Victorian know how
Of all the palaces I’ve
visited on my travels three are at the
top of my list: Warwick in Warwick, England, Yusupov
in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Wurzburg Palace in Wurzburg, Germany. Each
deserves a full long post of its own---another day.
Standing at the foot of the beautiful grand staircase in the Wurtzburg
Palace I listened to an excited flamboyant female docent describe the proper
way to walk up stairs---at least in Maria Theresa’s day.
We’re talking 1700s here and the docent explained, “Stand tall with your
head slightly turned up so you can look down just a tiny bit. Your right hand
would grasp your long skirt while your left hand would be bent at a 90 degree
angle at the elbow. But the pinkly finger must be extended upward toward the
ceiling while the rest of the hand is gently closed.”
Standing at the foot of the stairs in front of our group I listened
carefully to the docent’s instructions. As she turned to ascend the stairs I
turned to my friend asking, “Are you ready?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Feeling a little giddy, I responded, “No, I’m not. Come on now, Make
believe your pants are a skirt. Let’s so.”
We proceeded up the long wide staircase in an elegant slow walk in
perfect cadence. We made it to the top without looking down and without
stumbling or missing a step. We both giggled all the way up and were the only
ones game enough to step back in time to the elegance of decades past---just
for a few minutes anyway. It was fun.
When we all cleared the stairs, one of the fellows said, “You plucky ole
gals did a pretty good job. I’m surprised your bifocals didn’t trip you up.”
Neither
of us has ever done it again, but it is a one of a kind fun unusual memory.
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