Beer, Cars, Schntizel

Thanks to our wonderful new friends, we were able to explore the local area a bit today, including lunch at  Wichtel Brewery (Wichtel Hausbrauerei), where we had our first beer in Germany--a Hefeweizen of course!  We also had our first ever salmon pizza.  It sounds gross, but it was quite good, with onions, cheese, spinach and cream.

Enjoying our first beer on a beautiful day in Feuerbach District, Stuttgart, Germany

The brewery, which appears to be in an older factory shares the building with Meilenwerk, a facility that specializes in the sale of really, really expensive cars.  However, before we even left the parking lot, I noticed seven Porche's all parked in a row.  They later all left together; must have been a rich person's club for which we will never belong :-)

Inside, the cars were arranged as if they're in a museum and are jaw dropping indeed.  I've never seen so many Porches, Maserati's, and Bugatti's in my life!  However, it was pretty cool to see a '55 Chevy Bel Air prominently displayed among such swanky Italian and German luxury sport cars.

The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air

Cool dunebuggy-esque car cruising past a row of Porches

A few pictures of the cars inside:

 

After a re-energizing nap, we headed out to an amazing restaurant that served truly authentic German.  The owner is the hostess and only server, while her husband is the one and only cook.  They live in the house connected to the restaurant.  It was certainly the best German food we've ever had and one of the best meals period.  We had family sized portions (to share) of schnitzel, maultaschen (German ravioli with pork and beef, cream and ham), shrimp pasta, garlic spinach cream soup, and beef roast with caramelized onions.  The maultaschen was probably our favorite and was absolutely delicious.

The eclectic interior of the restaruant

Garlic Spinach Soup

What's left of the maultaschen

The shrimp pasta.

Afterward, we took a nice stroll through a vineyard that offered amazing views of Stuttgart and then ended the night with a quick journey into downtown Stuttgart. The annual Spring Festival (Frühlingsfest) was underway, so there were quite a few "happy" people walking around with empty bottles and cups. We only saw small parts, and it was at night, but it seems to be a beautiful city with some great biergartens, nightlife, shopping, and cool architecture. Some of the sights:

View from hilltop vineyard of Stuttgart 

Cool bar that sits out on a reflecting pool

Stuttgart City Center

Downtown