poo
At the risk of invading Scaryduck's territory*, there is a feature of Viennese life that I haven't encountered anywhere else, and that is in the water closet. At the risk of being indelicate, when you make your deposit, instead of slipping into the water, your doings land on a sort of shelf, presumably for your inspection. When you hit the flush, a vigorous jet of water fires them towards you and down into the drain.I don't know what this says about the Austrian psyche? I haven't encountered this variety of toilet anywhere else, but it does seem to be ubiquitous around here.
On a different note, the theatre here has a most diverting dog. Called Paprika, she is the most fox like dog I have ever seen, a rich russet red in colour with a very bushy tail to boot. Her favourite toy is an old water bottle, which she will crunch on for a bit, before dropping it on the floor and walking away. If you approach slowly, she will snatch it up, and the whole process is repeated, if however, you grab it quickly or kick it, she goes racing across the floor occasionally making an airborne catch. This is all going on in a working environment, where heavy stuff is being moved around, and bars are being flown, etc. This would never be tolerated in an english theatre, in many ways I think this is a shame, although I can see the point. Touring in Europe is so much more fun than in Britain, the crews are willing, and the equipment is so much better.
*http://scaryduck.blogspot.com/
posted by Lampy @ 6/01/2006 06:45:00 am
3 Comments:
Oddly, I once came across just such a contraption in the guest toilet of a large house in High Wray near Ambleside. The porcelain was of considerable antiquity & decorated with a blue forget-me-not-ish design. Worked just as described. The owners were/are Norwegian-South African-Jewish & I don't think counted Vienna amongst their various origins, so the installation presumably predated them or is more widespread than you think . . .
I've come across a similar loo in Amsterdam.
I do like the fox-dog!
The AP assures me that we had just such a toilet in Germany where I spent a part of my childhood, I cannot recall.
The dog is an Australian Kelpie, apparently, and they are reputed to have some fox in their ancestry, and in every litter there is supposed to be a red one (the norm is black and tan).
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