Once summertime begins, I find myself eating ice cream or gelato at least once a week if not more. There's something about living in the city -- or perhaps in Europe in general -- that makes the act a priority in warm weather. (The relative lack of air conditioning in apartments and most public buildings might also have something to do with it.)
And so, without further ado, here are my favorite, and what I think are the best, ice cream and gelato spots in the city...
I've been so thrilled to experience the recent boom in street food in Stuttgart. Ever since the first (slightly unfortunate) event back in May, it seems organizers have been trying hard to learn from past mistakes and make these kinds of festivals worthwhile. I've been particularly impressed by the recent Street Food Thursdays in the Karlsplatz. If you follow me on Facebook, you've probably seen my photos from the past couple of Thursdays, which have offered more craft beers, more vegan and vegetarian options, and more international cuisine.
In fact, Facebook is how I first heard about the Street Food Festival in Böblingen-Sindelfingen. They've been posting teaser photos for months, so I knew this weekend's festival was going to be good. Unlike past events, they extended the festival to cover three days, helping to prevent a rush all on one day. They also charged a 3€ entrance fee. Now I know that they can be controversial, but I understand the need when you have to cover costs like trash cans, security, and toilets. And although the festival was a 20-minute ride on the S-bahn from the city center, it was located in the spacious "airfield" right next to the station...
With summer winding down, my husband and I decided to take one last weekend trip to enjoy the beautiful weather. We've stayed local this summer after our amazing trip to Ireland, choosing to visit some of the nearby sights of Schwäbisch Hall and Schloss Hohenzollern instead. We've been all over Baden-Württermberg, but one location remained on our list: the Bodensee.
I remember before we moved to Suttgart three years ago that a friend of ours who studied abroad in Konstanz (also known as Constance in English) on the Bodensee (or Lake Constance) said it was the most beautiful place he'd ever been and that we had to visit. Still, we always pushed aside our plans to travel there as the train fare was either too expensive or we couldn't find an affordable hotel at short notice. However, with a little planning ahead and a creative definition of a weekend (Sunday-Monday), I was able to pull something together. And so, with our tickets booked and our bag packed, we set out on the 2-1/2 journey south of Stuttgart to Konstanz...
If you live anywhere on the European continent, then you'll have felt the same heatwave that's been affecting Stuttgart this past week. Temperatures climbed up to 100-degrees Fahrenheit (37-degrees Celsius) this Fourth of July weekend, which though I recognize is nothing compared to the U.S. South this time of year, it's still unseasonably hot for Germany and somewhat challenging in a country without home air conditioning. Still, the weather didn't stop me from going to the Schlosspark for a picnic yesterday afternoon and then out to the Marienplatzfest for my first time.
The annual festival takes places in the Marienplatz square just above the u-bahn station and next to the Zacke (the old "rack railway") station. To tell you the truth, we stopped by Marienplatz on Friday night to see what the festival was about, but the square was so crowded that we decided to come back on Saturday night without our dog, who was finding it challenging to find space to walk without being stepped on. And so on Saturday we made our way there again around 9 pm -- without the dog -- when the heat had subsided a bit...
Even though the last street food market turned into a bit of a fiasco, I entered the dates for their second event in my calendar as I rarely pass up a food-focused event. The second market took place this past weekend at Turlenstraße 2 in the Mitte. Right away the location was much better. Instead of the winding path through the train tracks that I took to get to the first market, this one was located right across the street from the new Milaneo mall. The signage was also much better with large, bright green announcements along the entrance.
The venue was a bit like the bottom level of a parking garage with all of the food trucks and stands set up inside. There was a desk set up at the entrance where they required a 2€ entrance fee. When we arrived on the first night, Friday, we noticed a group of Mexican dancers by the entrance putting on a show. It was a very festive atmosphere, although much quieter than the first market. By comparison, there was hardly anyone there. The lines to most of the food stands were only three or four people long at most, and there were plenty of picnic tables set up around the venue for people to stop and eat. There were about 30 different stands set up in total, and we ended up going to the market on both Friday and Saturday night so that we could sample as much as possible...
