Fotoeins Fotografie

A short sensory list

•   Sights of the Weihnachtsmarkt:
bright lights; Christmas pyramid; red and yellow stars; unveiling of the Backwaren (backed goods) made especially for the holiday season.
•   Sounds of the Christmas market:
the klang of full mugs distributed and empty ones collected, shouts of laughter from conversations scattered throughout the area.
•   Smells and tastes of the Christmas market:
candied almonds, cashews, and peanuts; roasted chestnuts; balls of fried dough with powdered sugar; mugs of hot mulled wine, available in several fruit flavours; grilled bratwurst; fried potato pancakes with apple sauce.

When the Christmas season brings out special baked goods, it’s time to pay attention. In Heidelberg, my favourite café in the university town doesn’t hold back as photos of the “Backwaren” (baked goods) show. There’s something for everybody at Café Gundel.

And on it goes: small lifetimes can be spent, seeing, smelling, and sampling the entire collection.

A short exchange

“Noch einen Wünsch?”

“Something more?“, asks the lady behind the counter when I’ve ordered a few of this and a few more of that.

“Das war’s leider. Komm ich wieder morgen …”

“Unfortunately, that’s all. I’ll come back tomorrow …” I reply, with the sound of hope and promise in my voice. I’m sure she’s heard it all before. And yet, she humours me with a smile and a chuckle.

“Wir sind noch für Sie da …”

“We’ll still be here …”

Window, 1 of 3

Window, 2 of 3

Window, 3 of 3

Frücht-Brot | fruit-bread w/ nuts, almonds, raisins, and fruit pieces (including lemon, orange); and a shot of rum

Hildabrötchen | little Hilda cookies, with raspberry-currant jelly

Hönig-Nussminten | honey-nut chunks

Butterspritzgebäck

Heidelberger Kurfürstenkugel | “Electors’ balls”, small cream cake spheres with a core of nougat creme, surrounded by a mantle of marzipan and a chcoolate crust

Gluten- and lactose-free Basler Bruns, made with chocolate, hazelnuts, almonds

Buttersterne | butter stars

Malteser, topped with chocolate and filled with raspberry-currant jelly

Zimtsterne | Flour-free cinnamon stars filled with almonds

Mandel Florentiner | gluten-free almond florentines

Husarenkrapen | Husars’ cookies filled with raspberry-currant jelly

Nussecken | Nut wedges

Basler Lackerli | Baselers’ tasties, spiced mini-Lebkuchen with almonds

Heidelberger Pflasterstein | “Heidelberg cobblestone: fine small almond sponge cake with chocolate flakes, nougat cream filling, and a delicate layer of marizpan under a milk chocolate coating with an extra thin slice of chocolate on top”

Schwäbisches Buttergebäck | Schwäbisch-style butter cookies

Mandel-Hörnchen | gluten-free almond crescents

Flammendes Herz | flaming heart with nougat cream

Vanillekipferl | vanilla crescents

Schokladierte Mandelplätzchen | chocolate-covered almond cookies

Apfel-Strudel: the “never go wrong stand-by”

Liebesknochen | Éclairs, with generous portions of nougat creme

Café Gundel is located at the eastern end of the Hauptstrasse near Karlsplatz, site of one of the Christmas markets in Heidelberg.

I made the photos above on 25 and 26 November 2014. I wrote about Café Gundel as one of my first ever experiences in Germany. City and regional public transport was provided by the city of Heidelberg. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-6eL.