Stuttgart is not my favourite place; it is noisy, dirty and has road works and other construction sites left, right and centre. But it also has some surprisingly quiet corners and interesting places to offer, such as the church I showed you not long ago here.
Last Wednesday, my colleague and I attended a conference held by the Chamber of Commerce. This annual event is all about IT security, and since you can not have data/privacy protection (my line of work) without that, we try to keep abreast with latest developments in that area, too.
The Chamber of Commerce in Stuttgart has their building close to Stuttgart's central station. Stuttgart itself is set in a valley; on its slopes, you find a mix of well-to-do living quarters, vineyards and woods. Still, it is unusual to have a vineyard right at the back and to the side of a building so close to the city centre as here:
The vineyard is owned by the Chamber of Commerce. Its drystone walls are listed, as is the little building at the top. Also, nature protection regulations apply. About 7,000 bottles are produced from its grapes ever year; enough wine to be given as presents to the speakers at this conference (and probably many other events), and it is served at the annual New Year's reception and similar events.
In any case, it makes for a wonderful place, and during lunch break last Wednesday, many visitors (including my colleague and I) enjoy the view, some even climbing up to the house. We did not do that - it was close to 30 C that day, and we were in business outfits not meant for climbing steep drystone steps!
Now for the sunflowers. The same evening, I went for a walk on the fields with my friend. Usually, we go for a run together once a week, but it was still very warm, and my friend is expecting a baby, so we took things deliberately slowly. We came across this field of sunflowers:
And earlier this week, I went for another evening walk with another friend, on fields on the other side of town. While I was waiting for my friend to get ready, I had a look at her balcony. It is small, but full of flowers and herbs; she even grows her own cucumbers in a pot. This flower is new this year; it looks great (but needs a lot of water). I have my friend's permission to show the pictures.
Our walk took us past this flower field:
The light is not good - it was around 7:00 pm, and the sun at an angle not ideal for this view, but I hope you can still make out the sunflowers.
I certainly would not have expected that in the middle of a city. As for sunflowers, I love the way whole fields turn as one to face the sun as it travels across the sky (figuratively speaking).
ReplyDeleteYes, that is one of the many things I like about sunflowers, too. And of course, their petals are yellow - my favourite colour!
DeleteYes. It is amazing to have a productive vineyard in the middle of a thriving city. What sort of wine do they produce and is it nice to drink?
ReplyDeleteP.S. I looked up the meaning of Stuttgart. Stud farm! Because the city was founded in 950 AD by Duke Liudolf of Swabia to breed warhorses.
They make two kinds, Trollinger and Lemberger, according to their website. I have never been given any, so I can't say whether it is nice to drink.
DeleteStuttgart is derived from Stuten-Garten, garden of mares. But stud farm fits the bill as well, since it was really a place where horses were bred.
The sunflowers are pretty. I've noticed lots of sunflower fields around here this summer and I try to get a picture whenever possible!
ReplyDeleteAre the purple flowers on your friend's balcony morning glories? That's certainly what they look like! What a pretty place, I love small balcony/patio gardens!
I don't know what the balcony flowers are called, I just know that they are beautiful and very thirsty!
DeleteWhat an amazing find...that vineyard right in the middle of the city. I would imagine that the grapes go to another place to be produced into wine? Lovely sunflowers. One of my favorite flowers. I remember fields and fields of sunflowers when we were in Prince Edward Island.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, the actual wine-making takes place somewhere else.
DeleteSunflowers lift anyone's spirit, don't they!
Your posts always bring up a lot of memories for me of the 'Schwobalaendle' (land of the Swabians). The building of the Chamber of Commerce sits in the Jaegerstrasse, and I know that because I used to work at another company in the Jaegerstrasse for a couple of years. In the same street is also the LBS where I once had an interview for an internship when I was 17. You could see the vineyard through the large windows of the conference room, and the interviewer even asked me if I had ever participated in a wine harvest.
ReplyDeleteNow, serious business, though. Stuttgart is dirty? Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! As a native of Stuttgart my feelings are just a tad hurt. (wink, wink)
Yes, the IHK building is on Jägerstraße. It was newly built only a few years ago and is very modern and interesting to visit for the architecture alone.
DeleteNice that you know the place from personal experience!
When was the last time you visited Stuttgart main station, or any of the S-Bahn stops? ;-) It really IS dirty - the construction sites alone make sure of that, plus Stuttgart has become the capital of Feinstaub. Add to that people who drop food wrappers and tissues wherever they walk, and you get the complete "dirt" picture.
We lived in Dachswald, a sort of suburb of Vaihingen, but I was often close to the city center for classes and we walked on hills around the city and could often look down on it. I seem to remember vineyards. My husband and I loved to walk but it was not the popular activity at home that we discovered it to be in Germany, at least at the time. It seemed as though everyone walked, especially every Sunday, and often in traditional costumes. It was '73-'74.
ReplyDeleteWalking is still very popular, as is running, but you don't see traditional costumes anymore in our area, only in Bavaria. Or maybe for events such as the Horsemarket parade I posted about a while ago!
DeleteThe paths and roads on the hilltops offer good views of Stuttgart, that's true.
Hey there! Its been a while since I wandered over here. Just taking a look around. Nice pictures - I did see the sunflowers and they were pretty. Lately I have been feeling the "travel bug" and so I really enjoyed your pictures. Cool how you are finding and or revisiting the treasures your own area of the world offers! I should try that - esp. since the cure for the "travel bug" is zero dollars ha!
ReplyDeleteHey there, and great to see you over here, too!
DeleteMy area does really have a lot to offer, I think. What my hometown lacks is proper woodland; there are two tiny bits of wood but they are really little more than a copse, and neither is very nice for walks.
Let me know how you get on with the "home-made" cure for your travel-bug!
Her Morning Glory looks a lot happier than mine, even though mine is in a large pot and I try my best to keep it watered. I'm starting to wonder what I'm doing wrong.... so maybe you can ask her for some tips for me? Sunflowers are really appealing. We have one outside the window and it sometimes seem as if someone is peeping in - in a friendly way of course :)
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, my friend's plant gets just plenty of water; maybe it helps that it gets morning sun, too, as that balcony faces east.
DeleteI like the idea of your flower peeping in on you in a friendly way :-)