We finally had a full week at home and we are exhausted! We are going to have to keep going away every weekend to get some relaxation time. We had work, school, German classes, and Matt even got some golfing in.
Matt went golfing with one of his German friends on Wednesday and Thursday, we met him and some of his friends for a couple of drinks in downtown Stuttgart. We went to new bar, After Work Stuttgart. When we got there it was almost empty but it quickly became PACKED. Every time the place met it’s capacity, it just moved its metal barriers back a little more to make more space for people. Despite the crowding, it was still really fun to get out downtown.
I have every other Friday off, and this was my first day off while the kids were at school so Matt and I planned a day date. We tried out the Stuttgarter Weinwanderweg, aka “wine hiking trail.”
After the kids left for school, we headed for Obertürkheim, a neighborhood in east Stuttgart where the trail started. It started as a walk through the village and then went through two further villages, Uhlbach, and Rotenberg, and through three or four vineyards, in between.
Because we had started early, most of the vineyard shops were closed but we were able to stop at the last one, which gave us a free tasting. The riesling was so good, we bought two bottles. We finished the hike which ended up being seven miles long, with over 1000 ft of elevation gain- it was a great workout.
Friday night, we met some friends at the Sindelfingen evening market for a couple of glasses of wine (and sausages for Matt). Brooklyn came along with us to play with their two year old daughter, so both sets of parents were really happy.
This weekend we planned some local adventures. Sunday, the weather was calling for a downpour so we planned a day of outdoor activities on Saturday.
First, we headed an hour southeast to the town of Blaubeuren where there is a super blue pond, called Blautopf, aka “The Blue Pot.” We walked down to the pond and did a short hike around its exterior. Since it was a beautiful, sunny day, the pond was extra blue and so pretty.
After we did our loop around the pond, we walked through the Blaubeuren Monastery. The blue pond has been the subject of legends for centuries and the original monastery was built right next to it in 1065. The current buildings were completed in 1501.
After the monastery, we stopped for lunch. We had parked right next to a kebab shop and it smelled so good, we had to make a stop. The kebabs and pizza were some of the best we had.
Since it was still early, we made a stop at the Bad Urach waterfalls on the way back home. The waterfalls are over 40 meters high and part of the UNESCO Global Geopark Swabian Alb. We parked and did the 30 minute hike along the creek, up to the base of some stairs that climb along side the largest part of the waterfall. Matt and Ryan didn’t want to go up so Brooklyn and I went the last part alone. The falls were really strong due to all the recent rain so the steps were covered by the waterfalls at some parts but we still made it to the top.
When we got back home, we moved the laundry along and unloaded the dishwasher and headed back out again.
We met some friends for dinner at a biergarten in their town for their closing weekend. We have been here long enough at this point that we actually ran into more people that we know there. It was really a turning point for us.
True to our nature, we closed down the biergarten when the owners came over to tell us in very German fashion, “Um, we close now, so, you leave.”
Sunday, it was so supposed to pour but we woke up to clear skies and a beautiful day so I dragged the family back out of the house again.
First stop was Schloss Solitude, a palace that was built as the hunting lodge for the Duke of Württemberg in the 1760s. It’s popular as a place to get married, or have professional photos taken so it is only fully open a few weekends a year.
It was only 15 minutes from our house so we drove out and walked the grounds. The palace is up on a mountain, so there was a great view of Stuttgart, and there were lots of families out hiking, biking, taking pictures, and picnicking.
As we had gotten there, lots of fire trucks were pulling up: the fire department was there to get their picture taken on the steps out front, so the entrance was temporarily blocked. We had peeked in the windows and it looked mostly empty so we decided we got what we needed from it and didn’t need to go inside.
Since we still had so much time, we decided to drive over to Fernsehturm, Stuttgart’s TV tower. It was completed in 1956, and fun fact- was the first concrete tv tower in the world and the model for many to follow, worldwide.
The tower has an observation deck and restaurant at the top. Ryan does not like tall buildings though. We told him we stayed in a higher floor at our hotel last weekend, but he quickly informed us the architecture was much wider and sturdier so no thank you to Fernsehturm 🤣. Matt and I decided to come back on one of my Friday’s off in the future.
Afterwards, we drove down the street to Santiago de Chile Platz, a square that has one of the best views of Stuttgart. Both Fernsehturm and the Platz are in the neighborhood of Degerloch in Stuttgart, which is one of the highest places in the city. The neighborhood itself looks a lot like San Francisco with its architecture, trams, and hilly landscape.
Sunday afternoon, we ended the weekend by going back to the indoor trampoline park, Sprungbude for Ryan’s friend’s birthday party. We finally got home and caught up on school work and cleaning. Brooklyn was so tired, she went to bed at 6pm.
We’re hoping for a quiet week this week. Next weekend, we are off to Munich and Legoland!
Links:
Blaubeuren: https://www.blaubeuren.de/willkommen
Bad Urach Waterfall: https://www.badurach-tourismus.de
Schloss Solitude: https://www.schloss-solitude.de/en/home
Fernsehturm: https://www.fernsehturm-stuttgart.de
Gilcrests Abroad 