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Sometimes Stuttgart can be a real zoo!

Today, Bill and I decided to visit Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Park, the only state owned zoo in Germany and second only to the Berlin Zoo in its collection of animals and plant species.  This zoo is Europe’s only large combined zoo and botanical park.  It’s been in operation since 1846 and features some really cool Moorish architecture that brings Morocco and southern Spain to mind.

Today wasn’t our first time visiting Wilhelma.  When we lived in Stuttgart the first time (2007-09), we visited.  I want to say it was in the spring of 2008, not long after a polar bear cub was born at the zoo in Stuttgart.  I remember there was quite a line to see the cub.  I believe it was around the time Knut the orphaned polar bear was very popular at the Berlin Zoo, so the polar bear exhibit was very popular in Stuttgart.  About a year later, a depressed woman visiting the Berlin Zoo decided she wanted to be one with the polar bears and climbed over the barriers to swim with them, where she was promptly mauled.  Fortunately, everyone, including the polar bear that attacked her, survived the incident.

Sigh… I love the flowers.

Today, I saw neither hide nor hair of bears of any kind, but I did see a lion, a tiger, zebras, gorillas, camels, and huge cockroaches, the same kinds people used to be forced to eat on Fear Factor.  I saw a crocodile, Burmese pythons, donkeys, ostriches, and adorable ponies.  I also saw an enormous Schwäbisch-Hällisches Landschwein.  We spent about four hours at the zoo and could have stayed longer, had we not been worn out by the heat, the crowds, and walking.  The zoo is adjacent to a public park, which can be accessed from an entrance near the petting zoo.  Keep your ticket if you want to venture into the park and come back into the zoo.

We got an earlier start this morning, arriving at the zoo at about noon.  Bill parked at the garage adjacent to the zoo, although we could have also taken the train, which has a stop directly outside of the zoo’s entrance.  He paid 32 euros for two adult day passes and off we went.  Below are some pictures of today’s fun.  Bear with me… there are a lot of them!

Today’s line at noon.  Not too bad.  There are lockers right next to the box office, as well as toilets.  I think you’re supposed to start in the botanical part, but it was kind of warm and I was enjoying the fresh air…

So we visited the flamingoes, first.  Then we went into the greenhouse.

They had a lot of chili plants on display.  I couldn’t help but laugh, remembering my original German neighbors from our first time here gifting us with hot peppers because they were too much for them!  

I kind of wanted to take one of these home.  My German friend Susanne says there are days during the year when Wilhelma sells some of its plants and/or cuttings.  They have a booth at the Slow Food Festival in April and they also sell plants on Wilhelma Day, which this year is on September 30th.  

Colorful fish… just a few of many I saw today.

We went into the first part of the greenhouse, which featured cacti.

Our first German landlord was a cactus fan and we had a few in our house.  I was reminded of him as we checked out the exhibit.

More beautiful flowers.  The first time we visited, those flowers were tulips and were just as lovely.

We saw a few kids riding these things… I see it’s 2 euros for a 10 minute ride on these big stuffed animals.

A few more beautiful flowers…  Germans are so good with plants.

 Just before lunch, we went into the insect house.  There, we saw some pretty awesome bugs…

I never saw roaches like these in Texas.

Horseshoe crab, which I used to see a lot of in Virginia.

One photo of one butterfly.  The others weren’t quite as cooperative.

 

The biggest millipede I’ve ever seen.

A tarantula.  Yikes!

You could get pretty close to the pelicans.

Some equipment for other “wildlife”…

Last time we visited Wilhelma, we didn’t eat there.  Today, we did opt to have lunch at the cafeteria style restaurant closest to the entrance.  We stopped for a drink at the one closest to the petting zoo area, on the other side of the park.  I noticed a marked difference in the two places.  The restaurant closer to the entrance seemed cleaner, calmer, and had more shady areas.  It’s run by Marche, the same people who bring us nice rest stops in Switzerland and France.  I was somewhat impressed by what they had.

Salads with fresh looking produce that smelled great.

Vegetarian cuisine.

Coffee…

 

They even had fresh squeezed juices.  In the inside dining room, there’s also a play area for kids.

I went with a currywurst and pommes, which ordinarily wouldn’t have been my first choice… but I didn’t want a schnitzel and we’re having salmon for dinner tonight.  The pommes were awesome!  They weren’t all dried out and tasteless.  I could have just eaten a plate of those and been done with it.

A man and his hefeweizen… and penne pasta with pesto.  It was really good.

Just after I took this photo, a man pushed a trolley full of dishes by.  A beer glass fell off, shattered, and sent shards everywhere, including my shin.  Fortunately, it was a pinprick sized flesh wound.  No harm done.

After lunch, we found our way to the sea lions, who were a lot of fun to watch.  I got a bunch of photos and some video footage.  Here are a few of the best pictures, starring one sea lion with particularly good showmanship.

I was kind of jealous of their pool, too.  It looked refreshing.

Next, we went into the aquarium/terrarium… we saw lots of creatures there.

The snakes were cooperative at the zoo…

There were so many fish… and just as many people, so I just got a few shots of the more colorful ones.

Alpacas and Schweine…

I told Bill this fancy bird reminded me of Diana Ross… complete with feathers and long legs.

A gorilla who was outside… the others were inside.

I loved the zebras.  They were very chill.

And the giraffes, too…  

This ostrich had an attitude.  S/he came over and gave a guy with a camera what for…

I got several shots of the ostrich snapping at some guy with a camera.  It was kind of funny to watch. The other ostrich wasn’t as interested.

 

At this point, we decided to stop for a drink.  We were at the other restaurant, which appeared to be smaller, much more crowded, and offered less seating than the other restaurant, particularly in the shade.  Although it looked like they had a lot of the same kind of food, the first location near the main entrance was a lot more pleasant.  I noticed it was also less crowded and shadier on our way out of the zoo.

 

Look closely for camel butts.  They were of the two humped variety.

This Shetland pony was in the petting zoo area.  I remember the last time we visited, there were machines where you could buy food and feed some of the animals.  This time, both machines had signs on them that said they were broken.  Kids were putting some of the goats, though, and this pony let me pet him for a minute.  I could have hung out with him all day.

This pony was having a good laugh…  no, actually, I think he was yawning.  Lucky catch with the iPhone.

Pigs!

And an enormous Schwäbisch-Hällisches Landschwein!  He was huge!

These two were sharing a moment…

The elephants were putting on a show.  Up the hill, we noticed another World Wildlife Fund tent, like the one we encountered yesterday.  Bill was determined to avoid it.

A majestic Asian lion, who was proudly posing for photos…

It was dinnertime for the tiger, so I wasn’t able to get a really good shot.

These two were friendly!

I got some great video footage of these monkeys!  I’m going to see if my old computer will cooperate, so I can put it up on YouTube.  

Peacocks minus plumage!

 
 

And more monkeys!

Some rather chilled out kangaroos who weren’t very social.

And penguins!

Wilhelma Zoo is worth a stop if you love animals.  Both times we’ve visited, it has been crowded and some people seem to think the enclosures are too small and outdated.  That may be true, although I can’t deny that we had a nice time yesterday and that is my focus as I’m writing my post.  Are there bigger, nicer, and snazzier zoos?  Probably…  but the animals we saw yesterday appeared to be well cared for and basically happy, and we did enjoy seeing them.  I was especially impressed by the insect exhibit, which was more interesting than I was expecting it to be.

I think to do a proper visit, you should come somewhat early, wear comfortable shoes, be prepared for climbing hills and big crowds on nice days, and plan to stay awhile.  We were there for four hours today and I don’t think we saw everything.  There were some enclosures that appeared to be empty.  I noticed a few animals I saw in 2008 were missing this time.  I would have liked to have gone back to the sea lions, but was too tired by the time we’d done the loop.  The explanations on the exhibits are pretty much all in German, although I understood a lot of what I was reading.  I noticed it was fairly stroller friendly, too, although there are some hills.  The animal houses that had steps in them did have ramps, though, which was nice.

