What are your plans for the weekend ?
Written by Laura Dudek
“ What are your plans for the weekend ?” Almost every week we face this question from our friends and co-workers and we often answer with , “ I don ’ t know yet , meet friends probably and just hang out ”. Especially when you ’ ve just moved to Tübingen , it can be difficult to find fun activities on the weekends . So let ’ s start with Friday night .
What about a relaxing visit to the movies or the theater ? Tübingen offers a good number of movie theaters : Blaue Brücke , Kino Museum , Atelier or Café Haag which play movies in German as well as other languages . All of them are close to the city center and therefore easy to reach . There are theaters as well . The LTT ( Landestheater Tübingen ) or the Zimmertheater offer plays throughout the weekend . The season schedule can be checked online .
On Saturday morning , one should definitely visit Tübingen ’ s farmer ’ s market . It can be found by the Stiftskirche in the city center and offers a great variety of cheeses , fresh fruit and vegetables , as well as other products . Afterwards , the opportunity should be taken to go for a walk in Tübingen ’ s old town and along the Neckarinsel , located in Tübingen ’ s Neckar river . On your way back , don ’ t forget to walk by the “ Anlagensee ”, the beautiful lake close to the main station .
In the afternoon when the sun is at its highest point , there is nothing better than cooling off . Beginning at the end of April , the public pool or ‘’ Freibad ’’ in Tübingen re-opens and is surely worth a visit . It has several pools and slides and is surrounded by a large park . In case you forgot to bring something to drink , no problem ! There are two cafés that offer ice cream , drinks and snacks .
Tübingen Freibad ( Photo : Gerhard Launer )
If one prefers a more natural ambience , again no problem ! Visit the lakes in Hirschau or Kirchentellinsfurt . Both are close by and can be reached by bike or public transportation . You will always find groups of students there that you can join if you haven ’ t made many friends yet .
After a long day of walking and sun , it is time for dinner . Close by the Neckar , there is the Neckarmüller with typical German food or for something less German I recommend El Chico . If it ’ s pizza pasta you ’ re after then I recommend either Manufaktur or Zum Alten Fritz . Naturally , you will also find a variety of other international restaurants like Africa Bar Restaurant or Aspendos Turkish Restaurant .
Saturday night is perfect for going out . Tübingen offers many restaurants , bars and places to dance . If you feel like going for some drinks , you could visit the cocktail bar Asmara , located close to the Stiftskirche . Additionally , there is Collegium , Ratskeller or Bären also in the old part of the town . For those of you who like to dance , you can go to Top10 , which has weekly themes or the student clubs Kuckuck and Butter Brezel .
With Friday and Saturday behind us , let ’ s start our Sunday with a nice and cozy breakfast either at Collegium , El Chico or Café im Hirsch . There are , of course , also other places that offer a rich breakfast so go and explore ! From there , if you haven ’ t signed up for any Unisport classes , you definitely should . The prices are adapted to a student budget and there is a great variety of options . On Sundays , you can go jogging , mountain biking , or even windsurfing . Naturally , this is a great opportunity to meet other students !
As an alternative , you and your friends could rent a Stocherkahn and partake in the famous punting on the Neckar river . There is space for up to 14 people in one Stocherkahn . It is possible to rent them at different places , for example stocherkahn-tuebingen . neckar-caruso . de or hochschul-smd . org / tuebingen . Feel free to bring food and drinks and get ready to enjoy some sunny hours on the river .
To end the day , I would recommend visiting the Old Botanical Garden or ‘ Bota ’ as it is often called . It is in walking distance from the city center and a beautiful location to relax or have a barbecue together with your friends .
Have a great weekend !
Image sources were open source or belong to the author , unless otherwise noted
Laura Dudek can be found teaching Zumba and riding her old bike around Tübingen .
24 | NEUROMAG | July 2018