Stuttgart: Green city tour

Taking the green route around Stuttgart. 

The Stuttgart City tour has been around for a while and I have to say, it’s a joy to see the bright red bus rolling around the city. I’ve already tried the tour thanks to Stuttgart Tourism Board, and I loved it. They came up with another route called the Green route and this one goes around the lesser touristic (and some obvious) but equally enjoyable places around the city. You can “discover the south and west of Stuttgart,” and explore the city with eight hop on/hop off stopping points. Some that don’t seem so particular that even people like us who’ve been around for about five years haven’t tried or visited, but still linger in the back of our minds as something to try out. Those kind of places. When the first route came out, we were two, now we’re three. Gulp.

유럽 여러 도시를 여행다니면서 드는 생각: 스튜트가르트만한 도시도 없네. 처음에는 그저 그렇다고 생각했는데 다니면 다닐수록 매력이 넘치는 도시. 감사하게도 새로 생기는 관광/여행관련 이벤트나 투어 등에 초대받아서 다니게 되는데 이번에 경험하게 된 투어는 스튜트가르트의 그린 투어. 박물관이나 미술관 등 뻔한 장소말고 시민들이 좋아하고 즐기는 장소들을 주로 소개하는 투어. 5년동안 살면서 가자고만하고 정작 가지는 않았던 곳들이 대부분이어서 다행이었다. 첫 투어가 생겼을때는 둘이었는데 이제는 삼총사!

Someone was very excited to ride the bus upstairs.

2층 버스를 탄 A는 이미 신남. 모자를 쓰고 있으면 다들 신기해하는데 요령은 모자를 씌우자마자 다른 곳으로 시선을 분산시켜야한다는 것. 과자를 준다거나 사진을 마구 찍어댄다거나 등등.

First stop for us: the Fernsehturm. The first of television tower in the world, the fernsehturm is one of the most popular and famous mascots of Stuttgart. You can find it everywhere, from stickers, cups, mugs, posters and maps. I’ve been once before the big renovation and never really had the chance to check it out again, but thanks to the Green route, I didn’t have to take the U-Bahn and walk a while to visit on my own. (I’ve mentioned before, but we don’t have a car so we tend to stick to easier-to-get-to places when it comes to exploring the city.)

The tour doesn’t include tickets or entry to museums or places like the Fernsehturm, so you need to purchase your own. The entrance fee for the tower is 8 euros for adults.

가장 먼저 갔던 TV타워. 전세계 최초 TV 타워로 스튜트가르트에서는 꽤나 유명한 곳이다. 몇년전 한번 올라가보고는 처음 방문했는데 뭔가 더 세련된 느낌. 버스 투어는 다른 곳의 티켓표는 포함되지 않으니 8유로를 내고 들어가야한다.

It gets windy up there so keep that in mind. There’s also a cafe where you can take a break from the wind, enjoy some drinks and snacks. I’m thinking it would be an amazing place to just zone out and do some reading or blogging, but then it will cost 8 euros up there so… maybe on special occasions?

아래층에는 카페도 있는데 커피와 케익이 좀 비싸긴 하지만 일단 뷰는 최고.

How lovely are these little pins! I’m not really into pins and especially the embroidery trend going around these days, but these were super cute. I didn’t buy any because having a very young toddler worries me with anything sharp, but I would recommend picking some up to decorate. Souvenirs at these rather touristic places tend to be a bit boring (sorry, Miniatur Wunderland, I’m thinking of you.), but the Fersehturm took that extra effort. I mean, Tower Power for an energy drink. How cute is that.

개인적으로 기념품은 잘 사지 않는 편인데 핀들은 너무 귀여워서 살뻔! 독일에서 예쁘고 살만한 기념품을 찾기란 여간 어려운 일이 아닌데, TV 타워는 조금 더 신경 쓴 느낌. 함부르크나 다른 도시들에서도 맥주잔이나 먼지타고 오래된 기념품밖에 없었는데 음료수나 젤리까지 있다니, 감동했네.

