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Germany > Stuttgart and
Neighbours
By Jessica Lloyd
 Christmas in Germany
Everyone seems to make quite a big deal out of Christmas here, with
every town having its own Christmas markets. Houses are all lit up with
lights and Santa’s, and the sometimes-there snow makes it quite special.
The Christmas markets appear to be identical in every town around
Stuttgart, with the city centre’s being the biggest. There is an
ice-skating rink, tons of stalls with all kinds of sweet treats, and of
course the very traditional hot cup of German mulled wine.
The towns around Stuttgart are numerous. With 80 million people, Germany
is certainly a consumer market of its own. It is no surprise that you
can find Germans everywhere around the world en masse. This country is
jam packed full of smallish towns which sit very close together, and
with only a name with a cross through it to signal your departure, you
enter into the next town.
The French Alps are just a couple of hours away on the Autobahn – yes
you may go as fast as you like, and never get a ticket – and there are
many other small ski fields around. A short drive will take you past
some of these small fields, which are mainly just for locals, they are
just one hillside, but they are decked out with ski lifts and a kiosk.
Just a light covering of snow transforms the brown layers of autumn into
a sparkly and fresh-looking winter landscape.
The Germans
Germans have an international reputation for being arrogant and pushy.
They are also extremely welcoming and seem to enjoy their other
international guests. Most younger generation Germans speak excellent
English, which makes it very easy for everyone to get around. Older
generation Germans did not have the luxury of being taught another
language at school, and so many do not speak any other languages at all.
Stuttgart is not the most common destination for foreign travellers, but
can make up part of trips around Germany, and especially on the way to
the surrounding ski fields.
It is definitely a good party spot, with a vibrant nightlife. Nobody
seems to go for drinks straight after work on a Friday, so the bars
don’t get busy until later on. A walk up the university building gives a
good panoramic view of the city, and at night this is very good eye
candy.
Germans are quite a handsome race, and there are plenty of gorgeous boys
and girls to look at. The blonde blue-eyed stereotype of Germans is not
really true, they tend to have a well rounded blend of colourings,
tending to the darker side of hair and eyes. You won’t find many dark
skinned people in Stuttgart, or Germany as a whole.
 German is a reasonably easy language to learn, because there are so many
words that are just like English, but pronounced with a German accent.
Speaking of accents, there are so many different types, from one town to
another, in Germany. It resembles England in this respect, with each
county or province almost having its own dialect. From top to bottom,
the Germans may not even understand one another.
How to get there
If you are in any other European city, there are numerous discount
airlines that provide cheap and easy flights to Stuttgart. Of note is
their very own airline, Germanwings, who has flights from as little as
€19 which is a bargain in anyone’s book. That is around NZ$40. There are
lots of other discount airlines, but not everyone flies out of every
airport, so it does take a little bit of mucking around to find the
right planes going to the right cities. The discount airlines tend to go
to smaller airports rather than big city ones. There is also the new
high speed train which goes all over Germany, though it will probably
cost you less to fly around Europe. Prices are ridiculous! (in a good
way).
www.germanwings.com
Stuttgart
links & accommodation
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