Holiday Inn Stuttgart

Nun sind es also knapp zwei Monate her, als ich das letzte Mal an einer Schule die Geschichte
von Selma und mir erzählte. Einen Abend zuvor telefonierte ich mit meinem Bruder und so ganz nebenbei scherzte er, dass ich aus der Übung sein müsste, da ich schon mehr als 8 Wochen keine Schule mehr betreten und Mainecoon gepielt habe. Ach, von wegen aus der Übung. Bücher zu präsentieren ist wie Auto fahren. So etwas verlernt man nicht, und ...

... the first night but had to leave since it was the site of Stuttgarts Oktoberfest. We got a hotel room outside of town and decided to enjoy a lil more Oktoberfestivities! This time we didn't join a beer tent but decided to eat our way around. We got Sausuage in a currysauce, Beavertail Pizza, Corn on the Cob and Smoked Salmon sandwiches. It was fun since everything had a twist to it ...

... nein, schloss interaction) there was a big crowd in the center. It was pumpkin racing day complete with announcer, starting gun, and two lanes through the main fountain! Yes, giant 1000 lb plus hollowed out pumpkins with kayak paddles being raced across the fountain. We walked all around the front grounds, seeing many, locked entrances to the castle. It was cool, but not 14 euros cool. Little did we know! In a much needed search for the WC, we ...

... work out.) We'd already been downtown three times. We've got the bus and train down for that route. Discoveries? Koenigstrasse is prime for people watching and eating doners (sort of like a Turkish gyro). The alte schloss (old castle) might have a cool museum with nice displays, but when you don't speak the language, museum trips are pretty quick. Also, vorsicht stuffen does not mean closed. We stared at that one for awhile before a German ...

... and the gardens are really nice. I think the Basel zoo is better as far as animals go, but this one isn't bad for variety. I did not like the small areas where the animals are kept though. It seemed much too small for large wild animals.

After the zoo we walked around the city center and stopped in a beer garden for a little relaxation. We managed to walk around the New Palace and Palace Square and then went to the ...

... the time) and yet, efforts to prevent graffiti seem to not even hit the radar. Likewise, there seems to be little effort made in keeping crazies and punks from hanging out at stations. As a general note, I'm interested in what determines whether a city/country has stations with (1) a step on/step off structure or (2) some sort of barrier between public and train (meaning: a ticket/token/card has to be presented OR the barrier hopped over).

... to the Porsche museum. It really was a bit of a let down in comparison to the other two car museums. It was only one room, there were a few cars, but not really much information. After we left the museum, we walked around the corner to the Porsche dealership. There were some pretty nice cars in there - with some pretty nice price tags too! So, thus ended our time in Germany. We headed back towards France for the finish up of our time on the European continent. Auf Weidersehen!

... tulip festival). Thanks to Block for the spare 240V adapter. We are overwhelmed by the number of offers to come and stay with our Federation friends all over Europe - including looking after people's island homes in the Mediterranean. We will try to drop in and see as many of these kind people as we can but please accept our apologies if we run out of time or our itinerary doesn't pass your home. Speaking of which, we should make an itinerary soon.   Stuttgart, in Germany, is ...

... so we couldn't miss our stop. The Stuttgart train station is very large and impressive. There is a concourse with lots of shops and restaurants. We had to go down a long set of stairs to the street, where we found a taxi rank. We rode in a Mercedes station wagon (probably a C class). The driver put in a CD and input the address of our destination using the radio knobs and a voice navigation system told him each turn to make. Neat. That's what WE need to keep from getting lost ...