Monthly Archive for February, 2009

A Night Out in Vienna, Austria

Vienna has a lot to offer in the way of entertainment. It isn’t called the cultural capital of Europe for nothing. Amazing theater, opera, museums, balls, concerts, you name it they have it here. Yeah okay, that’s all really great if you want to be proud of yourself for being so cultured. I myself like doing the above. But sometimes, some of us just want to go out and shamelessly party.

Not too long ago my husband and I enlisted two friends of ours and went out for a very fun Saturday night. Our first stop was Wein & Co Stephansplatz in the Inner City. It’s a very cool wine bar. We arrived at 6:30pm, which seems to be the happening time for the Viennese to visit a watering hole. Reservations are not accepted and the place was packed.

The wine list was surprisingly small, but the red bottle we settled on was divine. We stood around at the crowded bar for awhile until we had the luck of snagging a table. There we ordered cheese platters and proceeded to have a roaring good time with a few more bottles of wine.

Wein & Co Vienna Austria

Wein & Co Vienna Austria

We were at Wein & Co for about two hours when Toni Polster, one of the most famous and successful Austrian soccer players, came in. The whole crowd hushed for a few minutes as he rolled in with his entourage. As an L.A. girl myself, and having experienced celebrities before, I almost laughed until wine came out of my nose. Where do these people get this from, a celebrity handbook on how/what to do? It was funny watching him “be” a celebrity. Well anyway, I digress.

Wine & Co slowed down after 8pm as people went to dinner. We hung in there until around 11pm and then made the short walk over to the Sky Bar on Kärntner Straße. This is a very cool bar. It has a lounge atmosphere with dim lighting and comfortable chairs that you just sink into and never want to get up out of. The drink list was lllooonnnnggg with any type of drink that your heart could desire. I really liked the place, but do have to smile a bit at the name. Sky Bar sort of indicates high up. I think the bar is on the 8th floor. No no, pay attention. I said 8th floor, not 80th floor. But what’s in a name.

We kept an eye on our watches and noticed that after one drink at Sky Bar we had to scoot. The public transportation system stops running at 12:30am. You have to make sure you get home before then. Taking a cab isn’t really that expensive though because Vienna isn’t that big a city. From the Inner city you can get just about anywhere for €15.

Sky Bar Vienna Austria

Obama Bar in Graz, Austria

I went to Graz, Austria this weekend to hang out with family. My cousin had heard of a bar called, hold on to your hats, the Obama Bar. I think this is very funny in a sweet European way. Hurray for Europeans for being so involved in American politics that they name their bar after a then, American presidential candidate. Boy, did this owner luck out that Obama won!

Unfortunately, Obama would be disappointed to be informed that the bar named after him is a dive. I wouldn’t suggest a visit unless you are feeling extremely patriotic. Obama Bar

Coffee Owner’s Ball in Vienna

My last post, Ball Season in Vienna, mentioned that my husband and I were going to attend the second largest ball in Vienna on Friday.

Let me tell you. Austrians know how to throw a party. The ball was fabulous!

We got dressed in our formal wear, grabbed a taxi, and headed on over to the Hofburg where the ball was hosted. The Hofburg is the palace where the old Imperial family once upon a time worked and lived. It’s a must for any tourist and you can check out the website here www.hofburg-wien.at

Hofburg Vienna

Hofburg Vienna

So yes, the ball we attended was hosted in an Imperial palace! Below is a photo of the entrance hall.

Enterance-hall-hofburg-vienna

Enterance-hall-hofburg-vienna

We entered and then went up the pretty staircase and were immediately served champagne. Paul got a coffee that was so beautifully prepared it was amazing, and tasted good too. We hung out a bit and watched the people walk around in their formal wear. People were friendly and strangers were open to chatting with one another.

The doors to the main room were opened then and everyone poured in. Paul and I followed the crowd and ended up getting lucky. We got a spot where we could see all the action. The opening ceremony was ready to begin. First the committee of the ball entered. Then ambassadors from all over the world entered. Then debutantes came in. Speeches were made blah blah blah.

What was a real treat for me was that the famous Vienna Boys Choir came to perform in the opening ceremony. They sang like angels. An opera singer came in and sang like a bird. Dancers came in and performed. Then the debutantes performed the Vienna Waltz with their partners. That was the end of the opening ceremony and it was party time.

Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony

We walked through the Hofburg because during the ball, a lot of rooms are open to the guests that are not normally open. The rooms are so beautiful. We got to dance in all of them including the main room, but the ceremony room was the most exquisite for me.

Ceremony Hall

Ceremony Hall

At 2am Paul and I gave up the good fight and went home, even though the party was still in full swing. It was so much fun, and we definitely intend to go again.

Now this blog is titled Op-Expat because it stands for “Opinion Expatriate.” Here is my opinion of the whole affair. Don’t go to a ball in anything less than a tuxedo or a floor length gown. Spend the extra money and go the extra length to look as good as possible.

The men did well. There was not a single man without a tuxedo on. Some even wore white gloves and tails. Even when it was hot in the rooms from all the dancing bodies, no man took off his coat. I was very impressed.

The women. Where to begin here? Well, let me start by being fair. Those few who made the extra effort were put together to perfection. Some of the older ladies were put together so beautifully I could have wept in appreciation for the effort they had gone through to look fabulous. As it should me in my opinion. Don’t half-ass the attendance of a ball.

I’m sad to report though, that the majority of women looked as if they dragged things out of their closet, slapped a few accessories on, pinned their hair up any which way, and attended the ball. It was painful to see a beautiful dress with an ugly shawl or shoes or hair that had not been done.

It’s easy to be a critic though. Here is a photo of Paul and me together. Hopefully I did well with my appearance.

Paul and Britta at Ball

Paul and Britta at Ball

Okay, enough of fashion. On to more interesting things. I was very impressed with the atmosphere of the ball. This was a party, not a stuffy event. Music was not only classical music but the bands played fun hip music too. If you don’t know ballroom dancing who cares! You don’t have to dance ballroom to go to a ball in Vienna. Groove any which way you want.

Snacks were available for breaks between dancing. It was very casual food like sausages and bread. Be forewarned though. Food and drink is extremely expensive at balls. Eat dinner first, then go.

The Viennese are very enthusiastic about their balls and I now understand why. It is a lot of fun to attend and the atmosphere is like nothing else. But beware. There were a few downsides too.

First, there were 5,000 guests at this ball. It was a crush! There were so many bodies moving that sometimes you had to stand in line to get from one room to another. Of course there were idiots who got impatient and shoved their way through, making others like myself, cranky. The dance floors were also very crowded and Austrians aren’t like Americans. They have no problem ramming into one another. Paul is pretty bad about this and he’ll spin me right into another dancing couple. To me this is the height of rudeness and I asked that he not do it. This of course didn’t stop others from doing the same to us. Dancing wasn’t too much fun for me.

Due to the crowds I would forewarn ladies in their dress attire. Don’t make yourself miserable by choosing an overly big skirt or a dress with a train. I saw a few women make this mistake and they were constantly struggling with the crowd and were unhappy.

Overall though, Paul and I really enjoyed ourselves. I would encourage anyone who has a chance to attend a ball in Vienna to do so. It won’t ever be something like you’ve seen in the United States.

Ball Season in Vienna, Austria

The Vienna Ball season is a big part of Viennese culture. It starts in November and goes strong until February. I’ve heard a lot about it, and finally my husband and I got tickets to the second biggest ball event in Vienna, the Coffeehouse Owners’ Ball (take a look at an earlier post of mine titled Coffee to understand why this makes sense).

Paul and I don’t know much about the balls in Vienna. I looked around on the Internet and was really surprised how little there was about the topic. I’m happy that I am writing about it then!

Friday, February 13 is the day of the Coffeehouse Owners’ Ball. This is what I understand so far:

  • 5,000 people come to this event
  • The Austrian President will be attending
  • Black tie is expected, no suits allowed and women must wear floor-length gowns
  • Debutants are presented
  • Entertainment is provided
  • People dance

That’s all I know for now. On Friday I’ll take lots of pictures and post them on my blog with details as to how it went down.

Coffehouse Owners Ball in Vienna, Austria

Coffehouse Owners Ball in Vienna, Austria




Bad Behavior has blocked 190 access attempts in the last 7 days.