I suppose this winter will go down in history as the one that never came. No matter, we still went skiing, even if only a week this time. We went to Flachau again, loved it even more than last year, and already booked the place for next year. One of my favorite things about living in Austria is that our ski vacation in February is becoming a tradition. Priceless!

One tradition that can’t be disturbed by the lack of snow is the ball season. Vienna remains the capital of the Waltz and various balls, one more glamorous than the other. While Venice celebrates the carnival season in its own splendid way, Vienna offers over 300 balls during the same season. The most popular ones are those taking place at the Rathaus, in Schönbrunn, and the Hofburg. The themes vary from flowers (the Flower Ball), candy (Bonbon Ball), hunting (Jägerball), aids charity (Life Ball), gays and lesbians (Rosenball) and many many more.

Every imaginable organisation has its ball event. The ball season is an industry. Over 300,000 people contribute about 51 million Euros (70 million USD) to the economy in this way. The ball ticket is only a small portion of the cost. There is the ball gown, the makeup, the hairdresser, the champagne, the snack (a humble frankfurter costs about 10 bucks). The society’s “who’s whos” launch themselves into a showoff competition around this time of year, which provides fresh materials for an otherwise bored press.

The ultimate event in this party season is usually the Wiener Opernball. It is the ball where everyone from politics to Vienna’s rich and beautiful makes an appearance. And it is all about making an appearance, the dance floor is so crowded that all you can do is step on other women’s gowns, waltzing you wouldn’t get very far. The event usually starts at about 10pm with the arrival of the president and the Austrian hymn. Then the debutantes have the floor. 176 pairs were selected this year to open the ball of all balls. Every year thousands of young people from all over the world apply for the honor, only a few make it. This year’s lucky debutantes included Miss Ukraine, girls from Japan and England, a Dubai princess, two Austrian sisters, and many more.

After a selected group of debutant pairs performed the opening ceremony, lovely Anna Netrebko appeared in a white horse drawn carriage. She is currently opera’s sexiest star, and an Austrian citizen as of last year. The diva sang an aria from Manon, and her voice sounded just as beautiful as she is (although I am no opera fan). Meanwhile the tv viewer could see how everyone from big business people to the new government was enjoying the show from their own private box. There was one particular box that got the attention all night long, and the inhabitants were practically trapped in it. Famous Viennese parvenu Richard Lugner has the habit of brining a famous guest each year to the Opera ball. He has escorted women like Sophia Loren, Ivana Trump, and Pamela Anderson to the ball in the past. This year his heart was set on none other than Paris Hilton (never thought that name would show up on my blog). And the Hilton heir came, smiled and waved professionally, but otherwise seemed to be very bored with the whole affair, and under siege by a hungry pack of journalists who were not restrained by police, all trying to get a piece of her. But Miss Hilton managed to stay locked up in her box all night and then safely moved on to Ischgl the next day where she was hired to market canned champagne.

I only stayed up about an hour, just to watch the opening. The program continued with interviews of famous people attending the ball, probably more shots of the dancing floor where mostly “commoners” mingle, and some more shots of the beautiful people. The next day the press proclaimed the ball was a success, and that it brought in a revenue in the range of millions. I guess it would have to be, since the Opera lives from state aid the rest of the year. Nevertheless, the ball is a Viennese institution and it will go on for as long as Strauss is played. Alles Walzer (all Waltz)!