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Bill’s birthday in Tübingen

Bill and I had big plans to hit the gastro fest in Tübingen today.  However, circumstances kind of got in the way and we never made it to any of the events.  Oh well. We managed to have a good time anyway.

On weekends, I frequently have a few ideas of things to do.  Sometimes it’s a no brainer which activity to choose, mainly because of the weather.  Sometimes we set out to do something and end up doing something entirely different.  It turned out the gastro fest was being done in different venues around the city… or, at least that’s what I think happened.  If we had gone last weekend, we probably would have run into something of substance.  As it was, today we just had a fabulous lunch at Weinstube Forelle and a nice afternoon at the Neckarmüller, which is probably our favorite Biergarten anywhere.

A bonus is that we found a cool new gift/souvenir/craft beer shop that also accepts bottle donations and we picked up a couple more bottles of Georgian wine.  I’d say it was a successful day.  Below are some photos!

We arrived in town to find someone doing a weird version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet… complete with a guy in drag.

 

I had visions of trying to find a restaurant we haven’t tried yet, but the call of nature compelled us to stop short of our goals.  We ended up having lunch at an old favorite, the historic Weinstube Forelle.  We got there at just after one o’clock and our waitress welcomed us, as lunch had already wound down a bit.  She was a dead ringer for actress Jamie Lee Curtis.  We ate at this restaurant once when we lived here the first time and three times since we’ve been back.  Every time, we’ve enjoyed good food and service.

 

A shot of the dining room.

 

It’s Bill’s birthday.  He looks alright for 54.

Bill ordered one of the specials of the day, wolfbarsch (European sea bass) with spaghetti, cream sauce, and green onions.  It was delicious!  He paired it with a locally produced gray burgundy.

I had dorade filet with broccoli and potatoes.  The broccoli was surprisingly good.  I don’t usually like it that much, but they had drenched it in oil and a seasoning I couldn’t place.  It tasted almost like it was fried, although it wasn’t.  The potatoes were cooked with garlic and green onions; they were also delicious.  And the dorade was also excellent, although I couldn’t finish the whole thing.  

 

Since it’s Bill’s birthday, we had dessert.  Okay, so it doesn’t have to be a special occasion for me to have dessert… however, it does serve as a great excuse.  He had creme brulee with red cassis and chocolate covered ice cream bites (think Bon Bons).  

I went with a wonderfully summer friendly lemon sorbet paired with mint and cucumber.  Sparkling wine was poured over the sorbet and cucumbers so that it was almost like a float.  This was very light, refreshing, and perfect for summer, even though today isn’t that hot.

Here’s a shot of the outside.  Yes, you can eat out there if you want to.  I guess last night’s sudden rainstorm scared us off.

 

After lunch, we visited Neckar-Pirat, a very cool shop that sells souvenirs upcycled from random stuff.  I enticed Bill in there because they were selling craft beers.  We stayed because they had some really interesting stuff.

A list of what’s available…

They had clocks made of old vinyl records and hubcaps, as well as bowls made of vinyl records.

They had lamps made from booze bottles… and apparently, they take donations.  Perhaps we should stop in next time we need to dump some of ours.

There were key racks made of old silverware, wallets and eyeglass cases made of cork, and magnets made from beer bottle caps.  Not only is the stuff pretty cool to look at, it makes use of what would otherwise be considered trash.

Bill got himself a t-shirt.

Next time you’re in town, stop in!

 

Next, we dropped by Vinum for a short visit.  We wanted to pick up some of our favorite Georgian wines, which we’ve only found locally at Vinum.  Then we went to the Neckarmueller for a Biergarten break.

While I was waiting for the restroom, I encountered this microwave oven.  Apparently, it’s open to guests.  Maybe you prefer a warm pretzel?

 

Below are some scenes from the Biergarten.  I love to come here on a summer Saturday and people watch.  There’s always something going on.  This particular Biergarten has changed a bit since our last tour, when it was arranged differently.

This station, for instance, used to be in a separate building to the right.

