OUR MAN in EUROPE/dave delacroix/Part 34: Kasablanka Kool

Part 34:  Kasablanka Kool  (the road to Georgie Gold)

Today, Helena, the barkeep at the Cafe Max...in Linz...SINGS!....but I don´t... She´s a full blooded, red-haired Austrian gal (a lot of red heads in Austria, by x by...) Nice change from the uniform Deutsche blondes, though I confess, I believe they ARE my - eye candy - favourites.

Everyone in German speaking Europe, incidentally, bycycles, (cycles!) probably almost daily and - who knows? - could possibly have been conceived ON one!... A lot like the average American....conceived, that is...in the back seat of a 1957 Chevrolet (truck or car), ergo, they (the German speaking population) have (the Girls, that is) legs up to their neck....From the exercise...And God bless ´em!

Moving along. As You, dear reader, have probably noticed...outside of my imbibing gargantuan amounts of beer (good stuff, not Coors) I´m something of a chain smoker and can happily report that Austria (near Switzerland, east of Germany, north of Italy, and most definitely EAST of New York City) is Smoker´s heaven!

....But!....(there´s always a "but", "butt"?)... Alas, the drinking dens and bars, least ways here in Linz, are NOT required to install any kind of ventilation system,
ergo, not only do these beer havens smell like yesterday´s ashtray but the current cigarette smoke/fog pervades like a good ol´ Jazz club of yore.

Forget the Camels/Marlboro stench in your clothes; even MY eyes are strained, scorched, and constantly watering!

YAY! Come and have a pint in Linz!

Fortunately, here at the Cafe Max....in Linz...there´s some other red-haired hottie, who, whilst herself a smoker, sits by, and keep opening the door to the frigid cold Strasse, thus venting the place, providing a minutes´ - smoking hell - respite!

I gotta chuckle when I think of the average Cheech & Chong movie...and the hell the film crew must have endured.

To smoke, or not to smoke? -THAT really is the question.

As for Cheech & Chong? God bless ´em, too; who would probably tell you: smokers dont die. Cigarettes do. Joints prevail...even after they are done. And EX-smokers, usually...sadly...die prematurely, either thru being stressed out or in want of a cigarette!

(Smokers DO die, of course, in DROVES)

Anno-domini, spiritus; as anyone got a light?


Linz?... Meeting Natasha is a bust, for after 5 minutes of hugs:

"You´re a week LATE!"

"I know."

"Fucker!"

"Bitch!"

"I love you, you asshole."

"I love you, too."

"I have to fly back to Paris, tomorrow."

"I know...It sucks."

"So do you."

"I know."

"So?"

"In the next Life..."

"Yes."

"We´ll always have Paris...!"

"We always DO." she says, finally.


And our faces grow/go pale.



c 2010. davedelacroix/our man in europe/cafe max/linz-austria