"Tübingen" a Tübingen Travel Page by Trillian2005

...no, not post-cards, but university towns, in addition to Heidelberg. Unlike Tel Aviv, it is not the Center of the Universe, it is not even the Center of Swabia, but it is the Central Switchboard of the Synapses. Tübingen's population consists predominantly of students and people that study all day long for the lack of something else to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all against studying, I've tried it myself. It's a worthwile hobby that broadens the brain and elongates the horizon. The atmosphere in Tübingen is definitely 100% academically inspired, there is no way above it. Since Tübingen is located in Swabia, there are, of course people that do work, exclusively or in addition to their studies, in Tübingen. Those who do are either 125th generation Swabian (a German tribe famous for its workaholism), or from Switzerland.

I was merely a visitor in Tübingen. I didn't work there because I only have a few Swabian genes - my grandmother immigrated from Tuttlingen. Neither did I study in Tübingen, I felt it was too confined of a location for me, since I've dedicated my life to study life. So what was my mission in Tübingen? I visited my friend Brigitte from Colombia, who visited her brother, who was a student in Tübingen at the time. You see? You just can't escape from academia in Tübingen, and even as a visitor only, you're most likely to know someone who knows someone who is, was, or is going to be a student in Tübingen, perhaps an eternal one.

Apart from the university, Tübingen is famous for a series of other events, such as the Neckar River, castles, churches, charming frame work houses, a city hall, a medieval town center, museums, pubs, concerts, and lots of art, old and new, some of it fantastic and some of it still requiring the finishing touch. Around Tübingen you'll find nice hiking opportunities, boating trails, more castles complete with their very own cafés, and pretty much everything that anybody could ask for on a trip that combines both culture and nature and more. In which case "both" is the incorrect choice. The only drawback is the weather that can sometimes be a little unpredictable in Tübingen, but I guess there's no such thing as a perfect place, although Tübingen comes pretty close. Philologically speaking. In the winter it's usually cold in Tübingen, although not as cold as in Greenland.

...and specifically to

Herrn stud. phil. (Mr. Philosophy or Philology Student)
H. Hug
Tübingen
Alte Bahnhofstr. 2 (Old Railway Station Street...even the streets are old)

- - -

08.11.1919

Dear Hermann,
Best wishes from today's autumn excursion.
Your friend Ludwig and friends
Bruker! Otto! R. Reinker! T. Brösel! Schirmer! Matthias! W. Thels! H. Feger!
Hermann Lurlagen! Eble!

- - -

Frankly, I'm not sure, if I decoded the message correctly. If not, then my translation makes no sense, although it sounds plausible enough, so we'll just leave it at that. The handwriting is German Antiqua, medium to extreme drunk style, and it doesn't exactly help that some of Hermann's friends signed their first names, some signed their last names only, and some apparently preferred a hybrid style of first name initial and complete last name. Why they used exclamation points instead of commas is another mystery, but perhaps that was the trendy thing to do among the students of 1919. Cheerio folks!

P.S. Apparently Hermann later used the card as a shopping list. He noted: buy pants, shirt, and socks. This is followed by advanced arithmetic acrobatics to determine if he could afford those items.

P.P.S. Please note that 1919 was the same year that witnessed the foundation of the Eltville Canoe Club.

P.P.P.S. If you are curious what Hermann and buddies have been up to lately, click here. Perhaps you can see them.

...a group of philosophisticated Tübingen philosophy or philology students, some of whom may be responsible for the signatures on the post-card to Hermann. I guess there's not really such a big difference between a philosophy and a philology student, philosophy meaning "friend of wisdom" and philology "friend of words". Words, wisdom...both start with the same letter, and words can be wise, if chosen wisely. So can wisdom be full of words, but then it may be less wise. However, this assumption will be subject to further, detailed research, and would by far exceed a Tübingen travel page.