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.

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.