Café Schwabing closes

The photo above must have been taken in the earliest days of Café Schwabing, as long ago as twenty-five years. The quarter century of café culture in Munich's bourgeois-bohemian neighbourhood.ended last night.

Café Schwabing had been in effect my 'living room' for years A short walk from my little flat, the café was always welcoming. It was where I regularly met the ladies in my life... ex-wife and daughter. None of us are quite sure how to replace it as our habitual rendezvous.

On our way to the café for the last time I was tested for a new pair of glasses... they will presumably help me to see more clearly.

However, what we saw at Café Schwabing yesterday evening was very clear. It was not just a location where people of all generations and social strata were happy to gather, to dine and drink and last night there was not a table which was not occupied. Above all, it impressed us that so many former employees were on hand to celebrate the unique atmosphere of their workplace. That is surely the hallmark of a successful café, bar or restaurant... a staff who are happy, dedicated and loyal to enlightened and inspiring proprietors like Peter and Gabriele Freund.

The mood last night was in fact almost festive, even if tinged with a strong tinge of nostalgia. Such pleasant memories.