Imagine you are standing on a street corner. The woman walking past you has a cigar between her teeth and two poodles trotting behind her. What would you make of this woman? Would you see her as an eccentric but interesting woman you would like to get to know? Suppose I told you that she ran a hotel and kept separate rooms for the pleasure of her richer guests? If I told you this, would you disapprove? After all, it sounds as though she is running a brothel, doesn't it? But let me tell you now that she never disclosed the identities of her guests. The lady knew the value of discretion. And she needed to. After all, it was in her hotel that Emperor Franz Joseph's heir and only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, asked his mistress if she would enter a suicide pact with him. Finding this lady less than responsive, Rudolph ended his life in 1889 with someone who was willing to die with him, teenager Marie Vetsera.
Suppose I told you about another side to her personality. In the years of imperial decline after 1914, this lady opened her hotel to the poor and needy. So, now we can include the words generous and kindness to our description of this lady, can't we? Unfortunately, this individual did not enjoy a happy dotage. Vienna in the 1920s was not the glamorous place it had once been. The lady died in 1930. Her hotel lives on to this day. However, next time you are in Vienna and you sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of local chocolate cake, spare a thought for that outrageous woman in the pic below. Let me introduce you to Anna Sacher. It was she who gave her name to that piece of cake you are now enjoying. So - be silent as you eat your Sachertorte, and bow your head over your plates as Frau Sacher passes by.
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