Best Keep Secrets of Austria – The Secret of the Giant Leporidae

 
 
 
 
 

Albrecht Dürer's "Young Hare" 1503

Image: Wikipedia

"What beauty is, I know not, 
though it adheres to many things.."

Albrecht Dürer 

Simon & Garfunkel - Bright Eyes

I was wandering through Vienna during the middle of July, while heading towards the Burggarten on a photographic mission (more on that in a number of future blog essays). I decided to go along a side street of the State Opera House, when my eyes caught sight of something totally unexpected. Sitting on top of the most famous Bitzinger Würstelstand, located below the Albertina Museum and across from the Opera house was a supersized green bunny.

Austrians like to enjoy themselves with some rather strong or numerous enlightening liquids and some have been known to see some odd things. Being stone cold sober and spying this ginormous green bunny was a surprise, and delight, to me. I couldn’t help taking a few shots of the bunny sitting in all his elegance on top of this famous Würstelstand.

Best Kept Secrets of Austria - Summer Harvest Stalls

"One must ask children and birds 
how cherries and strawberries taste."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

Around about the beginning of May each year, on my way to and from work, or just into the city, I start to watch for my favourite summer season fruit, vegetables and berry stall. This is generally a large table located on the lower level of the Tram Junction at the U-Bahn station at Schottentor. I have been doing this since my first summer in Vienna, which was way back in 2006.

The first offerings of the season are generally strawberries, and strangely small bunches of Lily of the Valley. Maybe this has to do with the fact that here they are called Maiglöckchen (May Bells) and/or they are a nice Mother’s Day present. This year the Lily of the Valley was missing. They had sprouted and bloomed way back in March. The strawberries on the other hand have arrived just on schedule.

Spirit's Demise

Spirit’s Demise 

He set to beguile her spirit with worthless words of radiant soft assurance,

Hiding his inconstant mutable heart so well couched in words of charm,

Slicing out her spirit’s soul assuredly as if he had used a jagged knife,

With the facile adulteress in tow he achieves her broken soul’s destruction,

Thrusting her into ceaseless interminable pain for her spirit's death is done.

He and the paramour go on lustfully on in triumph of the spirit’s death, 

Rejoicing in intermittent  infidelities bound deep up in travelled secrets,

The promise for that sad spirit will forever cease life’s quiet contemplation,

The circuitous route to one soul’s destruction exceedingly well done,

They will carry on in lust cuckolding the incognisant steadfast bridegroom.

© W. Heron, 2014