The Dream That You Wish Will Come True

"A dream is a wish your heart makes

When it's fast asleep

In dreams you lose your heartaches

Whatever you wish for, you keep.

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow will come smiling through

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

The dream that you wish will come true"

-Cinderella

I have recently learned that dreams come true in Vienna. Case in point: have you ever watched the elegant, elaborate dance scenes in movies such as Pride and Prejudice or Cinderella and wish that experiences like that still existed and that, furthermore, you could partake in such an event? I have always loved those scenes and of course wished I could dance with Mr. Darcy at a ball. When I picked up a guide book of Vienna back in November and noticing that January and February were the heart of Ball Season in Vienna, I knew I had picked the right place. When and where else would I ever again get the chance to experience something such as that? Naturally, I accepted the fact that I might spend a greater part of my pocket change in order to attend some of the balls open to the public. The first week we were there, Sue and I talked to a girl working with our program and found out about the Ball der Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Ball), which promised to be one of the most anticipated balls. Full length dresses required for women while tails, tux, or uniform were required for the men. There was to be a dance floor for waltzing, and in addition - a diskotethque with more modern music. We were obviously sold right from the start. Many adventures led up to this wonderful night, including (but not limited to): the search for an affordable 'perfect' ball gown and shoes, the search for WHERE we actually buy the tickets to the ball, how to affordably 'hem' said perfect ball gown in time, and of course deciding on how best to wear our make-up and hair. While one of these is never the easiest of tasks for an important event, accomplishing all 3 almost flawlessly in the course of a week seemed near impossible. And yet.

Thursday rolls around and we're all giggles, wide grins, anticipation and hope etched into every inch of our faces. Will we be asked to dance? By per chance our 'Prince Charming?' How could we not believe this fairy tale could come true when we were to go to a BALL? And then it was time to finish getting ready and head to the ball.

Sue, Me, Whitney, Ellen, and Emily:

Floor length ball gown - CHECK!

Smiles for the night - CHECK!

Naturally, we fit in just perfectly taking the U-Bahn (underground subway) in our ball gowns. And by that, I mean we're fairly certain we were a part of the maybe .01% who took the subway. What awaits us but the most beautiful room in the entire world, filled with hundreds of bouquets of real flowers, the Wiener Philharmonik, a jazz band, and hundreds of the finest dancing Austrians you could find.

We spent the first hour or so just watching from above. Apparently, every single Austrian above the age of 16 can waltz flawlessly. No joke. You can see evidence on Whit's blog if you don't believe me. Note for if you ever go to a fancy ball in Vienna: while in everyday life you stick to just your usual neutral colors and fur coats, here anything goes: the brightest colors you've ever seen, feathers, sequins, as much cleavage as you care to show - anything. It's all there. However, also note: they also are all perfect dancers. Not just the waltz - also the polka, tango, and many I've never seen before. This includes one of those dances like in Pride and Prejudice where you wonder how everyone knows the dance and whether they are in fact all professional dancers. At the announcer's call, everyone grabbed a partner and proceeded in an incomprehensible well-known (apparently) dance that turned into everyone at the same time waltzing as fast as they could around in a circle:

After, they all formed a huge form of a tunnel comparable to those in the US after a sports game, except that everyone was dressed to the 9's and waltzed when they got out of the tunnel...obviously, right?

I will keep you in suspense no longer - I did not find a Prince Charming, as most of the men not already attached who were actually in attendance were well over Charming's age. I did however waltz. In Vienna. At a ball. What more could a girl ask for? Please understand why we believe we are OBVIOUSLY princesses. These things don't happen to anyone else, right? Right.

While Charming was MIA, I did get to dance with one of the taller men around...in case you're wondering, yes. It's very odd to try to waltz with someone almost twice your size. Especially a fast waltz, which that song naturally was. I also got the chance to dance with this nice older man who thought I looked French and who liked to spin and sang along with the classical music being played by the Philharmonic. Naturally, had he been a little bit younger, I might have found my Viennese man! :D In the middle of the song, all of a sudden he says, "And now we spin! I do LOVE to spin!" All I could say was "Well that works! I love to spin, too!" It was lovely. I'll leave you with a picture of the two TU princesses in attendance that evening (AHEM: night/morning, as it lasted until 5am and NATURALLY we stayed until the end!):