In my city, we boast of our coffee house culture. Boast we can, for we are, in my opinion, the capital of coffee houses! The charm, class, and relaxed elegance oozes out of every white tablecloth, every waiter adorned in a black suit, and every silver tray in which your coffee is served. For this American, I find it all just breath taking.
This week, after renewing passports for the girls, my Chris took us to a typical Viennese coffee house that I had never visited. Instantly I was smitten. We found a table for four nestled within elbow room of another table for four and began our experience. (Just a bit of cultural context here ... it is no big deal to sip a coffee with a friend while sharing space next to another couple sipping their coffee. Space is relative. It's not a weird thing to bump the elbow of someone sitting to the table next to you. In fact it's not uncommon to share a table with a stranger. You sip your coffee. They sip theirs. Polite eye contact is made and then you proceed to enjoy your own privacy. Americans love space. Europeans' private space is much more relative to where you are and not defined by the amount of feet that separates you from a stranger.) Close enough for me to touch was a small round table situated in the corner with perfect views across the epic cafe. Despite two chairs it was just the perfect size for one to sip a coffee and nibble a lovely dessert.
Upon further inspection, a reservation card had been placed upon the perfectly ironed white table cloth. It was no ordinary reservation card. Usually, reservation cards have hand-written times scribbled under the title. Rarely do they have a name included. Never have I seen one that reserved this tiny table - the time and the name permanently printed and laminated as if it were a part of the structure of this historic cafe. And, to further signify this table as notable, it had the date from which the first reservation had been made: November 19, 2015. Bottom line, since November 19, 2015, Frau Agnes has had a standing reservation at 4:00 p.m. at this little table.
Now my senses are heightened. I'm dying to know all the finer details of this Frau Agnes. Does she come everyday? Does she come only on Tuesdays? Is she old? Is she regal? What's her history? Why this cafe? Did she come here with a lover who is now deceased yet she comes to honor their history? So many questions ...
And there I stop. I am on a quest. Who is Frau Agnes. I will discover my mystery Frau and I will follow up. This will require frequent visits, frequent sips of fine coffee, and frequent experiences in my coffee house.
Diving deep into my culture,
Christina
