Tübingen

Back to Tübingen! It was a nice break from Amsterdam; no tourists running into you or bicyclists running you over. Sam and I took a day trip out to Horb, a sleepy town with a great biergarten atop a hill. Sam and I split a "das boot" and I indulged in a half chicken (very popular in Germany). To work off our lunch, we walked through a small road that lead through corn fields. When the road intersected a much busier street, we turned around and walked back down to the city.

Down in the city center, Sam introduced me to Kaufland, Germany's answer to WalMart. I don't know if they too exploited third world countries in order to produce cheap goods, but they had an economy size pack of schpätzle, which I immediately bought. Unfortunately I brought my small suitcase, so I wasn't able to buy a bulk stock of Jäger.

The next day we took a bus out to a part of the Black Forest, where we walked two kilometres to Bebenhausen. Bebenhausen was an even sleepier town with typical German cottages and front yard gardens, complete with apple trees, chopped firewood, and crumbling stone walls. After another peaceful hike through nature, we took a bus to the nearest Aldi. I didn't find what I needed, but I found a bread "vending machine." You pressed a button for which bread you wanted, and it came tumbling down a chute, still warm from the oven. Then you placed the bread in a paper bag and paid for it at the cashier. For 90 cents, I received a loaf of the most delicious bread I've ever tasted.

After a short bus ride back to Tübingen, Sam and I further explored the cobblestone-lined city. This included walking through the Tübingen castle, eating and drinking at the Neckarmüller (my new favorite brewery), finding the bar Shooters and ordering Sam a "Conan" shot (ramen broth and vodka), cutting his friend Paul's hair, and multiple visits to the student bar Kuckuck's.

I missed the ability to go anywhere at any hour of the night, but Tübingen holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it's just a bit of the Schwäbish food sticking to my arteries, but I really enjoyed Germany. I think heaven on earth would be a cross between Amsterdam and Tübingen.