This boat was full of a brass band playing “Memory” by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Cats.

I have a feeling these guys might be geschmackered by now.

A group of ice cream eating ladies who lunch.

Pretty soon, the place filled up.  People wanted to watch football.

This was the scene as we were leaving.

We decided to walk back via the river and woods…  Below are photos from our walk back to the parking garage.

This guy and a buddy were playing bocce.

Lovely woods in the city.

And one last shot of the Neckar River.

 
We walked through the tunnel to get back to the parking area.

This tracks the number of bikers coming through the tunnel every day.  It’s sponsored by the university.

Messages of inclusiveness in the tunnel…  How refreshing!

And a less inclusive message…  or maybe more inclusive, depending on your viewpoint.

But then, back to inclusiveness.

We stopped by Die Kelter for a potty break.  I think Tübingen needs Nette Toilette.  This can turn into a vicious cycle.

I do like their Campari and soda lamps, though.

All in all, Bill had a lovely birthday, even if we never did find our way to the gastro fest.  Oh well.  We had a good time together, which is all that matters, really.  And a week from now, we’ll be in Dublin, celebrating with another concert.

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Kenn dein Limit… and lunch at Krumme Brücke in Tübingen

I saw this poster today and was rather proud that I managed to decipher it in under five minutes.

My eyes are finally back to normal and we had very pleasant weather today, so Bill and I decided to take a trip to Tübingen for lunch.  Actually, we started off and halfway there, I got paranoid about my curling iron.  I wasn’t sure if I turned it off.  So we turned around and came back.  I unplugged the iron, whizzed, and we started off again.  Then Bill got paranoid that the front door wasn’t locked.  Fortunately, we weren’t yet out of the neighborhood before he decided to turn around and check the lock.  All was fine, so off we went.  We reached Tübingen at about 2:00pm, which is when some restaurants stop for a pause in service.

The sign out front…

 

Nice…

Because we had arrived at the witching hour, we decided not to be too choosy about where we had lunch.  I noticed a pleasant aroma coming from Krumme Brücke, a little eatery I’ve passed a hundred times all five years we’ve lived in this area.  Although we have passed this restaurant many times and I have been curious about it, today was the first time we ever stopped in for food.

At 2:00pm, the place was pretty busy.  Most of the tables were full, though we managed to find a two top by the masonry heater across from the bar.  I saw some steps and wondered if maybe there was an upstairs dining room, but there wasn’t.  The short flight of steps led to the kitchen the the tiny bathrooms.  Krumme Brücke is truly a hole in the wall kind of place with not a lot of seating, especially as the weather cools down and everyone eats indoors.

The menu at Krumme Brücke is fairly eclectic.  Not only do they not take a pause between lunch and dinner, they also have a menu that is full of different stuff.  I think it’s mainly a German/steak restaurant, but I saw pasta, fish, and even a few “international” dishes.  I had gyros, for instance.  Bill had cevapcici, which is a Balkan dish.  I also noticed soups and salads.

Bill checks out the vitals on the victuals.

I wasn’t actually that hungry when we entered the restaurant, which was a blessing, because it took awhile before the wait staff got to us.  As we were waiting, the last three normal sized tables filled up, with only one tiny table facing the kitchen remaining open.  It had three chairs around it and appeared to be suitable only for drinks.  Speaking of drinks, it took awhile before we got ours.  But we both settled on Urtyp by Schwaben Brau, which was on draft.  We could have also chosen a bottled beer, wine, or any number of non alcoholic drinks.  It appeared that they had a full bar.

We tried not to be too conspicuous as we sat there waiting, but I couldn’t help but notice the young balding guy sitting at the large table next to us.  He kept staring at us.  I’m not sure why he was staring or why this often seems to happen to us in Tübingen area restaurants.  He wasn’t as obvious about it as the lady at Lustnauer Mühle was, but he was definitely noticeable in his noseyness.  Maybe it was my blue sweater.  I was wearing the same one today as I was during the last time we were assailed by a “looky lou”.

