Well, well, let’s go on. We have conquered the north and the south soon will follow. But before, we have to get past the basin and the traffic hell of Stuttgart.
I know, many people love Stuttgart and it surely has its advantages, but it is a hell, especially if you are going by car. Don’t go by car. Stuttgart itself has Roman roots and is known for its musical scene, art galleries and museums. I gifted Rob tickets for Aladdin for Christmas and was a little bit overwhelmed by the whole complex. There are several theatres around one place that all are showing different musicals. Some are not as convincing as others. One of my favourite museums of all time is the Linden-Museum. Several years ago, I bought a huge exhibition guide about the Inca and visited with Rob the exhibition about the Aztecs. For those of you who are more interested in technology or cars there is the Porsche-museum.
West of Stuttgart there is the monastery Hirsau. The monastery once played a huge role among the German monasteries, like Maulbronn did as well. Today there are only ruins left. Though, they are a perfect spot for photo shoots. During the golden hour you will get a great light and the walls and windows make good motives. Rob and I visited the monastery back in our early days and I still remember this trip very dearly, because it was one of the first times I realized how lucky I was and still am. There is no entrance fee. You could go there in the middle of the night. Just be quiet then, because there are people living nearby. Along the road north or south you will find many castle ruins, which is very typical for the whole of Baden-Württemberg.
If you are going south soon the roads will lead you to Tübingen. I lived in Tübingen for about a year. The apartment was sh*t, but affordable. Tübingen has a beautiful old town, which is still buzzing with life. Since it has a famous university the city is full of students and heavily influenced by them and the will of consciousness and sustainability. And of course, the will of shopping. Tübingen and Stuttgart are very expensive in terms of living. Along the streets you will find more second-hand shops than in most towns. The cafés and restaurants are used to vegan options and options for other allergies and intolerance. The bookstores are in big half-timbered houses and the university is located in the castle Hohentübingen. The university shares this rooms with the museum. The museum centres around archaeology from the stone age to the Greeks and Romans, mostly, because the students are the next door. The museum is part of the university. One of my favourite stores in Tübingen is Fritz Schimpf, a store for art and office supplies. You will find the basics for beginners next to the specialized ink pen for pros. Another favourite store is Safran Feinkost. As the name already gives away, the store is mostly about spices from exotic places, good chocolate and pralines, coffee and tea. Tübingen has the traditional German restaurants as well as Mexican, Chinese, Indian and Japanese restaurants.
A five-minute-drive north of Tübingen you will find the monastery Bebenhausen. The entry fee is about five euros and you will have a quite and nice stroll through the monastery. If you are a cheapskate then just wander around the grounds of the monastery. Even if you are only outside you will see a lot and learn about the monastery.
Let’s move on to Hechingen. What place? Hechingen. It is a very small town, but has two interesting things – a Jewish cemetery and a Roman villa with ongoing excavations. As you may have read in a previous post I have lived in a Roman city for a month. The Roman villa in Hechingen is fairly similar and I loved it. I was there with Rob who worked there for almost seven months. He knew the place and could tell me everything from the excavations, the museum, gave me a little tour and spilled the tea about his co-workers. Also, the villa is holding events with reenactors. The entrance fee is 7 Euros. The Jewish cemetery is closed, but the area is quite good for a little walk and a peak over the low wall.
Near Hechingen, above the plain and in front of the Swabian Alb rises the Castle Hohenzollern. It looks pretty majestic and parts of the movie “A Cure for Wellness” were shot there. Certainly not the scenes in the courtyard of the castle. The castle is private, but open for visitors. The prices are high, 12 Euros for the courtyard and the castle, 8 Euros just for the courtyard. Current patriarch and owner of castle Hohenzollern is Karl Friedrich Emich Meinrad Benedikt Fidelis Maria Michael Gerold Prince of Hohenzollern. His family was first mentioned around 1060 A.D. and provided German emperors and Prussian kings. Castle Hohenzollern is one out of three castles that is very popular among Asian people, the other two are castle Neuschwanstein and castle Eltz. Neither Neuschwanstein, nor Hohenzollern have much of a history. Castle Eltz, out of those three, is the only one with continuous inhabitation through several centuries up until now.
From Hechingen we are heading east to reach Ulm in the long run. Before that we will stop at Blaubeuren. Blaubeuren is tiny, but packed with the good stuff. There you will find the famous Blautopf, a small, bright blue lake. Around it is a walking way. Then there is an old monastery from medieval times. It is very well preserved. The town in general is well preserved and consists of half-timbered houses. The town is surrounded by two castle ruins and several caves. In the local museum you will see prehistoric objects from the caves. The caves and the objects are part of the UNESCO world heritage.
Ulm lays on the border of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Ulm is the part in Baden-Württemberg, Neu-Ulm is the part in Bavaria. The city is rich with history, has a huge cathedral and preserved parts of its old town very good. In the old town look out for the “First Ulmer Pancake-house”, “Erstes Ulmer Pfannkuchenhaus”. I had a pancake with whipped cream, caramelised apples and Calvados. You will get those pancakes sweet or savoury, whatever you prefer. The inside of the restaurant is very rustic.
Let yourself be fascinated.
-Toni
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