Stuttgart, a city in the south of Germany, isn´t a touristy place. In fact I got asked several times why I was going there and what I hoped to see. The thing is I was going to visit Alex, my boyfriend, in his hometown, Stuttgart, so I didn´t really know what I was going to see. But having a Stuttgarter with me, I was certain I would get to see a side of this city that a normal tourist wouldn´t find. I wasn´t wrong, Alex took me to all the spots he knows since a kid and I want to share them with you, because it showed me why he loves his city so much.
We started at the city center, where the New Castle lies. We took some pictures at the fountain outside the castle and the Jubileumsäule right before its gates. Walking around the garden just in front of the castle was also something I enjoyed. We took our time and sat down in a graspatch. Tip for you, make a picknick, it´s a nice spot to just sit down, eat and enjoy!
When Alex told me, we were going into the Rathaus (city hall) to look for a lift I had no idea what the special thing about a lift could be. Not until I saw that it was no less and no more than a Paternoster Lift. After having searched for it all around Prague I couldn´t believe I had found one in Stuttgart without even looking for it! I was so excited and spent so much time just jumping on and off the lift! I could have stayed all day there, but we had yet much to see!
Alex knows I love books, so he took me to the Stadtbibliothek (the library). Even if you aren´t that into books, you should go, the architecture alone is amazing! I strolled around, taking books out of their shelves, reading the back of the cover and putting them back. There is nothing like a sea of books where you can spend hours finding one book after the other you would love to read!
When Alex was finally able to get me away of the books, we took the Bahn (train) to a whole other part of the city. The Killesberg is in the middle of a park, with many trees and beautiful views. We climbed the Killesbergturm (tower) and had the most amazing view over the city! The whole structure moved with wind and it was a little bit scary, but I assure you, it is safe!
The next day, we went for a little daytrip to Bad Urach, to the Bad Urach Wasserfälle. It´s an easy hike and the waterfall that meets you at the end is wonderful! We decided this hike wasn´t enough for us and went to climb the rockwall just to the right of the waterfall. This requires some skill, so if you are no adventurer, don´t feel pressured to follow in our steps, we were just reviving Alex´s childhood memories!
After that you can still keep on going up, to the mouth of the waterfall. It wont take you long and you can reward yourself with a Bratwurst (german sausage) or an ice at the kiosk up there!
The next adventure, Alex left for the next day! His sister and her boyfriend took us kanuing at Bitiegheim! The kanus belonged to the boyfriend of Alex´s sister, so I´m not sure how easy it would be for you to get hang of one of these! But if you manage to do it, it will be well worth it. Being our first time in a kanu, Alex and I had some difficulty getting the hang of it and trying to keep coordinated! No need to say that there was some frustration, but also a lot of laughing! We made a picknick at the riverbank and headed back. The way back was a lot better than the way to our picknick spot!
For our last adventure, Alex took me to the Nippenburg, a ruin he had wanted to bring me too since we first started talking about me going to visit him in Stuttgart.
We got our bikes ready and sett off to the castle-ruin. On the way we stopped at the Bärenschloss and the Schloss Solitude, we went through the forest and saw deers in a protected area.
We passed in front of Alex´s house from when he lived in Germany, three years ago, and after several ups and downs made it to the Nippenburg. We sat on the crumbling wall and ate our well deserved lunch and after that we climbed to the highest point of what is still standing of the castle and enjoyed the sun and the view! That castle-ruin was the thing I liked best while staying in Stuttgart, it was the perfect way to end my trip there!
While Stuttgart isn´t a hotspot for tourists, it has its charm, so if you happen to find yourself there and don´t know where to go, try some of the things Alex showed me, I´m sure you will like them too!
