Saturday 18 April 2009

Tübingen

After a few years dwelling on other conferences, this year I finally got the chance to go back to EvoStar (ex-EuroGP), which took place in Tübingen, Germany. As usual, I took a couple of extra days to explore the place.
Tübingen is a small old German town, one of the few that was lucky enough not to be bombed during WWII. Set along the Neckar river, it has a lot of very old, medieval buildings, and is a great example of just how beautiful Germany was, prior to the war.

The first few days were very wet, including a massive storm the last day of the conference. Not much chance of visiting... Anyway, probably a good thing - kept me concentrated at the conference, where I got the chance to meet up again with old friends (mostly the Irish gang).

Being a bit far from the university (where the conference was held), allowed me to walk through the old city centre every morning and evening. The cobbled streets, the old fountains, and the typical wooden framed houses, give the place a lot of charm:


Being mostly a university town, there's loads of places to eat good, cheap food, and some great coffee houses, especially along the main avenue that runs through the University. The "Padeffke" was one of my favourites, with its kitsch lamp shades and great atmosphere - not to mention the delicious vodka lattes!


I stayed for 2 extra days, after the conference was over, and was very lucky with the weather - hot, sunny days, with just a few white clouds to give photos some charm! The perfect weather for a stroll along the Botanical Gardens, for example:


The old city centre was even prettier when the sun was shinning. One could marvel at the stunning Rathaus (or town hall):


Finally, a stoll along the Neckar is a must. After many years of pollution, there are now very strict laws in place, forbidding any motor crafts (other than those belonging to the police and fire brigade); as a result, the Neckar is now a beautiful, clean river.


Along the river bed, there's the famous Hölderlinturm, the tower were the poet Hölderlin lived in seclusion:


In fact, the river front is postcard perfect. Some of the most beautiful houses from Tübingen are located there. I finished my visit of the city with the classical Tübingen postcard shot, and caught my train back to Paris!