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An Unusual Farewell - Charley Steidl
An Unusual Farewell - Charley Steidl
Farewells belong to the rhythm of life. And, sometimes these farewells are best understood when viewed through the distance of years. And this is how Charley Steidl remembers a day from long, long ago.
It was 1939, late summer, still hot and the second Sunday in September. And, Charley Steidl, although still only three at the time, remembers this day as if only last week.
Because of the wonderful weather, his mother and father and aunty and uncle and three of his cousins had decided to spend the day at the Viennese Prata, an amusement park just close to the centre of town. And, the Prata with its rides, swings and roundabouts was not only a wonderful place for kids, but perfect for grownups, too. And, Charlie Steidl even won a toy African elephant. Charlie Steidl and his cousins were happy. Their world was in order! But, this magical day, Charlie recalls, was not only for having lots of good fun, there was the eating. And, they ate!
Lunch was spent at Emminger's, a restaurant very close to the Prata. Charley remembers that the meal was good, but, of course, no longer recalls what it was. And, then after finishing lunch, the party moved on to the Hauswirt, another nearby restaurant for afternoon coffee and cakes. And, then with evening coming on, Charley's father ordered another main meal of roast goose, dumplings and red cabbage. And, the fun and the eating carried on until late.
And, of course, it was only much later in life that Charley Steidl understood the meaning of this wonderful day. His family weren't being greedy, they were simply saying goodbye to the good times of having enough. And they were right! Within just a short space of time, the world was at war and there was no longer enough food to go round. There were to be no more days out at the Prata and no more big meals for a very long time.
Farewells belong to the rhythm of life. And, Charlie Steidl has happily had only one farewell to food. And, that was the day he was taken to the fare and won a little grey elephant from Africa.
Charlie Steidl. He said goodbye with a meal and a day full of fun. A day he's never forgotten - and a day that only came once.
Charley Steidl - An Unusual Farewell
Vocabulary
eclipsed – (eclipse/eclipsed/eclipsed) - verfinstern
fare – Vergnügungspark
farewells – Verabschiedungen
greedy – gierig
inflatable – aufblasbar
meaning – Bedeutung
recall (to recall/recalled/recalled) – erinnern
rhythm – Rhythmus
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