All in all, we had a really nice day.  I love visiting animals, although I tend to like zoos less than Tierparks.  I don’t like crowds and the zoo on a day like today is bound to have lots of crowds.  But Wilhelma is open almost every day–  It might be worth visiting when the temperatures are a little cooler.  On the other hand, the flowers are so pretty this time of year!  If you enjoy zoos, Stuttgart’s isn’t a bad one.  And with the train stop right outside the gate, it couldn’t be easier to get there.  In fact, the parking ticket machine is apparently broken right now, so taking the train might be better, anyway.

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Early dinner at Cortijo in Stuttgart!

A month ago, I got my teeth cleaned at Dr. Blair’s office in downtown Stuttgart.  I didn’t have any cavities, but he was concerned about an area of redness in the gums under my front bottom teeth.  It wasn’t like gingivitis or anything like that.  The redness was below the area where teeth and gumline meet.  He asked me if I have Crohn’s Disease.  I don’t.  Then he asked me about allergies.  I do have those, but he said if the redness was caused by allergies, my whole mouth would be red.  There’s only one area that was reddened.  He was concerned, so he asked me to come back in a month so he could see if the area got better on its own.

Today was the day I was to return so Dr. Blair could check out my gums.  We got an appointment for 2:00pm, which is not the best time for an after appointment restaurant visit, especially in Germany.  Bill came with me, which I always appreciate.  Trips to the big city are always more fun when Bill’s around.

I saw the dentist this afternoon.  He checked out my “rash”, for lack of a better term, and said it was better, but not completely gone.  I have to go back in September to see him.  Then he explained why, in Germany, it’s important to differentiate between a physician and a doctor.  We started talking about my education, his education, my sister’s education, and Armenia.  What I was expecting to be a five minute appointment turned into a half hour.  Oh well.  He’s bar none the best dentist I’ve ever had anywhere.  Besides, whenever I go see him, I get to have dinner in Stuttgart.

After we were finished with the dental business, we went to the Galeria, where I had read I might find some Georgian wine.  Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky today and found no Georgian wines.

So we decided to look for a late lunch/early dinner.  Originally, I was thinking maybe we’d have Italian food, but then realized the place I’d been eyeing was right next to a large construction site.  So we kept walking and soon found ourselves standing by Cortijo, a Spanish restaurant I’d been wanting to try for some time.  I’d heard good things about it in the Stuttgart American community and liked their Facebook page, which constantly advertises Flamenco dancing and guitar players.  They also don’t take a pause during the afternoon.

Bill prays before he makes his decision…  (kidding)

We took a seat and ordered beers and Paella Valenciana.  Paella can only be ordered for two or more people and takes at least 30 minutes to prepare, so we had a wait in the sunshine.  I heard the party behind us speaking Spanish, which is a good sign.  I noticed the menu also featured a number of other interesting dishes and tapas, some that seemed more German than Spanish.

This restaurant is right next to a strip joint.  It’s also next to a pizzeria with a wood oven.  It looked promising.  Maybe next time we’re in Stuttgart.

 

Bill was pretty hungry because he didn’t eat anything after breakfast this morning.  However, he was not displeased with our paella, pictured below.

Paella Valenciana– for two people or more at 15,90 per person.  It’s the cheapest of the three types offered at Cortijo.

 

I was delighted by the paella, which is a great change of pace here in Swabia.  It’s made with rice seasoned with saffron, shrimp, mussels, calamari, peas, chicken, and red peppers.  Squeeze a little lemon juice on it and you’re ready for a good meal!  The only disappointing thing about this paella was that the shrimp were a little hard to peel.  Oh… and I made a really gross joke about what mussels look like that turned Bill off.  In all seriousness, though, this was a really lovely meal, both in taste and presentation.  All they need there is a fly zapper to get rid of the flies who want to share the meal.  But I wouldn’t be surprised if zappers are illegal here.  I’ll have to research it.

A few offerings at Cortijo.

When we were finished eating, I went into the ladies room and found it immaculate and smelling slightly of bleach.  That’s also a good sign.

A tri-lingual sign to assist you in your flushing duties.

 

The stage where there are singers and dancers later in the evening.

Cortijo has a large dining area and two dining rooms.

I liked the bar, too.  You can sit around it and see the stage.  And check out the decorations made of sombreros from local tequila!  Pleasant Spanish guitar music filled the dining room.

 

Total damage for tonight’s dinner was just under 40 euros.  Cheap!

Front entrance.

And outdoor seating.  This is also near a construction zone, but they weren’t building when we were sitting there.  If you look at the obligatory shot of Bill at the beginning of this post, you can see the construction site.  A lot of building is going on downtown.

 

We walked back to the car a different way and realized Cortijo is very close to Primo, a wine bar and Italian restaurant where Bill and I ate last month.  This part of Stuttgart is rich with good places to eat.  Unfortunately, it’s also rich with traffic, which we got caught in on our way out of the big city.

Now that we’ve tried the paella at Cortijo, we want to come back for dinner and check out the live entertainment.  Definitely recommended, especially if you want a change of pace from German, Italian, or Greek food.

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Our Rolling Stones weekend in Stuttgart… part threef

The gates at the Mercedes Benz Arena were due to open at 5:00pm.  Although the concert wasn’t going to start until 7:15, we decided to head over early, just to take in the scene.  I wisely decided not to bring my big purse with me, after being forced to lock it up at the museum.  Having seen some of the purses hanging off of the women at the show last night, I probably could have got into the venue with mine, although lockers were also available at the arena.  It was good that I didn’t bring it.  I didn’t need it.

On the way to the stadium…

We took a cab to the stadium and walked the short distance to security, which was thoughtfully staffed with female friskers for nervous ladies.  After we were frisked, we scanned the barcodes on our tickets and walked into the massiveness that is the Mercedes Benz Arena.  I had never been there before, although we did see Sting at the Porsche Arena next door.  We found our seats, 18 and 19 in row 13 in A6.  They were pretty close… at least when the arena is empty.  When it’s full, the seats don’t seem quite so close to the stage.

Security scene…

I guess people mistook this for a bathroom one too many times.

First view of the arena.  It’s massive.

A view of where we sat before it was full of people.

Small concessions area.  They had plastic cups with the Rolling Stones logo on them.  We probably should have foregone the pfand and brought a couple home.

We decided to have beer at the concessions stand.  Bill got me a bratwurst and fries, although I had asked for currywurst.  I don’t think the lady running the concessions heard him right.  There were also guys walking around the stadium selling beer and sodas out of camelbacks, ice creams, and sandwiches.  That was about the extent of what was available food wise.

You can see the guy who sat next to me in this picture, although I didn’t know he’d be sitting next to me when I took this shot.

I was interested in the clothes people wore to this event.  A few people were dressed up.  A whole lot of people were wearing concert t-shirts.  Many people were as old or older than Bill and me.  Almost everyone, whether or not they had a seat, was standing for most of the show.  I only mention this because at most concerts I’ve attended, people don’t necessarily stand if they can sit.  Most German audiences are fairly subdued, yet appreciative.  Not so at this concert.  

The Stones have been rotating several different opening bands for the 2018 No Filter Tour.  Last night, the opening band was The Kooks, from Brighton, England.  I had never heard of them before.  I actually enjoyed their music, although the lead singer, Luke Pritchard, who looks like a Dallas era version of Patrick Duffy, appeared to be trying to channel Mick Jagger and failed miserably.  I watched him dance and work the stage, but there wasn’t much connection between his movement and the expression on his face.  But I did enjoy their set and Luke’s weird shoes, which appeared to be fur lined slippers of some sort.

A few shots of the Kooks… This is Luke Pritchard, aka young Patrick Duffy.

Alexis Nunez stole the show.  At one point, they showed him in the audience while the Stones were playing and he looked positively orgasmic.  I was drawn to him more than the Kooks’ frontman.

