Even though I was so tired I was awakened bright and early by the sun pouring in my window. It had been so long since I had seen that much sunlight that I actually didn't know what was going on at first. When I got up to look out the window I was excited to see such beautiful weather, but also irritated because I really just wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to close the blinds. For the record, that's not because I'm mentally handicapped, but because german blinds are weird: they're outside the window and you open and close them by means of a rotating pole mechanism thingy (I asked Christiane later that day how to use them, and she was highlyamused by my ignorance). So, no going back to bed for me. But that was good, because I got a few things unpacked and then met Christiane, Thomas, Caroline and Ian for lunch.
After lunch we did a short tour of the city, because it was such a glorious day. It was about 55 degrees (which is warm when you're used to about 33 every day) and so sunny I actually needed sunglasses! The town looked so beautiful in the sunlight that after our tour I just had to go get my camera from my dorm so that I could take pictures (the results of which you will see below). I immediately fell in love with Tuebingen, with its tiny streets and crooked houses, plus the Neckar river and the hills and valleys all around. Or maybe I was just in love with having good weather for once, who knows.
One teensy negative consequence of this photo expedition was that I lost track of time and when I was done most of the stores were already closed (stores close really early on Saturdays, some at 4 or 5). I did manage to get to the grocery store so I wouldn't starve over the weekend, but I was not able to get the second most crucial thing I needed: a towel. See, I was very unintelligent and did not bring my own towel with me to Europe. Now, when I was staying at Pascal's house or in the Goethe-Institut this was not a problem, towels were provided. However, not in the dorms. I first realized my mistake Saturday morning as I was gathering up my shower stuff and all of a sudden thought "oh crap, i don't have a towel." Not the end of the world, I just used my T-shirt. However, I then missed my chance to buy towels on Saturday and the stores aren't open on Sundays. So no towels for the weekend. The result of this was that on Sunday and Monday mornings I used paper towels to dry myself off. For those of you who have never tried, this is a highly ineffective method of removing water from one's body, not to mention making one feel like a hobo. Thankfully, I made it to a store on Monday and all has been well since then.
I think I'll leave the story of my first few days in Tuebingen at that, and write more about the town and my dorm and my class later. Now that I have internet in my room hopefully these posts will come faster!
The streets in the old town are so tiny and confusing, but I love them because you always find cool cafes and shops around every corner
The Catholic Church. -------- Go ahead, try to read that old German script (it says Wurstkueche, aka Sausage Kitchen)
Well, that's one way to prevent your bike from getting stolen. And no quaint European town would be complete without a Spiderman statue.
It astounds me every day that not only have these buildings not collapsed yet, people still live and work in them!
Marktplatz, the main square in front of Town Hall.
The Rathaus (town hall) and Neptune Fountain
I can't get over how old the buildings are! The painted one on the right was built in 1584!!
The Stiftskirche, one of the central landmarks of Tuebingen.
The most famous view of Tuebingen. When it's warm I will sit on that wall and eat ice cream :)
Platanenallee, the place to see and be seen in Tuebingen when the weather is nice. The yellow building is the Hoelderlinturm, where the poet Hoelderlinturm locked himself in for 40 years (after he went crazy).
"Freedom dies with security" - can you tell this is a student town?
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