Today on Monday Mysteries we take a moment to reflect one of the mysteries about time: how does it seem to pass by quicker than you think? Specifically, how can it be possible that it’s already been 3 years since Chris and I arrived in Tübingen? Yes, it was 3 years ago today, on September 1, 2011, that we arrived by train in Tübingen.

Time actually factored a little bit into some of the photos I took on that first day in the Marktplatz in Tübingen; that’s the Rathaus (City Hall) building with the clock tower. (Note the Friendly Tourist in the white shirt who is talking on the phone  – with his back turned to the camera –  in the first photo):

Marktplatz, Tübingen, September 1, 2011

Clock on the City Hall in the Marktplatz, Tübingen

That clock is really quite something, isn’t it!  Built in the 1400s, it has astronomical indicators and moon phases in addition to a clock that tells the hours.

So I took that photo 3 years ago, and I’ve taken more photos of that clock over the last few years, and yet I still haven’t written up a full blog post about that clock. I even took a tour “behind the scenes” over a year ago to see how it all worked. It’s on my list to blog about, like so many other things from Tübingen that are waiting for their turn on the blog.

That’s another mystery: “where does the time go?” So many post ideas, so little time.

Anyway, I walked around town today doing errands and thinking about what I could write about to mark our 3rd anniversary in Tübingen.

Then I spotted a puddle, and thought perhaps a puddle photo would be good for today’s post, since over the last 3 years, puddle photos have become a particular motif for me. The puddle was by the big Stiftskirche, specifically by the fountain in the plaza in front of that church. The statue on top of that fountain — St. George — was revealed in the resulting “puddle world”:

St. George and the Puddle

Now, St. George and his statue here in Tübingen is another topic that has only been mentioned once in passing, and really deserves a full post. St. George was actually on the list to be the complete “Monday Mystery” today. So, I thought perhaps this puddle photo of him would be the perfect compromise photo for today — part Monday Mystery, part special notice of our “Tübingen anniversary”.

But glancing at it again,  I realized that St. George was not alone in his puddle world:

Complete puddle world near the Stiftskirche

That’s the clock tower on the Stiftskirche to the left of St. George. And there it was:  the perfect timely reflection for today’s post. 🙂

Stiftskirche Clock Tower – original

Now, in honor of it being our 3rd anniversary here,  I spent some time playing with that photo and made 3 variations of it, which are below.  Which was fun — but also reveals a partial answer to that “why does my time go” mystery…

Enjoy.

Stiftskirche Clock Tower – variation #1

Stiftskirche Clock Tower – variation #2

Stiftskirche Clock Tower – variation #3