Mrs Martin and Mr Blohm Epsiode 29: Preaching water, but drinking wine!

So, Mr. Blohm had thought it all out wonderfully—a lunch at another fantastic Italian place at midday, where he picked up Mrs. Martin from her La Perla showroom for a romantic lunch together.

As you know, dear reader, Mrs. Martin does not like lunch. Lunch, in her opinion, is for wimps. She got this idea from the movie Wall Street with Michael Douglas.

Mr. Blohm had reserved the table by phone and had instructed the chef that this was something really special. The chef even asked, “Claus, are you in love?”

And Mr. Blohm replied, “Yes, I am in love, and I want red roses on the table. I want certain music to be played—Luis Miguel and Shirley Bassey—and I want you to spoil us with a three-course menu.”

Mr. Blohm had really thought everything through in great detail, hoping to finally show Mrs. Martin that he was truly interested in her. Even at that time, he didn’t really know where it might lead him, but Mrs. Martin had made an impact on him after his divorce a few months earlier.

Mr. Blohm was also happy to see the sun that day when he picked up Mrs. Martin that last weekend of April at her showroom. After weeks of terrible weather, the sun had finally decided to shine, and he had the feeling this lunch might turn out well—a kind of good sign.

Regina had a similar thought: maybe this was a signal that Mr. Blohm could actually become the potential partner she had been looking for over the years—the neighbor she still hadn’t quite figured out after four months. At the same time, Regina was absolutely craving sunshine.

Even though the temperatures were still a bit cool at the end of April in Hamburg, she definitely wanted to sit outside for this lunch—especially since she had already made the compromise of agreeing to lunch at all. She knew that if she sat directly in the sun, it would feel warm.

From Italian Romance to Coffee Shop Reality

When the two of them arrived in front of the restaurant Mr. Blohm had chosen, Regina immediately asked,

“Mr. Blohm, I hope this place has outdoor seating?”

Mr. Blohm, slightly shocked by a question he had never expected, replied,

“No, Mrs. Martin, it does not have any outdoor seating.”

Mrs. Martin raised her eyebrows.

At that moment, it became absolutely clear to Regina that she did not want to enter that restaurant.

She instinctively turned around and spotted a small coffee shop called TH2 across the street. The sun was shining directly onto the terrace of that coffee shop, although all the furniture was still tied up because no one had been sitting outside yet.

Mr. Blohm followed Mrs. Martin’s sudden movement and could almost read her mind. He immediately pointed out to Mrs. Martin that it was probably not a good idea to go over there for lunch—especially since TH2 did not have a proper kitchen. Mr. Blohm knew the coffee shop very well, and it was certainly not a romantic lunch place at all. He also doubted they would even serve outside.

But Mrs. Martin didn’t care about the food—or even about Mr. Blohm’s opinion at that moment.

It was all about the sun.

So Mrs. Martin simply said,

“Let’s just go over there, Mr. Blohm, and ask if they will serve us outside.”

A Bench, Two Drinks, and No Romance

Mr. Blohm could hardly react fast enough before Mrs. Martin had already crossed the street. Mr. Blohm said nothing more and simply followed her, already quite annoyed because his idea clearly didn’t align with what Mrs. Martin wanted.

He was especially irritated that Mrs. Martin had just ditched his carefully arranged romantic lunch. As Mr. Blohm crossed the street to follow Mrs. Martin to the coffee shop, he only gave the Italian chef, who was watching from the window, a small gesture with his hand across his neck—signaling that lunch was cancelled. The chef could hardly believe that the two of them were now actually heading to a coffee shop.

When Mr. Blohm saw Mrs. Martin entering the coffee shop to ask if they would serve them outside, the staff replied that they were lucky it wasn’t too busy that day, so they would make an exception and offer them service outside.

Mrs. Martin immediately called out to Mr. Blohm,

“We are lucky today, Mr. Blohm! They will make an exception for us and serve lunch outside.”

Her face lit up with a big smile.

Mr. Blohm looked at her in disbelief and was already completely annoyed. The only question now was where the two of them would sit, since all the chairs were still tied up.

Then Mrs. Martin spotted a bench where the two of them could sit side by side. It was the perfect spot because the sun shone directly onto it.

Mr. Blohm, now thoroughly bothered, reluctantly sat down next to Mrs. Martin after she had already taken her place on the bench.

And there they were, sitting side by side like an old married couple—but Regina couldn’t have cared less.

