Laetitia wrote a second limerick based on another unique feature of Stadttheater Grein. There is a loo in the left sidewall separated from the auditorium by a curtain. One enthroned there could part the curtain slightly and continue to watch the performance.
The loo at Stadttheater Grein
Is of an unusual design
While seated, ’tis certain
One can peer through its curtain
And avoid missing a single line.
Stadttheater Grein was established in 1791, the oldest recorded municipal theater in Austria. Laetitia and her group visited Grein and its theater while touring the upper Danube. The theater has a number of unique features. One is that the seats need to be unlocked with keys in order to be used. Another is that for a time the jail was in the same building with an opening in the wall that allowed the inmates to watch performances. They were often noisy and patrons often gave them food and spirits to shut them up. The visit spawned two limericks.
‘Tis said at Stadttheater Grein
Which was next to the jail for a time,
To keep inmates quiet
Patrons boosted their diet
By giving them food, beer and wine.
Laetita led a tour to Salzburg, Austria. The tour included the cathedral, the Mirabell Gardens and Mozart’s birthplace. She also took them to Fürst’s, the shop where Mozartkugeln were invented. Confectioner, Paul Fürst created the spheres of pistachio marzipan and nougat covered with dark chocolate in 1890. They still sell the original hand-made product at Café Konditorei Fürst in Salzburg. Laetitia chose Mozartkugeln as the subject of a limerick.
Ron gave Mozartkugeln to Sue
And a comical tiff did ensue
She said, “Its name appalls,
Kugeln translates as ‘balls;'”
And Ron laughed out loud ‘cause he had to.
When Laetitia was at Oberndorf, near the Danube in Austria, she decided to lead some other tours in the area. The first of these was to Dürnstein and the Wachau Valley wine country, famous for its Grüner Veltliner. Returning from the Third Crusade, Richard I of England (Lion Heart) was shipwrecked and held for ransom in Dürnstein Castle by Duke Leopold V of Austria. Later, he was moved to Trifels Castle in Germany. Richard’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, raised the ransom and obtained his release. When free again, Richard led a series of battles in France and built Chateau Galliard on the Seine near Rouen, but he died of an infected crossbow dart wound a few years thereafter.
In Wachau Valley, known for its wine
Is the quaint old walled village, Dürnstein,
There was “Lion Heart,” handsome,
Held for a large ransom
To boost Leopold’s bottom line.