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Yesterday evening, Csaba brought the soup from Hungaria to Vienna and today I am going to take it to Germany.
My first station is Heidelberg.
700 kilometers are lying ahead of me, from Vienna to Passau, Regensburg, Nürnberg, Heilbronn to Heidelberg. On the highway near Nürnberg I miss the exit to the A7, so I continue driving on the A3 up to Würzburg, from there back to Heilbronn, not too much of a long way round.
In the late afternoon I arrive Heidelberg, where I am going to meet my cousin Klaus.
On the phone I've asked him to cook a soup, without further informations about the project. It's the first time we meet at his home, normally we come together at birthday parties, weddings or funerals with the relations.
So here once more, the soup is an opportunity to get in contact, apart from usual and ritualized relationship meetings.
Without ado Klaus has accepted to cook a soup, but is not interested in details of the project. After dinner, he prepares a asparagus soup, that doesn't take a long time, what makes sense, because by chance a fun fair is in town, which we dont want to miss.
My cousin and I have adopted our common grandfathers' fondness for convivial carousals. Therefore later on , we roam from one pub to another till the morning comes, in remembrance of our grandfather, who has always spent many nights in tavernes. We make the appointment to organize a "Hans Bachmann Memorial Watten" in our grandfathers home town at his favourite local and to invite all relations and friends who are interested. For those, who don't know, "Watten" is a traditional Tyrolean card game, often played in locals.
At Heidelbergs' gastronomie the old tradition of enlightened middle class, student resistence and allover hard drinking still lives on. You hardly find barrooms on other places with such a charming atmosphere, easy and cordial, but always with a good portion of squareness.
Here in Heidelberg, my first soup-station in Germany, I rediscover this country in a total new way.
From upon the hills stretching out behind the city, I look down to the extended Rheintal and to the Pfälzerwald on the far side. It is the formerly Kurpfalz, that was subjected to a fundamental realignment during the times of Napoleon.
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