Germany
If you cannot do without Guinness and pub grub then head to Saints & Scholars on Wilhelm Strasse, a modern variation on the Irish pub theme but with a large outdoor sitting area - tell Darko I sent you.
Saints & Scholars Irish Pub, Wilhelmstr. 44 (07071) 25 64 08: 25 minutes or so from the train station.
Combine the romantic with the bacchic by getting a few beers and hiring a punt (can take up to 12 people) to take you on a slow-mo water-guided tour of the old town.
The best way to get there from Stuttgart is by car. It will only take about 40 minutes via the B27 heading south. Or take the train from
Stuttgart's Main Station (Hauptbahnhof - Hbf). Standard adult return is about 18 euro, but get a Baden-Württemburg ticket allowing 5 people to travel all day for about 25 euro or so. Check
www.bahn.de for details. Journey time is one hour maximum - it takes so long because
the train has to travel around the edge of the Schonbuch Nature Park - well worth visiting itself if you have the time - don't get lost however, it's pretty big.
The Marktplatz surrounded by high gabled-houses dating from the 15th century and an impresssive Rathaus, is a great place to sit outside in summer. Just approaching it through the narrow streets and hearing the hub-bub of hundreds of conversations gradually getting louder and louder is the definitive sign that summer has finally arrived.
Try the Neckarmüller restaurant and bar at the Neckarbrücke (Neckar bridge) - sit inside for hearty German food including the local Swabian speciality, Maultaschen (literally "mouth-bags") like large Ravioli with a spinach based filling, or sit outside at the river's edge and sip the house brewed beer into the (hopefully) warm summer evenings.
Right beside the Neckarbrücke.
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