The Missing Button

I spent 4 ays in Vienna catching up with long lost cousins, whom I last met 7 years ago, and re-visiting a city I visited in 1980! The first thing I wanted to do was to see the white Spanish horses perform. 31 years ago, I had just enough money to visit their stables. The price of the show ticket was out of my range as I was on a tight budget having planned to spend 3 months roaming Europe & UK.

I watched with much amazement at what the hoses could do and was determined to try horseback riding again. Failing that, I was thinking about how I could train Chloe to trot and "dance' like those Lipizzans. She is black and they are white ... but they started as black foals anyway!

Vienna is full of beautiful old buildings, magnificent churches, cathedrals and quaint cobbled stone streets. Branded-name shops stand side by side with ice cream parlours, eateries, hotels, supermarkets and pharmacies. All have beautifully clean and modern interiors with their proud ancient facade. They have much history and of course culture. This is the home and playground of many well known composers. Opera houses and performances are everywhere. You can buy a ticket from any of the Mozart look-alikes on the street. Of course you can end up with an invalid ticket too!

Vienna is also full of people. It is a popular tourist destination.

What struck me when I was in my hotel lift and other lifts, was the missing "door close" button. It was the same when I was in Budapest. They have two sets of buttons and both are "door open" buttons. I pondered on this when I was looking to close the lift doors. They have no need for a "door close" button because the doors will close ... eventually. You just need to wait.

I remember someone pointing out the fact that in any lift in Singapore, the most worn out button was the "door close" button. We are always in a hurry, always rushing, always happy to have beaten the other person to the lift and always pressing that "door close" button. A gracious society, I think, would have a worn out "door open" button.

Next time you enter a lift, take note and try NOT to press that "door close" button. My guess is that if you don't, someone else will. Still ... something to think about.