Wednesday 16 December 2009

Christmas Time In The City Of Vienna


4:45:44pm
Demel Coffee Bar

Time for a break!

Raspberry Glögg
The couple sitting next to me
enjoyed this good looker.
I had the usual,
a perfect cup
of Demel Melange.

Don Camillo
picking up a Christmas gift
for Peppone?
Such decadence,
from the village priest?
Ah, Monsignore,
the times they are a-changing,
aren't they
?

Indulgence
Not for Don Camillo,
he would easily
resist the gratification of
such earthly sins and desires
and carry home
only what he planned
to give to others!

A Little Angel
A gingerbread angel
or cellophane wrapped meringue kisses,
all but air with the tiniest spoonful
of sugar? But no, Don Camillo
steadfastly resisted!

He Walked Past
the vetrine of earthly delights
out the door
into the evening,
the church bells
calling for Evensong.

Don Camillo and Peppone
are the protagonists in Italian writer
Giovanni Guareschi's beloved stories
of a postwar Northern Italian town
along the majestic Po river.
The two rivals - and ultimately friends -
were brought to the screen and made famous beyond Italy
by the French actor Fernandel as the Catholic priest
and the Italian actor Gino Cervi as the Communist mayor.
I loved watching the black and white reruns
on TV as a child and do to this day.
The links above will lead you
to excerpts of the screen versions.

Enjoy!

*

Photographed by Merisi
15 December 2009
at
K.u. K Hofzuckerbäcker
Demel Royal and Imperial Confectioners

CH. DEMEL' S SÖHNE GmbH
Kohlmarkt 14

Images and Text
© by Merisi

21 comments:

  1. after a visit to 'your' vienna, i'd surely be rolling home, heee hee heeee

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  2. It is always nice to wake up to your Vienna. Thank you for the post.

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  3. Fantastic! Your photos always make me want to jump a plane to Vienna! :)

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  4. Love the photos looking down on all the festivities--makes me want to get all Christmasy--these are beautiful!

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  5. I'm going to have to get to know Don Camillo and Peppone -- sounds interesting.

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  6. Merisi, your pictures and words have planted a clever Christmas tale in my head.

    Sometimes I think of some day visiting Demel's, perhaps a dream like being able to drop into Rick's in Casablanca!

    xo

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  7. Oh what a magical story! Your blog is a new morning stop for me. I enjoy your beautiful pictures and now dream of visiting Vienna. Thank you!

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  8. WONDERFUL MERISI! AS ALWAYS! :)

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  9. What a lovely picture-story, just right for the run up to Christmas.

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  10. You have search wonderful cosy coffee shops to go to. Thank you for your lovely photos. My list of to see places is getting longer and longer, must start travelling soon.

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  11. You my dear lady...are a gift to your wonderful city.

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  12. What a delightful post, Merisi! And thank you for introducing us to those two interesting characters...

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  13. You know, Merisi, I always come away from your blog thinking 'I want, I want, I want....' Sigh.
    I want Christmas in Vienna and I want one of those Rasberry Gloeggs.

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  14. Yum, that glogg looks wonderful!

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  15. Lovely walk down memory lane, Merisi. Don Camillo e Peppone were great characters played by great actors. As an aside, Gino Cervi also starred in TV movies where he played Simenon's Inspector Maigret.

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  16. This is a fantastic series of beautiful shots !!

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  17. How I love seeing, smelling, tasting Vienna through your photographs and stories! Thank you.

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  18. Merisi, that takes me back a while. I read all the Don Camillo books and saw the movie. There was so much sense in both.

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  19. Vienna must be beautiful right now, with even more lights in the city!
    Rasberry glogg is a warm drink?
    And the desserts, ausgezeichnet!

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