We had some free time before hopping on the bus again, so we ventured out around the area, which is surrounded with tall trees, or basically a forest. She’s really into walking these days, so it’s a great workout for me to follow her around making sure she doesn’t hurt herself. (I just got her those pink sandals by an Italian brand called Naturino and they are the cutest, most comfy things!)

건방진 우리의 A는 이제 절대 기어다니지 않고 걸어다니기만. 생각보다 빨라서 쫓아다니느라 정신없는데 다행히 좋은 신발을 사서 자세도 좋고 걷는데 문제가 없는 느낌. 독일에서 살 수 있는 여러가지 신발 브랜드 조사 중 발견한 이탈리아 브랜드 Naturino 제품. 푹신푹신해서 편해보여서 다행. 적어도 신으면 울거나 불편해하는것 같지 않아서 성공!

After the Fernsehturm, we headed to the Standseilbahn. The short, wooden train goes back and forth from Suedheimer Platz to Waldfriedhof, which takes about 3 minutes, and it’s very charming. It was Germany’s first cable car with automatic control and so it’s more of a historical statement, along with a means of transportation.

다음 목적지는 Standseilbahn. 역사가 깊은 전차인데 독일에서 자동 제어 장치를 시작한 최초의 케이블 카라고 한다. 지금은 작은 언덕을 올라갔다가 내려오는 용도로 쓰이지만 뭔가 과거로 돌아간 느낌.

Snack time for somebody. The train is short and obviously doesn’t have any AC, so it can get a little stuffy and hot during summery hot days. But the ride is very short, so it’s bearable. Oddly enough, I found the train quite elegant and even romantic, with all the history and compared to the faster, sleeker models we find everywhere. Not quite old or loud like the ones in Berlin, but just the right hint of nostalgia and grace.

오래된 케이블카라 에어콘도 없고 약간 좁은데 여름이라 푹푹 찌는 느낌. 다행히 일단 타면 5분정도밖에 걸리지 않아서 꽤 참을만한 정도. 베를린의 오래된 전철처럼 너무 오래되서 타다가 설 것 같거나 지저분한 느낌은 아닌데 뭔가 로맨틱한 분위기.

I cleaned those windows both before and after, so no worries! Silly little monkey.

After the Seilbahn comes Degerloch, Zacke Rack Railyway and Marienplatz, which is already a very beloved neighborhood to us. It has one of the best pizza places (La Signorina) in Stuttgart, along with the best gelato place (Kaiserbau). We’re very used to the area so we decided to skip it and head on to our final destination: Karlshoehe.

Marienplatz는 개인적으로 굉장히 자주 가는 곳이라 이번에는 패스. 우리가 좋아하는 피자집도 있고 젤라또 집도 있고 카페도 있는 꽤나 인기가 많은 곳. 우리의 마지막 목적지는 Karlshoehe. 사실 여기저기 사진도 많이 보고 멋지고 시원한 (?) 곳이라고 얘기만 들었는데 정작 가지는 못하고 가자 가자 하다가 이번엔 처음 방문.

You need to walk up a rather steep hill to get to the top, but it’s worth it. There’s a small vineyard and a beer garden where you can stop by and relax and enjoy the view. We’ve always seen photos and heard about the place, but we just never actually did it. So glad we did though.

올라가는데 유모차가 있어서 약간 죽을것…같았지만 일단 오르고 보면 도시를 한눈에 볼 수도 있고 맥주도 한잔 할 수 있어서 한번쯤은 가볼만한 곳.

• The official Green tour has eight stops: Tourist Information-Schlossplatz-Fernsehturm-Degerloch-Standseilbahn-Marienplatz-Karlshoehe and the Linden-Museum.
• A single ticket for the Green Ticket is Eur.15 but you can also purchase both Blue and Green tickets for Eur.25. The Green tours only run through Friday to Mondays and bank holidays. For more information, visit here.
• For more touring around and info on Stuttgart, visit here and here and here.
• 우리처럼 차가 없는 사람들에게는 꽤나 재밌는 주말 여행이 될것 같은 투어. 차가 없으면 다니기가 약간 귀찮은 곳들이라 그런것 같은 느낌.
• 그린 투어는 금요일부터 월요일까지, 그리고 공휴일에만 운영.

All photos by rachelsanghee. June, 2017.