Yes, I was out drinking coffee with someone again, this time at the Café Schwarzenberg. I hadn’t been for a while so noticed some changes: a line of people waiting for tables, a sign that explicitly tells people to choose a table (something that used to be assumed in Vienna), and a recently renovated women’s room.
You still have to watch the step down into the ladies’ room but the mirrors that were on the inside of the stall doors have been removed. That’s right. There used to be mirrors placed in such a way that you could watch yourself pee, although I don’t think that’s why they were there. I always assumed it had something to do with the fact that Schwarzenberg is one of the cafés that offers a Katerfrühstück in the ball season, that is a breakfast eaten on the way home to mitigate a hangover. I imagined ladies in ball dresses might need to make some adjustments to their attire that required such a set up. If they did need it, it’s now gone.
ecbinvienna 
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