A natural treasure
Austria: one of Europe’s most water-wealthy countries.
An elderly lady was once asked which modern invention she appreciated most. Several suggestions were offered: the telephone, the car, the aeroplane. She shook her head at all of them. How about electricity or television? Again she shook her head. After pondering the point for several more minutes, she replied: running water.
Most of us take running water for granted. The only time we think about it is when we turn on the tap and water doesn’t come out. One of the greatest accomplishments of the Roman Empire was its vast system of aqueducts. Even today, a steady supply of fresh, clean water can make the difference between disease and health and, in many countries, between life and death.
In several Indian states dams and boreholes are running dry while thousands of water tankers are needed, every day, to supply towns and villages with drinking water. Crops, livestock are suffering, too. A continent which could always rely on generous annual monsoon rains to replenish its groundwater sources is facing an existential crisis. Closer to home, several Greek islands are now very dry, surviving on regular water deliveries from the mainland by ship. Although winter rainfall, collected and stored in underground cisterns, contributes somewhat to the water supply, it isn’t enough for the islanders as well as tourists.
Fortunately Austria is blessed with an abundance of excellent water. Apart from its many lakes, it has reserves in deep underground caverns supplied by winter snows. Salzburg’s clear water bubbles out of local springs and the mountain ranges surrounding the city. It is channeled through the town in ancient, wellmaintained water courses, feeding its beautiful Baroque fountains which sparkle and glitter with moisture.
Salzburg’s princely rulers knew how to make the most of this treasure, for man and beast, especially their horses, for which the iconic “Pferdetränke” was created. However the prince bishop’s idea of a joke was less elegant: it involved jets of icy water dousing inebriated courtiers and guests at outdoor banquets, while the host sat high and dry – a royal twist to the dirty trick? Fortunately the Austrian tradition of serving a glass of water alongside coffee – said to be of Moorish origin – continues, showing how water has always been valued, implying “Our water is as precious and delicious as our coffee”.
Whisky, “the water of life”, is known as “usquebaugh” in Gaelic. (This became usky, then whisky, in English). Some Highlanders drink it “half and half with lots of water” while malt whisky zealots add a splash of pure (not soda) water, which modifies the molecular composition of the whisky, opening up aromas and flavours. Scotch on the rocks might have been “the thing” in the 1960s but any barman worth his salt today would look askance if you ordered it.
If you’ve been in hospital for surgery, you will probably have dreamed of a nice, long shower or soothing bath. Your skin craves a good wash. Not allowed to shower for several long weeks, when at last that first spray of cleansing water splashes over your body or you soak in scented, silky watery bliss, you experience pure joy.
Today, when you wash your hands, take a few minutes to think about the water, as it flows over your palms and through your fingers. Be thankful that, as the water is washing away the dirt and grime from your hands, you live in a country with some of the best, purest water in the world.
And let’s face it, on a hot day, there is nothing so wonderfully refreshing as a cool glass of spring water.