided, we left the hotel at approximately 17:45 for 'Prince of India'. M12 to my favourite Olgaeck, where I clicked a couple of snaps in the evening sun. Walked along Urbanstrasse, a verdant, serene and peaceful avenue branching off the main road. Dined on Chicken Curry, Mixed Veg with rice, plain naan and masala papad. Quite good ! The restaurant had a cozy feel to it, too. Walked back to the station in the late evening sunshine and returned to Hampton by Hilton by the same route. Collected tea and creamer sachets, sugar sachets from the restaurant on the first floor; back to our room.
It is now 20:56. need to sleep early. Leaving for Munich tomorrow morning !
