St. Eberhard's Co-Cathedral Stuttgart, Germany

St. Eberhard’s Co-Cathedral is located on busy Koenigstrasse, the main shopping street in Stuttgart.

 

There has been a church since 1811, but it was destroyed in 1944 by two bombs during WWII. The only remaining features are the layout and the tower.

 

In 1955 it was rebuilt.

 

We found the church by strolling along the Koenigstrasse and were intrigued by its architecture and ventured inside.

 

We were surprised how simple, contemporary and reduced the interior was.

 

It reminded us more of Helsinki Cathedral than a typical German church.

 

One part of the co-cathedral is dedicated to the beatified Father Rupert Mayer, who was born and grew up in Stuttgart, but spent most of his life in Munich. He was an ardent opponent of the Nazi regime and spent some time in prison and a concentration camp.

 

There is a sculpture by Karlheinz Oswald, depicting Father Rupert Mayer.

 

There was also a small leaflet of a prayer that was given to Father Rupert Mayer during his prison stint in 1939. It resonates with me too.

 

Here is the “Rupert Mayer Gebet” first in German then in English.

 

“Rupert Mayer Gebet”

 

Herr, wie Du willst, so will ich gehn,

und wie Du willst, soll mir geschehn.

Hilf Deinen Willen nur verstehn.

 

Herr, wann Du willst, dann ist es Zeit,

und wann Du willst, bin ich bereit.

Heut und in alle Ewigkeit.

 

Herr, was Du willst, das nehm ich hin,

Und was Du willst, ist mir Gewinn.

Genug, dass ich Dein Eigen bin.

 

Herr, weil Du willst, drum is es gut,

und weil Du willst, drum hab ich Mut.

Mein Herz in Deinen Haenden ruht.

 

“Rupert Mayer Prayer”

 

Lord, as you want I will go,

and what you want should happen to me.

Only make your wish understood.

 

Lord, when it is your wish that it’s time,

and when you want I’m ready.

Now and in eternity.

 

Lord, what you want I will accept,

and what you want is my gain.

Enough that I belong to you.

 

Lord, because you want it, its okay,

and because you want it, I have courage.

My heart rests in your hands.

 

 

We liked the tranquility of the church and would visit again, when in Stuttgart.

©2016

Die Zirbelstube @ The Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten Stuttgart, Germany

After reception of the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten Stuttgart guided us towards the Zirbelstube for my dietary requirements we studied the menu online. We were happy and excited about what we saw, especially the vegetarian menu.

We booked a table for lunch and dinner and advised about our allergies and needs.

Finally it was time for our meals.

The executive chef is Sebastian Pruessmann, who has earned the restaurant one Michelin star, 16 Gault-Millau points and three Feinschmecker forks. The vegetarian menu counts as one of the best in Germany. Menus are divided into Old Love, New Love and Vegetable Love, plus Juice Love.

The Zirbelstube is located on the Mezzanine Level of the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten and shares it with meeting rooms and the breakfast restaurant.

The Zirbelstube is designed like a traditional South German living room would look like with a few modern touches. There were wood panelling and lots of paintings and sketches on the walls.

We were greeted warmly by the restaurant manager and brought to a corner table close to the panorama windows with views over the Schlossgarten.

The maître d' and sommelier introduced herself and made a very suitable suggestion for us to drink. We didn't want alcohol, so she suggested a sparkling Aldinger grape juice, which is produced nearby. The juice looked like Champagne and the taste was great.

We also ordered a large bottle of Gerolsteiner still water.

All menus were available including Pruessmann's lunch menu, which we chose. It was very good value at 35 Euro for two courses per person.

Greetings from the kitchen included rye, pumpkin seed and hazelnut bread, served with lightly salted French butter, lemony sour cream and cress, which had to be cut with mini scissors, followed by lemonade with fruit mark / concentrate in the straw, cheese crème Brulee and mini buckwheat bagel with parsnip on its own raft. It was all delicate and beautifully presented.

Next was a salad with wild herbs, cucumber, edible flowers and mustard dressing for him, while I had the Gazpacho.

The main course for us both was the roasted cauliflower, Swabian noodles, different herbs and green sauce. It looked like a garden.

