This past weekend Ludwigsburg hosted their annual Antiques-Mile. During this event, the market square was filled with dozens of stalls, all manned by local antique merchants selling a selection of their wares. You could find everything there, from record players to typewriters, kitchen ware to linens.
While this event is not exactly food-related, I felt it worth a mention because you can find lots of great food-related antiques. I loved seeing old cookie cutters, measuring cups, bread boxes, silverware, and glasses. This was definitely the place to go if you're looking for something special for your home.
Check out my photos below for a peek at what was on offer:
We spent a good two hours combing through the stalls. I was particularly interested in the old-fashioned typewriters and keys. Sadly, most of the typewriters had a German-style QWERTZ key set, which I can't for the life of me get used to. I also hesitated to buy anything, since moving abroad with just eight boxes two years ago taught me the value of only buying what you need (and since we plan to move again soon, I don't want more than we can reasonably ship). And so, my photos were my takeaways.
That said, I did make one purchase. Around the fountain in the middle of the square were four or five stalls selling food. There was a grill with sausages and flammkuchen, a crêpe stand, and an Italian espresso bar.
At the espresso bar, there were several kinds of cookies, including a beautiful powder-sugared stack of cannolis. Cannolis are one of Matt's favorite desserts (it's a wonder we haven't been to Italy yet). The cannoli I got for him had a perfectly crispy shell and slightly sweet, creamy ricotta filling. I suspect the restaurant running the stand was a local place, although I can't seem to find them through a quick Google search.
The Antiques-Mile is over for this year, but you can mark your calendars for next year. You might also want to check out Stuttgart's weekly antique market at the Karlsplatz just off of Charlottenplatz. It's not as large, but you can usually make some good finds there. It's open year-round every Saturday from 8:00 am until around 4:00 pm, except during other special events.