Stuttgart: Das neue Herz Europas (14th April 2014)

Stuttgart: Das neue Herz Europas (The new Heart of Europe)

After “München mag dich”, Easter #2 is Stuttgart.

Schwabenmetropole (Swabian Metropolis), as the Swabian natives call it, is probably most well-known for Mercedes Benz! But hey, they don’t have the city’s name on their logo, unlike Porsche! And if you’re a chocolate lover, you have to know that Ritter Sport is from Stuttgart too!

Coming here on a Monday meant that the Porsche and Mercedes Benz museums were out of bounds. No worries though as the city sure has enough to keep you occupied for a day. From the Königstraße shopping street, to the museums and the beautiful Schlossgarten… maybe one day wasn’t enough.

Which is why I’ve decided to head back! For more Ritter Sport!!! 

While chewing onto some Ritter Sport, these are the stories from Stuttgart.

Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut

(Written on 29th May 2014)

Starting off with Königstraße with the iconic Hauptbahnhof tower in the background. The main shopping street of Stuttgart is perhaps the equivalent of Orchard Road back in Singapore, only that it's pretty much a pedestrian-only street. It literally means "King Street" and is said to be Germany's longest pedestrianised street.

Das Neue Schloss (The New Palace) and Schlossplatz. Built in a late-Baroque style, it was badly destroyed when the Allies bombed the place during WWII but was restored during the early 1960s. It is now home to the State's Education and Finance Ministries.

Altes Schloss (Old Castle). If there's a Neue Schloss, there has to be an Altes Schloss. Like the Neue Schloss, it was subjected to Allied bombing damage but was restored in the late 1960s. It stands just adjacent to its "successor". Here is Count Eberhard on his horse just after the bells go off at noon. The Old Castle runs along Karlsplatz and there is a museum there dedicated to Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, best remembered for Operation Valkyrie.

The Stiftskirche (Collegiate Church) is an Evangelical-Lutheran church. Unfortunately, like the two castles, it was subjected to the same treatment from the Allies and has been gradually restored since the 1950s. It's Romanic style makes it stand out from most churches.

The Stuttgart Rathaus (City Hall). It's modern outlook comes as a surprise because it has been the way it is since the mid-1950s. The bells in the clock tower plays Swabian folk songs at very unique timings daily (11:06, 12:06, 14:36 and 18:36).

The Leonhardskirche (St. Leonard's Church), the 2nd oldest church in Stuttgart.

Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart (State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart) This new main entrance building was designed by Brtish architect, James Stirling who also designed the acclaimed Neue Staatsgalerie just a short walk away from here.

 Museum der Bildenden Künste (Museum of Fine Arts) is the Old State Gallery, a part of the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart which also includes the Neue Staatsgalerie.

As part of Stuttgart 21, many reconstructions and changes have been initiated. While the pretty flowers blossom in Spring, this photo clearly disguises the protests against the project where posters were put up all over the place around the HBF.

Consider the flowers of the field, how they grow: they neither labour or spin. And if God cares so wonderfully for the flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, He will certainly care for you...

...Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Liederhalle (Culture and Convention Center) where there are 5 halls, of which 4 are in here, with the names of each hall in memory of these great musicians.

Hospitalskirche (Hospital Church): a Medieval church built as a three-aisled Gothic hall. Restoration efforts saw this tower (along with its bronze bells) added to the main building.

To feed my obsession over the Stuttgart HBF, Ching had taken over at least 2 dozen photos for me. Had to return him the favour, even if it were just this one.

After a big roundabout around the city, it's a return to Schlossplatz where the rainclouds from the morning have departed.

RITTER SPORT!!! Was initially harbouring slim hopes of a return to Stuttgart to get more. But I'm most certainly going back now! Yay! More chocolates! :P

This is the tool you use to measure chocolates!

Selected by UNESCO for inclusion into the World Cultural Heritage list, the Stuttgart 21 project threatens to demolish parts of the complex. The fact that the Mercedes-Benz star sits atop the 12-storey tower probably shows how important it is to the city of Stuttgart. I've only caught a glimpse of Stuttgart and I'm looking forward to coming back here next week! But that's a story for another time.

For the continuity of the Easter stories, it's time to go along the River Neckar and head to Heidelberg!

München mag dich! (11th-13th April 2014)

“München mag dich” or “Munich loves you” has been the city’s motto since 2006.

This follows on from “London Town” and marks the beginning of an exciting Easter break from 11th to 27th April 2014.

