#Weekendcoffeeshare Bad Hofgastien, Austria

March 22, 2015 — #PaywithAPoem, Austria, free coffee, poetry day

pay with a poem

Today is World Poetry Day, 21 Mar, 2015. If we were having coffee today I would invite you to use your transporter cloak to travel to Austria for a special offer. Bäckerei Konditorei Cafe Confiserie Bauer Mühlbach/Hochkönig in Bad Hofgastein, Austria is one of many coffee shops honoring the day by accepting poems for payment.  This lovely town near Salzburg has it all, hot springs, ski area, and a jolly friendly populace.  I went there once for Carnival and had more fun than a barrel of monkeys.  The video below shows some of the town in costume ready to parade and party for Fasching (carnival).  When I was there the costume parade marched around the spa, playing music around the indoor pools.  It was hysterical to see from the water, where I was at the time.  Later we danced the night away with Austrians and our friends who came down from Germany to meet us.  It was one of the most festive occasions I have attended in my life, unforgettable.  Make sure you take a dip in the thermal water before you leave.  It is wonderful for the body and the soul.

I have been writing, reading, and studying poetry in preparation for April, which is poetry month.  I endeavor to write a poem every day in April, and I hoped that some study and preparation would bring better results this year.  Once immersed in poems and words, I hardly care if my own writing improves.  I just think it is fun and enriching to explore the works of written fancy.  I have been learning about the lives of the poets as well, which is maybe the most interesting facet of the study.  Poets come from every direction and occupation.  There is no common denominator. They start writing at all ages, and are both self-taught and learned.  I find this to be inspiring because it means we all have voice, just waiting to be discovered and used.  I enjoy the process of developing the sense of poetic timing and sounds, along with subjects that matter.  I am learning that it takes time and concentration to create finished works, so I am patient about my own output.  It is enjoyable in itself, so I do it for the fun rather than for my own legacy as a writer.

I look forward to hearing how your week has gone and what is new in your life, gentle reader.  After we catch up on current events we need to sit and create our poems to pay for these fancy coffees.  The Austrians invented the coffee-house culture, and they are no slouches when it comes to variety.  They always serve coffee with a glass of water, which I have not seen anywhere else in the world.  The crystal light fixtures, the formal service, and the perfectly prepared drinks set the right atmosphere for a long luxurious talk about everything and nothing.  The view of the mountains is even poetic. It should be fairly easy to create a poem here in this place of beauty to pay for our coffee.  Thanks for joining me here for World Poetry Day.

#Weekendcoffeeshare