There was still room for a dessert and we could choose any we liked from the Old Love, New Love or Vegetable Love menus.

We shared one from the New Love menu. It was with mango, tofu, chocolate sauce, basil granita and seaweed. It was a mixture between being sweet and savory.

We also had green tea, which was fragrant, subtle and elegantly flavored. With it came a little dessert, a Baba au Limoncello with cinnamon. One of my fiancé’s favorite liquors is Limoncello, so this was a hit with both of us.

All of the dishes were innovative, surprising and beautifully presented.

We paid for lunch 125.70 Euro (ca. 136.60 USD).

The staff was amazing too, very attentive, warm and friendly.

After our lunch, but before dinner we used our time to explore Stuttgart during our afternoon.

Our Dinner.

We were immediately recognized and this time around offered a table at the window, while a Swiss couple occupied our lunch table. We were surprised there weren't more diners. Lunch had been busy with a family, couples and a group of business associates.

This time around we ordered again a bottle of still Gerolsteiner and the two mocktails on the juice love menu. He had the Pineapple Love with Verbena and Elderflower, while I had the Pepper Love which incl.beautiful habanero peppers. Both were gorgeous and moreish. His was more like a Gin & Tonic, while mine was smooth, sweet and tasted a bit like Gazpacho.

The bread arrived first, followed by a greeting from the kitchen. This time around it was a Buckwheat Bagel with radish, a Fried "Scotch" Egg and bean mousse.

We had chosen the Vegetarian Love menu. We started with Ravioli filled with goats cheese and pepper, followed by wild herb salad, sea weed and herb ice cream. The pea and mint soup was the highlight for him. Normally he isn't a big soup fan, but this one hit the spot. Another dish was stuffed courgette flower with caponata, courgette baked with goat cheese and polenta. The dessert was a Verbena combination, which was very refreshing, like art and again moreish. 

With our bill of 203.70 Euro (ca. 221.35 USD) came a selection of little desserts. His favorite, the Baba au Limoncello, was included as were honey cake and sweet sushi with passion fruit and soya sauce. The sushi was especially interesting, because it was salty, sweet and savory. The combination worked very well and was a stand out.

The dinner was more elaborate. All dishes looked like artwork on a plate and were extremely delicious.

Again the staff was attuned to our needs and very attentive.

As a last gesture of hospitality we could take the elevator directly located beside the restaurant - I believe it's normally only used by staff. It brought us directly to our room, which was just a few steps away.

Should we be in Stuttgart again, a meal at the Zirbelstube is a must for us. Highly recommended.

©2016

Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten Stuttgart, Germany - Revisited

In September 2015 we stayed for one night at the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten in Stuttgart. It was our second stay.

Since we have written about the hotel more detailed before, this is a short review.

We were in contact with the hotel before arriving, because we wanted to have a room on a high floor again and asked if the hotel could accommodate a low fat and low salt diet. We received each time a quick reply and were in regards to our dietary requirements directed towards the Zirbelstube - the hotel's one Michelin starred restaurant. A review is going to follow about our experience at the Zirbelstube.

At check in we were recognized as return guests and given a room on the 6th floor, the same floor as last time. Check in was pleasant and efficient.

Our Superior room overlooked the Schlossgarten and the city. During our previous stay we had views over the main train station.

Other differences were the artwork (a Carolina Turtle Dove and a plant painting) and the size (This room was slightly smaller than the previous one, but same room type).

We liked the pillow menu and the "Help to sleep better" offer, which included hot milk and honey or a hot water bottle.

Turndown replenished the welcome Gerolsteiner Naturell water and left chocolates, which we appreciated.

During dinner and when returning to our room we could hear some noises, like a demonstration, from the park, but it quietened down after midnight and we could sleep peacefully.

Breakfast was again delicious and we were positively surprised how much the Maître d' knew. She welcomed as warmly and said: "I don't have to explain how breakfast functions, since you are return guests and it's also your last day with us."

She brought us into the dining room and offered us a large table for six persons or a smaller one for two. The larger one was already set up, but the smaller had to be cleared. We decided to take the smaller one, since we didn't need so much space and didn't want to block the larger table in case a group arrived and needed it. The breakfast restaurant was essentially full.

It didn't take long and the table was available for us.