Luke Pritchard promised us that the Stones were “on fire”.  He didn’t lie.

Frankly, I think the star in that band is the drummer, Alexis Nunez.  I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him when he was on the big screen.  He appeared to be taking a gigantic crap as he hit the skins– his eyes were squinty and teeth were clenched with effort as he pounded out rhythms, but I couldn’t help but be attracted…  Hmm… I guess that says something else about me.  I did like their music enough to download a few of their albums.  I probably wouldn’t necessarily work hard to get to one of their shows, but they were appealing enough.

A lot of people started showing up to the arena when it got closer to about nine o’clock, including the people sitting beside Bill and me.  The guy next to me was very tall and wore a tank top and cowboy hat.  He was also a smoker and didn’t hesitate to light up several times during the performance.  I know smoking is perfectly fine in Germany, but I can’t imagine being so rude as to basically smoke in someone’s face like that guy did to me.  Oh well… I guess it’s important to satisfy that nic fit.  I needed a shower anyway, after all the sweating I did.  Seriously, the chairs were arranged tightly.  It reminded me of being in the center seat on an airplane.

Half-time, which seemed to take forever as the roadies set the stage.  I noticed that the Stones have been staggering their performances, having shows every few days.  After watching them last night and their extreme level of energy, especially from Mick, I can’t blame them for taking a rest.

The audience reacts as the band takes the stage. I needed a step stool.

I was blown away by Mick Jagger’s stage presence.  Yes, I’ve seen him perform on TV, but it really isn’t the same as when you see him live.  There is no other person like him.  He’s a true marvel of nature.  His charisma is just astonishing.  Hard to believe he’s about to turn 75.

Ronnie Wood is also incredibly charismatic and sexy.  Not many people can pull off that look he has. He reminded me of a supermodel.

This was the view of the stage without the big screen.  I would have fared better if genetics had blessed me with a few more inches of height.

The bearded guy, Chuck Leavell, played wicked keyboards last night.  He’s American and has been playing with the Stones since 1982.  I was blown away by his playing.

Keith Richards was looking like he was having a blast!  To be honest, although I have always enjoyed The Rolling Stones’ music, I am not a super fan.  I had heard a lot of jokes about Keith Richards looking almost dead, but didn’t see any truth to the jokes last night.  He seemed very self-effacing and almost even overwhelmed by the love he got from the crowd last night.  

 

And here is drummer, Charlie Watts, who seemed the most straightlaced of the group.  He made me laugh with his goofy facial expressions and laid back demeanor.


Mick engages the crowd.

I shared one of these pictures on Facebook and a friend thought I was at a rally where people were burning an effigy of Donald Trump.  Nope… it was actually Mick Jagger who was on fire.

 

Below are a few more pictures from the show.  To be honest, I took more video than photos.  I normally don’t video at concerts, but almost everyone was doing it and, frankly, it’s hard to capture the magic of Mick Jagger in a still shot, especially when you’re not close and many people are in the way.  I will try to make a video of the clips I have and will, perhaps, eventually put it in this post.  Suffice to say, the man did not stop shaking his ass the whole concert.  His stamina was incredible.  No wonder he has eight kids.  I was also impressed that he spoke a fair amount of German.  Apparently, the Stones have been coming to Germany, particularly the Stuttgart area, for many years. Mick even spoke a little Schwabish to the crowd, which made them go wild.

I was amazed by Mick Jagger’s energy.  He has a way of making you feel like he’s only singing for you.  The camera loves him and no matter what he says or does, it looks natural.  It’s almost like performing is as as easy as breathing for him.  This is in sharp contrast to what I observed when Bill and I saw Eric Clapton in 2004.  Although Clapton had a fantastic opening band– Robert Randolph and the Family Band– his own performance was uninspired and lackluster.  I would not pay to see Eric Clapton again, even in the cheap seats, even though I still love his music. 

One of the two amazing sax players.  I have samples of them on video.

 

Before I close this post, I must write a bit about the Stones’ female backup singer, Sasha Allen, who joined the band in 2016 after previous backup vocalist Lisa Fischer left to pursue a solo career.  I am myself a singer, so I have a real appreciation for raw talent and what it takes to make the sounds Sasha makes.  Sasha Allen has some seriously powerful pipes.  At the end of the show, she and Mick did a fierce version of “Gimme Shelter” that brought the house down.  Yes, I recorded most of it.  And yes, as excellent Mick Jagger is as a performer, even he seemed blown away by Sasha Allen’s big voice.  She rivals Jennifer Hudson.

Now that I’m looking at her entry on Wikipedia, I see that Sasha Allen was also in the cult classic movie, Camp, which I discovered when we lived in Germany the first time.  I love that movie!  Anyway, she and the rest of the collaborators were every bit as good as the Stones themselves were.  It was a fantastic concert, in part, because of all of the backing musicians.  And Mick was great about sharing the stage with all of them.

Final bows…  The show ended with some rather sudden fireworks that went off, ejaculation style, at the end of the show.  Bill turned to me and said, “Well… that was unexpected.”  Sometimes I forget he has a touch of PTSD from his time in Iraq.

Once the show was over, the stadium emptied out in a surprisingly orderly fashion.  Thousands of people streamed out into the street and headed in different directions.  We had to walk about a mile and a half from the stadium until we got to where the road was open.  We were lucky to score a cab who whisked us back to the hotel, where our favorite Italian bartender was waiting.  We had a nightcap and I took a shower, then we passed out.  I slept until 9:00am today.  I don’t remember the last time I did that.

We ran into our new Icelandic friends at breakfast and managed to say goodbye after we each raved about the show.  After breakfast, we settled up with the hotel– our bill came to 540 euros and included Friday night’s dinners and last night’s nightcap.

Final thoughts…

Okay… so I spent $1200 on our tickets once all of the taxes and conversion rates were added.  Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have expected to pay that much to see a concert and none of the other shows I’ve booked so far have cost that much.  Was it worth it?  To be honest, yes.  The show was incredible.  I don’t think I like arena concerts that much because of how huge the crowds are and how hard it is to get in and out.  However, I can see why the Stones attract such huge crowds.  They are truly awesome live.  I can’t believe they’ve been playing for over 50 years and are still kicking so much ass.

I think if I ever spring for really expensive seats again, I’ll be more careful about their actual location within the venue.  I might try for aisle seats if I’m going to pay $1200 to see a show.

Still I think it’ll be awhile before I’ve processed last night’s show.  It was really amazing.  I’m delighted that we were able to attend.  I’m even more delighted that my husband had so much fun.  At one point, he turned to me with a big grin on his face and said, “I would never do this if it weren’t for you.”  I often wonder what my purpose in life is.  I think one of the main reasons I’m here is to make sure Bill has as much fun as possible for the rest of his life.  It’s a nice job to have.

Mick Jagger is just an incredible frontman.  He blew my brains out, just as I knew he would.  Many thanks to Stuttgart and the Stones for making last night so amazing.

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Our Rolling Stones weekend in Stuttgart… part two

On Saturday morning, we had a leisurely breakfast in Wald Hotel’s restaurant.  They serve a pretty good buffet, with breads, fruits, vegetables, eggs, bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, and fried potatoes, among other things.  They will also cook eggs to order.  When we arrived at the buffet, the wait staff was very busy.  It took awhile before we could score a carafe of coffee.  My husband is usually a very mild mannered guy, but I could tell he was getting impatient for his morning caffeine shot.  I, for one, was more impressed by the Kessler Sekt that was made available.

While we were eating breakfast, I took note of all the people joining us.  Quite a few of them were obviously planning to attend the concert last night.  In fact, as we were out and about in downtown Stuttgart yesterday, I saw many people sporting t-shirts from previous concerts.  I had already read the information about the event that was emailed to me indicating that they were expecting 40,000 people at last night’s show.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I don’t go to a lot of concerts.  This was the first one I’ve ever been to with that many people.

