I had heard good things about the city of Esslingen, which is not too far from the Stuttgart Airport.  Bill and I decided to go there today to see what was up.  Unfortunately, we got a late start because Bill typically wants to sleep on Saturdays.  Then we have our leisurely breakfast and walk the dogs.

By the time we leave the house, it’s usually afternoon.  Today, it was about 1:00 when we left.  We don’t live all that close to Esslingen; we’re kind of southwest and it’s located kind of northeast of us.  There’s a slow light going into town, which slowed down traffic significantly.  Then we had to find a place to park.  By the time we got out and started walking down, it was after 2:00.  I was kind of enchanted by the town, though, and took lots of photos…

I love these clock towers.

Esslingen is in the process of decorating for Christmas.  Lights are going up…

And so is the Christmas Market…  This is a Gluhwein stand.

This is where the latrine is…  

A shot of the top of the church.  There was a wedding going on there today and it had just ended as we were walking around.  We were passed by the getaway car, marked by the wreath on the hood.  Lots of people were dressed up and headed out of the centrum.

This town will soon look like a little fantasy village.

You’ll be able to shop a lot…

And even have whisky/whiskey…

On the way out of town.  None of the restaurants spoke to us.  The one place we tried was closed for a two hour break.  It’s really better to get an earlier start for these excursions.

Someone’s cool vintage car…

And the cool clock tower…

We ended up going home, stopping by the Real first for a few items from the store.  We had chicken and fries from the small restaurant in front of the Real.  Maybe tomorrow, we’ll explore a new restaurant as we gear up for our trip to the US next week.  Esslingen is a cute town.  We’re going to have to go back and be more careful about the time next time.  I understand a lot of military folks live there.  I can see why.