Breaking news ... Austria overturns smoking ban
Monday, December 11, 2017 at 17:49 In the last hour it’s been reported that Austria is to drop its planned smoking ban, ‘bucking Western trend’.
I’ve only visited Austria once, in 2011, but I liked it very much and wrote about it here:
If you've never been to Vienna I strongly recommend it, if only for the legendary coffee houses. This time yesterday I was enjoying breakfast – or should I say frühstück – at Café Landtmann which is said to have been popular with Sigmund Freud, Marlene Dietrich, Burt Lancaster and Paul McCartney.
According to their website, "The Café Landtmann offers a big non-smoking area as well as large facilities for our guests who wish to smoke". We were sitting in what appeared to be the largest indoor area and as far I could tell there was an ashtray at every table allowing customers to eat, drink and smoke at the same time. A more civilised way to start the day I cannot imagine.
Café Landtmann wasn't the first coffee house I visited yesterday and smoking was allowed in every one. An increasing number of Viennese restaurants ban smoking indoors but not the one where I had lunch, so everyone has a choice, including staff.
The previous day I wrote:
Currently in a Viennese bar overlooking the Danube. People are smoking ... just as they were in the hotel restaurant last night. Writing as a non-smoker, I genuinely consider it to be the height of civility and quite wonderful to behold. I can't understand why Britain doesn't try it.
I’m not yet sure of the full details of this volte face (it may not be as dramatic as it sounds) but I’ll try and find out.
In the meantime ... rejoice!
Reader Comments (1)
Good news for a change; hopefully the start of a trend!