After breakfast, we walked to the nearby train station and traveled to Charlottenplatz, where we knew we’d find something going on.  Sure enough, the city was alive with people yesterday, many of whom were there for the Children and Youth Festival.  We walked through the festival and I was very surprised by how many activities and exhibits they had.  Many groups had come to advertise their clubs.  I saw people from a fencing club, a dance club, and various sports groups.  I also saw a cooking school for kids as well as an impressive display by Porsche.  Below are some pictures from the festival.

The festival was scattered from the Schlossplatz to Charlottenplatz.  I was surprised by how many exhibits there were.

They had plenty of activities for kids to actively try, like this football exhibit.

Lacrosse.

Dance club.  You know the dresses were a draw.

 

We wandered out of the festival for a short time as we made our way toward the Schlossplatz.

They had set up a red carpet for a documentary festival that went on all weekend.

 

There were buskers everywhere, including this guy who was gamely singing Rolling Stones songs.  Bill dropped a couple of euros with him because he was genuinely entertaining and giving his performance a lot of go!

The Schlossplatz.  This was where we saw Van Morrison in 2016.  I can’t help but marvel at the people whose job it is to set up and take down bleachers and stages.  It seems like a huge undertaking.

 

A cooking school for kids.  I enjoyed the guy dressed like a chef who was working the crowd.  He wore chess board patterned pants and spoke enthusiastically into his microphone, inviting kids to participate.

Porsche was also onhand, with their own driving school for kids!

It was very safety oriented!

I snapped this photo just as we were about to cross the street.  Parts of Stuttgart are truly lovely.  I also noticed the church had its tower open earlier in the day.  We didn’t get around to climbing it.

The hour was getting closer to lunchtime, but we were still pretty full from breakfast.  We were about to head over to Karlsplatz, the square where the Hamburger Fischmarkt usually takes place every July, but ended up stopping by the Landesmuseum Wurttemberg.  We’ve passed it many times, but never bothered to visit.  Yesterday, we noticed entry to the permanent exhibits was free of charge, so we decided to stop.

There is also a children’s exhibit that I think does require an admissions fee.  Since we don’t have kids, we didn’t visit that part of the museum.  However, I am a big kid myself, so I probably would have liked it.  As it was, the Landesmuseum impressed me by being very extensive and including explanations in English.  It’s also kid friendly, with quite a few activities designed to engage children.

This is what you see as you enter the courtyard where the museum’s entrance is.

Information on the signs.

When we got our free tickets, the receptionist noticed how big my purse was, so she asked me to put it in one of the lockers situated in the lobby.  Large bags and some other items are not allowed in the museum, so if you have a big bag or a backpack, you will be expected to lock it up.  You use a one or two euro coin to lock the locker, and when you return the key, you get your coin back.

If you wanted to, you could spend a couple of hours in the Landesmuseum.  It’s surprisingly large.  In fact, we only explored the second floor.  On the first floor, there’s a permanent clock exhibit.  I took note of all of the history of Baden-Wurttemberg, particularly among Neanderthals.  Thanks to 23 and Me, I recently found out that I have a lot of Neanderthal genetic variants.  That explains a lot.  Neanderthals came from the Neander Valley here in Germany and many of their remains were found in Baden-Wurttemberg.

Besides information about Neanderthals, the Landesmuseum includes many paintings, artifacts, and precious jewels.  They’ve designed the exhibits to allow visitors to get a lot out of the experience.  For instance, a few exhibits had cleverly designed magnifying glasses that allowed visitors to see the detail of some of the precious artifacts being displayed.  In another part of the museum, there was a really interesting exhibit about religion.  They even had a hilarious oil lamp in the shape of a man with a very large phallus.  I wish I’d had my camera with me for that one.

After we explored the museum, it was time to hunt for lunch.  As I mentioned previously, Stuttgart was loaded with people yesterday.  A lot of restaurants were at capacity, especially outdoors.

We headed toward Karlsplatz, where a flea market was going on.  Lots of people were selling everything from military relics to carpets.  A Turkish food stand was open and putting off heavenly aromas.  A rockabilly band was playing live music.  The atmosphere was very festive.  Below are pictures of what was being sold.  

This band was pretty great.  I got a few video snippets of them playing.  

We probably should have stuck around to see if they were selling CDs.

The lure of beer was too strong and drove me away from this scene.

This seemed promising, but turned out to be a disappointment, since there were only tables able in full sunlight.  

Things were looking more promising as we approached the Markthalle, where we discovered a shady spot at the Marktstüble, a restaurant that is not open on Sundays.

The menu offered typical Schwabish delights like maultausen, schnitzel, and other porky delights.

But what I was after came in a mas krug…

Prost!  I’m glad we got the krugs because our poor waiter was pretty busy.  People were desperately seeking lunch outside in yesterday’s glorious weather.

And then, these buskers showed up and accompanied our lunch with their perky brand of accordion music.  I probably enjoyed them more than I should have.  They had game!

The guy in the orange shirt and his companion stayed at our hotel and took the same train into downtown.  All day, we ran into people from our hotel or folks who had been in the museum with us. It was kind of funny.  On the way back from the concert, we saw a guy who’d had breakfast at the same time we did.  He was distinctive because of his hat.

Bill had cold pork roast with potato salad and a green salad.  It was very good!  In fact, if we eat there again during the summer, I may order that myself.

I went with a green salad with shrimp.  I don’t usually go for salads, but I wanted something that wouldn’t be too heavy.  This fit the bill nicely.  It filled me up without making me bloat.

Below are some more photos from the Children and Youth Festival, which we passed through to get back to the train station.  It was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for our big concert!

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Our Rolling Stones weekend in Stuttgart… part one

View from our seats at the Rolling Stones concert in Stuttgart…  before the teeming crowds showed up!

 

I think 2018 will go down as our “year of the concerts”.  This year, I have purchased tickets to five concerts, four of which are happening between yesterday and Halloween and one for next spring.  In two weeks, we are going to fly to Dublin to see Paul Simon, who will have James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt as guests.  In September, we’re going to see Roger Hodgson, formerly of Supertramp.  In October, we’re planning to see an Irish folk music festival.  Next May, we’re going to see Elton John.

We don’t usually go to a lot of shows.  I don’t like crowds and Bill doesn’t like traffic.  Neither of us likes overpriced concessions or being too short to see the stage.  However, we have found that concerts in Germany are somewhat less obnoxious than shows in the United States, so we have taken advantage of the opportunity to see some of the great entertainers who pass through Stuttgart.  So far, in our two tours in the Stuttgart area, we have seen: Lyle Lovett, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, Sting, and now The Rolling Stones.

Last night’s Rolling Stones concert is probably the biggest of all of them…  and the tickets were definitely the most expensive.  However, having now seen the freak of nature that is Mick Jagger perform live, I can say it was worth everything– the expense, fighting the crowds, sitting next to a smoker who kept hitting me with his jacket, and Bill’s manspreading.

Last February, when I went on my ticket buying spree, I remember gasping at the price of the tickets I selected for the Stones’ concert.  They were priced at 497 euros each, but they were on the 13th row.  In retrospect, maybe I should have opted for a seat in the stands, since I’m only 5’2″ tall and the 13th row is in the flat area.  I probably would have had a better view on the side.  But I wanted, just once, to experience a concert “close up”.  Of course, if we’d really wanted to be close, we could have gone for the “stehplatz”.  There were two areas where people were standing and dancing the whole time; one was literally just a few yards from the stage.  Unfortunately, Bill and I are both short, neither of us are dancers, and Bill has a bad knee and needs to be able to sit.

Not so long ago, Bill and I were pretty much relegated to the cheap seats.  I remember seeing both Alison Krauss and Eric Clapton while perched high in the nosebleed section.  We had better seats when we saw James Taylor, except for the two drunk chicks who stood up and swayed in front of us for the whole show.  Probably our closest seats were at Livingston Taylor’s show at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, and it was probably one of the best shows I’ve been to, although Liv is not as big a name performer as his brother James, is.  Anyway, I figured that if I was going to drop a load of cash on close seats, The Rollings Stones would be the show for which to do it.

