From Fjords to Fiats

[OZDUCK]

Esslingen is a very pretty little town. We have been there twice. The last time was in Nov. 2023 to visit the Medieval Christmas Market.

 

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Around Esslingen

Esslingen Germany - travel guide and information from German Sights

We had 3 nights here where we had Aussie mates as company & our main activity was the Cannstatter Volkfest-Stuttgart Beer Festival. Cannstatter Volksfest | Stuttgart Beer Festival Guide
We had previously visited the Munich Oktoberfest so we had an understanding of what to expect but I think our mates were a bit surprised by the physical size of the facility and the size & age structure of the attendees. From our apartment we a short walk then a 15 minute non-stop train ride and then a 10 minute walk with the crowds to the grounds. There was a massive number of carnival type rides, a huge variety of food outlets, some large beer halls and many smaller bar & food outlets. We caught the main parade of the festival with the costumes and wagons and floats saluting the history of the event.
Despite the crowds, food, beverages and seats in the shade were easy to come by and the food we had was excellent. Prices food and drinks were consistent with the rest of our stay in the area. The larger tents offered space for us without bookings, the entertainment was ongoing and the crowds seemed well behaved. The costume wearers certainly added to the spirit of the day & it was a great time.

















Before the crowds





Outside view of one of the bigger beer halls










This was loud!

 

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More of the beer festival

Parts of the very long parade-unfortunately looking into the sun










The objects in mid air are sweets that were thrown into the crowd from the parade


Plenty of options for the thrill seekers










A couple of unpaid product endorsements

 

[RB]

The rest of our time in Esslingen was spent wandering the streets and taking in the historic buildings. The half timber-framed houses and other historic buildings in the medieval town, the city wall and towers and the vineyards around the city are all interesting attractions to explore on foot.

Taken from the front door of apartment building


Weather station constructed in 1895


Medieval Gate House from 13th Century-very popular ice cream joint now operates from the base


External view of our apartment building-commercial enterprises downstairs

Twin steeples & connecting bridge St Dionys. Towers completed between 1290 and 1308







The high altar dates from around 1604


Originally a historic court & tithe barn but has housed Kessler Sekt cellar since the 19th century


The stone fountain from around 1904 replaced an earlier well


This was taken from the old market square, plenty of updating happening


Another view with different sun aspect


Originally constructed around 1760 as the Palais of the von Palm family (Palm’sches Palais), the Baroque-style building has served as the official seat of Esslingen's Lord Mayor and municipal administration since 1850

 

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Last of Esslingen
Still in the Old Town


Puppet display








Getting closer to the Church of Our Lady-locked unfortunately




Quirky plant decoration


Covered wooden & stone staircase leading to the castle-we conceded defeat after a while. Apparently 332 stairs in total


Back in the Old Square-dates from the 15th Century


Grabbed a cold beer & wine to go with nice food from Asia-Kim

 

[RB]

Esslingen to Frankfurt

A transfer to set us up for our flights home. A short train ride to Stuggart and then a ICE train to Frankfurt Airport station. All a pretty comfortable trip in second class. A pretty full carriage but enough room for our small backpacks to go in the rack above us & the bigger bags fitted in the luggage area mid-carriage. Quite a few people obviously didn’t pay for reservations and spent plenty of time standing in the corridors.

Our hotel were very helpful with instructions for the free transfer from the train to the hotel. Being Frankfurt we had quite a long walk through to the end of T1 & then exited out towards the well signed Medical Centre. The transfers run every 15 minutes for most of the day. The driver was about to exit the car park but noticed us, pulled up, greeted us, loaded our bags & dropped us off near the hotel about 10 minutes later. The company seems to be a bit of an integrated operation with a big under cover parking station where the bus drops off. Then it is a 200 metre walk to the actual hotel/rooms.

 

[RB]

Hotel Platzhirsch Living Kelsterbach.

Platzhirsch Living - Your hotel at Frankfurt Airport

We booked a suite here through Amex travel, effectively using up my rebated yearly credit card fee. The price was sharp through Amex & the system worked fine. The only downside of the stay for us was the 4pm check-in time- only able to get in around 3.30pm as apparently there are only about 20 odd suites. The suites are roughly double the size of the standard rooms & we thought offered good value. We thought the room was one of our better stays- nice and quiet, good blackouts, good lighting, well placed power points, great shower and a very comfortable bed. Apparently there are a few other food options nearby but we were happy to stay on-site.

Quite a few people using the bar/restaurant and we were very happy with the decision. Good fresh draught beers, cold & generous serves of prosecco and tasty serves of salmon and pizza were fine. A sidelight was that they had a robot waiter working. A gimmick that created some interaction between guests but wasn’t particularly successful- delivered food & drinks safely but guests had to get up to get their order off the robot plate holders & if you didn’t speak German it was not obvious what button to push to return the robot to the kitchen.











One of the garden residents


It was a pleasant location so close to the airport


The waiter waiting for instructions


Salmon dish