STUTTGART

A most interesting evening in Stuttgart.  We expected nothing less than your basic European doddle from Hauptbanhof Stuttgart to our pension with Google maps suggesting our trip was nothing much to talk about, or so we thought.  Only 2.4km to our apartment, cool!  However, it's Europe, or specifically Stuttgart and our Google maps have a problem with distances.

We were hot and sweaty by the time we mounted the steps to Pension am Heusteigstrasse 30 and subsequently to Apartment 11.  Our luggage was heavy and those additional steps didn't help!  Hot showers and BBC 1 news assisted in our recovery.

We had noticed the area about Rathaus was composed of Stuttgartians (sic) celebrating Sunday with a few outdoor drinks.  ATM's with security glass didn't permit Beyond Bank access so we assumed our cards would pass muster.  Europe is like that, just as you assume global banking conditions are in play, your assumptions are disproved.  "What the hell, let's wing it!"

Einstein's bar and grill was the first to be encountered and a vacant table beckoned!  You get a lot of that on the Continent, beckoning tables!  It was a big night with our new friends Yasmin and Christophe.

Next morning following a nutritious breakfast of paprikawurst and abricot jam we went for a wee walk.  6000 steps later we rested under a spreading chestnut tree after visiting Museum Wurttemberg and an Evangelistic church with a magnificent organ.  Tinkling could be heard from just behind the altar where the backup piano was being tuned.  The Monday morning retail session had just commenced and we were bemused to see a ladies apparel store called Closed.  I suppose they could have named it Geschlossen but that doesn't have the required degree of panache.