The other thing I noticed about this restaurant was that they were playing some really good American rock and soul from the 60s and 70s.  I was enjoying the music when I could hear it.  That’s actually one thing I note when I’m in a restaurant or a store.  If they play annoying Muzak, I probably won’t be back, especially if it’s a restaurant.  I have no complaints about the music in Krumme Brücke.

Bill’s Cevapcici, little sausages with ajvar sauce (mild red pepper sauce), fries, and onions.  It was pretty good and reasonably priced.  

My “German style” gyros.  I’m pretty sure this was once a schnitzel that was cut into strips and served with a rather watery tzatziki sauce.  I did enjoy the fries, though, which were nice and crisp.  The gyros tasted okay, but they weren’t really Greek style.  I probably wouldn’t order this again, although the German dishes I saw coming out looked really good.

  

Today’s offerings.

Once we finished up, Bill called for the check.  It was just over 26 euros.  After we paid, we headed over to Vinum.  We weren’t really planning to go there; I think I was just lured there out of habit.  We dashed in for a quick look, grabbed their last bottle of Georgian wine, and picked up a few cheap everyday bottles they were featuring on their tasting table.

We walked back toward the car a different way and I stumbled upon a do it yourself ceramic place.  We didn’t go in there, but I took note of it, because I figured some local American readers might be interested.  It appears to be a place where you can book an apartment to paint your own ceramics.

A couple of pics of Al Farbrica for the curious.  Like I said, I know next to nothing about this place, but am noting it for those who enjoy such activities.  We saw several women in there with girls and they appeared to be having a good time painting ceramics.  I also picked up a brochure, though it might be better to simply load the Web site in Google Chrome and get the low down.

 

We pressed on until we got to Die Kelter, which has sort of our go to spot for a final pee before we make the drive home.  We stopped in for a glass of primitivo for me and a double espresso for Bill.

They have The New Yorker in English and funky music to go with their beverages.

A parting shot before we made our way home.  I love Die Kelter.

One thing I noticed in the bathroom was a sign (at the top of this post) warning people not to drink too much.  It was in the bathroom stall, where many people have probably suffered the worst effects of being drunk.  It’s funny, because Die Kelter’s toilets are on the third floor and it’s a bit of a hike to get to them.  I would imagine it would be especially bad if one was very inebriated trying to get to them.  You have to climb several flights.  But anyway, I tickled myself by understanding the sign.  Basically it said that man can’t walk on one leg, nor on all four legs.  So know your limit or suffer the consequences!  They even have a Web site!

Alas, I don’t always…

So… that about does it for today’s blog post.  We’ll see what I come up with tomorrow.  Next week, we’re headed back to Ribeauville, so there will be France posts.

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A lovely lunch at the Alte Kunst in Tübingen

After a morning spent fretting over the immediate future, Bill enticed me to get dressed and come into the light… the light of Tübingen, that is.  He wanted to go out for lunch in Tübingen, one of our favorite local cities.  I was game, so I got dressed, sprayed on some sunscreen, and got in the car.  It was a good thing I put on the sunscreen.  More on that later.

We parked the car at our favorite garage, walked into town, and passed a rather paunchy guy wearing a funny tank top that read “Train harder than I do.”  We wound up stopping at the Alte Kunst restaurant.  To be honest, I had been wanting to stop there for years.  Last time we ate at the Alte Kunst in Tübingen was in 2009, right after Michael Jackson died.  I knew we were going to be moving soon and remember sitting outside eating dorade as I listened to Michael Jackson’s biggest hits on the radio.  I was kind of in a foul mood that day because I didn’t want to move and was really pissed off that we had to go a year early.  But I do remember the dorade was good.

Today, the outdoor seating at Alte Kunst was mostly full, save for one table in the sun.  We took that table, although we could have sat inside.  I was really glad I had applied sunscreen, because for the first half hour or so of our visit, I was getting a bit grilled.  I am a very white person and the sun doesn’t agree with me for too long.