I learned a new German word on the way to the hotel.  This camper is obviously driven by people who love their dogs.  On the bumper, there was a sign in German warning that dogs don’t have a “crumple zone”; therefore, please don’t tailgate…

As is our habit, we stayed at the Wald Hotel in Degerloch the night before and the night of the concert.  We started this custom when we saw Van Morrison in 2016.  I remembered the nutroll of getting in and out of the concert venues and how late it usually was when we got home.  The idea of staying downtown was very appealing, especially since Stuttgart is about 45 minutes from where we live, depending on traffic.  Staying in Stuttgart gives us a chance to see more of the city without having to worry about getting home to take care of our dogs, who never stay with us at the Wald Hotel, even though the place is pet friendly.

We checked in on Friday, June 29th.  As usual, I booked a “superior room” and added breakfast.  The Wald Hotel is a very comfortable four star hotel.  It’s situated very close to the TV tower and surrounded by a sports complex and walking trails.  I think I booked it the first time because it’s air conditioned.  I have booked in on subsequent occasions because it really is a nice place in a convenient location.  It has free parking, free WiFi, and a very attentive staff.  Even though we’re essentially staying in our home town, being at the Wald Hotel is a treat.

Below are pictures of our room, which was as expected. All three times, we’ve stayed in the same type of room and they all pretty much look the same.

King sized bed… very comfortable with fluffy duvets instead of sheets.  We brought pillows because German hotels usually don’t have good ones.  We needn’t have bothered.  I had forgotten that the Wald Hotel loads you up with nice pillows.

Sitting area and desk.

Awesome shower!  It has special lighting and a huge rainforest option that is just heavenly.  With the press of a button the ceiling rains down a large square shaped swath of water   You can also use the regular shower head, which you can see in the picture.

Since the World Cup has been going on, the hotel gifted us with soccer balls…

And the usual gummi bears, as well as a complimentary mini bar stocked with water, apple schorle, and beer.

View from our balcony.

 

Ordinarily, I would have liked to have booked us a table at a local restaurant, but we didn’t get to the hotel until about 7:00pm and Bill was tired from a day of hard work.  Although there are several casual eateries near the hotel, we decided to dine at the hotel’s Finch restaurant, which is a very pleasant, but rather pricey place to have dinner.  Although the weather was perfect, we didn’t have reservations.  All of the outside tables were taken, so we were seated in the elegant dining at a private booth.

We ate at Finch on our last visit to the Wald Hotel and remembered the slightly Asian inspired menu to be creative in flavor and presentation.  On our first trip to Finch, we both had meat.  This last time, we went with main courses from the sea.

Bill decides on a wine.  Finch offers menus in English, which I appreciated.  Our waitress was the same very service oriented server who took care of us the last time we dined at Finch.  She speaks English, but patiently indulged Bill’s elementary German.

 

Since we were both having seafood, Bill ordered a locally produced white burgundy.  It was crisp and refreshing and paired very well with our meals.

We also had fresh bread with an herb spread, olive oil, and fresh bread garnished with black salt.

I had the Avocado Tatar, with included avocados with beefsteak tomatoes, peanuts, and spinach.  This starter was surprisingly filling, but nice on a warm evening.

Bill had a lobster bisque; it was unfortunately served rather sloppily, but tasted good.

My lobster came with toasted macadamia nuts, half a lemon, drawn butter, spring onions and a sinful carrot puree.  I enjoyed the lobster, but especially liked the colorful presentation.

Bill had “wolfbarsch” (European sea bass).  As much as I like lobster and enjoyed my main course, I think I liked Bill’s dish better. It was a bit more flavorful.

I probably shouldn’t eat dessert so often, but I was intrigued by the “oats and nougat”, which was a nougat atop toasted oats (granola) and served with a caramel panna cotta.  The dish was garnished with chocolate pieces and raspberries.

Bill had a passionfruit creation that he said reminded him a little of a napoleon.  He especially liked the scoop of mango sorbet that came with his dessert.  Wald Hotel also offers several cheese plates for those who are less tempted by sweets.

 

After dinner, we decided to hang out at the hotel bar.  Wald Hotel has a very personable Italian bartender who is a master at mixing drinks and making conversation.  While we were at the bar, a rather alternative looking couple came in.  They heard us speaking English and asked if we were American.  We answered affirmatively.  It turned out they had come to Stuttgart to see The Rolling Stones.  Both had lived in the United States to work and study and both had great love for our country.  They were surprised we’d choose to live in Germany.

It turned out our new friends, Bjorn and Rokka, work in the film industry.  Rokka is a makeup artist and has put her touch on many celebrities.  Bjorn didn’t talk as much about what he does in film, but I got the sense that maybe he was a producer.  Both looked a lot younger than their ages and, in fact, they told us they had booked the “stehplatz” up front.  I was impressed, since agewise they were probably contemporaries of Mick Jagger’s.  They seemed to have drunk from the same fountain of youth he has.  Anyway, we had a very nice time talking to them, especially since they were so friendly and Bill has actually been to Iceland.  I love it when we meet interesting people.  Luckily, it seems to happen to us a lot!

An expertly produced gin and tonic by the barman, who also joined in our conversation.  I’ve seen him on each of our three stays at Wald Hotel.  He definitely makes booking the hotel even more attractive.

We decided to turn in at about 11:00 or so,  which is kind of past our bedtimes.  Little did we know how full our Saturday was going to be.  More on that in the next post.

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Post dental delights at Kikuya Japanese Restaurant…

Today was the day of my biannual dental cleaning.  Bill came home early from work and we dutifully showed up at Dr. Blair’s office in downtown Stuttgart to get our teeth cleaned and polished.

A new hygienist looked after me.  She’s from Italy and it’s her second week on the job, having discovered that dentists in France and Luxembourg don’t use hygienists.  Her boyfriend works in France, but she could find no work there, so now she stays in Stuttgart during the work week and goes “home” to France on the weekends.  I figure she must be multi-lingual if she can work in Italy, Germany, or France, and she also speaks English.  Very impressive… and she did an extremely thorough job on my teeth, too.  I don’t think they’ve ever been so clean.

Dr. Blair found nothing wrong with my teeth, but was concerned about a reddened area below my bottom teeth.  He asked me if I have issues with Crohn’s Disease or Celiac Disease.  I have issues with neither.  But because he’s a very concerned dentist (who once lectured me about the need to see a gynecologist and lectured Bill about his need to wear hats), he wants me to come back in a month so he can see if the area is still red.  I have a feeling that if it is, he’ll have someone in mind to send me to for tests.  Dr. Blair is a very conscientious dentist who is concerned about his patients’ overall well-being.  He’s by far the best dentist I’ve ever had.  He did an excellent job on my dental implant and, if we’re here for much longer, I’ll probably have him do another one.

In the heart of Stuttgart on Calwer Strasse.

Anyway, after our cleanings, we made a short appointment for me to see Dr. Blair next month.  It’s never a bad thing to see him, since I get the chance to try new restaurants in Stuttgart.  Today, we tried a Japanese restaurant we’d never been to before called Kikuya.  To be honest, I almost walked past the place until I noticed a couple of staffers standing outside looking bored.  They have lunch from 11:00am until 3:00pm.  It was just after 2:00, so we ventured inside.

Tempting sandwich board.

 

Sweet Bill poses for an obligatory photo.

Soft new age-y sounding piano music was piped in over the sound system.  We had a choice of sitting at the bar, at one of the pub tables for two, or at the very long communal table.  We decided to sit at the big table, so the waitress asked us to remove our shoes, a first for me.

Eating barefoot!  I noticed the lone guy sitting at the bar was not asked to remove his shoes.

 

Long table where you must remove your shoes.  I didn’t mind.

