Museum Hours Page #2

It's quite a thing,

to be able to watch people's impressions.

And it's as if we, the guards, can be invisible.

I see the one kid on their own, maybe

holding back at the tail of the class.

Perhaps it's a girl, or a boy,

looking furtively at the discus-thrower,

whose ass so tenderly rests on a tree,

and the tree seeming very dead in comparison.

I've seen this happen again and again.

Where else can one look at such a thing,

and without shame,

because after all, one is in a very fine art museum?

Of course, these days they could just go online

and see all the Internet porn they want,

but it's different here, the way it feels for them.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it is.

And on Sundays, for example, there's an

immigrant's party here that we love...

It's a big spectacle to admire

on the huge church grounds.

This big gathering of black birds.

And I like to walk up to the church,

because the church is really unbelievable,

and you go to the back, and walk over the hill

to the Johann-Staud-Gasse,

and it's always a unique view.

The most-asked question is probably

of course, "Where is the bathroom?"

Naturally, we tire of it, though in the

case of the most obnoxious visitors

who ask in the rudest ways, there is the option

of sending them on what we guards call

"the scenic route."

But we all in life have to use the place,

so if they ask politely,

there's no point being bothered.

Price or value is a common question, too,

and not just amongst schoolchildren.

It makes me think about the English word "priceless,"

and wonder if a painting could actually be priceless

in the sense

that no price could be put on it.

And if so, and it was in a museum and not for sale,

if that could mean it was somehow set free

from all such accounting?

Many of the works considered greatest in the museums

were worth little or nothing in their day,

and many of the artists who made them died poor,

and yet they sit side by side with paintings

that were of great renown and sold for fortunes.

Side by side they hang,

and if you weren't told,

would you know which was which?

Johann the Elder.

Only 1.2 meters deep, it's not very deep.

Every day we have to pump out 60,000 liters

so that the lake stays like this,

otherwise the water will rise up to the white line

and then we can't drive the boats here any longer.

The water can go that high, but it is very clean water

and we always keep it at 1.2 meters deep.

And now we're driving 14 meters

underneath the little blue lake.

Hello, my name is Leitner.

I've a missed call from Dr. Winterstein.

Yes, thank you, I'll stay on the line.

Yes, Dr. Winterstein, this is Leitner.

You've called me?

Oh, yes.

Well, should we come?

Thank you. Yes. I'll tell her.

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