Day 14: Stuttgart
Delicious Dinner, Never-ending Conversation, Great Company
I missed my opportunity to go to Kaufland yet again. I’ll need to find a time between tomorrow and Sunday to shop for some breakfast items. It’s not urgent, definitely not as urgent as the growing need to laundry very soon.
Tonight, I joined a colleague visiting from Sunnyvale for dinner and got the chance to meet with other employees of Mercedes-Benz who come from completely different departments. The change in perspective was refreshing. Not only were they the outsiders to our work, we were also the outsiders to their work. What I appreciated the most about today’s outing was that our dinner conversation quickly turned to non-work related topics and it felt great to get away from the hustle and bustle (and also learn more about life in Stuttgart).
We had dinner in Marienplatz (my soon-to-be-future-home in southern Stuttgart) at a small Italian restaurant called Pizzeria il Pomodoro. Facing a big church, when you walk in, it has the look and feel more of a traditional German restaurant, or at least what I’ve experienced in the past (lots of wooden chairs, wooden tables, wooden wall mountings, etc.).
With an Italian menu translated into German, I ordered the Spaghetti with Black Truffle and Parmesan (preceded by a Zucchini roll and Tuna-Ham slice appetizers). It was delicious. I’ve been craving some Italian food recently (I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m getting tired of pizza), so the spaghetti filled the right spot. Paired with an easy red wine (Chianti Merlot), tonight’s dinner 👌🏾.
Throughout dinner, we spoke about topics ranging from parenthood to life in Germany to how organizations thrive when the right culture and mindset are put in place to great mountain biking trails around Stuttgart. I had a really great time hanging out with this group. I look forward to hopefully seeing some folks from tonight again over the next few months while I’m here.
After dinner and as part of the group departed for home, we went to a bar called Fou Fou. This is not my first time being there, but it’s been a few years since I last enjoyed a cocktail. I had a Dark & Stormy (rum concoction), which did its job as a nightcap. Before heading home for the night, we had an entertaining conversation about how a father is expected to handle meeting a daughter’s special friend for the first time (a relevant “problem” upcoming for a few folks in our group, though at least a few years out). Based on our conversation, one quickly realizes is not an easy challenge to overcome. I got a good chuckle, as I am incredibly far away from that perspective / life experience. All I could do was laugh, and picture the scene from Bad Boys 2 (one of my favorite movies) when Mike and Marcus meet Reggie.
Another day transforms into great memories.
Frieden und Liebe ❤️