To Stuttgart!

From Karlsruhe, I left Sabine and her aunt to head to Stuttgart. Stuttgart is the capital of the state of  Baden-Württemberg. It's famous for Swabian culture, and is a much larger city than the ones I have visited previously.  As the train from Karlsruhe pulled into the city, I was surprised at the number of sprawling hills and parks in the city.  There seemed to be a number of vineyards and small orchards too. Right off the bat this massive city seemed to have a strong connection with the outdoors. 






Stuttgart has an overwhelming number of attractions competing for tourist attention. Driven by my love of automobiles (ha ha ha), I was inclined to start visit at one of their famed manufacturers museums.  I ended up choosing Mercedes over Porsche, and though I wish I could have seen both, the Mercedes museum was awesome! The building itself had really impressive sleek lines like the cars it houses.   It was only  €8 to get in.  Once inside, it was a "barriers free" museum, so there was nothing behind glass or ropes.  The museum unconventional museum setup also featured a number of cool exhibits like full-size concept cars "driving" horizontally on the walls.  It was a really modern and creative atmosphere that lent a special sort of wonder to me as a visitor.  I ended my wandering self-tour with the racing car simulator.  It was an additional €4, but was the highlight of my visit.  Here is a link to a video I took while waiting for my turn in the exhilarating simulator:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjOpruFaISQ 

I found myself starving after my trip to the Mercedes-Benz museum. I made my way downtown to visit famed Cafe Stella.  Along the way, I got to see a plethora of amazing street art displays.  

This one in particular was in a parking garage I cut through. The attention to detail was phenomenal. 

A chalk artist right outside of Cafe Stella.

I arrived at Cafe Stella to find a warm little building with a noisy, bubbly atmosphere.  I sat with an older local couple, who proudly told me that they had been regulars at Cafe Stella for nearly 20 years (though the Cafe has been running for over 30). I told them about my trip so far and the neat things I had seen in Stuttgart that morning. As they shared my interest in art, they suggested a few more local attractions to visit.  


Cafe Stella is substantially fancier than the cafes I have been visiting so far on my trips.  They have a menu that changes daily, but features everything from traditional Swabian cuisine to Asian and Mediterranean dishes.  I ended up choosing to eat their Rindfleisch Gemüse Curry for €8,90 and treating myself to a few cups of much-needed coffee.  I thanked the couple I had shared the meal with and headed on to see more of the city.  





Fun fact: though I couldn't find any cat-related attractions in Stuttgart, there is a cat who has nearly 50,000 likes on the page her owner created.  Apparently the cat has suffered a litany of medical issues, but is really cute.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Feli-The-Cat/377642285597996

After such a fast paced day in the city, I decided to end my day on a more mellow note with a visit to Schloss Solitude.  It was completed in 1769 under Duke Karl Eugen and is in fact, not an actual castle.  It is definied as more of a palace (a grand residence) and is built in a Rococo style.  This means that the architects were heavily inclined to use pastel colors, intricate details, arches and asymmetrical lines.  The building gets its name from its original purpose - to be a secluded hunting lodge where the Duke could spend peaceful hours reflecting.  From the turn of the century to the 1960's, Schloss Solitude was a finishing point for hill races.  At the height of its popularity, the races would draw crowds of nearly 300,000 people. Currently, the building houses students.

I am exhausted from my adventures today... bis morgen!