She handed us menus and I was tempted by the number of appealing choices.  They had sushi, as well as a number of very enticing cooked dishes.  They also offer lunch deals, of which Bill took advantage.  We both had Japanese beers.  I had an Asahi and Bill had a Sapporo.

They also had Tiger lager and Heineken on draft, as well as an array of wines, teas, and non-alcoholic drinks.

I decided to have a Dragon Roll, pictured below…

The Dragon Roll was eight large pieces of sushi with salmon, tuna, and avocado.  It was delicious and felt nice against my inflamed mouth.  The pieces were kind of big, but tasted so good.

 

Bill went with a lunch deal.  It came with miso soup and a variety of fried delights…

 

Miso soup… made with tofu, green onions, seaweed, and soy.  It was a little bland, but comforting.

This main course had fried chicken, fried shrimp rolls, fried veggie rolls, a sweet chili sauce, sushi rice, and a cucumber and tomato slice.  I loved Bill’s dish!  I like fried stuff, though.

 

We both really enjoyed our lunches.  I was surprised by how quiet the restaurant is and the somewhat low ratings on Trip Advisor.  Bill and I both thought today’s lunch was a refreshing change of pace.  I’m sure we’ll be back, too.  The total bill for today was 34 euros before tip.  After we paid, Bill bowed and thanked the ladies who waited on us.  Sometimes, he’s such a geek.  I love him.

The front door… it’s right next to the Calwer-Eck Brauhaus.

On the side street, there’s another entrance, probably used for takeout pick up orders.

I keep meaning to have sushi on a more regular basis.  Now that we’ve discovered Kikuya, we may be enjoying it more often!

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Baden-Württemberg, Böblingen

Lunch, lounging, and “littles” at the Mineraltherme…

I gave serious thought to going to the Sindelfingen Street Fest this afternoon.  Then I looked up at the cloudy sky and decided I’d rather spend the afternoon naked with a bunch of Germans.  I told Bill we should go to a spa, since it’s been ages since our last visit.  Poor Bill is such a good sport.  Although he knows I love a good spa day, the thought of going to one strikes dread in his heart, especially when we go to ones that have textile free areas or are entirely textile free.  But he loves to make me happy and he can’t deny that after a few hours at the spa, he always comes home relaxed.

Bill takes a deep breath before enduring the horror of bathing suits.

At first, I was kind of wanting to visit the Schwabenquellen, mainly because when we went the last time, it was a lot less crowded than the Mineraltherme in Böblingen usually gets.  However, the Schwabenquellen’s restaurant is not as good as the Mineraltherme’s is, and it’s not as close to where we live.  It’s also entirely textile free, which I know Bill is leery about.  Sure enough, when I made the suggestion, he said he preferred Böblingen, so that’s where we went.

We arrived at the Mineraltherme at a little after one o’clock and enjoyed a very nice lunch.  Of the spas I’ve been to in this area, I would say the Mineraltherme has the best restaurant.  It offers somewhat healthy, upscale dishes instead of the usual pizzas, burgers, and brats offered elsewhere.  Today’s lunch was no exception.  We each enjoyed wine– I had a Riesling and he had a Gray Burgundy, along with our usual sparkling water.

They brought out a very nice lentil salad amuse.  It was well seasoned with cumin and filled out with eggplant.  I don’t usually love eggplant, but I did enjoy this.

Our waitress was pleasant and spoke English.  Bill ordered one of the specials, spaghetti with tuna mixed in a tomato sauce, pictured below.

It was a pretty big dish!  He said it was tasty.

A moment of seriousness before it was time for me to try my dish…

I had a “Kartoffel trifft Fische”, a baked potato covered in sour cream and served with smoked salmon and a simple green salad.  I enjoyed this dish, although I wish I had asked them to go very easy on the sour cream.  I don’t like sour cream that much and even if I did, I wouldn’t use as much as is pictured here.  But the salad and smoked salmon were really enough to satisfy me anyway.

 

Lunch came to just over 40 euros.  Because we hadn’t yet entered the spa, we paid for it in cash.  I always enjoy eating at the Mineraltherme.  I wish other spas had restaurants as nice as theirs.

Then we got in line to pay basic admission and get our wristwatches, which allow you to purchase things without using cash in the spa and keep track of your time.  At this writing, it’s 12 euros per adult to visit the upstairs and part of the downstairs portions of the Mineraltherme.  If you want to go into the Saunagarten, which is textile free, you have to pay another 6 euros.  This is done by scanning your wristwatch at a turnstile.  On your way out of the spa, you pay a machine for any refreshments or other extras you get while you’re in the spa.

After we paid our admission, we went into the unisex locker room, which is full of small dressing rooms so you can “suit up” in private.  The Mineraltherme underwent a large renovation last year and they made some improvements to the locker room and some of the other facilities.  We spent the first hour or so enjoying the pools upstairs, which require the use of a bathing suit.  It was somewhat busy when we first got there, but not too bad.  But then, as time went on, the spa began to fill up.  I started noticing some rather inconsiderate behavior, which I’ll be bitching about in the following paragraphs.

One thing I don’t really like about the Mineraltherme experience on weekends is that it gets very crowded.  People bring their kids and act as if the spa is a Freibad.  I don’t really have so much of a problem with the kids up in the clothed area.  I accept that parents like the spa and they’re going to bring their children.  Most of the children at the Mineraltherme have been well-behaved, although I did see a couple of them hogging the pool noodles and not being very careful about where they were swinging them.  I didn’t need a pool noodle myself; I pretty much float on my own.  However, I did almost get beaned by one when one of the inattentive kids was horsing around.  I don’t find having to duck pool noodles a very relaxing experience, but I’m willing to accept that kids are welcome there.  So be it.

I have more of a problem with people who bring their young children into the textile free area.  Technically, youngsters under 18 are allowed down there if they are with an adult.  Personally, I think it’s a bad idea to bring children into that area.  It’s not because I’m uptight about nudity.  On the contrary, I’m all for it among consenting adults.  Consider this, though.  In the textile free area, the adults are walking around naked or wearing a towel or a robe.  You’ll see all kinds of things that might need explaining or cause uncomfortable staring, even if you do your best to avert your eyes.  For example, I saw one guy today with a very large metal ring hanging off of the end of his junk, Prince Albert style.  I don’t have kids myself, but I can just imagine explaining that one to a nine year old.

Also consider that people drink alcohol down there, just as they also do in the upstairs area.  It seems to me that adults drinking booze while naked is not necessarily compatible with hanging around with school aged children.  And… this is a big thing for me… the adults have paid an entrance fee so they can relax and unwind.  That is what spas are for.

Where’s Alice to set people straight when we need her?

I don’t find it very relaxing when a kid is hogging the jets in the pool, screaming and yelling, running amok, or staring.  I have less of a problem with kids watching couples practically fucking in the pool, which frequently happens at the Mineraltherme, than I do with them watching egregious violence on TV.  On the other hand, I’m not sure it’s something that they necessarily need to be seeing.  In fact, I’m not sure it’s something I need to be seeing, either.  But whatever… when in Rome (or Germany), right?

I counted at least five grade school aged kids in the textile free area today.  I also saw a few American youngsters who appeared to be high school aged.  They were loudly making jokes about bringing dates to the spa.  One of them was squirting water with his hands, like an oyster, and basically acting like he was at a naked pool party.

I know nudity is much more acceptable here in Germany than it is in the United States, but it’s still kind of a shock to my American sensibilities when I see young kids hanging out in the nude area of a spa, where grown people are trying to relax.  I think it’s inconsiderate for people to bring their kids in there.  It’s kind of akin to people who bring young kids on luxury cruises that aren’t equipped for kids.  It’s not really fair to the children or the other adults who have paid the price of admission.  Naturally, a day at the spa costs a lot less than a week on SeaDream I, but the concept is still the same.

