Würzburg, mi amore…

Würzburg, I like you
I like you so much
I think Paris is great
But I like you more

Brazil is nice, but it's too far away
This bad poem expresses:
I'm fond of you

I like your nightclubs
I also like the Main
And without your rain I couldn't exist

Your long history,
which I don't understand
Your universities,
which I foolishly don't attend

I like your streets
Whether I sway or limp
The beer and the wine
Even though I never drink them

Würzburg, now I finally have my say
Speaking of Magic Mountain,
Posthalle, Komisch & Kurt
I tell of the charm of my one-bedroom flat-share
Sipping my
"Wunschlos Glücklich" coffee

You're open to everything and not elitist
That's why your housing situation is so precarious
And if I were anywhere else but here with you
I'd find it…unremarkable

Würzburg, oh Würzburg
You keep me on my toes
You're the topic of conversation
that I always have
And even though you often rub people the wrong way elsewhere
Because of your dialect, your accent
You offer urban life and decadence alike
And according to UNESCO a residence

Würzburg, you make me so eloquent
Würzburg, oh Würzburg
You've realised it

Würzburg, oh Würzburg
It's obvious:
The other cities are irrelevant

You are my muse
Known and yet strange
And if Germany were as narrow-minded as a shirt
You'd be the most charming spot in it
The cherry on top and not a means to an end

Your old building charm looks so modern and new
When I drive through your city, I drink "Hofbräu"
I lounge about under the old crane
At Locanda surrounded by trams

Würzburg, you Main bridge between Europe and Asia
With your "JMU" and so many grammar schools
You attract me so
Like light attracts a moth
When I globe-trot through your streets and alleyways

Würzburg, I can never get enough of you
Your old town enchanting and your station not beautiful…

But otherwise always impressive through great design
So timeless and stylish and quite remarkably so
You city with the beautiful university libraries
So much happens in your discotheques

In Besitos I dance and consume salsa
And when money is tight, then also in the canteen
Your weather is friendly, occasionally cool
Whether at Heuchelhof, the old town or in Grombühl
And if your climate ever becomes a bit too humid for me
I relax every molecule at the city beach

Every cell is happy
Every street so important
Whatever you offer, you're always right
Whatever's happening just now,
I'm right there
Whether free (&) outside in June – African in May

I like your nostalgia
As well as your clutter
At Pampelmuse
Or Zeychen & Wunder

Your days are short
Your nights are long
The soundtrack of my life is like Radio Gong

Your mulled wine at the Christmas market in any weather
With you it doesn't apply:
"Things were better in the old days"

You inspire the spirit with your poetry
Your s.Oliver offers me so much wit
The poets and thinkers of your Alma Mater
The onlookers in the Mainfranken Theatre

In "Bockshorn I enjoy your cabaret
At Lavazza I'd rather order tea
And when I see your skyline from afar
I know you're a world city in the making

Your dishes are delightful
Wherever I sit
Whether in Juliusspital or Rudowitz
Evenings at the Mainmühle with a Silvaner
Falafel at Veggie Bros – also for vegans

Würzburg…
I can't think of anything else off the top of my head
And whilst I order Fritzkola at Cairo, I think of you as I do every day
And about why I like you so much

For all these things I say to you:
"Thank you"
Plus one more:
"Bassd scho"
Because I'm a Franconian

Würzburg…
You simply captivate me
I close the book…

And walk away.

Anita Baumann