Plucky Survivors See Europe Day 37: Volklingen to Stuttgart

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, PluckyMobile desperately need a bath, so that was the first item on the agenda today was a stop at a car wash.  Thank you, Google Translate for helping me understand what the very nice attendant was trying to explain to me about how to use it.

With PluckyMobile all sparkly and shiny, I headed toward the inspiration for this trip, the Urban Art Biennale at the Volklingen Iron Works.

This sprawling blast furnace complex was in operation from 1882 through 1986 and instead of left to rot and decay, they preserved it and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996.  They offer tours of the facility, allowing you to see the inner workings and climb up into the catwalks spanning the grounds.  Art exhibits are scattered throughout, with the current exhibition called X-ray, an ode to the workers who got sick and/or died because of the terrible conditions at the plant in the early 1900s.

The Urban Art Biennale ups the ante on the art with a once-a-year addition of street art, from sculpture to paint and beyond.

I got there just as it opened and was pretty much by myself as I took it all in.  Walking through the massive flywheel house or by the giant blast furnaces is impressive enough, but the way they have incorporated art into the surroundings is stunning and evocative.  I’m a huge fan of both industrial design and street art, so this was perfect for me.

I didn’t go up into the catwalks – there were about a billion stairs going up really, really high and I have a hard time keeping my wits about me on solid ground.  But I could’ve spent all day walking through this place.  I took dozens of pictures.  If you’re reading this on the PluckySurvivors.com website, the story continues after the photos.

I hit the road for Stuttgart but had to make a pitstop.  The shoes I bought in London were not working – a touch too small – so I found a Converse store in a big Factory Outlet mall near Saarbruecken and picked up another new pair of shoes.  I think these are going to work better.

BTW, to direct me to the store, the nice voice on Google Maps said, “In 2 kilometers, take exist 34 toward Bitch.”  “What did you just call me?” I said, aloud.

Desperate for food and without many options, I got a quick McD’s burger and hit the road again.

The drive through Germany was much more interesting than the one through France yesterday.  Because of a big incident on the major highway I would’ve taken, Google Maps routed me through mostly two-lane highways winding through the mountains, by rivers, and into small German towns.  It was a delightfully relaxing drive.  Of course the last 30 miles or so were on that major highway with no speed limit so that was less than relaxing.

I’m staying at Park Inn by Radisson a couple of miles from the city center.  It’s fine – a little stark, perhaps – but is has a big terrace with a nice view of the city.

After I got settled, I took the subway to near Schlossplatz, the historic palace in the center of the city.  I wandered around, snapping some pictures of the Old Castle, the palace, some plazas, and more.

I spotted a market and if you don’t think I made a beeline for it, you haven’t been reading this carefully.

Markthalle is an indoor fresh food market with all the usual suspects including produce, meat, cheese, bread, provisions, and wine.  There wasn’t much in the way of prepared food, so dinner here was not an option, but I did get some cheese – a pepper gouda and a cheddar chili.  Both were fine, but not pepperjack.

When I came out of the other side of the market, I saw signs for what I thought was the Hamburger Festival, a giant outdoor area packed with food vendors and more.  I was so excited I nearly fainted.

The key word on the sign that I didn’t see was Fischmarkt.  It was all fish and I don’t like seafood.  I’m guessing the look on my face when I figured that out was probably meme-worthy.

Still, it was a lively atmosphere with music, tons of people, and a general air of conviviality.  I was on my way out when I spotted a lone stand selling sausages, so I got a giant bratwurst on a crunchy bun with just ketchup to jazz it up (as it should be).  It was fantastic.

On my way back to the hotel, I happened upon Breuninger Confiserie, a bakery with all sorts of delectable treats in their cases.  I got my usual – a strawberry tart and a chocolate mousse cake.

Another meme-worthy look of disappointment was on my face when I got back to the hotel and realized there is no refrigerator in the room, so whatever I eat of the cheese and desserts tonight is going to be it, then the rest will have to go in the trash.  I think I’m up to the task!

Tomorrow, more Stuttgart with a visit to the Pig Museum (!!), either the Mercedes or Porsche Museum, and, in a last minute addition (as in the ticket was purchased about 20 minutes ago), the Katy Perry concert at the Stuttgart Jazz Festival.