Here is the Rub
Rubbing delicate parts of a statue is thought all over the world to bring about luck. At least tourists and students believe in this magic in many cities.
Well-wishers rub the nose of Greyfriars Bobby, a patient dog statue in Edinburgh. His story can break the heart. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, mostly students touch the toes of John Harvard’s shoes. The toe caps of both shoes are shiny, while the high heels remain black. In Verona, if you are lucky with lining up, you may touch the boobs of Juliette without inviting charges for child molestation. Juliette’s right breast has been rubbed more frequently than the left one. And in New York City’s Timer Warner Center at Columbus Circle, you have Fernando Botero’s (God rest his soul) giant and no doubt portly Adam and Eve statues, and you may already guess that so many people touch Adam’s rather small but prominent penis that it has been worn to a shining golden color. For the record: Eve’s body is untouched.
We in Budapest have an early 20th century policeman statue on the corner of October 6 and Zrínyi Streets, leading up to the Government evicted Central European University’s old entrance. The jovial cop’ sizeable belly is shining gold as a result of friendly touching.
So, what kind of city is this, we may ask our question once again?
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