Fortunately, the folks behind us left, so we were able to claim their more desirable table under an umbrella.  Not only was I no longer grilling in the sun; I was also spared from having to see my reflection in the store window across the street.  This was a good thing, since I ordered dorade again.  Dorade is pretty healthy as entrees go, but it usually comes out on a big platter and who wants to watch themselves eating from that?

Bill enjoys the sun while he decides on lunch.

A pretty table!

And today’s special!

I went with dorade, which was perfectly grilled with potatoes with just enough salt.  The fish was stuffed with a bay leaf and fresh lemon.  I have had dorade at a number of places and Alte Kunst consistently does it right… although I will admit that it had been awhile since our last visit.  This was priced at 18,80.

Bill had shrimp with pasta and vegetables.  He said the pasta was very simply prepared, with lots of garlic, a little butter, and very fresh shrimp.

 

I paid a few visits to the restroom.  One of the stalls lacked toilet paper, but the other one was well stocked.  And I was tickled to see that they had thoughtfully provided a range of products intended to comfort female guests.

A picture of the facade, after the sun had moved a bit.

 

There was a book fair going on… 

They had a lot of activities for kids, to include balloons, which we saw more than a few kids chasing down the hill past us as we ate.

I wish I could read German.

And it was good to see the Rathaus looking so nice.

Food trucks… and books…

And people who climbed the tower of the church to look over the city.  We have been there and done that!

But I never get tired of the city.  I can see why we almost never visited Stuttgart when we lived in Germany the first time.

For my yarn loving friends.  

Dueling Eis cafes.  These two ice cream parlors have been in these locations for years and they never hurt for business when the weather is good.  There is always a line for both and they are directly across the street from each other.

And there is Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for those who want it.

After lunch, we visited the Neckarmueller, since it had been awhile since our last visit.  Our favorite stand by biergarten was in full swing and we had no problem finding a table right by the river.

Mr. Bill enjoys a beer while gazing at the river.

Everybody was enjoying the river today.

Not long before I took this picture, we ran into a young couple and I asked them if they wanted me to take a photo of them.  I don’t know if they liked the picture…  Usually, Bill is the one who gets asked to take pictures.  He doesn’t have a resting bitch face like I do sometimes.

Looks like a good idea.  Bring your food and booze and enjoy the river.

 

As we were walking to the tunnel that would take us to our car, we ran into a young woman with two little kids who were shrieking with delight as they passed through the tunnel.  I heard her chastising them, so I gave her a big smile.  She smiled back.  I remember being a kid and enchanted by tunnels.

 

These guys were going tubing.  I hadn’t seen this since Texas.  

We finally ended up at Die Kelter, because I needed to whiz.  We sat in their biergarten and Bill had coffee.  I had beer.

Check out the ladybug!

The local brew is good.  This beer is made not too far from where we live.

 

It amazes me that my husband’s contract will end in 55 days…  We could be in Italy in that time or we could still be here… or back in the USA.  No matter what happens, I was reminded today of just how much I love living in Germany.  It may turn out I will love Italy just as much, or I may get to stay here… or I may go back to the States and plot to come back.  😉  All I can say is that I am very pleased to have the privilege of getting to live in Europe.  And this part of Germany is a real treat to get to know.

 
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Food, fun, and fascism in Germany…

Last night, Bill and I decided to have dinner at Tommi’s Bistro.  As usual, the food did not disappoint.  Bill and I had our usual lecker entrecote steaks from Argentina, lots of wine, and potatoes.  Here’s a photo.

I paired this with my usual favorite Wildekartoffeln…  Next Thursday is the next live jam!

 

After a very leisurely morning, we decided to go to Tübingen.  I wanted to visit Vinum for some wine.  Vinum closes at 4:00 on Saturdays, so we needed to hurry.  But we did have enough time for a quick lunch at Die Kelter, which is a favorite restaurant on the way into town.  We got there a little bit after 2:00, so we were limited to their “small” menu.

Bill checks out the menu.

We both had Baisinger hefeweizens…

 

I flipped a coin because I couldn’t decide between wurst or cheese spatzle.  The wurst won…

Nice beer snack.

