lots of people and lots more beer

That's an old government building in Stuttgart.

Ok, I am not going to be able to post everything about going to Stuttgart, but this is a beginning. There is a lot i want to write, but I will have to finish it tomorrow. Yesterday morning I made breakfast, fried eggs, toast, and bacon. The bacon here is super thin and has less fat on it, from the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). Anyway a fried egg tasted so good it was unbelievable. Then Stefanie and Manfred and I got on a bus in Rickenbach that was taking us to Stuttgart. Manfred knew the guy that was heading the trip or something, so Stefanie and I got to come, even though we were going into the city, not doing what everyone else was doing, which was going to a big beer festival in a city right next to Stuttgart called Cannstatt. It's called Volksfest, I believe. In addition to the beer aspect, there is a huge carnival with about 5 times as many rides, vendors, and food as the Shasta District Fair. And it goes for 3 weekends in a row. And i think they expect something like 5-10 million people to come...from all over the world. Sorta like Oktoberfest I assume, but smaller. There was about 10 different huge tents and or wooden buildings, each designated to a certain type of German ale. Thea were absolutely packed to the brink with people, most of which drunk, dancing, and smoking. The security guard let me walk into one of them to take pictures (even though I am legal age anyway so it wouldnt have mattered) and i think the temperature rose aboout 15 or 20 degrees, no joke. It was like a cigarette beer sauna.

Well we went into the city first. And there were soooooo many people there. And so many clothing stores it was rediculus. (i think that's spelled wrong...) Manfred said that there was a German soccer game that night, and along with Volksfest account for mucho people. I got 2 scarves and a jacket, another to wear underneith my black pea coat. This one has a huge eskimo hood!!! It was kinda warm in the city, well compared to here. About 78. But it was nice, nevertheless. We got there around 1pm and went back to the Volksfest at 4 or 5. By that time there were many more people and more beer. As the night went on, more came, and so did the ambulances and police vans, zooming through the crowds with the siren blaring (their sirens sounds weird to me). hmmm i think I gotta go...sorry this is abrupt, will write tomorrow.