A Weindorf Weekend

When I think of drinking festivals in Germany, I think of Oktoberfest. A time for beer, bratwurst, and lederhosen. You can imagine my extreme joy upon realizing our first weekend in Stuttgart coincided with their wine festival, or Weindorf (said like: vine-dorf). I like to call that a bit of divine intervention.

Saturday late morning, we scoped out an actual grocery store and bought meat and produce. Meaning, I was finally able to cook a meal at home!

For lunch I made scrambled eggs with a slightly spicy sausage from the deli, bread, and Kerrygold butter. The meal was super quick to throw together and perfect for a weekend lunch. The bread, eggs, and meat were so fresh and absolutely delicious.

Around six, we jumped on the U-Bahn (the local train system) and went to the Weindorf. We were meeting up with some coworkers and were really starting to feel the pain of not having cell phones yet. We texted them before leaving the apartment about a meeting point, but when the guys were running a little late, I started to get nervous we would miss them entirely. Before too long, they showed up at our meeting spot, the Nespresso store. I was more than happy to wait at such a location. Between the coffee and the large picture of George Clooney hanging in the window, I felt quite at home.

I had only seen the Weindorf during the midday hours of no traffic so the wall to wall crowds of people was quite overwhelming. We ventured into the crowds to get some wine and other goods

I took this opportunity to tell Tom where he could get my Christmas present this year (oh hello, Louis Vuitton!). I don't think he found my statement amusing.

The weather was gorgeous, almost fall-like. There were tents dedicated to just wine, while others had food and large tables to eat at as well. I also managed to find the tent of sweets. They had chocolate covered anything and everything. As well as flavored almonds and other nuts. I got a package of vanilla cinnamon almonds and ate the majority of them before leaving the festival. A few did make it home though!

Tom doesn't like wine, thankfully he found the one beer stand in the entire Weindorf. We walked just outside the festival to find a quieter place to finish our drinks and then headed over to a tapas place the guys had already tried and liked, Besitos. I am of the opinion tapas can be amazing or mediocre. I was initially apprehensive, but hungry enough I would give any recommendation a try. To drink, the guys got beer and I had a Bailey's latte. The dinner was off to a great start. We all ordered a few dishes that appealed to us and passed them around. Some definite winners were the chorizo, cheese potatoes, bacon wrapped dates, and I loved the grilled Mediterranean vegetables. Not too many of them were as enthused. After Tom's love affair with churros in Cabo, we saw churros with chocolate sauce on the dessert menu and had to order a round.

After a successful dinner, we wandered the area to find a bar to grab a drink and relax. We looked into, and promptly left, a couple of questionable places before settling on a chill, pub style place. The beers we ordered were served in swing top bottles, which was awesome and reminded me of the Grolsch's we used to drink in college with the same style of bottle. We took the U-Bahn back home once we finished our drinks. While getting the initial layout of their train system is confusing, it is definitely worthwhile. Getting anywhere downtown from our place is super easy as long as you know which line to take. 

Spending the evening enjoying the Weindorf was such a great experience and nothing helps me feel more welcome into a new environment than some conversation and wine. It is going to be a great few months!