Bill had the Kelter Burger, which is basically a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and wild potatoes with sour cream and chive dip.  Those potatoes are the bomb!  Bill had had the burger last time we visited and it was just as good this time as it was last time.  I probably should have gone with the spatzle, though the wurst and pretzel were good, too.

 

We stopped into Vinum, tried a few wines that were being highlighted, and ended up coming home with five bottles and a refill of our syrah, which we get from a tap at the back of the store.  I was glad to get there well before 4:00.  Afterwards, we headed to the Neckarmueller, where Bill had one beer and I had two…

A nice Fischer Kellerbier…

Bill had another hefeweizen.

Impressive brewing equipment.

Then I tried a Saphir Fest beer.  This only came in a small size, which was fine with me.  It had notes of orange and cardamom.

A few photos of the Neckar River while I waited for Bill to make a pit stop.

We decided to walk back to the garage via the wooded park area opposite the Neckarmueller.  As we approached the steps to get to the tunnel that leads back to the garage, we ran into what appeared to be three Muslim females.  They heard me speak English to Bill and the two older ones seemed to look at us with hostile disdain.  I simply stared back at them as we made our way to the tunnel, which makes for a convenient shortcut back to the parking garage.  We were talking about the unspoken exchange as we walked through.  Then I noticed some of the graffiti and stickers on the walls…

I must say, my German is starting to come along a bit…

Then I noticed this business, which I would guess is run by Armenians.  The clue?  The last name.  Most Armenian names end with ian or yan.  Also, note the colors under the name Takesian.  They are the same as the Armenian flag.  I could be wrong, though.  I didn’t see any other clues but those.

 

We gave some thought to going to eat tonight, but I decided I’d rather get into my nightgown and watch The Brady Bunch on DVD.  I’m thinking about booking us a table in Stuttgart after our dental appointment on Monday.  Stay tuned for another restaurant review soon.

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A quick trip to Bad Urach to see the waterfall…

Since it’s Labor Day weekend and we didn’t make any travel plans, I really wanted to try to do something different today.  Sadly, after last night’s indulgent dinner and wine excursion, Bill and I got off to a slow start.  Finally, around noon, I got dressed and Bill asked me what I wanted to do.  I said I wanted to visit Bad Urach.

I actually wanted to see the town of Bad Urach and, perhaps, drop by their thermal baths.  But Bill determined that we needed to hike up the famous Bad Urach waterfall.  We set off from Unterjettingen at about 1:00 after I had a brief OCD moment worrying whether or not I had shut the door firmly.  Bill had thought to pack me a bag of peanuts in case I got hangry, but I had a better idea.  I said we should stop in Tübingen and have lunch.  Bill agreed, and we ended up having a really nice meal at Die Kelter, which is a very cool restaurant on the main drag coming away from our favorite parking garage near the university clinic.
We last dined at Die Kelter last time we lived in Germany, though we have since been in there for drinks.  Die Kelter has a very unique atmosphere and very good food.  In fact, today when we had lunch, I couldn’t get over how great the place smelled… kind of like fresh bread and Mom’s Sunday roast.  
Bill looking bored…  It’s time to order him some new clothes.
We  sat at one of the big tables on the main floor and a friendly waiter who spoke perfect English took care of us.  I had the New York pastrami on focaccia with a salad.  Bill had the pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and fried potatoes.  He had mint iced tea and I had a beer.  But before lunch could begin, I had to hike to the ladies room.  And when I say hike, I mean hike.  You have to go up two or three flights of stairs (I lost count) to get to the toilet.
There are several of these signs to help you in case you lose your way…

Here’s a shot of the restaurant.  I took it on the way back down to our table.  Cool, huh?

Nice Baisinger beer.  Locally brewed and I think it’s Die Kelter’s brew of choice.  The bread was very fresh and yummy.

