Bust of Hildegard Seidl @museum.de

But… Who installed me in here?

Right on top of the new stove, too. We had to have the old one demolished ... it was a handsome thing, with really gorgeous tiles. But at some point in the 1960s, the chimney sweep complained and said it wasn't safe any more. Since then, we’ve had the little stove, the only form of heating down here. Though it still gets nice and warm in winter!

This is the best place for most people to sit in winter. Have a nice cup of hot chocolate, right by the stove.

And I’ve made myself especially comfortable, with my light blue cardigan and my pearl necklace. Well, a neat appearance is important in my profession. But come to think of it, the older I get, the more I resemble my aunt.5

Take a look: This is what Trudel Hauser looked like. She was sitting right here, by the new stove. A striking resemblance, don’t you think? In old age, of course.

Because when I was young...

...you certainly wouldn't have mistaken me for Trudel.

As a girl, I was bright, but also resolute. I just knew what I wanted.

By the way, the gentleman next to me, that's Herr Wehrdt. He lived here as a lodger. Wilhelm Wehrdt. He gave piano and cello lessons upstairs in the flat. And if a pupil had practiced especially well, they were allowed a scoop of vanilla ice cream when they left – on the house, of course.

Who would have thought it possible – I’ve worked and lived here for 65 years! An entire lifetime!

I was a real local institution here in Lahr – that’s something I can claim in all modesty. And today – I look at the business and listen to the bustle in my old café and I think to myself: those were 65 good years!