A Georgia Girl in Germany

When Nana and Papa visited us in Stuttgart for the last time, we went out to eat at a local Reiterstüble, where we were able to watch a local riding club ride horses while sitting at our tables eating. The kids thought it was neat to be able to watch the horses (and riders) go through their paces just for us. Well, it wasn’t just for us, but it seemed like it since there weren’t many people in the restaurant.

There are two indoor areas for the horses to train -- one on either side of the restaurant. When we were done eating, we took a few minutes to watch the horses and riders on the other side.

MacKenzie and Benjamin enjoyed watching the activities, and stalled our departure a few minutes so they could watch a little longer.

They were all excited -- when we finally left -- when a horse and its rider walked directly behind us heading back to the stable. I’ve heard there’s a similar restaurant in the Kaiserslautern area. One of these days we need to find it so we can compare.

Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa

Two years ago when Nana and Papa came to visit over Spring Break, we spent a day at the Stuttgart Mercedes Museum. One of the first cars that greeted us was the 1886 Gottlieb Daimler motorized carriage. It was the world’s first four-wheeled automobile, and had a conventional carriage with a small high-speed engine, called the “Grandfather Clock,” installed by Daimler and Maybach.

There were some really interesting vehicles on display in the museum’s eight floors, including this vintage double-decker bus. This isn’t something you see very often1

The museum has seven levels and five collection rooms depicting 122 years of automotive history and the major product categories of Mercedes-Benz. These cars are in the “post-war miracle” room.

This is the “gallery of heroes” display.

We all enjoyed looking at the variety of racecars (and trucks) that Mercedes-Benz made.

The “silver arrows” in the “races and records” exhibit were neat to see. Quite a few of these cars made and broke speed and distance records.

There was quite a variety of cars in this room, and you could easily see the transition of body styles from year to year.



Benjamin had a blast exploring the different exhibits. These are the older of the “silver arrow” cars.

Zachary enjoyed seeing the futuristic designs in the “fascination of technology” area showing innovations for the future.

The display showed mostly futuristic and concept models, but also had a few designs that could realistically be expected to make debuts...well, maybe.

It was interesting to read about how each of these cars made history by testing and/or proving a concept or capability. Plus, they simply look cool!

This solar car was driven by a 21-year-old Mercedes-Benz technician in 1985 from Lake Constance in southern Germany to Lake Geneva during the “Tour de Sol Centennial Rally.” The car had two electric motors fed by 432 solar cells, and with the exception of the solar generator and the drive system, the car was designed and built completely by trainees from two of the Mercedes-Benz plants.

Papa’s love of cars didn’t end in the museum though. There were several late-model cars on display in the parking garage, and he took time to look at the 2003 Mercedes-Benz Vision CLS coupe that was first introduced at the 2003 Frankfurt International Car Show.

Benjamin’s favorite car was this miniature model that he was allowed to take for a short test drive.

Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Travel, Zachary