Day 31: Sunday Funday

Chez Mois

I slept really well from Saturday night to Sunday night. The combined set of all activities was the perfect recipe to sleep like a baby. Slowly getting up, I decided it was time to make breakfast in my new kitchen. It has an induction stove top, which is something I’ve never cooked with before.

Turning on the dial, I was in shock when the surface was hot 15 seconds later, and the coils beneath the surface were bright red. I turned it off almost immediately because I got so worried it would get way too hot, like an electric stove, and start smelling like something was burning. Instead, the stove top was completely fine and worked really well.

This morning’s breakfast: scrambled eggs, salami, cheese, orange juice, toast with Nutella spread, and a banana. I impress even myself sometimes.

In Transit

Shortly after breakfast, I got ready and met up with a co-worker for a bike ride. Jumping onto the U-Bahn (U stands for untergrund, or underground), I took a 15-minute ride from Marienplatz to Vaihingen where he was waiting.

Like the NYC Subway or the London Metro, Germany has the S-Bahn system and the U-Bahn system. Like in most major cities around the world, there’s a difference between trams and metro trains. That also exists in Germany. The U-Bahn is generally seen as the tram system, while the S-Bahn is generally seen as the city metro-rail system. What’s confusing is that “U” in U-Bahn technically stands for Untergrund (translation: underground). The reality is that both the U-Bahn and S-Bahn travel both aboveground and underground. It’s a legacy naming structure that’s survived across the country, although certain areas still respect the traditional split (S for above, U for under).

I’ll talk more about this in tomorrow’s post, because the VVS, the primary city transit authority is finally going live with their 49€/month ticket subscription, and I’m really excited about.

Beautiful Trails

After linking up in Vaihingen, we quickly traversed a few city streets (next to our old offices there), and then we hit the trails. The trails weren’t as muddy as the ones I explored the day before, but it was enough to enjoy sliding every now and then on my rear wheel (i.e. fish-tailing). We took a big loop through the forest. Some segments had a steep ascent.

We weren’t the only ones who had the idea to get out onto the trails. Runners, hikers, cyclists, MTB bikers, skaters, walkers, you name it. It was cool to see so many people out and about on a nice day. Dodging the traffic at the times, we made our way back to our start point.

As we went our separate ways, I turned to head back towards Marienplatz. Stuttgart is located within the basin of a big valley. If you don’t use the tunnels to get into Stuttgart, you have to hill roads. Those roads are not fun to ascend when you leave Stuttgart, but they’re a lot of fun to descend when you enter Stuttgart. Because I took the train out of the city, I was able to have a smooth ride back down.

Shower and a Nap

I’m not going to lie, I was exhausted from this ride. It wasn’t anything particularly difficult at all, but my body was ready to go into hibernation after I showered and had a snack. Since coming back from an injury in my leg, my overall fitness is not where it once was compared to last summer. The fitness drop is phenomenal. As I spend more time on my bike for the remaining two months, I’m looking forward to getting back into shape again.

Late Dinner and a Movie(s)

Building an appetite at around 8:45PM, I jumped onto Google Maps to see what restaurants were still open. Right around the corner is an Italian place (Little Italy) that was still open. I threw on a jacket and walked over. I wasn’t surprised to see this place was packed with people on a Sunday, that too in a big-ish city. People get hungry, and if you’re open for business, why not make some money.I had a plate of Bruschetta, the Ravioli al Burro Salvia, and a glass of red (Primitivo… I can’t remember it now). Finishing off the last of the bread balls, I walked back home.

I was in the mood to watch a movie. I jumped onto Disney Plus, and wanted to watch Pirates of the Caribbean for some reason. I’ve watched that movie too many times, so opted for something else. Scrolling through the options, I came across Atlantis – Das Geheimnis der verlorenen Stadt (Atlantis: The Lost Empire), one of my favorite movies. While the title card was in German, everything else was in German. Breezing through the movie, I wanted to go for a double-header, so I watched Bärenbrüder (Brother Bear). These are 2 of my favorite Disney movies of all time.

Shifting from the couch to my bed, I fell fast asleep, exhausted from the day’s outings again. Let's see what today brings.

Frieden und Liebe ❤️ (translation: peace and love)