Anyway… I don’t plan to write a letter of complaint or anything.  It was just something I was thinking about today at the spa.  I did leave there feeling more relaxed than I did when I came in and I’m sure I’ll go back another time.  I probably ought to show up in the mornings on weekdays, when kids are more likely to be in school, or maybe find a place that is strictly for adults.  I just think the local Freibad is probably a better place for kids to be, rather than the spa.  But that’s just little ol’ childfree me, sharing my opinion.  Incidentally, I also hate the term “littles” for children, but it is what it is.

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Baden-Württemberg

Russian lunch at Veranda Restaurant in Holzgerlingen…

This morning, Bill was occupied bottling his latest homebrew, while I was occupied by a nap and a nightmare.  When I woke up, it was early afternoon and there were a lot of clouds in the sky.  Bill asked me what I wanted to do today.  I took a look at the clouds and decided today was the day to try Veranda Restaurant in Holzgerlingen.

The sign out front.  On Sundays, there’s plenty of parking.

Although today was the first time we’d ever tried this restaurant, we have actually eaten in the venue before.  In May 2016, Bill and I went there when it was called Ocean’s First.  It was a seafood restaurant in those days and boasted a very nice looking terrace.  Since it’s on the third floor of an office building, it has kind of a nice view of a rather industrial part of Holzgerlingen.  Ocean’s First abruptly ceased operations a few months after our visit, though, much to our chagrin.  We really enjoyed our one dinner there.

A few months ago, my German friend Susanne alerted me to the restaurant’s new incarnation.  Veranda Restaurant specializes in Russian cuisine…  Well, if I’m honest, it’s more like cuisines of the former Soviet Union.  There are Russian, Ukranian, Georgian, and even Uzbek specialties on the menu.  During the workweek, it appears that they also offer some choices that are more for German businesspeople.  I checked their Facebook and noticed that they are open on Sundays from 11:00am until 10:00pm.  Since it was getting a little late for lunch, I suggested that we visit.

Come on in!

We arrived at the restaurant at about 2:30pm or so.  There were a few folks there, including one guy who used to work in Bill’s office, but was later moved.  It was a little awkward when we first walked in.  A young lady was sitting by a computer and seemed surprised to see us.  Then an older lady who didn’t speak any English came out of the kitchen.  They both encouraged us to get the brunch buffet, which runs 23 euros and is all you can eat, complete with drinks.  But I looked at what was on the tables and decided I’d rather order off the menu.

The older lady seemed a little concerned at that, although it was permissible.  I think she was worried we wouldn’t understand the menu, although they had one in English.  Then she handed us the barbecue menu, which is offered at certain times during the week (after 2:00pm on Sundays and after 5:00pm on weekdays).  I said, “Shashlik!” and her eyes lit up.  She asked if I speak Russian.  I don’t… only a few words, mostly consisting of curse words I learned in Armenia.  I learned Armenian in Armenia, which even seemed to confuse Armenians, who wondered why I’d learn Armenian when Russian is so much more portable.  But I do know a few words of Russian… and it turned out that made a difference.

So we sat down inside, only because it looked like it might rain.  I probably would have preferred to sit outside, since they were playing manic electro dance music in English that lent little to the ambiance.  If it had been Russian dance music, maybe it would have been slightly more authentic.

Bill makes a decision… the menu is quite extensive, with all kinds of choices.  They had everything from Russian to Uzbek specialties.

 

I’m always a little nervous about new restaurants, especially when there are a lot of selections on the menu that include the dreaded mushroom.  I figured I was pretty safe with pork BBQ (shashlik), which came with lavash (flatbread, kind of like very thin tortilla) and raw onions.  I got a side of shashlik sauce to go with it (extra charge of two euros).  Bill went with a Georgian chicken dish that came with a spicy pepper sauce.  He also got a side of roasted potatoes, which we shared.

We also split a bottle of Spanish red wine and sparkling water.  I was a little surprised that they didn’t have any Georgian or Armenian wines on the menu, but then they can be kind of hard to get and probably wouldn’t sell that well anyway.  People in the west are only now learning how good Caucasian wines are.  Because Bill was chatting with his former co-worker, the proprietor had me try the wine.  She lit up when I said, “Spasiba” (Russian for “thank you”).

It took awhile for lunch to be ready, but it was well worth the wait…

This was a complimentary “amuse”.  Basically like a very fancy style tuna salad, with potatoes, carrots, peppers, fish, eggs, and a very light application of mayonnaise.  It was very good, albeit a little filling.  

While we waited for our main courses, Bill and I discussed a possible trip to Armenia soon.  A friend of mine has been visiting this week and has me all excited about how much Yerevan has changed since I lived there from 1995-97.  My former Peace Corps student is now a director at Peace Corps Armenia and my very first Armenian teacher is now in charge of language training for the new Volunteers.  Naturally, I want to go back and see them, but I also want to see how much Yerevan has changed… and maybe show Bill where I spent two difficult but worthwhile years in my youth.  Maybe we will be able to go in October.  We’ll see.

Bill’s delicious Georgian chicken… it was perfectly roasted, very moist, and so different!  And the sauce that came with it was delightful!  The roasted potatoes were extra, but worth the addition, especially since we shared them.  

My shashlik… I saw the chef take the pork out on the veranda to grill it.  It was plenty of pork, perfectly cooked and juicy.  If I’d wanted to, I could have ordered pork with vegetables, barbecued chicken, lamb or beef.  They also had barbecued vegetables.

 

There were a few tempting looking desserts on the menu, but I was too full to consider them.  Also, by the time we finished eating, we were the only ones left in the restaurant.  Our total bill came to about 62 euros before the tip, but one can certainly get in and out of there for significantly less money.  Prices are very reasonable.  I do hope more people discover this gem in Holzgerlingen.  The food is good; the service is attentive and warm; and it’s such a nice change from Greek, Italian, and German food.

I think Veranda might have a better chance at staying in business than Ocean’s First did, mainly because Ocean’s First was selling fish and didn’t have freezers; therefore they depended on what could be delivered locally.  The food was very good–especially the huge lobster I had there– but I think it didn’t offer enough different stuff to attract people from all over and business was too slow.  Veranda is truly different because it’s Russian/ former Soviet Union food.  That makes it unique and, perhaps, gives it more of a chance at long term success.

If you’re looking for a change and don’t mind a drive to Holzgerlingen, I would highly recommend Veranda.  And if you speak a little Russian, you will score points!  The proprietor lit up again as I said “Do svidaniya!” on the way out.  I may have to add to my vocabulary besides Russian cuss words.  Incidentally, the young lady we saw behind the computer waited on us and spoke some English, so really, language should not be a barrier!  I just think maybe that restaurant doesn’t get a lot of Americans… yet.

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Lunch at Primo Ristorante X Vineria and fine food shopping in downtown Stuttgart…

This weekend, we decided to spend our Saturday afternoon in downtown Stuttgart.  There were several reasons why we opted for the city.  One was an annoying monthly visitor that necessitated proximity to a ladies room.  One was the high chance of thunderstorms that clearly struck while we were gone.  And one was the fact that my car needs new tires and one tire has a slow leak.  Bill’s car has squeaky brakes that need to be fixed.  We didn’t want to chance the Black Forest today.

I’m glad we went to Stuttgart, even though it’s a crowded, busy city.  I’ve kind of been wanting to go downtown for awhile.  Actually, I need a date night at a really nice restaurant, but that’s what my upcoming birthday is for… hint hint (not that I need to hint to Bill).  We parked the car in a big garage near our dentist’s downtown office and went searching for lunch.

On the way there, we passed these buskers.  One was playing accordion and the other was passionately playing violin with so much emotion that I got very verklempt.  I have a weakness for street musicians, especially when they’re good.  These two went straight to my heart.  Unfortunately, they weren’t selling any CDs.  Bill wasn’t the only one to slip them some euros.

This guy was also a skillful busker who was selling CDs, but panpipes don’t do it for me…  We passed another guy playing acoustic guitar and another playing flute.  I really enjoy talented musicians playing in city squares.

