For the last two years or so, I have been staying in Stuttgart since I had been (and for another 3 weeks, still would) pursuing my masters at the University of Stuttgart.
No, this is not going to be a review on how my professional life has been since but on how my social life has been kind of screwed for exactly the same duration.
You guessed it right, buddy ! This is going to be a very critical review of this city.
Welcome to Stuttgart
Thats what the sign at the airport reads. Infact not a lot of people would be happy to see you coming in the city. And this includes the bus driver for the bus you might like to board to reach your place. Reasons later.
Stuttgart is situated in the south-west of Germany. 100 kms south of Frankfurt and around the 150 kms north of Zurich, this city is infact not exactly a city but rather a collection of villages with some or no life.
The downtown is a flasshy street, the center of which is dotted by a high-rise. And guess what this high-rise houses- prostitutes. Being in Germany this is no big deal as people might tell you. If you don’t know german then you might find dificult to get around. Its not the best of english-speaking towns in mainland Europe.
The city is mainly popular because it houses the HQ for Daimler-Crysler and Prosche- which it is therefore famous for. There is a nice museam dedicated to Mercedes and you might find it worth your free time to visit it.
Besides, there is this old town which you would additionally find interesting too. Situated a little distance away from the main railway station its called Bad-Canstatt.
This city has a not-so-big-but-nice airport and you would not find it difficult to get here. I guess on an average if you are just visting the city for a short time then you would have to spend something like 20 Euros daily.Incase you are staying here on a long term basis then you migth have to spend close to 500-600 Euros per month.
Getting Around
Well this is one section where I would rate the city very high. It has some of the best public transport in Germany. Its kind of a three tier system. You have trams, local trains and buses, linking various sections of the city. No matter in which nook and corner of the city you stay, you will not find it very difficult to get there. One of these three probably connects your street or an adjoining street.
The only limitation might be the cost. You would find it not very cheap to get around. And this is incase you don’t have one of those 1000 passes that the city authorities issue every now and then. It would therefore be highly advisable to buy one.
People
Boo !!! I hate to do this. But I have been kind of forced to. I have a feeling that this city is still living in its N#https://m.mouthshut.com/i rel="nofollow" target="_blank" >@i past. The people can sometimes be very arrogant. Ofcourse you could retaliate verbally but I would suggest restraint. Incase you are new to this city and expect the courtisies you had in Frankfurt then forget it. Right from the bus driver to the localites, the treatment given to the foreigners is horrible. Doesn’t matter if you are white or dark skinned (Though I should add that its mostly meted out to the dark skinned people).
Some of my very close friends- which includes people from Japan to San Diego find it impossible to survive in this city. The other day we met an american who was not small (I literally mean this. He was huge by all standards) and showed us stab marks all over his back. Thats the kind of worst racist behaviour you could ever see. But then Germany would not be Germany for the lack of it.
But not all people are like this. I know and have been living with germans for the last two years and they are some of the best people I know. Though they are not from Stuttgart but from Bavaria.
So incase you want to go around the city do not venture out alone into the suburbs. Dial 110 incase of emergency and do not feel threatened to report any crime or hate crime you come across. The police here are very capable. Fortunately I have never had an encounter with hot-tempered racists. An american friend of mine was literally chased by a couple of neo-Nazis though.
Summary
All in all, this is a fine place for a fortnight or a month or so. I would highly discourage you from taking any job here. If its possible for you to move somewhere else then do so. Though you should make sure that the city is better known and bigger than here- some city where you find more diversity.
Best of Luck and Have Fun!!!