City of sunshine Szeged: a place to fall in love with
by Melanie Henkler
Graduate of the binational Master's program, University of Kassel
It's a warm evening, even though fall has already arrived. The sun has been shining all day. The last rays are falling on the cathedral spire. A hundred smells waft through the warm air. It smells of Hungarian specialties such as lángos or kürtőskalács (tree cake). It smells of cheese and wine, countless perfumes are still tickling your nose: the small wine festival on Cathedral Square has begun and the whole of Szeged seems to be on its feet to indulge in delicious Hungarian wine.
There is something for every taste. Whether sweet or dry, rosé, red wine, white wine or fröccs (wine mixed with soda), the popular drink is sold here in large quantities. We also enjoy the wine. The mood rises and rhythmic sounds fill our ears. There are even more concerts than usual in Szeged tonight. Traditional brass bands compete with modern pop, rock and soul music. The listener is spoiled for choice. The atmosphere is exuberant, with people laughing, toasting and dancing all around. It's unmistakable: Hungarians love their wine festivals. And rightly so.
But at some point, the small, densely packed stalls have to close. We don't feel like going home yet. And we don't have to: there's still plenty going on in Szeged. Tonight we decide to go to Zápor, a popular meeting place. You just have to be lucky enough to find it or be shown it by someone who knows the area, because like so many places, it's in the basement. Inside, we see the usual picture: the pub is well frequented, which may be due to the affordable prices or the good atmosphere. The retro-chic decor is a delight for visitors: note the red car right next to the bar, the umbrellas draped on the ceiling or the ancient radio on an even older chest of drawers.
We push our way through the crowd and actually find a free seat. As usual, we sit together in an international group and chat with our friends in a mixture of German, English and Hungarian. There are actually other languages possible, as there are students from all over the world in Szeged. Suddenly there is a commotion at our table. Someone has suggested that we play another round of Csocsó, which makes the men in particular jump to their feet. What is Csocsó? It's hard to believe, but in Hungary table soccer is part of the typical pub scene. It's also used enthusiastically today: We are invited to a game between Germany and Hungary. Unfortunately, we don't stand a chance against our skilled opponents, so we can't repeat the miracle of Bern. As losers, we buy a round of pálinka and drink to German-Hungarian friendship. On our way home, we cross one of the city center bridges over the Tisza River. The light from the street lamps is reflected in the river. The illuminated cathedral rises above this scenery and we think: "You can only love this city!"