 

We headed off the main drag in Stuttgart and suddenly I noticed a heavenly aroma.  I have mentioned in this blog before that I typically trust my nose when I stop at a restaurant.  It smelled of garlic, grilled, fresh bread, and exotic spices.  That aroma, along with a lovely smile from a striking young woman led me to pick Primo Ristorante X Vineria.  We took a two top under the outdoor canopy and checked out the menu, which was helpfully offered in Italian, German, and English.

Bill poses for the camera after ordering glasses of white wine and our usual big bottle of Spruedel.  Our wine and water came with fresh bread, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  I had a glass of Lugana Ottella, while Bill had Pinot Bianco Moritz DOC.

 

I was sitting in a good spot for people watching.  I thought it was fun hanging out in the food court at AAFES and watching the people walk by.  This place was even more fascinating, as people from all walks of life and different countries passed, sometimes with a significant other or a child and sometimes with a four legged friend.  I was especially enjoying the fashion show.  I saw quite an array of fashion statements, including one woman who was wearing a t-shirt with pictures of hamburgers over her breasts.  I saw another well muscled man wearing a tank top bearing the 7Eleven logo and a pair of cut off jeans shorts.

Bill decided to have the Panzirotti, which was basically ravioli stuffed with cheese and porcini mushrooms.  I went with Tagliolini with scallops and a turmeric lime sauce.

Bill’s dish was extremely pungent.  Some might say it was fragrant.  If you like the smell of mushrooms, it probably smelled heavenly.  I don’t like the smell of mushrooms, but Bill loves everything about the cursed things.  He said this dish was delicious… just the right size and delightfully earthy.  I took his word for it. 

I much preferred my day glow colored scallops and pasta.  The scallops were slightly bitter, but the lime and turmeric sauce kind of set off the bitterness.  And again, this was just the right size.

 

Our waitress asked us where we’re from.  We explained that we’re Americans who live locally.  She seemed impressed by that news and wondered why we’d want to live in Germany.  She was genuinely surprised when we told her how long we’ve been here and that it was our second time.  She might have wondered why our German is so bad, too.  I noticed she spoke German and English like an expert.

Next, she told us she’s from Iraq and was waiting to get her German passport so she’ll be allowed to visit the United States.  She told us she hopes to visit within the next year.  I was very impressed by how warm, friendly, and genuine our server was.  It was her warm, welcoming smile that made me want to sit down in the first place.

The weather was still nice after we finished lunch and an entertaining Spanish family sat down.  We could tell they knew the owner, just based on the affectionate way they greeted him.  Then I heard them switch from rapid fire Spanish to perfect German.  I really need to get back to my language lessons.

I decided to have a glass of primitivo, while Bill had an espresso.  I didn’t look at the wine list before I ordered this, but I was so impressed by it, that Bill went in to find out the brand.  Our waitress told us that everyone loves that primitivo.  It was just slightly effervescent.  Looking at the menu now, I see it was Primitivo di Manduria

 

When we left, our waitress bid us a very fond farewell and even taught us a new phrase in Arabic.  Perhaps we’ll see her again.  I would visit Primo another time.  We enjoyed lunch there.

 

Our waitress gave us truly excellent service and it was a real pleasure to sit in her section.  I thought she was Italian when we sat down, but then when I looked at her face, I could tell she was Middle Eastern.  She had beautiful, thick black hair and topaz colored eyes that matched her bronze skin tone.  Aside from being a very attractive young woman, she was also extremely kind and hospitable.  I hope she can visit the United States and she’s treated well there… at least as well as she treated us today.  We really enjoyed talking to her.

After a couple of hours at Primo, we decided to head toward Feinkost Böhm, which is a very expensive and fancy grocery store in downtown Stuttgart that offers everything from fresh sushi to housemade desserts.  But before we made it to the Feinkost, we stopped by the Markthalle.  I always love going into the Markthalle because it has such a festive atmosphere and one can find all kinds of foods there.

Fresh meats, fresh breads, fresh fruits and vegetables…

Lots of wines…

Beautiful produce!

Sausages and cheeses…

We bought Italian cherries, although they had them from Germany and Spain, too.  And we bought limes, in case I get in the mood for a margarita.

 

We also bought a couple of large, dry-aged, rib-eye steaks, which Bill will be cooking sous vide style and then grilling later.

Fresh fish in the Feinkost.  It smelled delicious.

 

We picked up a couple of bottles of wine at the Feinkost and a little dessert.  We may not be at the Army Ball tonight, but I think we’ll still have a nice evening.  If we’d wanted to, we could have eaten at the Feinkost, which has a lovely restaurant now offering outdoor seating, as well as a sushi bar.  No, it’s not exactly cheap to shop there, but sometimes it’s great for a morale boosting treat.

The Feinkost even has an outdoor champagne bar…  God, I love living in Europe!

All in all, we had a really nice afternoon downtown.  We need to visit Stuttgart more often, if only so I can burst into tears when I hear a particularly talented street musician play.  On our way back to the garage, an acoustic guitar player had taken over the corner where the violinist and accordion player had been.  He was doing a mean version of “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel.

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Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest 2018

Full disclosure.  Although Bill and I have lived in the Stuttgart for over five years of our married life (07-09 and 14-?), today was our first time ever visiting the spring fest in Stuttgart.  To be honest, I think we were taken aback by our very first “fest” experience in 2007.  It took us another 9 years to do another.

I think we’ve found that we like going on Sunday afternoons.  I think Bill figures that’s going to be less busy… however, when we’ve gone on Sundays, there has been ample entertainment.  I mainly like to go for the beer, the fabulous chicken, and watching all the drunk people.  Although I am not averse to getting drunk myself, I don’t generally get as messed up as some of the young folks do.  And today, we wound up in the young folks’ tent.

Actually, our trip started out a little bit stressful. I noticed on the train in Herrenberg that, unlike a lot of other people the previous fall, I was wearing Trachten and no one else was.  Add in the very obnoxious Middle Eastern looking lady who appeared to be taking pictures and texting, and you might realize how paranoid I was.  And then I saw on Facebook that one of the tents supposedly didn’t open until 5:00pm.  I needn’t have worried, though.  Plenty of people were wearing dirndls and lederhosen… and it was not hard to find a tent in the afternoon.

We got to the Dinkelacker tent at about 1:30pm or so… Honestly, I don’t know.  We sat at an empty bench, fanned ourselves a bit (it’s warmer in the spring), and ordered a couple of Maß Krugs of beer.  Then we had our traditional chicken and rolls…  Below are some photos from the festivities, which continue until May 13th this year.  We actually decided to go today because next weekend, we will be in France.  Now I see we could have postponed!

Goofy photo… and the nicest one of me today.  

Always good to know.  There is a WC very close to the train station.  

A few rides.  I used to like rides.

 

It wasn’t too busy when we arrived.

That chicken is so good! 

We found seats near the stage, although signs warned us that the benches were reserved from 5pm.  Honestly, I would rather party in the afternoon.  You have plenty of time to recover until it’s time to work again.

As time wore on, things got a little wilder…

But it was still pretty calm at this point.

Uh oh… people are busting loose!  By this point, I was becoming less pissy myself.

Hip bumping!

The lady in the blue dirndl was making eyes at the guy playing guitar…

 

Every time I think I might want a mini-dirndl, it occurs to me that maybe I’d rather not have my gams on display… but this lady had nice thighs.

 

One last shot before we left…

And a few shots of the crowd before we made our way to the train…

 

And the ride back to Herrenberg from Bad Cannstatt was not too bad… and no one took pictures and texted.  If I write a strange short story on my main blog in the next month or so, you’ll know why.

 

If you want to get a feel for the fest, watch the video.  It’s totally unedited, recorded on an iPhone (because my purse won’t accommodate my big camera), and will give you an idea of what happens from about 12:30 or 1:00 until about 5:00pm.  If you’re bringing kids, it may be especially valuable viewing.  If I’d had my camera, the film would be better.  But I have ordered a new purse, which means fewer iPhone films.

 

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