We had to check out early since we had a lunch reservation at the Moevenpick Stuttgart Airport. While the receptionist dealt with the formalities we were asked if we enjoyed our stay and how the Zirbelstube had been.

We would return to the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten, since the staff is very warm, friendly, service orientated, personalized our stay and the hard product was as perfect as we remembered it from our previous stay earlier in the year.

 ©2015  

Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin Stuttgart, Germany

The Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin Stuttgart was on our bucket list as long as the Althoff Hotel Am Schlossgarten. When we had the chance again to go to Stuttgart in September we split our two nights between the Graf Zeppelin and the Althoff.

The Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin is a large, grand hotel, just opposite the Main Train Station.

When entering the lobby the check in is in the front with a large photograph of a Zeppelin airship. Overall the hotel is very well branded and there are a lot of historic photographs, showing the airship and light features in the shape of Zeppelins are placed on the Mezzanine floor and lobby. It is also included in the hotel's logo.

To the left is the Zeppelin Bar and to the right the Davidoff Cigar Lounge.

Check in was friendly and efficient.

We were promised a very nice room and our receptionist was right.

We loved our room immediately.

The room layout was unusual. It was L-shaped (caused by the location of the bathroom). When entering, the bathroom was to the right, the wardrobe and luggage rack to the left and the bed straight ahead. There was a seating area for two and a writing desk with a flat screen TV.

The room was medium in size and contemporary (The other style available is Art Deco). The color scheme was red, brown, white and cream.

We overlooked the courtyard and the neighboring office building.

The bed was two twin beds pushed together, but it was very comfortable as was the seating area with two chairs and a coffee table.

We received Teinacher Gourmet Water medium as a welcome gift and turn down had been already performed, so two Ritter Sport mini (milk and Knusperflake) chocolates were waiting for us, a nice touch.

The minibar was stocked with Coca Cola, Granini fruit juices, Vio mineral water, Bacardi, Steigenberger sparkling wine, white wine, Prosecco and German beer, including Radeberger and Clausthaler.

There was a good choice of regional and international TV channels. We liked CNN and Bloomberg best.

The bathroom was also medium in size. The amenities were Steigenberger own branded. There was a sink, a large shower - no bath tub - and a toilet.

The only issue we had with the room was the frosted glass door leading from the bathroom to the room. It was facing the bed and disturbed my fiancé when I had to use the bathroom during the night and switched on the light. Of course it looks stylish and the thought was good - ideal for a single traveller, but it would be better to replace it with a normal door.

We used the 24 hour room service and ordered two pasta dishes. He had the penne Carbonara. It was a Swabian version to the Italian. He liked it and thought it was different and tasty. Mine was penne with olives and tomato sauce. It was delicious too. I only wished the durum wheat pasta could be replaced with whole-wheat on request, which wasn't possible.

After an overall good night's rest we went to the Graf Zeppelin Restaurant, which serves breakfast only. It is on the same level as the meeting rooms and the one Michelin starred Gourmet Restaurant Olivo with French inspired cuisine and the chef is Nico Burkhardt.

Other outlets are the Zeppelino's for steak and Zeppelin Stueble for regional cuisine.

The breakfast restaurant is in a sun flooded room with dark furniture, dark wooden floor, a carpet with flower prints at the center and still life paintings. It overlooks the Main Train Station through floor to ceiling windows.

The choice at breakfast is of very good quality and featured lots of healthy selections.

We were brought to the table by the maître d'.

The headwaiter explained that the buffet contained cold items and one hot item - mostly egg dishes - could be ordered a la carte and were included in the rate of 26 Euro per person (ca. 28.15 USD).

There was also an extensive tea and coffee menu available. We ordered two Ronnefeldt Green Dragon green tea and an egg white omelette.

The buffet offered a wide selection of cold cuts, smoked salmon and Gravad Lax, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit salad, honey from the hotel's rooftop, pastries, cakes, grilled vegetables, olives, a wide bread selection, at least five juices, a minimum of six different cereals and much more. It was a delight to eat, drink and talk here.

Beside all the restaurants there is also a spa and gym on the 5th floor.

All spa products are from Shiseido and the Ligne St. Barth.

Facial treatments start from 42 Euro (ca. 45.65 USD) and even teenagers can be accommodated.