My delicious pastrami.  Seriously, this was very good, and at 13 euros, not too pricey.  The pastrami was cool to the touch, with a toasted focaccia bread bottom.  It was served with a nice mustard sauce on the bread.  The salad was delicious, especially because of the dressing.  I don’t usually eat a lot of salad, but I could eat this every day.  The dressing was like crack.  And the cherry tomatoes were sweet and almost like candy.

Curiously, Bill’s sandwich (which the waiter said was a good choice) was advertised on the “small hunger” part of the menu.  It was also very good.  I enjoyed helping Bill eat the potatoes.

Bill is waiting for the bill…

A couple more interior shots.

Well worth a visit!  We’ll be back again.  

With our hunger satiated, we went back to the car and watched as a nervous woman tried very hard to get out of her parking spot.  I guess she and her man were teaching a young guy with them how to drive.  We were stuck behind them for awhile and it was a bit hair raising.  But soon, we were out of the city and the countryside turned pretty.  I told Bill I wished we’d gotten an earlier start because I knew I’d want to see more than the falls…

First glimpse of the trail to the waterfalls.  There is a train station located very close for those who’d rather ride the train than drive.  Plenty of parking is available, too.  You have to pay to park, but the pass is good all day.  There is no charge to see the waterfall.

By the time we parked and Bill got his parkschein, I really had to pee.  Sadly, there were no public toilets to be found.  There was a restaurant nearby, but I figured there would be something near the falls.  I was mistaken.  

Though I badly needed to find a toilet, I tried to focus on the natural beauty of the Bad Urach area.  Clouds were rolling in and it made for some very dramatic photography.

But then we came upon a swiftly rushing brook… just what my aching bladder needed!  

Castle ruins in the distance.  We weren’t up to hiking there today.  Perhaps another time.

There were many people at the waterfalls today.  With no bathroom in sight, I was hoping to be able to pull off the trail and find a bush.  Unfortunately, the opportunity didn’t present itself and even if there had been a good bush to duck behind, the throngs of people made it difficult to do so discreetly. Just as I was about to lose hope, I spotted what looked like a deep dry creek bed with lots of tree cover and a convenient overhang.  I sneaked down into the creek bed, found a private spot, and took a glorious whiz away from the glare of onlookers.  It’s a good thing I did, too…  It would not have been fun to hike up the falls needing to whiz.

We reached the base of the falls, where a sign warned us against drinking the water.  It looked cool, clear, and clean, but apparently it’s been known to cause waterborne illnesses.  I’ve had giardia before.  Don’t need a repeat experience.

We started the walk up the falls, which mostly consisted of taking some steps up the side.  I’m pretty slow going up these things since I’m not very thin or fit, but there were many fearless kids running down as if the steps were nothing.  There are no handrails.  I did my best mountain goat impression as I made up way up.  I was sad to see that some people had thoughtlessly left trash in the area.
The roots on this tree reminded me of a horde of fighting monkeys.

About halfway up.


At the top…  I am told that there’s usually more water, but we didn’t have much rain over the summer.

The view off the top of the falls.

People making their way up.

I managed to annoy several people behind Bill and me because I took my time going down.  Like I said, I’m not as fit as I’d like to be and the last thing I want to do is break my ass coming down those hard steps.  They finally made a move to pass just as I was putting out my hand for balance.  One of them said, “Hallo.”  I stepped aside, let them pass, and asked Bill if there was anybody else.  He said no, then got in front of me and let me steady myself by putting my hand on his shoulder as we descended.  Oh, how I miss the days when I was a kid and hadn’t yet fallen on my face in public.

Dramatic shots of the castle ruins.

On the way back to the car, Bill decided to pull off at the same place I did and relieve himself.  Of course, when he did that, he attracted the curiosity of a couple who were wondering what they were missing.  I wanted to say that all they were missing was my husband taking a whiz.  You can see that on the side of the autobahn anytime.  The same couple was ahead of us and I had a good laugh when someone walking the other way inexplicably said “Hallo!” in a cheery tone of voice.  She laughed as she passed and the male half of the couple turned and stared at her with a confused expression on his face.  I guess random people don’t go around saying “Hello!” so enthusiastically in these parts.

