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Kissing Fiaker / Vienna

The Man-Horse relationship goes back many centuries in many parts of the world — for war, for farming, and also for controversial entertainment. Vienna is one of the global centers where tourism and horse carriages continue to be a beloved attraction, inspired by the 17th-century Paris where the Irish patron Saint for cab drivers was Saint Fiacre. Hence the Fiaker, meaning a horse-drawn carriage, as well as being the official name for the Viennese horse-drawn carriage driver.

I arrived in my beloved Wien, knowing that the next day I would be once more sitting in Café Hawelka for my daily cup of coffee. This is one of the several traditional Viennese coffeehouses, located just three small blocks from the St. Sthephan’s Dom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral), where many of the 200 Vienna Fiaker could be found.

Because in Vienna I often know where I am going, I go quite slow. The slowness allowed me to spot a Fiaker who, in my eyes, was acting a bit strange with his horses. While I kept observing his behavior, and taking pictures of the process, it became clear to me that he was lovingly playing with his horses. All the gentle playfulness resulted in a kiss.