Stuttgart: Land of Cars and Car People

Oh hey Germany. A quick train ride from Zurich and I've found myself in the land of cars, efficiency, and beer. What's not to love. I do wish that my lovely travel companion was here with me, but Alysa departed from Zurich to enjoy time at home with her (and my) family. We would've given Germany a run for its money. This is your warning, dear reader - instead of Alysa's eloquent flowery writing, you'll have to put up with just me and my half-witticisms for the next week. Stick with me.

 

 

 

where my partner in crime should be sitting

After a hug goodbye at the airport, I jetted off to Stuttgart. I'm lucky that my time in Stuttgart was planned by a personal trip advisor of sorts, so it was destined to be a home run :) After a stroll down the main drag of Stuttgart, I quickly set my sights on the Mercedes-Benz museum. Stuttgart is known for their ties to the automobile industry, as both Mercedes and Porsche are located here. Every girl's dream, right? :)

"To the beer garden". How can you not love Germany.

The main strip of Stuttgart, Königstrasse

The striking Mercedes Benz museum

The museum building itself was stunning. Visitors are shuttled to the top to see the oldest artifacts, like the first automobile and the first motorcycle. I learned so much about Daimler and Benz and how they separately invented automobiles, decades before Henry Ford was around, and eventually merged. Mercedes got its name because a Benz car dealer wanted to create the fastest car out there, and he named everything important to him after his daughter Mercedes. The oldest Mercedes in existence is showcased here, all lit up. Cars started to be designed with style and luxury in the roaring twenties when women started driving. You're welcome, guys.

The first automobile

Me and the oldest Mercedes in existence

The first motorcycle

I also saw a few famous cars, like the Pope Mobile and Princess Diana's car (which she had to give up after the Brits criticized her for driving). The museum went through the history of their cars with respect to what was going on in the world, like WWII, the oil crisis, and alternative energy exploration. I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that there were many women in this museum, much less single females wandering around, but it was so cool. It was potentially my favorite museum of the trip. I guess those years of mechanical engineering school have finally gotten to me.

The Pope Mobile

 

 

After the museum I continued my stroll down the Main Street, which felt very typical to Germany - wide, pedestrian only, and covered in big name shops and restaurants. I helped myself to falafel for lunch, which is huge in Germany (thanks to them Turks) and happened across a cute, classy German restaurant for dinner. I was sitting quietly by myself at the end of one of those long German tables, but not for long. I made friends with two Italians sitting near me, who work in consulting for the automotive industry. I suppose it would make sense that I'd easily find auto engineers in Stuttgart. I enjoyed hearing about the German auto industry compared to the Italian counterpart. They both had worked for Maserati and Lamborghini like it was no big deal. They also told me that I need to visit Bologna and central Italy because "northern Italians think with their head, southern with their heart, and central with both". If everyone from central Italy is as friendly and interesting as they were, I'm convinced. After they offered me a job several times, enjoyed espressos, and paid for my meal, we parted ways.

 

On my way home I stumbled across a poppin student bar that was clearly the place for university kids to be on a Saturday night. Since I need to be social or go crazy in the next week, I stopped in. Within minutes I was welcomed into a big group of friends who were birthday partying. They all chipped in to buy the birthday boy a pair of lederhosen for Oktoberfest and presented them to him at the bar, haha. They were so much fun. I knew I was at a local spot when everyone I met looked utterly surprised to hear that I was "on holiday". I went with the crew to another popular hangout and had to laugh when half of the group carted their drinks with them, bottles, glasses and all. Heck no to open container laws. It was a really fun evening and I was proud of myself for having a social Saturday night on my own.

The next morning I did a bit more wandering and ventured to the top of the art museum (skipping right past the art) to enjoy a view of the city. Since everything is closed on Sundays in Stuttgart, I decided to hop on a train to my next destination. Heidelberg is the cutest! More to come.

Bis später,
Melissa