Since today is Veteran’s Day and we missed our Saturday outing last weekend, Bill and I decided to go to Tübingen this afternoon for lunch and a brief shopping excursion at Vinum.  I wanted to dine at Forelle Weinstube, an adorable restaurant I remembered from our first time in the Stuttgart area, but according to their Web site, Wednesday was supposed to be their Ruhetag.  We decided to check there anyway, since Google said they were open… and, as things tend to go with Google, Google happened to be right.  I was glad they were open because I remembered having a really nice meal there seven years ago.  I wanted to see if they were still good.

We arrived at about 1:30pm, just as the lunch crowd was winding down.  A kind waitress offered us a table and we decided to have a leisurely lunch with a bottle of locally produced Riesling.  As we waited for the wine, I looked around and was charmed by how quaint the interior was.  It truly looks like a stereotypical old fashioned German restaurant.

The outside of the restaurant on a street tucked away from the main drag.  Forelle is the German word for trout and they do have it on the menu.

Bill checks out the menu.  They had a special today, but he went with the Linsenteller, while I had trout…

Loved the murals on the walls and ceiling, and the etched windows.  It’s a very homey place.

Bill’s lentils… came with spatzle and pork cheeks.  He said it was very satisfying.  My gut tells me he’ll be regular tomorrow and probably the next day.

My trout.  This came with a small green salad dressed with a light mustard vinaigrette.  I really enjoyed this dish, though at 19,80, it was the most expensive thing on the menu during lunch.  They do offer a small portion for about three euros less.  

View of the bar area.  The restaurant is small, so there’s no one actually sitting there.  They do appear to have an upstairs dining area, too.

Nice wine glasses…

 

After lunch, we had double espressos.  I knew that I was asking for trouble drinking wine, water, and espresso and knowing we were headed for Vinum, where there are free samples aplenty.  But my appetite won out over my sense of practicality and I indulged.  Then I visited the ladies room and sadly, the toilet wouldn’t flush.  Oops.

Loved their espresso glasses.  They were made so our fingers didn’t touch the hot liquid.  Reminded me of the cool beer glasses we saw at the beer museum in Lisbon, Portugal.  

After we paid the check, which came to about 66 euros, we headed for Vinum and tried some wines.  An American couple came in while we were shopping, though I might not have pegged them as Americans immediately.  The guy was wearing a Jack Wolfskin jacket and had a beard.  Bill chatted with them a bit while I taste tested a few reds.  We used our handy wine caddy bag, which which the lady at Vinum was impressed, and refilled our bottle from Vinum’s wine tap.  On the way out of Vinum, I heard a guy playing Vivaldi on an accordion.  It was interesting and he was surprisingly good, though if I wanted to hear Vivaldi, I probably wouldn’t choose to hear it played on an accordion.

Nice church shot…

By the time we left Vinum, my bladder was starting to sound off.  So we stopped at Ranitzky’s coffeehouse, which is right on the big square near the Rathaus in Tübingen.  It was a prime spot for people watching and enjoying hot chocolate.  My stomach neither needed the extra calories nor did my bladder need the extra liquid, but it did give me a chance to process more of the fluids I had at lunch and at Vinum.

Coffee break.

Bill had a large hot chocolate without cream.

I had a Bailey’s hot chocolate… it was very yummy.  They also have lots of tempting desserts, drinks, and light food.

 

While we were enjoying hot chocolate, we did some people watching…  I observed a drunk bum chugging what appeared to be vodka from a bottle as he staggered across the square.  Of course, it could have been water, too.

Bill people watches…

Rathaus… I was glad to see more of the construction is done.  Will it ever end?

Remnants of the market…  Most of the booths were shutting down as we arrived.  This was still open at 3:00 or so.

We saw a bunch of kids checking out the fountain and a woman walked by with her “bagel” (beagle and basset hound mix).

Then, we observed a woman looking curiously at what appeared to be a dead pigeon, only it was sitting on its feet…

Lots of people stopped to observe this bird, which made no move even when people got within a foot or two away.  Bill wondered if someone was doing a science experiment or something.  

 

I remembered my former German neighbor from our first tour here saying that it’s against the law to feed pigeons in the city and that locals refer to them as “rats from the sky.”  But still, a lot of people were curious and maybe even concerned.  I decided I wanted to pick up some Ammertal whiskey, so we went into Silberburg and bought a small bottle.

We never tried this the last time we lived here, though it is made in Unterjesingen, which was the town next to where we used to live and very close to Tübingen.

When we came out of Silberburg, a woman had picked up the seemingly dead pigeon and we saw its wings flap feebly.  I guess the bird was sick or something.  Reminds me a little of the time we visited Nagold’s castle and a whole bunch of people were gathered around a dying mouse.  Someone finally picked the poor creature up and moved it to a more private place for its final death throes.  I don’t think the pigeon was quite so lucky.

We decided to head home, though I knew my bladder was going to be aching soon.  On the way out of the city, I spied some graffiti.

And a charming street scene…

 

Bill was going to drive back on B28, which is kind of the long way back to our town.  I asked him to head back to Jettingen via Poltringen instead.  It saved us significant time, helped us avoid traffic, and got me to a bathroom sooner.  Don’t think I wasn’t tempted to stop off on the side of the road, though…

Stop here for fresh milk, eggs, and onions.

 

All in all, we had a very pleasant afternoon.  It’s always a pleasure to visit Tübingen.  We used to go there all the time when we lived here in 07-09.  This time, we’re trying to see more of the area around Stuttgart.  But I am never disappointed when we visit one of my favorite college towns.  We’ll have to go back soon.