People may remember Munich for Hauptstadt der Bewegung that brought along with it the monstrosities and horror of World War II or the terror of the 1972 Summer Olympics. To most people, the nicest thing they can think of to talk about the city is the annual celebration of Crown Prince Ludwig’s wedding to Princess Therese (more well-known now as Oktoberfest). Unfortunately, alcohol is not my thing, so I would describe Munich to you as a prosperous city that’s at the forefront of modern-day technology but also rich in cultural heritage.

Football fans will see it as the home of the best team in Germany but I was in Munich to jinx them and was successful as they got thrashed by my German team, Dortmund (hence the gloating at Allianz Arena)!

It’s been more than a month but it means I’ve been able to reflect on the whole Easter Break. Since I’ve got a little time on my hands, it’s time to share the stories from Munich.

(Written on 24th May 2014)

The München Maibaum (Munich maypole). The story behind it is that you wouldn't want to allow other villagers to steal it because if they do, you'll have to buy it back. Knowing the German culture, make a clever guess what "currency" you use to buy it back?... Bier, of course!

Munich's opera house, the Nationaltheater. The people of München were not happy with it when it was built. When a fire broke out here, The Hofbräuhaus (which is just a short walk away) offered to use its beer to put it out. The Müncheners all helped by transporting the beer. For some strange reason, the fire raged on. Apparently, the Müncheners felt that they were better off downing the beer than saving the theater!

Hofbräuhaus, the liquid symbol of München. We were told that Mozart was inspired to write Idomeneo after drinking here. A couple of "unsavoury" stories were linked with the royal brewery though, a certain Lenin and the infamous Beer Hall Putsch.

The Neues Rathaus and the Frauenkirche. Managed to catch the Rathaus-Glockenspiel at 11am. Apparently, the bells returned more out of tuned after being sent for tuning... The Frauenkirche in the background has a Devil's Footstep at the entrance. The Legend behind that is a story for another day...

First stop for Day 3: The Home of Bayerische Moteren Werken (Bavarian Motor Works), more commonly known as BMW

Based on the current price of COE in Singapore, I'm quite certain that you can buy 2 of these here in München.

Probably the only time I'll ever get to be in the driver's seat of a BMW

The BMW bikes were state-of-the-art too

Bayerische Motoren Werke Welt (Bavarian Motor Works World): Showcase of the current series of BMW products, including Mini and Rolls Royce. Calling the BMW Welt incredibly huge is in itself an understatement.

Welcome to the Olympiapark on a quiet Sunday morning!

Rolling back the years in the Rock Museum, as the jukebox rocked on with Sir Elton John's Crocodile Rock!

Atop the Olympic Tower that overlooks the Munich Olympic Stadium. The surrounding Olympiapark is probably the only place around the Olympic area which is actively being used. Was certainly great to see the place in "patches of yellow" with fellow Dortmund fans walking around.

By the time Ching got down to take his shot, the wind was so strong he could barely keep his eyes open. It honestly felt like the hole top of the tower was going to be blown away!

Imagine my surprise when I realized the revolving restaurant on The Olympic Tower was serving Singapore food! No deep pockets to afford that luxury though.

We decided to head to the Deutsches Museum next to spend the rest of the afternoon. Didn't know about it until a friend recommended it a couple days before. Was glad we took her advice because this museum was so awesome!

Here's Ching with a Lufthansa plane in the aviation section of the ginormous museum!

The Deutsches Museum is how I'd like to remember München. A paradise for the little kid in me that still loves science. I reckon it's probably one of the largest science and technology museum in the world. Unfortunately, it was too big and there was no time to finish seeing everything before getting chased out...

The Allianz Arena, home of the already crowned German champions, Bayern München. As a neutral, Bayern's football is enthralling. But as a United fan, you just don't care about the team we beat with "And Solskjær has won it!" in 1999.

Gloating at it's very best! After Bayern were destroyed 3-0 by Dortmund the night before, it was the best place to be to rub salt in! Echte Liebe, Dortmund!

Earlier in the week, our beloved United got beaten by the Bavarians. So after celebrating Dortmund's win among Bayern fans and making it out alive, we had to come here to do it all over again.

1999 will forever be etched into the memory as the most crazy Champions League Final for us. Unfortunately, United have lost our way after Sir Alex left and there is much rebuilding to do.

