Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken time out from the fire storm and messy divorce back home to bask in the glory and adulation bestowed upon him by fans in his native country, Austria. The former body builder, Hollywood star, and California governor returned to the village of Thal, near the southern city of Graz, to formally open up the Schwarzenegger Museum in the renovated two-century-old house of his birth.
The crowd of hundreds gave Arnold a much better reception than he could ever expect after acknowledging he fathered a child with his family’s housekeeper. The former governor’s infidelity led to a media frenzy and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, filing for divorce.
However, there would be no sign of Arnold’s troubles at home on this day. The crowd braved the brisk down-pouring rain to watch Scwarzenegger unveil a 7′ 1/2″ bronze statue of himself, and to get the chance to shake the hand of their national hero.
Arnold’s museum is a repository of items that include his first dumbbell, photos of young Arnie with his parents and siblings, several life-size Terminator models and the polished dark wooden desk he sat behind as California’s governor.
Interestingly enough, there is no reference to his recent family drama albeit very understandable that Austria’s most famous living son would prefer to reminisce on the accomplishments of the past rather than deal with the painful present.
See more photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s museum in Austria below:
