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Observation and Perspective
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My week long experience in the Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg region was memorable...
The 9 days in Germany provided an opportunity to bike around (just a little bit) and get a feel for the region and its people.
Some of my impressions are as follows:
The People in Germany seem to be a multi-cultural blend of sophistication with a distinctive European perspective. In our Hotel I overheard English, French, Spanish, and Italian being spoken by the guests. Many at the hotel seemed to be staying there on work related trips. In general throughout my travels in and around the region, English seemed a second language for many. In crowds, folks were fairly reserved/conservative. The German people I met seemed to have roots from many different areas of Europe and Asia. A multicultural blend of people in a cosmopolitan and historic region of Germany.
Homes were neat and eclectic, with well kept yards on narrow streets lined with late model compact automobiles. Many of the homes were in a particular row style, large 2.5 story buildings very closely spaced. Gardens were well manicured -somewhat of a contrast from the main business thoroughfares/roadways, where overgrown margins between the road and sidewalk and business fronts and sidewalks were somewhat unkempt looking. Also my impression of the homes was that they are fairly pricey. They well seemed well maintained, constructed mostly of brick, stuccoed over and painted, with decorative modern shuttered windows. Yards were mostly walled and or fenced with gated fronts. There is also a prevalence of multi-family high-rise dwellings, some are rental units and some are owner occupied flats.
The countryside immediately outside the cities was divided into numerous small garden plots surrounding larger farm fields. The small garden plots, accessible via narrow shoulder-less paved roads, were separated from the larger fields with hedge rows and fencing. many of the small plots contained pens for livestock and poultry private and non-commercial endeavors. Some plots were miniature orchards, some vegetable gardens, many were a combination of different outdoor pursuits. Many of these plots had small greenhouse/grow-house/cold frames. Outdoor fireplace/grills were common. Agriculture and Horticulture seems to be a highly prioritized pastime, kept separate in these open spaced areas...
Parks were well manicured and neat.
The region of Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg is highly concentrated with heavy industry. Daimler-Benz and Porsche are headquartered there. Along the river, barge traffic was prevalent with heaps of scrap steel being hauled about as well as container vessels. The region has a highly sophisticated and diversified rail system too. It is possible to move about the region strictly by rail and bicycle, the impression was that many people do just that.
About 4 pm on Wednesday, while walking to the Gleason Bevel plant, I noticed a large group of cyclists cued up on bikes at a stop light. The group of about 15 riders appeared to be heading home from work traveling in a "peloton" together. The bike group was crossing a very busy roadway, heading over to residential streets. The group seemed disciplined and sensible as they moved en masse. I imagined they were a dedicated group of cycling enthusiasts that met and departed along a route to and from work on their daily commute.
Bikes are prevalent! In busy areas and at rush-hour, cycling is designated by necessity to using a mixture of sidewalk and roadway. Sometimes the bike/pedestrian paths are clearly marked with pathway painted symbols, signposts and traffic lights. One morning, walking back from Gleason Bevel, having escorted Ginny to her workplace, I was heading back to the Hotel to get my bike and Helmet. A long loud brake rim squeal sound from behind me caught my attention. I was approaching a stop light when I heard the bike rim squeal. I glanced over my shoulder at this heavy set mid-thirties guy on a beat looking bike. Thinking I could make small talk with a stranger in a strange land I said "Wow quite a squeal" and smiled. The guy gruffly retorted that I took up the whole sidewalk with my walking leaving him little space to maneuver. Pretty good English with a German accent! I was thinking too much inertia caused his brakes to squeal under the load. In any event brake squeal is eliminated with a minor camber adjustment of the brake shoe. Then, there was the stop light. Sometimes you have to plan for things like stopping -I hate that too. Perhaps he was running late and mis-perceived my good natured smile...
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