stuttgart: it’s… complicated
okay, so i just got back from stuttgart. and honestly? it’s a lot. like, a lot of things happening all at once. i’m still trying to process it, and i just checked and it’s...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. it’s weirdly beautiful, but also kind of stressful. the air quality is… something.
seriously, the geography is insane. this bowl-shaped valley, the Kessellage, it’s like they built the whole city into a giant dent in the earth. and it traps everything. i heard someone tell me that’s why it’s so foggy in the winter - the air just gets stuck. it’s fascinating and slightly terrifying. the elevation changes are wild too, going from 207 meters to 549 meters in a few spots. it’s like a rollercoaster for your feet.
and the cars. oh god, the cars. it’s a car city. a serious car city. mercedes-benz and porsche headquarters are right there, dominating everything. it’s impressive, sure, but also a little overwhelming. someone told me that the traffic is absolutely brutal, even with all the green spaces. which, by the way, are everywhere. like, half the city is forests and parks. it’s a nice contrast to the industrial stuff, i guess.
historically, it’s a bit of a mess too. started as a stud farm, then a town, then a capital. it’s been through a lot. they’re still working on that stuttgart 21 project - apparently, it’s supposed to be this massive rail redevelopment, but it’s causing a ton of construction chaos. i saw a lot of orange cones and barriers everywhere. it’s… a thing.
and the food! swabian cuisine is hearty. like, really hearty. maultaschen (those filled pasta dumplings) are a must-try, and the spätzle is surprisingly good. i had linsen mit spätzle - lentils and noodles with sausage. it was… filling. and they have wine! riesling and trollinger from the surrounding vineyards. it’s a nice combo.
there are a bunch of cool museums too - the mercedes-benz museum is huge, and the porsche museum is pretty neat. the old castle and new castle are cool, but honestly, just wandering around and getting lost in the hills is a good way to spend the day. if you get bored, ludwigsburg, esslingen, böblingen, rems-murr, and göppingen are just a short drive away.
seriously, the public transport is good, but you need to be prepared for hills. and the air quality… it’s not great. it’s a trade-off, i guess. it’s a really interesting place, but it’s definitely not for everyone. it’s a city of contrasts - industrial and green, efficient and chaotic, beautiful and a little bit depressing. it’s…stuttgart. i’m still trying to figure it out myself.
and the pressure is 994, humidity is 97. i just checked.
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