Tübingen

(Or Tuebingen on the English keyboard😉)

Tübingen is a fairy tale town if there ever was one and my first European experience. Could not have asked for a prettier town or nicer people to welcome me into Germany.

Just after I heard that I was accepted into the exchange program, I googled the town with vigour. It was so picture-perfect that I did not think that the pictures could be an accurate representation of the town. It looked too good to be true. Great was my amazement upon arrival. The town looked exactly like the pictures.

My first European adventure was also my first European winter. I soon discovered that people from sunny Africa have no reference for how cold it gets. A guy from Germany asked me just before I went why in the world I would go there in winter as it is crazy cold. I just shrugged because how cold can it really be? Sure, you see pictures of snow and assume it has to be cold, but again, how cold can it be? Face numbingly cold! That was how cold, but that winter was nothing compared to the next winter that I spent in Dusseldorf. Anyway, when I say face-numbingly cold, that is literally what I mean. I found that after a while I could not articulate anymore and knew it was time to find hot chocolate or just go post a postcard in order to defrost a bit.

Even though it was cold it took nothing away from this beautiful town. The town has survived through the years looking like it did since way back when. Everything is so clean and efficient and history about anything is everywhere.

I knew that I wanted to go back in summer, and then last year I could finally make it happen. Tuebingen took my breath away. Again. As beautiful as it was in winter, there is no good way to describe it in summer. Open skies. Sunshine. Punts on the river. Ice-cream eaters all over. Flowers EVERYWHERE. On railings, in flower boxes, hanging from windows. But the best of all for me was all the flower arrangements hanging from the lamp poles. I just wanted to stay on the Neckar Bridge and fill my visual memory with all the sights.

Here are my favourite things to see

Neckarbrücke

When you look on a map it will say Eberhardsbrücke, but everybody refers to it as the Neckarbrücke, even the bus stop is named Neckarbrücke, So, don’t get lost. During the winter nights, I waited here for a bus to take me home. Even in the cold, I enjoyed sitting here watching the lights and people go by. It amazed me every time that people bike, at night, in the freezing cold as if it was just another ‘day at the office’.

Platanenallee

This is right by the Neckarbrücke, you just go down the steps. This is an island in the Neckar river lined with trees. I don’t know if this is a story they only tell the tourists or if it is true. They told us that this island was used to ‘chop-a-la-kop’ or execute. It was decided that there was too much death and to ‘bring life back’ the trees were planted. Cool origin story if it is true.

There is also a very cool, what looks to me like a block of bird flats. They put it up for the birds, and steal the eggs to control the bird population.

Hölderlinturm

You can see this very famous landmark from both the Neckarbrücke and the Platanenallee. Although I have never heard about him before Tübingen, you will not leave there without knowing about him. We had a class on Hölderlin and his poems, seen his tower and used his bus stop. He was a troubled man and speculated to have been insane. People back then did not take kindly to people of ‘unsound’ minds. He lived in that house’s tower I understand until he died.

Altstadt

This is the charming old town. If you walked to Hölderlinturm, you are already in the Altstadt. When you walk away from the river you will enter the narrow streets flanked by the oldest of buildings. I lived in Tübingen for a month and still got lost in this labyrinth of narrow streets and tall buildings every time. But getting lost is not a problem because everything in the Altstadt is worth seeing.

I think the best landmark to use here would be the Stiftskirche. It is tall and most people can direct you back.  Right around the corner you will find their old University, Alte Aula as well as a window with a plaque saying ‘Goethe kotzte hier’. Goethe was also a writer and the guy after which the Goethe Institut was named. It sounds as if nobody knows if yelled bad things out of the window or if he actually vomited. Charming 😉

From here just wander around in a general upwards direction if you want to go see the Schloss Hohentübingen or the Tuebingen Castle. It now is a museum. From up here, you will see the red-roofed town and a very strange word that no one can seem to say.

On your downward wandering, you should come across the market square and the Rathaus or Town Hall. On my first visit, we had the privilege of stepping out onto the balcony and giving royal waves.

The old town will turn everybody into shutterbugs, there is just so much to see that you will want to remember forever.  Wander a bit more and eventually, you should find the Nonnenhaus. I guess from the name that it could have been a convent at some time. Now, there are shops. This also, according to me is where the Altstadt ends. You can walk around for hours just in this area alone and find something new every turn you take.

How to get to these main attractions.

All the main attractions are in close proximity to each other making them easy to see on a short visit. From the Hauptbahnhof or main train station, you can almost get on any bus. Most buses stop at the Neckarbrücke Haltestelle or bus stop, just check the timetable before getting on to ensure if that bus does indeed go there. The same is true for going back. Most buses go from the bridge to the station. It is maybe a 2-minute ride and as such, it is walking distance.

Here you can go check out tourist info.

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