Tubingen Part II

One of my challenges of taking pictures is that when I see them later I cannot remember

what the building is nor even what city we are in. I think this Tubingen which Earl has confirmed for me.  There are some advantages to living together in only one room.

Also, however, there is a downside. I get distracted by whatever is shown on TV. Of course, we watch very intellectual shows such as Murder  She Wrote, Castle, and sometimes even Diagnosis Murder.  And even  Midsomer Murders for the third time. So don't be too critical of this blogger.

I recklessly agreed to walk up these stairs. We had been told there was a castle somewhere in the old city.  Maybe this was it.

I kept climbing and when we reached this point on the stairs I thought"almost there.".  Getting close and then I turned a corner and discovered more stairs. No. I did not count them.  No idea if they are more stairs here or at Notre Dame Cathedral.

The climb was worth it. 

The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (German: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; Latin: Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg. It is one of Germany's most famous and oldest universities,^{[citation needed]} noted in medicine, natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Being a German Excellence University, Tübingen is regularly ranked as one of the best universities in Germany and is especially known as a centre for the study of medicine, law, and theology and religion. The university's noted alumni include numerous presidents, ministers, EU Commissioners and judges of the Federal Constitutional Court.

The university is associated with eleven Nobel laureates, especially in the fields of medicine and chemistry.

The University of Tübingen was founded in 1477 by Count Eberhard V (Eberhard im Bart, 1445–1496),

Just a few pictures taken from the gateway into the Schloss.

Roof tops from the front entrance to the castle.

There is a church in the background.  Maybe if you click on the picture you can enlarge it and get and better view. 

The old Schloss Hohenturginggen Tubingen

In this photograph, the castle looks so ideal.  If you look at the other pictures you will see the rustic walls and buildings.  Besides housing a museum,  this is a center for the university. How would it be to go to a centuries-old building for your history class?

We saw several of these fountains with the base of them covered. It reminded us of Vienna where we saw covered fountains, statues, and plants. All in an effort to protect them from Austria's harsh winters. 

A very elaborate bird condo by the bridge crossing the river.

These pictures are from Heidelberg

The first and probably only 5-star hotel I have stayed. We went to see the pool and fitness center, but both of us decided without talking to each other that the biggest problem was, "Who do I have to tip and how much?

Three 3 dimensional pictures on the wall.  A world caught in a shadow box. 

In the hotel's book about the place it has exactly the same picture taken in the very same place except that it is the family who owns the hotel.  Oh and they were not wearing coats. 

Several places we saw displays of costumes. Our guess is that they are available to celebrate Mardi Gras before the long, long lent period begins.

The pub we ate in when in Heidelberg.  We had a hard time finding a place to eat in a busy shopping area. It surprised us that this bustling 'roads closed to traffic' area should have so few places to eat.This turned out to be one of my favorite spots and the schnitzel was delicious. 

Two years ago when we were traveling in Germany while Earl spoke, one of the Americans from the consulate told me that in Germany you are expected to buy a drink.  Thank goodness that in London and Paris no one objects to us drinking tap water.  We know we are cheap but bottled water at about 3 Euros for a small bottle is a bit steep for us.  

In Paris a few years ago we met with some people from the cultural side of the embassy at a very nice hotel that was next to their office.  We still joke about my 7 Euro bottle of coke. This time though the tax payers were paying for our extravagance. 

Taking the train through the countryside. 

So many odds and ends

Of course this restaurant is not located in Istanbul. Some city in Germany. 

Elaine Fry <kelainefry@gmail.com>	Jan 30
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Nope.  Never heard of it before either.  Leaving Freiberg we had to change trains twice to get here.
Before I say anything else, I found out that Germany has 2 cities.  Freiberg where we were and Freiburg which was in East Germany and where the temple is.
This is a very quaint city.  A castle on the hill and a delightful old city.  Apparently it was bombed only once during WW II.  The university is still the main industry. In fact the old schloss houses part of the university now.  Dad expressed interest in what the classrooms were like.  I was wondering about the most recent renowned of the bathrooms in a centuries old castle.  This is definitely built as a fortress on the hill and not a palace for a fancy Kaiser.
We took pictures of the stairs we climbed to reach the castle.  I'll share when we get back to London.  Fortunately we found a steep road to walk down.
Not so confident about our WiFi connection.  Tomorrow we leave for Heidelberg.  We get to change trains again in Stuttgart.  Like we did today.  We have been lucky with weather so far but tomorrow it is supposed to rain and snow on Friday.
Love you and miss you.  Mum