VIENNA TRIVIA

            On my second and shorter tour of the lovely Schönbrunn Palace  in Vienna we got into new and different rooms. (Only about 40 of the over 1000 rooms are open to the public)   The guide stopped in front of painting of a monkey sitting on a woman’s head saying, “In those days washing was a lot of work when you had to carry water. It was common for bugs, mites etc to setup housekeeping in  a lady’s hair. People actually made a business of renting out a monkey for a period of time to pick at the bugs. The monkey was well fed, and the lady itched a lot less!”

            It was an interesting picture and a tale I’d not heard before!

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            On another trip to Vienna we were told that there was a grocery/deli department in the basement of a particular large store where there  would be a place to sit and eat. We found the grocery store with no problem, and after buying our lunch we looked around for a place to eat. Maybe it was in some obscure place, but after inquiring of the checker we were informed there was no place to sit. Not to panic, I knew where there was a nearby Starbucks.

            We walked the couple blocks to that familiar landmark and entered a side door. This coffee house had a second floor, so we climbed the steps, found an empty table and proceeded to leisurely eat our lunch. Yes, we felt a little guilty and intrusive, but neither of us drink coffee after mid morning. We did agree that if anyone approached us we would gladly pay for the space or for a cup of coffee to donate to someone who would drink it. We were meticulous about picking up all our trash and getting it into a trash can. We enjoyed our lunch respite; no one was the wiser that we were intruding, and we left without  leaving any footprint.

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          I had a several-hour wait for my traveling buddy to arrive in Vienna so I walked  from the hotel to  Stephenplatz and then found the Ankeruhr clock, considered to be one of the finest art nouveau monuments in Vienna. It forms a bridge between the two parts of the Anker Insurance Company‘s building. Instead of hands, the Ankeruhr shows the time by means of 12 figures representing famous Viennese historical personalities. In the course of 12 hours, twelve historical figures or pairs of figures move across the bridge. Every day at noon, all of the figures parade, each accompanied by music from its era. It was good use of my time on a misty day in my favorite European city.