Stuttgart-City Leuchtet (S-City Aglow)

One of the best benefits of living in Stuttgart is all the activities they have in the downtown area.  Although the city is known for its huge Christmas market that we can't wait to visit in a few weeks, there are festivals going on all year round.

We walked from our hotel only a few blocks to the center of town find a number of vendors set up on the pedestrian areas of the city.  They were having a festival called Stuttgart Leuchtet (Stuttgart Aglow), where many parts of the city center were lit up and the shops stay open extra-late.  It seems to be the unofficial start to the Christmas shopping season. 

Neune Schloss (New Palace) -- I think it is always lit up.  They should try harder for special nights.

Then we headed over to the Schillerplatz (named after German poet Friedrich Schiller) and saw the Stiftskirche (Collegiate Church), which looked lovely when lit up.  

The most important part of the adventure for Matt was the food.  Too bad he's decided he really doesn't like curry wurst as there are lots of better uses for encased meat.  Matt plans to try them all.  

Kristin stuck with the basics -- a glass of sparkling wine and a ham and tomato crepe.

Then it was time for the main event. The Markthalle!  The Markthalle is a gourmet food market with a number of different vendors under one roof. For the festival, the place was packed, with many of the vendors selling more substantial hot food in addition to their normal offerings.  There were lots of fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses and baked goods.  Since the Markethalle is only a few minutes from our apartment, Kristin should be able to buy delicious things there regularly.  

Once we were done drooling over the food at the Markthalle, it was time to check out the fireworks which capped the night.  

On the walk back to the hotel, we were able to take some of the note famous and picturesque buildings of Stuttgart. Not a bad walk to our (temporary) home!  And a really fun activity for a quick dinner out.