Sunday will mark exactly two years since Chris and I moved to Tübingen, Germany. As always when we reach one of this little time milestones, I just can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by.

So, how do I sum up 2 years in Tübingen?

Language-wise, I’ve gone from knowing about 16 words of German (or so I joked at the time) to being able to hold my own in a discussion about banking, doctors, and everyday endeavors. Still lots more to learn, but also lots of progress to report.

Work-wise, it’s been a whirlwind of teaching and research for Chris, and although he spends a lot of time on his teaching, in his research area he’s gone from giving papers at conferences to being invited to give keynote talks at conferences – quite the accomplishment.  Way to go, Chris!

Photography-wise, I’ve gone from doing volunteer work for charities and other events (in Bolzano), to becoming a paid photographer for a number of different kinds of things, including being paid to give workshops and lectures on American photographers.  What a fun opportunity to be doing photography in all these ways!

Now, there’s nothing that says “Tübingen” photographically more than the classic “postcard shot” taken from  the Neckarbrücke, the bridge over the Neckar River. The Neckarbrücke connects the two sides of the river to the Neckar Island; it was rebuilt in the 20th century when the town changed the way the river flowed and created that island. Normally to take the postcard shot, I’m standing on the Neckarbrücke itself, so it rarely makes it into the photos.

But then last weekend, a used bookstore in town had a cheap print for sale that has a drawing of what Tübingen could have looked like long ago. I’m not sure if it’s really a replica of an actual old drawing, or whether it’s merely some artistic imagining done for some kind of hotel placemat (or something similar). Whatever the case, it got us to thinking: is it possible to find a vantage point for taking a modern photo of the bridge and the postcard shot buildings that is similar to the old-time view in the drawing?

Well, the short answer is no, you really can’t get that same perspective, as there are too many buildings now built right up close to the river, and there’s now no hill to the right of the bridge as there is in the drawing. However, since I rarely take photos from that side of the bridge, I did snap a couple of shots that show the bridge from down below on that side; from this perspective, you can see the two arches of the modern bridge.

One of the buildings that was somewhat controversially built next to the river on that side of the bridge is a public parking lot. We headed to the top of that to see what we could see. And so, the last two photos in the gallery below were taken from the top level of that parking lot. While it’s not exactly same perspective as in the drawing, I think it’s a nice, almost painting-like look at a classic view of Tübingen – from an somewhat unconventional vantage point from a parking garage. 😉

Enjoy.