First of all, thanks to Vyom for inspiring me to write this review......I suspect he is doing the same course I did in Stuttgart a few years ago.
I lived in Stuttgart between 1997 and 1999, doing my Masters in Infrastructure Planning at the Vaihingen Campus of the University.
General
Stuttgart, the city, is situated in the german state of Baaden Wuerttemberg, very close to Bavaria, and the home of such Auto Majors such as Benz & BMW. It is really a small to mid sized town, nestled in the Neckar valley, and one of the better, though more expensive German Cities to live in.
My stay in Stuttgart began in October, at the beginning to mid of Autumn and I arrived at the airport, which is a relatively small one, via a flight from Frankfurt. I was picked up by a University volunteer who, though being half an hour late, was very helpful. I was taken to the centre and had to go through the usual motions of getting a room at the student housing block at Pfaffenwaldring.
Thus began a very eventful two years, staying and studying at the Vaihingen campus- There are two campuses - one on the outskirts of the city, and the other down town. Studying is also cheap, as there are no tuition fees in German Universities. I lived like a king on a stiped of 1750 DM a month (In those days this would have been around 35, 000/ INR a month) for food, acco, travel, entertainment, as well as buying my PC, home theater , regional travel etc.,
The People
Germans, as a rule, are not outgoing people and do not make friends easily, like for example, Americans, and respect your privacy, and expect you to respect theirs. There is a tendency for nationalism, and a love for their language. However, that is changing slowly as Germans realise that they need to be international in order to survive and compete in the international business market. Germans can be very friendly once they get to know you and I made a lot of good friends while in Germany. They are definitely not like us and the rules of interaction vary.
Naz..i..i..sm
Neo Nazis are generally treated, especially in the former west germany with ridicule, and are heavily clamped down upon. I have had only one bad experience in my two years there, when one guy (Not a nazi) pushed me heavily with his shoulder and made a rude remark in German - I was coming out of the escalator. I was shocked for a moment but then I also realised that my friends who had just gone up before me had been banging the sides of the escalator and creating a loud and big noise. He had taken offence at that.
There is a tendency for frustration in Germans, because studies have shown that theres is a shrinking population, while immigrants, especially from Turkey are growing at 18 %. Well, we make such a big deal about Pakistan and Bangladesh immigrants here in India, so I understand their worries.
Transport Systems
Probably the best anywhere in the world. You can set your clock to any of their public transport systems and the planning is networked in such a way that you never have to wait for more than 15 min to go anywhere in the city, and the nearest PT stop is within 7-8 min walking distance. Superb. Yes, it is expensive, but if you are a student, get a semester pass for 375 (at that time) DM to travel within 3 zones for almost 4 - 5 months. Its worth it.
The intermodal transfer is superb, as are the facilities and information signs, and comfort of travel. Regional rail is also superb. In those days, a group of 5 students could get a Weekend Pass ’’Wochenende’’, where 5 students could travel anywhere in germany on a 35 DM (700 Rs) ticket, between midnight (Fri /Sat) to Mid (sun/mon) by regional trains. This was to and fro, 7 bucks a head !!
Stay / Accommodation
I stayed at the hostel - a group of rooms, one person to a room (thats the rule, often broken) where we shared a common kitchen and toilets, for every floor. You take it in turns to keep the kitchen clean and pick up cleaning liquid and paper etc from the house master (Hausmeister). The accommodation was very cheap, less than 300 DM a month.
Down town or Konigstrasse
Stuttgart City is a relatively laid back city, yet vibrant. The centre of Stuttgart, or downtown or Konigstrasse as it is called, is a wide, cobble tiled avenue - totally pedestrian - with shopping on both sides. The street offers shopping for both budget shoppers and also expensive places, also there are ample eateries offering cuisine from German, to Chinese, to the ever present MacDonalds. The main railway station (Hauptbanhof) is at one end of the street.
Parallel to Konigstrasse, on either sides are business offices. Kaufhalle is a mid end Big Bazaar with grocery, While just opposite is a Kaufhof, slightly higher end. Shops extend at right angles to the main street also.
Places to see and events
There are many, many places to see within the city, in the suburbs, and close by, all reasonably priced, even for students. Even travelling to Paris and Rome is possible over the weekend. Within the city you have the museum, the zoo, the shopping centres, many picturesque spots, the planetarium and for the more adventurous, the night spots - There are several strip bars and porn shops, very good dance floors and halls, cultural events - classical music etc.
The very first day I arrived in Stuttgart, the Scorpions were playing live and free near the palace ! Every year is the bierfest - the beer festival which is very very very good fun ! There are important football games, and the formula 1 race is close by, held once a year. There is the TV tower, the swimming pools, and the place is a baroque architects delight !
The suburbs are beautiful, Schloss Solitude is a beautiful castle on a hill, and you can really go exploring, or just go out for a whole days shopping at any of the many huge shopping malls on the outskirts. If you have a weekend free, travel regionally to the black forest, go up to Hamburg or Berlin, dont miss out Neuschwanstein at Fussboden - its amazing !
Endnote
The city offers something for every one, from any walk of life, you just have to learn about it, deal with it and make good friends and be outgoing , discover the city for yourself. I used to just catch a suburban train (S-Bahn) and go travelling, we visited our professors homes, went to the Christmas market (Weihnachts Markt), we ate out, we made a snowman, studied and played hard, had many parties as well as study sessions.
If you are privileged to be there, studying, make the most of it - such times dont last and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity !