Austria and a Viennese Ball

A free glass of wine, courtesy of the student government, relaxed the students on three coach busses heading east, far from Bologna, away from the confines of studies, the darkness would lift and in the morning, they would find themselves in a land of imperial dynasties and a center of European history. But not before some individuals on Bus 3, which happened to contain me as well, supplemented their free wine with cheap whisky and Italian beer and spent part of the night taking care of one of their friends, snapping photos, and gleefully replaying his less than dignified performance the night before as he wondered why he smelled so awful in the morning…
We groggily departed the busses and checked into our hotel rooms. In a place known for its cafes, I went out to a real breakfast at a most beautiful one with large wooden tables, high ceilings, chandeliers, and waiters dressed impeccably. They offered a wonderful real breakfast consisting of crusty rolls (back to a land of German baked goods- oh the difference!) with fresh butter, eggs, ham, fresh squeezed orange juice, and Viennese coffee, which is like a cappuccino with less foam. Revived and ecstatic to have a breakfast consisting of more than one pastry, some of us set off into the city to walk around its sights. The large cathedral in the middle of a pedestrian zone was a good meeting spot and we traveled along the ring road, passing historical buildings and amazing architecture, ending up at the Danube… which is a little less romantic in person than in your mind.

That evening, all transformed from scruffy students into debutantes and gentlemen; the fellows donned tuxedos and ladies went to the hairdressers to complement their intricate ball gowns. 210 SAIS’ers and their guests (our entire student body isn’t that big!) started the evening at a wine reception in the Museum auf Abruf- a gallery which shelters the contemporary art collection of the Department for Cultural Affairs of the City of Vienna. Here a SAIS alum, who heads this department, (how can I land a gig like that!) welcomed us to his city.

Walking to the for the actual ball, many of us stopped at the many small market stands set up close by and had German Christmas market food for dinner… in our formal wear. I had wonderful ham on good dense bread with sharp mustard and fresh horseradish (if you have been paying attention, this is my second serving of ham in the same day)… heavenly, but it could explain why I didn’t get asked to dance more…

The many rooms in the expansive Hofburg (built originally as a medieval castle, expanded into a residence for the all-powerful Habsburgs, currently home to home to offices of the Austrian President, National Library, Schatzkammer Imperial Treasury, Museum of Ethnography, the Spanish Riding School, and many intoxicated foreigners trying to master elegant 19th centrury dances) where the IAEA was having their ball each held surprises. Some had bars and sold appetizers, one had an oyster bar, another with hot dogs! One small room near the grand central staircase boasted a swing band and inexpensive wine while another, with a wall of windows looking into a courtyard, featured different Latin music all night. On the bottom floor was an 80’s dance room.

The main ballroom, however, was the sight to behold. Debutantes in white dresses all had their time to shine as they made their first appearance with their dates and showed us all how to properly waltz. Other events in the room included a square dance, different waltzes throughout the evening, and even an Abba cover band- completely dressed to the part.

We had two rooms to call our own, which were next to the small stage where the Celtic band played and people pretended to know how to Riverdance. We had a champagne toast in those rooms and could come and put up our feet, which was quite necessary for ladies who are used to wearing boots or sneakers day in and day out.

Until about 5am we kicked off the new day dancing in the 80’s room, everyone just letting go and going making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can say I danced with one random dude who works at the IAEA, whose name I’ll never know. One of the band leaders, about 60 years old and resembling Kofi Anan, got up on the bar and danced for us. Taxis took us to our hotel rooms for a few hours of sleep. My roommate and I spent the morning watching Darkwing Duck dubbed into English.

We had the entire of Sunday to run around Vienna and walked around, took pictures, went to a few museums. We got to see a wonderful Klimt and Schiele exhibit at the Albertina. I knew nothing of Schiele before this but can say his work amazed me and his life story is nothing short of tragic.

Managed to find some fun sights. I had multiple servings of good, seedy Austrian bread. We hopped upon our busses at about 9pm and managed to get a few hours of sleep before we arrived at 7am in Bologna. The entire student body went home and slept. I have not taken a nap without being sick in years… I didn’t even make it under my covers.

I am taking a class called “Evolution of the International System” which is a European-centered history of the world since Napoleon, and we were just learning of the Congress of Vienna before going there so it was amazing to see the actual sights where these world-changing decisions were agreed upon… and to ice skate in front of them while dancing the Macarena with your friends… oh life, you are simply too good to me…