While Bill peed, I distracted myself by taking a photo of this tree.

An adorable and friendly golden retriever took an extended dip in the creek.  Bill almost got a shower when the dog came up and shook off the excess water in front of him.

Another shot of the dog playing fetch in the water.

We left Bad Urach after our short visit, vowing to come back and see more sometime soon.  On the way back to Unterjettingen, we decided to see the Mad Scientist at Agais in Entringen.  We didn’t really need to eat, but we knew he needed the business and it’s always fun to see him.  So we dropped in at just before 5:30 and had a nice Greek meal.

Beer instead of wine…

A small salad…

I had grilled turkey.  Bill had souvlaki, which I didn’t photograph because he’s had it before.  I have had the turkey before, but not since we moved back to Germany.  It was a nice change of pace.
When we got home, Zane and Arran went absolutely nuts.  They showered me with beagle kisses after they ate their dinner and had a potty break.  They had a brief play session.  Now, I suspect they’re asleep.
We had a really good day, despite starting off with a hangover.  Next weekend will be even better because we’ll be in Austria while everyone else is back at work!
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Tübingen!

Last time Bill and I lived in Germany, we lived very close to the university city of Tübingen, which is a fine college town.  We used to visit pretty often because we lived about ten minutes away.  Consequently, we got to know the city pretty well and we ended up really loving it.  In the almost five years we were in America, I can’t tell you how many times I told Bill that I wanted to just spend a Saturday afternoon in Tübingen.

Well… today, we went there.  I had been dreaming of the moment for awhile and we got there in the early afternoon, as was our habit last time we lived in Germany.  We first took the dogs for a nice long walk in the woods and filled their Kongs with peanut butter… I think they are getting to the point at which our trips to local cities is becoming a treat for them.  They don’t get peanut butter filled Kongs unless we go out.

We drove my Mini, which was registering low tire pressure after the long trip across the Atlantic.  Bill decided to stop by a nearby gas station and give the tires some air.  That seemed to do the trick as we made our way to our old stomping grounds.  I will be honest when I say that I felt a bit of a stab to the heart as we passed the town we lived in last time.  Looks like one of the local restaurants is now a casino.

Anyway, we got to Tübingen after passing through Herrenberg, which was another local town last time we were here and is still “local” to us now that we’re back.  We parked the car, went to Vinum, which is our favorite Tübingen booze shop, and headed to the Neckarmuller, which is a great restaurant/biergarten in Tübingen.

We bought some vino at Vinum…

I took lots of photos, including a few of a guy dressed in drag who was intent on attracting attention to himself.

Beautiful…

Bill drinks a fresh Weissbier…

People in the food and beer lines.

It was a good day for beer drinking.

 

After we left the biergarten,  we went back to Vinum and bought stuff.  Lemme just say that I LOVE that store.  I am delighted we were able to go back.  Yes, it’s smaller than Spec’s, but it has all I need.  And they guys that run it understand why we love it… and they speak English, too.

They had some really good beer selections.

 

After Vinum shot of the church.

And then graffiti…

 

Vinum is awesome.  So is Chocolat, which is where you can get great coffee or hot chocolate in the city.

Then I had to pee.  So we stopped at Die Kelter, just on the way out of the city for a potty break.  Bill and I ate dinner there once in 2007 and really enjoyed it.  We enjoyed today’s visit just as much.  In fact, I think the bartender in training was getting a kick out of some of my irreverent comments.  The Germans put on a show of being very strict and uptight, but I have found that a lot of them are pretty funny if you press them.

 

This would be Keller Teufel (cellar devil), which is a very hoppy beer from Rottenburg… not far from here.  I enjoyed it, but I think Bill would like it more.

Love Die Kelter.  Yes, they serve food too.  And we did eat there once and loved it.  Be warned, the bathroom is a hike.

We got home at about 5:00pm and the dogs were delighted.  Bill and I listened to music and ate dinner.  Now I’m writing this as he does homework.

We like Ammerbuch.

More tomorrow.
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