Vienna, Austria
Today we are headed home via Toronto. We are sick. We are exhausted. We are going on auto-pilot. But we had an amazing New Year’s Eve celebration last night - so it feels worth it.
Last night was literally one of the best nights of my life. We indulged in an evening of extravagance - well outside our normal budget travel style - and it was worth it!
First, let’s talk about “Ball Culture” in Austria and why this is the perfect place to ring in the New Year. New Year’s Eve is the opening night of Viennese Ball Season, which lasts through the winter. Locals and tourists alike attend over 400 balls throughout the city annually as the primary social gatherings of the year.
This tradition can be dated back to the 18th century when Emperor Joseph II opened parts of the palace to the public for dances similar to the masquerade balls enjoyed by the upper class. Though each ball is different, there are pretty strict customs and dress codes that can be found at every ball. The Viennese Waltz is the dance of the night no matter which ball you attend. Basically, Viennese people have a legitimate excuse to get dolled up
We have lugged Josh’s tux and my fancy dress, petticoat and faux fur around this whole trip. I was so excited to finally get dressed up on our last day!
I made appointments for hair and makeup at the hotel salon earlier in the week. It was quite a fancy salon with male and female stylists. There was a - I’m going to call him the manager stylist for lack of a better term - who they would consult with about the vision of the look and what not. He said too many curls were “no good” for my face!! Haha! So I let them do their magic and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
Though we indulged with attending the ball, we still couldn't stomach the idea of spending excessive money on a car or taxi. Though, I did consider going by horse drawn carriage - because, ya know, why not. But, I worry about the mistreatment of those horses. So we went by U-Bahn - the public transportation.
Josh was uncomfortable about being so fancy on the metro. But I assured him there was no way we would be the only people dressed in Black Tie formal wear. We were.
Everyone was staring - which was awkward for Josh. But, I quite enjoyed the attention and all the smiles. Lots of people said they loved my poofy dress - especially the old ladies. One Italian grandma stopped me and shouted “Bellissimo! Bellissimo!” while clapping her hands.
When we arrived at the ball we were seated at our table for the evening. We shared our table with the most delightful people! A really nice couple from San Francisco (who share the same tradition as us of going somewhere new for New Years every year); a couple of young doctors from the Bahamas but living in London now, and a Canadian couple from Toronto - the husband was a criminal defense lawyer with a solo practice, as well.
My brother gave a toast (more like a roast) at my 30th birthday party and told everyone that basically my only friends are male lawyers in their 60s/70s. He may not be too far off - because I spent most of the evening talking with, Perry, my long-haired, 65+, Canadian, lawyer friend. His local bar dues are $5000.00! That includes malpractice insurance - but that‘s only $1200.00 of the cost! We talked about this and our practices a lot.
Dinner was 5 courses and we literally ate throughout the entire night. The first course was served around 8:15 and the final course of bonbons was served just before midnight with champagne. Speaking of which, the wine flowed freely with bottles being left on the table (but the waiter would still come pour for you).
Then, there was the dancing. A Chamber group of musicians played classical music throughout the night. People waltzed throughout the evening - in between dinner courses. This is when the REAL dancers came out. There were quite clearly many professionals and it was incredible to watch them glide across the dance floor.
At some point in the evening there was a brief preformance of selections from Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” or The Bat with opera singers and ballet dancers.
Just before midnight, everyone went outside on the balcony facing the main city square where a HUGE (time square-esq) celebration was taking place. There was a giant stage, loud music and thousands of people. We counted down with the crowd below and then the most amazing fireworks display that I have literally every seen lit up the city sky and lasted around 15 minutes. It was absolutely magical!
After that, the party was really just getting started. The dance floor was opened with the traditional waltz (this time everyone was out there, not just the professionals). Josh and I laughed and twirled our way through the dance as best we could. We only bumped into a half dozen other dancers or so.
A traditiuonal Viennese New Year snack is goulash which is eaten after midnight. Ours were served buffet style with huge bread rolls.
By the time we finished our goulash, the dance floor was alive with tons of people dancing to a live band playing popular songs spanning decades and languages - though most was American rock in English, of course. We danced and danced!
Around 1, Gisele Jackson came out of preformed some of her hits. The ball ended at 2:30 a.m., but we left a few minutes early to take the U-Hahn back to the hotel and catch a few hours of sleep.
Even though I am tired, I‘m still riding out this high on life feeling of spending a night like a real princess at a ball!
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