Sometimes, travel is a little hard for us Muslims, especially when it comes to finding food that's suited to our dietary needs. However, this German city might make it a lot easier for you ?
About an hour away by flight from Berlin, Tübingen feels like a faraway dream. It has a rustic feel towards the city with the cobbled alleyways, wooded houses and beautiful canals, and is one of Germany's sunniest spots; a stark contrast to the gloomy, rainy weather in other parts of the country. It's also known as a university city, as many young students live here! ?
But one striking feature of this quaint yet vibrant city is that almost everyone here is either vegetarian or vegan. According to BBC journalist Srishti Chaudhary who travelled to the city, it's much more common to ask if someone eats meat! Any events or festivals running in the city mainly serves vegetarian or vegan food. In fact, based on Chaudhary's interview with the owners behind Spicetripping, the first South Indian truck in Germany, their vegan and vegetarian offerings sells out faster than their meat options!
Chaudhary also spoke to Sedat Yalcin who owns a Turkish bakery in Tübingen, who shared that almost all of the food he serves are vegetarian or vegan, an uncommon sight in the nation's obsessions with döner kebabs and shawarma joints! We can't confirm if the meats served are from halal-certified suppliers, so do dine with discretion if you plan to visit.
Environment is the name of the game here - there's Veganuary, the annual challenge that encourages people to go vegan for the month of January, cars are no longer allowed on the city's central street and will only be reserved for buses and bikes, and the local government even imposes The Verpackungssteuer, a packaging tax that involves an extra payment of fifty cents on any disposable packaging such as paper plates and cups (this actually contributed to 15% less waste!)
There's even a variety of activities for you to check out for a day's visit. You can take a stroll along the cobblestone streets in the city centre and marvel at their candy-coloured houses, Marktplatz (Market Square) and graffiti art ?
You can also check out the Neckar River, which is especially popular during the summer. Students will often go punting along the river!
Those with an affinity of all things history should pay a visit to their Ancient Culture Museum, where you can see some of the world's oldest artworks of humankind including a small Ice Age figure carved from mammoth bones ?
Tübingen feels like a fairytale dream come true, and if you're in need of some respite from the city, whilst marvelling at how environmentally-advanced this city is, this place should be on your travel bucket list!
P.S. Check out even unique cities and towns around the world!