Ever since our failed burger meal at Woody's, we've been on the hunt for a good, American-style burger in Stuttgart. We've heard from several people that the [m]eatery is the place to go, and though we've been before for dinner, we didn't try the burgers. And so, with Matt and I both off work again this past Friday, we decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and the [m]eatery's lunch menu by checking out their burgers.
I so rarely get to go out for lunch, that it makes the few times I do seem very exciting! We could have made reservations online, but we decided to take a chance and show up without one. We walked to the [m]eatery's location downtown between the Königstraße and Calwerstraße and had no problem getting a patio table for two at around 1pm. I was especially glad to see their patio was out, as some but not all restaurants in Stuttgart have started setting them up. The weather was absolutely lovely on Friday -- it even hit 73 degrees! (Fahrenheit) -- making it perfect patio weather...
Although I will be the first to admit that Stuttgart lacks the same culinary variety as some of the larger German cities, I am consistently amazed by the high quality of the food that I tend to find at some of the smaller establishments in and around Stuttgart. One of those establishments is Patrick's Stop, a Jamaican Imbiss and Take Away in Möhringen. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find Jamaican food even in Berlin, and if you did, Patrick would definitely give any restaurant a run for its money.
We chose to sit outside as the weather continues to hover around a pleasant 70ºF in Stuttgart. After ordering a bottle of mineral water, I once again chose the käse spätzle while my husband opted for a spinach and feta pasta. So far, so good...
The weather has been practically chilly here lately, which is new to me coming from central Virginia where it stayed warm with high humidity through much of October. Even last year it felt like it was warmer this time of year in Stuttgart. This week the thermometer stayed in the mid-sixties for the past four or five days with rain most of the time. So today when the temperature shot up to a sunny 72°F, I decided it was time for another taste of ice cream before the summer slips away.
My destination today was Killesbergpark where a new business complex opened up about a year or so ago at the Killesberg u-bahn stop. There's a large Aldi, Edeka, and Alnatura there for groceries, a DM for other home and body products, a furniture store, a paper store, a Mediterranean foods store, and a couple of banks. My impression is that the offerings will continue to grow as more people and businesses move into the area...
I still remember that feeling of being a child on hot summer days when I heard the faint jingle of the ice cream truck down the street. No matter what I was doing, I'd stop immediately and run to my mother or to my piggy bank (which were often one and the same) and get the few coins needed for my favorite ice cream bar: either a strawberry push-pop or a Mickey Mouse bar with chocolate-covered ears. If I was lucky, the truck would be driving slow that day, or my neighbors will have gotten to it first, and I'd be able to catch the truck before it made the loop out of our street.
The ice cream truck seems to be unique to my memory of America, and in light of it, I still can't decide who loves ice cream more: Americans or Europeans. I suppose it's a comedic difference in that in America the ice cream comes to you, whereas in Europe, you go to the ice cream. Then again, that could also be part of my experience living in a city versus in a spacious suburban neighborhood.
No matter what the explanation, these days I go the ice cream parlor, jingle or not, when the weather is hot and the season demands it...
For three days every July, the Bohnenviertel (meaning "bean quarter") in Stuttgart comes alive with music, food, and late-night shopping during the Bohnenviertelfest. It's a bit like a giant block party, and I love the celebratory atmosphere. The best thing about the Bohnenviertelfest is that many of the restaurants set up stalls and offer bites from their menu, so you can easily try several different kinds of food form the neighborhood's restaurants.
The Bohnenviertel is one of the oldest areas in Stuttgart and covers about ten small blocks. It gets its name from the staple food of the area's population, which grew beans as a way to supplement their diet. The gardens have since been replaced by houses, but you can still stroll through the cobblestone streets of the Bohnenviertel and admire the quarter's old-time charm. We live right next to the area, and it's filled with secondhand bookstores, antique shops, private art galleries, jewelry stores, craft stores, and lots of cafés and restaurants.
![Finally, American-style Burger Patties at the [m]eatery](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535c1783e4b0faf2733dd647/1428834753526-02SUQ3C80Y8GYHOWAJ65/image-asset.jpeg)
