Yesterday, Bill and I were sitting around talking about how we wanted to spend our Saturday.  Although I’m almost totally over the sickness that sidelined me a couple of weeks ago, I still have an annoying lingering cough.  We were looking at visiting a mine near us that is recommended for people with asthma, which I supposedly have.  It turns out the mine isn’t open in July.

Then I realized that the Hamburger Fischmarkt will be over as of tonight.  I do love my fish, even if I don’t always love crowds.  The Hamburger Fischmarkt, which is held every year in cities all over Germany, is always pretty crowded, but there’s good food, music, and plenty of booze.  We headed to the Herrenberg train station, since we knew parking could be a challenge.  Stuttgart is also hosting the Jazz Open festival right now and there’s also a culture fest going on.

We parked at the Herrenberg station and I was immediately confronted by some very charming political statements painted on the walls.  Sometimes graffiti is interesting because it can be a commentary by the people.  Suffice to say, there are people out there who were not impressed by the G20 and let it be known all over the walls.  In the interest of keeping my blog post rated PG, I will not post the pictures here.  Maybe I’ll put them on my regular blog.

There was a large “hen party” that arrived at about the same time we did.  The large group of women had matching t-shirts and whistles, which they proceeded to blow several times before and during the ride to Stuttgart.  We were sitting near the front of the train and could hear them all the way in the back of the car.  They sounded like they were having a lot of fun, although maybe not as much fun as the hen party we ran into in Luxembourg back in 2012.  That party featured a woman wearing a rubber phallus on her nose, adult diapers, and an old lady’s dress.  There was also a guy wearing women’s lingerie and a sign that read “I love penis.” on his back.  That was funny, but what was funnier were the nuns who were in the same car and the Asian tourists who wanted a picture.  And the hen party revelers happily obliged.

Stuttgart was busy yesterday!

The Fischmarkt was also very busy.  As soon as we entered the market, we were almost swept away by a current of people walking around, checking out the food booths.  There were all kinds of fishy delights available, everything from smoked salmon to fried shrimp.

As you might expect, the focus is on eating and drinking.  We took a seat at a table and a waiter soon appeared to take our drink order.  We asked for a couple of Jever Pils.  Jever clearly invests a lot in this market.  If you want food, you have to get it yourself.  I sent Bill to find us something fried.

Meanwhile, I focused on the beer.  These .3 liter glasses were four euros each– actually three euros with a one euro “pfand”.  For those who don’t know, the “pfand” is money you pay to ensure that you bring back the dishes and glasses.  You get the euro back when you bring back the glass or plate.

I had to include at least one shot of my disinterested husband…  😉  

And he’s always a provider!  He found us some fish croquettes and shrimp.  Both came with super fresh bread and a delicious garlic sauce.  The shrimp were a hit with me.  I liked the fish too, although they brought back memories of eating fish sticks in the late 70s.

Bill enjoys the fish… and we listen to the hawkers selling fruit, wurst, and cheese…

I was tempted by the crepes.  They smelled delicious!

Pickles!

On the way out, we stopped by a stand selling wine.  We had a couple of glasses of champagne.  Then I realized we could walk a ways away from the market and taste some other wines.  We headed to the markthalle, where there is a wine bar called Der Weinhandlung Kreis.  

The wine bar is actually a tiny place, but they always have good music played on vinyl and tasty wines.  If you want, you can have a small snack.  We didn’t want.

He had red.  I had white.  And I also tried another glass of champagne, one I had not heard of before.

After we stopped for wine, we needed a bathroom.  We had to walk through the culture fest to find one.

I love big signs that advertise WCs.

This festival actually looked pretty interesting.  They had food from different countries, live music, and lots of things to buy.  I think I might have enjoyed that more than the fish market.  With the Jazz Open also going on, Stuttgart was teeming with people!

On the way to the WC, we spotted a wine bar we had not seen before.  We briefly considered tasting more wine, but then looked at the time and realized our dogs were waiting for their dinner and a pee break.

But next time we’re in downtown Stuttgart, we will have to drop by.

More scenes from the summer culture festival, which ends today.  They had some really nice food booths there, including one with Cuban delicacies.

We got home from our festing at about 6:00pm, realizing we didn’t have much in the way of dinner fixings.  I got the bright idea to go to Tommi’s Bistro, since it had been awhile since our last visit.  We were the only ones there at about 7:00pm.  The sous chef was hanging out at the bar, playing on his computer.  Nevertheless, we both enjoyed our steaks and, by the time we left, there were two other couples dining.

I had my usual rib eye and wild potatoes.

Bill had a rump steak and pommes.  These were both the smaller cut at 200 grams.  Our waitress last night was awesome, as usual.  She did her best to upsell, although we were both a little too full.  It occurs to me I could use more roughage in my diet.

On the walk home, I noticed someone with a brand new American style two car garage.  I took a photo for posterity.

Tommi’s is going to be closing for the month of August, but is open for the rest of July and after September 1st.  All in all, we had a great time yesterday.  I do enjoy the fish market, although one visit a year is probably plenty for me.  Last year, we didn’t go to the fish market, but we did see Van Morrison during the Jazz Open.  Maybe next year, we’ll catch another show instead of eating fried shrimp (although they were delicious!).  It’s a real treat to live near a city where so much is going on and we don’t have to drive to get there.

Today, we’re hoping to visit a silver mine.  Stay tuned for the write up.