“The girls and Günter Jauch”

© Goethe-Institut

You can still come across original characters in Café Mersand. A corner table by the window is still reserved for the “girls”. These “girls” are no longer quite so young ladies, far older than eighty, originally from Berlin, Leizpig or Vienna, who frequently come to the regulars’ table for coffee and cake. One thing that they still have in common is their love of Günther Jauch’s show “Who wants to be a millionaire?” – which comes in via satellite for broadcast on local television.

© Goethe-Institut

When the German celebrity compere heard this, he boarded a plane to visit his Israeli fans in person. They informed the girls first though, to avoid heart attacks. This gave them a chance to make themselves extra-beautiful for the Mersand. Here they are – still – a part of the eccentric clientele consisting of locals, celebrities and tourists. There is so much reminiscent of the past, but the coffee’s better than it was in the 50s, say the connoisseurs.