A few more stories to share from my trip to Salzburg and what else is there to do on this very rainy Friday evening?

Any time I feel like complaining about my stressful job, I’m thinking of this man (men, really) and his definitely smelly job.

I first became aware of these men on Friday evening after my return from Munich. I was relaxing in my room when I heard the distinct clip-clop sound of hooves, many hooves, on the street. Since it was an unusual sound (my hotel was not in Alt Stadt where this sound might have been commonplace), I got up to look out my window. Directly below me were several horse or pony pairings, pulling longer wagons than their usual carriages, capable of seating around ten and with a roof and plastic-covered sides to offset the chill of the evening. They appeared to be lined up right outside the door to the Pitter Keller, that fabulous restaurant in the basement of the hotel. I saw no one getting off the wagons or getting on, so I’m not sure why they were in the neighborhood.

A few shots of the usual pony’s / horses seen every day in Alt Stadt Salzburg

In a few minutes the lead pair moved out, away from the hotel and up the street, followed in a moment by the rest of the wagons, four or five altogether. Following the last wagon was a man on a modified bicycle (a reverse tricycle, if you will) with a big container in the front – as he drove by, directly below, I could see that there was a shovel resting in the container as well as a lot of brown stuff… instantly recognizable as horse poop.

I had two sightings of the poop scooper on my last day around town. One time as I walked along the river I caught a photo of the back side of one of the men on his modified bicycle. A second time in the Festival district I saw one of the men actually scooping horse poop, thereby confirming my obvious theory on these men’s duties.

Tail end view of the poop scoop man and his modified bicycle

You know what? It could be worse, I’m sure, and it probably IS some kind of living…

Check back for posts about Austrian food, my review of The Original Sound of Music Tour, and the surprising new goal my trip has inspired.