Stuttgart

by Helen Crafford

We arrived on a cold rainy winter morning at the Daimler Chrysler plant in Sindelfingen just outside Stuttgart. Never in my entire life have I seen so many brand new E Class, C Class and other models of the Mercedes Benz car driving around in the plant, as well as in the streets of Stuttgart. Bursting with excitement to go on a tour through the plant, our group couldn't stop clicking away with their cameras, for there were so many vintage models to be photographed. After a tour of the plant we had a delicious buffet lunch at Daimler Chrysler's head office and then went to the Mercedes Benz Museum which is just a 15 minutes drive from the head office.

Stuttgart is a city renowned for its post-modern architecture. The new home of the Mercedes Benz Museum has already been built and soon the museum will move to this building with its impressive façade of glass and steel. The Neue Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart is connected to the old Staatsgalerie only with a bridge and being built of the same coloured marble-like stone, the new Staatsgalerie effectively blends in with the old state gallery. The bright retro coloured rails on the outside of the new state gallery add a touch of colour to the dull winter.

The first street at the exit from Stuttgart's train station is a shopaholic's dream come true. This long street offers various department stores, as well as many restaurants, take-aways and bookstores. After the visit to the Neue Staatsgalerie our group split up and everyone went in his own direction to explore the streets of Stuttgart and everyone returned individually by train to Tübingen.