Massages begin from 70 Euro (ca. 76.10 USD).

In our opinion this is reasonable priced and I might have a treatment when we stay here again in our future.

Check out approached as always too fast and it was time to move on to the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten. A review of our second stay there is going to follow next.

Staff was always friendly and efficient. The atmosphere was great and the food very good and memorable.

We will return and definitely try Olivo then.

 ©2015 

Mercedes Benz Museum Stuttgart, Germany

Over the years since opening of this museum we heard a lot about it and read reports from others who visited it already, so as my fiancee has an interest in cars and car design - especially luxury ones, it was a highlight to go to the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart for real during our April 2015 travels.

We took the tram S1 from the Stuttgart Main Train station towards Kirchheim an der Teck, getting off at Neckar Park station, where we followed the signs to the museum.

The walk took around ten minutes.

The building looks stunning and can be easily perceived as small. It's just opposite Daimler's headquarters. It was designed by UN Studio and shaped like a cloverleaf. The center has been removed to have a triangle shaped atrium, which reminds of the infamous Wankel engine.

The exhibition space's architect was HG Mars.

We had bought our tickets online, so we could simply proceed to the entrance of the exhibition.

A ticket allows for one entry a day.

An elevator whisks you up to the highest floor to the beginning of the exhibition.

The first thing we saw was a horse sculpture, the most common type of transport at the early stages of the car, beside the train.

It started with the background of Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. Interesting enough they never met in person during their lifetime. The companies were merged in the 1920ies to insure survival.

A highlight was seeing some of the first cars ever built.

The exhibition led down and when we reached the end we arrived at the ground floor.

Sometimes there are also special exhibitions.

The sections were chronologically sorted and car models represented each decade. The museum didn't focus alone on their own history and cars. It showed also what was going on in the world at the time, including the moon landing.

There was a future section, describing what cars could look like, a VIP section (Cars driven by famous people, including the Pope mobile, Lady Diana's Mercedes, the actor Hardy Kruger's SUV and so on.), a racing section and one that showed utility cars. I loved especially the Argentinian public transport bus. It was colorful.

Some vehicles were also a surprise like a snow plough and ambulance.

We must be getting older, because we could remember a few models driving on the road twenty to thirty years ago, that were now displayed at the museum.

There were over 160 models and after over five hours I couldn't see Mercedes anymore. He couldn't have enough on the other side.

In the basement we found the gift shop and Classic, the restaurant. A review of Classic is going to follow. Originally we had a reservation for 13.00 hours, but realized the exhibition was too large to make it on time, but this wasn't a problem at all as we found out.

There was a car dealership directly connected to the museum.

We enjoyed our visit and would return again, plus we look forward to visit the Porsche Museum too in our future.

©2015    

John Cranko Lounge @ The Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten Stuttgart, Germany

On our full day in Stuttgart we went to the Mercedes Benz Museum and afterwards stopped at the bar of our hotel the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten (Please see also review.).

The lounge is named after John Cranko, a ballet director, and specialized in Rum cocktails.

It is a contemporary space in muted colors with restaurant, bar and lounge style seating.

The bar was already busy with couples and a group of business men.

There was a cocktail of the month too and it was well priced at 8.50 Euro, ca. 9.60 USD.

One of the bar tenders was Frau Manamat (Hope I caught the name right.), we already knew her from in room dining service.

She is a great asset with a friendly and outgoing personality, making us feel welcome each time.

We ordered two cocktails, one Indulgense and one Havanna, and a Crème Brulee.

The Indulgense was cream based, while the Havanna was inspired by Cuba and contained Gossling Rum and citrus fruit juices.

The Crème Brulee was moreish, while the Havanna was tropical and the other cocktail as the name suggests indulgent.

We paid 28.50 Euro (ca. 32.10 USD).

We would return to this bar, because the atmosphere is good, the staff attentive and the drinks fantastic.

©2015  

Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten Stuttgart, Germany

We are fans of Leading Hotels of the World and ever since seeing the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten in one of the catalogues we wanted to stay there.

Being in contact with the hotel before our stay we were very satisfied how warm, prompt and professional the e-mails were answered. They even sent us the in room dining menu, because it hadn't been available online.

The Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten dates back from the 1960ies and was opened as a competition to the other Grand Hotel, the Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin.

The Hotel am Schlossgarten has around thirty rooms fewer than the Graf Zeppelin.

The Althoff is located opposite the main train station and allows easy access to the airport, all over Stuttgart and other destinations within Germany and neighboring countries.

The castle, a park, museum and shopping are just around the corner.

We had a pleasant journey with a slight delay from Berlin Tegel with Air Berlin. We took the S-Bahn from Stuttgart-Echterdingen Airport. It took around thirty minutes. We took a wrong exit at the train station, but it wasn't a problem since Stuttgart is planned in such a way you can't get lost.  When taking the right exit the hotel can be reached within 5 minutes.

Check in was pleasant and quick. We received a room on the 6th floor out of seven. When we tried to enter our room the key card didn't work. I went down to the lobby again. We found out that the key card was working, but the receptionist had given us the wrong room number. On our floor again we tried to open the new room and voila we could enter.

The Superior Room, which we had booked, was very large with its own hallway and a door to close off the bed room. A door to the right led to the bathroom.

The bedroom was kept in classic dark brown, black, red, gold and grey colors. We overlooked the main train station and the hotel's entrance.  There was also a massive building site near the station. We couldn't hear any noise, so that was good and we liked the view.

There were two paintings depicting plants and flowers of the season they grow in. We had spring and summer.

The bed was large and comfortable.

We liked the seating area with a coffee table and two club chairs.

It was ideal to have in-room dining there or to chat. There were also German magazines.

The swiveable flat screen TV was above a credenza and allowed watching from the seating area or the bed. TV channels were mostly German, but there were also international ones like BBC World and Bloomberg.

The minibar was well stocked with Vaihinger juices at 3.10 Euro, ca. 3.50 USD, other nonalcoholic beverages and spirits like Moskowskya Vodka or Monkey 47 Gin from the Black Forrest at 5.50 Euro (ca. 6.20 USD).

Complimentary bottled still / sparkling water had been provided and restocked daily, often twice with turndown service.

There was also a large wardrobe and a big safe.

The bathroom was small, but had double sinks, toilet and a bath tub / shower combination.

The bathroom amenities were by Penhaligon Raquets. We know Quercus, which we really love, and Raquets was not an exception.

We enjoyed spending time on our comfortable room and had in-room dining a few times.

Dinner included Wiener Schnitzel and Maultaschen (Swabian ravioli), Alsatian fish soup and Crème Brule.

The quality was of a high standard and the cost worth paying for it.

We generally paid between 40.00 and 42 Euro for two main courses. That's between ca. 45.05 USD and 47.30 USD.

We had breakfast twice during our two night stay.

Once at the dedicated breakfast restaurant and once in our room.

The restaurant offers continental breakfast in buffet form. It costs 25 Euro per person, ca. 28.20 USD. A la carte hot dishes can be also ordered against a surcharge. For example the Eggs Benedict we had were 7.50 Euro per person, ca. 8.50 USD. They were a bit unusual, because the poached eggs came on toast bread and with spinach. It was delicious, though.

The buffet was small, but the choice was big enough to satisfy nearly every taste. It was also a trip down memory lane.

There were some cold cuts I loved as a child.

The presentation was beautiful too and had an Asian understatement to it.

The staff was very attentive and friendly.

When we had in room breakfast the next morning all our favorites were included, so the staff must have noted our preferences and prepared the meal accordingly.

There are other restaurants and bars of course.

The Zirbelstube by Sebastian Pruessmann is the fine dining Michelin starred restaurant, while the Cafe am Schlossgarten is the all-day dining outlet. There are also the Vinothek and the John Cranko Lounge.

Once we had drinks and a dessert at the John Cranko Lounge. A review will follow.

Soon check out arrived. We realized on the day of departure that there was a public transport strike. The staff was very good, giving us a late check out on very short notice and advising us that a few trains were still running to the airport, including timing.

One of the biggest assets of the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten is the staff. They are all very intuitive, friendly and professional.

Special thank you to Frau Manamat (Hope I have spelled it right. Apologies, if it isn't correct.) and Frau Ernst for the tips, chats and making our stay very memorable.

We are looking forward to stay again at the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten in the heart of Stuttgart.

©2015