How to Prepare for a Masquerade Ball

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Its not the hills that are alive with the sound of music, its the streets of Vienna.

If you ask the Viennese about their city, they will undoubtedly mention, "QUALITY of life". Vienna, Austria is said to have one of the highest qualities of life of any city in the world. From environmental consciousness to cultural opportunities and workplace logistics, the residents of Vienna seem to have it made. As a city known for music, is has produced an incredible amount of talent.

Famous musical talent that has sprung from Vienna include Josef Haydn, Wolfgang Mozart, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, and even Beethoven for a time, despite his near-deafness. The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud lived here until the Nazi occupation in 1938. Today, Vienna still boasts of its musical talent, among other things.

I saw a post card today glorifying wiener schnitzel. It is one of Austria' gastronomic claims to fame. After multiple, lengthy debates about the term "schnitzel" I have correctly identified its usage. The debate was between the idea that "schnitzel" should be used as a verb (I schnitzeled the meat) or as a noun (my schnitzel was delicious).

Environmentally, Austria and has incredibly high standards. In Vienna, recycling is compulsory. I was told that a man is actally hired by the city and comes around to check garbage cans for glass. A ticket is issued if the resident has failed to recycle. The metro stations and even streets are very clean: often, if someone is done smoking a cigarette, they will hold it until they get to the next trash can. Even cigarette butts are consciously disposed of (sometimes). Vienna houses the Fernwarme incinerator, one of the largest waste re-processing plants. As a by-product, the incinerator generates heating for the homes of Vienna.

Half of Vienna is parkland, more than any other European capital. The public transport is based on an honor system: no turnstiles or gates, only the occasional official asking for tickets.

For all of its glory and my glossy brochure type description, Vienna has a few pitfalls. Nobodys perfect. Xenophobia is a problem here, with a serious fear of foreigners. Many Turks and Eastern Europeans have emigrated here to grab a piece of that high quality of life. Fear of the unknown proves to be too great for acceptance, and many Viennese seem to act standoffish to outsiders.

Kristen and I hopped off of our train from Budapest to meet our Couchsurfing host, Leo. Leo is a university student studying art and working on the McDonalds birthday party campaign. In his free time, he likes to play hockey and perform magic tricks to kids. He has been one of the most unique and delightfully charming people I have stayed with.

Our first night in Vienna, Leo's friends invited him (and his two ladies) to meet at the National Bibleotek-or the National Library-for a Masquerade Ball. We jumped at the chance to get dressed up, but were slightly hindered by our lack of appropriate dress. The invitation warned that "heels and elegant dress" were required for the ladies and "black suit" for the guys. I happened to leave my elegance at home, after 6 months of pure, grungy travel. This situation was amended by a quick phone call to a friend, and a successful visit to borrow clothes. After the shoes and dress were taken care of, we set to work on the masks. Out came the cardboard, tape, stapler, markers, spray paint, and Christmas ornaments. We dug through his entire apartment, searching through old shoe boxes and under the kitchen sink. After two hours, we were able to produce two very exotic-looking masks. Needless to say, once we arrived at the ball, we received a lot of attention for our homemade outfits.

Just another night in Vienna!

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Comments

[Amy Snyder]

Vienna
My brother studied abroad in Vienna for a year. My family visited him during Christmas. It was a very interesting trip! Schnitzel reminded me of chicken fried steak! We didnt get to attend a ball though! That looked like so much fun!