FREIBURGER ZEITGEISTLITERATURE (Satis Shroff)

  VISITING MOZART: IMPRESSIONS FROM VIENNA (Satis Shroff) In the EC train from Munich to Vienna you get pampered by a brunette stewardess in a tight stretch skirt. She seems to have a Ukranian accent, and you’re served water, newspapers, mags and snacks. A delight in comparison to the German stressed stewardess. Austrians are good at service management. The train is speeding at 140kmph past meadows and forested areas. A big lake to the right, mixed deciduous forests, past maize fields. The sky is blue with scattered fluffy clouds, detached Austrian houses with dark brown, wooden balconies, decorated with geraniums on the windows and house fronts. A saw mill with piles of planks near a forest. Another lake to the right with sailing boats and the vast sky above.  There’s no wifi connection between Munich and Salzburg. The Austrian telecommunication takes over from Salzburg. This is because there’s no agreement between German and Austrian railways in this regar...

  A WALTZ WITH YOU (Satis Shroff) Ah, the sound of Vienna begins. I execute a perfect circular waltz, With you in a gown And I in tails, After the pre-ball sekt.   It’s amazing how even teenagers Go voluntarily to learn How to waltz, And how to kiss a lady’s hands, Impeccably.   I learned it at socials Organised by the nuns of St. Helen’s And the Christian Brothers of Ireland. When the ‘ladies choice’ was announced By the Master of Ceremonies, You could feel the adrelanin Surging in your young blood.   It helps to develop your self-confidence, In a society where balls are a way of life.   But a waltz in Vienna, Is a legacy of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph. Strauss and Mozart rule the dancing floors. In palaces, concert halls, posh hotels, The 19 th century Sofiensaal.   You dance in your polished best, For the Viennese or your society. The art of formal ...