(Update: At least we have a certain former Bayern manager in Van Gaal to work that out)

The sun sets in Munich at the Allianz Arena as it also set for United's 25 consecutive years in Europe. Took the board long enough to realize the mistake of appointing Moyes. Nice guy, but like Roy Hodgson was to Liverpool, wrong man for the job.

The Feldherrnhalle: site of the infamous Beer Hall Putsch. Wilhelm von Rümann's lions also had subtle political statements. Probably sums up how München has kept all unhappy happenings subtle.

The Nationaltheater again. Returned here at sunset just to capture this photo and I wasn't disappointed

Augustiner Bräu, probably the best beer in Germany, so I'm told. Sustained by the Müncheners because it is the only one that has stayed truly local. It's interesting to note that they do not engage in advertising campaigns either. I guess when you have a good product that's unbeatable, what the heck is advertising?

3 days (or effectively 2 days) in München was just about right to understand a little about its cultural heritage, but there's so much more to learn here. Who knows, I might be back? Stuttgart's next!

(Returned here 2 months after, in June, as a stopover before heading to Stuttgart and Burg Hohenzollern)

Explosion of Home-Cooked Flavours in Graz (1)

Food doesn't magically appear on the table. You don't magically learn how to cook if you've never done it before either. That's where the learning comes in. Practicing certainly helps too because it means you start getting the hang of what not to do. You won't see any of the failed meals here but a couple of them were actually "first tries" which can only be described as "work in progress".

Fried rice with Peas and Corn (12.03.2014)

Notice how it's 12th March, and almost a month after settling in. Decided after the first week that eating out is not financially sustainable so the kitchen beckoned. Spent most of the first month preparing very basic dishes because of the fear of burning everything. Started getting the hang of things and decided it was time to do more!

Fussili in Tomato Paste with Pork Chop, Fried Egg and Peas+Corn (13.03.2014)

Claypot Rice with Pork, Brocoli+Cauliflower and Tomato Soup (15.03.2014)

Carrot Strips and Pork Slices (16.03.2014)

Pork Belly!!! (16.03.2014)

Pork Ribs Soup with Cabbage, Onions and Carrots (16.03.2014)

The first soup prepared from scratch. Gradually added more and more ingredients to it to enhance its flavour for meals after this.

Cabbage with minced beef and eggs (19.03.2014)

Tasted way better than it looked. Here's one example where I didn't really do my cooking right. But you can't let food go to waste. Good thing it tasted alright.

Fusilli Aglio Olio with minced meat and Brocoli (19.03.2014)

Cabbage Rice + MORE Pork Belly (20.03.2014)

Pork Belly + Cauliflower (20.03.2014)

"Singapore" Chicken Curry with Potatoes. Prepared this with Sly at Jason's place, after the other 2 had already left for Holland earlier. Tasted more like Laksa though. Need more practice. (22.03.2014)

Fried Paprika (Capsicum) with Onions, Mushrooms and Pork slices (23.03.2014)

Combination of Dad's favourite Beef with Capsicums (Paprika) + Cabbage, Carrots and Shrimps with Garlic (3rd April 2014)

Looks like a real mix of completely different dishes and it was just that... "Rojak" of the meatier variety. Was a week before heading off for the Easter break, so I just had to finish up as much of the meat as possible.

Fried Rice with Long Beans and Mushrooms (3rd April 2014)

Slight improvement on my first attempt earlier with the grains no longer clumped together. More ingredients too!

Wholemeal Spaghetti with Eggs and French Beans (10th April 2014)

Done the night before heading off to München. Intended to do Carbonara, but the lack of proper Bacon meant that was not going to happen. Turned out pretty okay too.

So that's it for the first Food Diary and I was off for my 2-part Easter travel, 1st by InterRail and then to Croatia on a road trip. The next part of the Food Diary will have to wait till after Easter then.

Next up: Munich, Germany

Cooking Adventures in Greenbox #39

It's never just about the beautiful sights you see here in Europe. Food is really important too. 

What better way to enjoy food, then to try cooking it yourself!

Introducing, the humble Greenbox #39 kitchen!

This is where I did almost all of my cooking along with my fellow #39-ners. There were 6 of us in this flat and we cooked so much that the cooking panel broke! It's a good thing Greenbox replaced it for us, although it was only replaced in late June.

Enjoyed every bit of my time spent in this kitchen, learning from scratch, coming up with food ideas from improvised ingredients without literally blowing the place up!

That's the reason why I've titled my Food Diaries as, Explosion of Home-cooked Flavours in Graz!

First up, a collection of dishes from pre-Easter i.e. from February to early April.