Regina looked into the sun and felt completely happy and comfortable in the warm sunlight after weeks of bad weather in Hamburg. The longer she sat there enjoying the sun, the more the idea of Miami returned to her mind. She simply couldn’t stand Germany’s weather anymore—it was just too depressing. The Miami dream was back. 

Radler vs. Alsterwater

The server came, placed a small menu on the table, and Regina ordered a “Radler” to drink. A Radler in Germany, especially in Munich, is beer mixed with Sprite.

The server looked slightly confused.

Mr. Blohm tried to help and corrected Mrs. Martin politely,

“Mrs. Martin, here in Hamburg it is called Alsterwasser.”

Regina raised her eyebrows again and replied,

“Alsterwasser? Why would you even call it that? The Alster has no beer and no Sprite—it’s just a lake in Hamburg, as you know, Mr. Blohm.”

Mr. Blohm answered, slightly frustrated,

“Well then, why do you call it Radler in Munich?”

Regina explained to Mr. Blohm,

“It’s quite simple, Mr. Blohm. Radler comes from radeln in Bavarian, which means cycling in English. When you’ve been cycling for hours, you crave something refreshing—and in Munich that refreshing drink is called a Radler: beer mixed with Sprite.”

So Mr. Blohm and Mrs. Martin had their second discussion, and it quickly became clear that neither Mr. Blohm really understood the Radler explanation, nor Mrs. Martin understood the Alsterwasser explanation.

The waiter tried to follow the conversation but focused on understanding the order. He quietly turned around and walked back into the coffee shop to prepare the drinks. The last thing the server wanted was to get involved in this dispute. For him, it was obvious that this discussion could go on for quite a while.

Sunlight, Disappointment, and a Caesar Salad

After a few minutes, the waiter came back with the drinks—Alsterwasser or Radler, depending on whether you are in Hamburg or Munich—and handed them a small paper menu. It only had six options.

Regina immediately spotted her absolute favorite dish—something she truly loves—liver sausage with homemade sourdough bread. She was thrilled and asked the waiter if the sourdough bread was freshly baked. The server said yes and assured her it was wonderful—fresh and nicely crispy.

Mr. Blohm could hardly believe that Mrs. Martin was even considering ordering liver sausage on sourdough bread. He almost shuddered with disgust. In his mind he wondered, How can such a beautiful, slim woman order a liver sausage sandwich?

By now, Mr. Blohm didn’t even care about the food anymore—he just wanted to get out of this lunch as quickly as possible.

So Mr. Blohm chose, out of the limited options, the easiest one: a Caesar salad with chicken. In his mind he was still thinking about the wonderful three-course meal he had arranged to impress Mrs. Martin at his favorite Italian lunch place—now replaced by liver sausage bread and a Caesar salad with chicken.

Regina looked at Mr. Blohm’s choice and raised her eyebrows once again. She thought to herself,

“Oh God, what an ordinary man. Any man who picks a chicken Caesar salad must, in her opinion, be boring—and probably watches his figure.”

And that was something Regina never liked in men—those who were too concerned about their appearance.

She was already annoyed that she was sitting next to a man who had simply ordered a Caesar salad while she was about to enjoy a wonderful liver sausage sourdough sandwich.

At that moment she remembered the very first time she had met Mr. Blohm as her neighbor in the garden of Rondeel 31, her new home in Hamburg.

Regina had known it from the beginning. She remembered that first encounter very clearly: this man was simply not her type at all. No hair, far too pale, and Mr. Blohm had talked far too much from the very first moment. On top of that, he had already tried to use her parking spot to his advantage.

Why do I keep trying again and again? Regina asked herself.

This is it, she thought.

Regina took a sip of her Radler—something she clearly needed after already spending half an hour with Mr. Blohm. Mr. Blohm also took a sip of his Alsterwasser.

The two of them didn’t even toast or clink glasses.

Instead, they stared silently in the same direction—like an old married couple sitting on a bench.

Are you hooked to see if this lunch will take a turn?

Then stay tuned for Episode 30—you won’t believe it. Yes, Episode 30 already—unbelievable how long it took.

And in the meantime, we hope you’ve learned something from this story: never give up when you feel curious—even if it doesn’t seem to make sense at all.

That is exactly how the story of Mrs. Martin and Mr. Blohm even began—because at that moment, the chances that they would ever become a couple seemed incredibly small.

So in the meantime, enjoy your Mr and Mrs SYLTBAR—because you know, without Mrs. Martin and Mr. Blohm, there would be no SYLTBAR at all.

And wouldn’t that be sad… after bringing so much joy to so many people with our brand SYLTBAR. 🥂