As we were going directly to the Imperial Palace afterwards, Fred and I went dressed for the Kaiser Ball, he in his black tuxedo and I in an ice pink gown. The New Year’s Day Concert next morning was long sold out and beyond our means, so we settled – just as ecstatic – for the Dress Rehearsal the night before.

We climbed four flights up to our balcony seats in the old, stately Konzerthaus, directly adjacent to the flowers, which we could smell – and, it seems, almost reach over and touch – and directly above and to the right-hand side of the orchestra. The view was perfect. I huffed and puffed all the way up, holding my gown around me, while imprisoned in white satin spiked heels.

We knew we were somewhere special. It looked like the place we came to know so well on television only this time we were part of it. We were actually in this colorful extravaganza. The crowds of people from all over the world were also dressed in formal regalia. This was the moment we waited ten years for. We spent the first ten minutes shell-shocked and spellbound. The music was divine and the intense, animated facial expressions of the conductor were equally moving.

Tall Fred, who looked like a dapper movie star, quite at home in the midst of splendor, had a look on his face that was worth a thousand words. We stood, held hands and swayed to the heavenly strains of the Blue Danube.

The Imperial Palace, also known as the Hofburg, is a semi-circular, sweeping, formidable, imposing structure. In 1948 rebels stormed the palace, but on New Year’s Eve 2001 we and thousands of others took the place by storm for the Emperor’s Ball.

The history of the Habsburg Family is fraught with chaos, love affairs, mysterious deaths, disappearances, infighting, wars and revenge. So what else is new?

I had other things on my mind, like Cinderella. The tour operator warned me that the annual Kaiser Ball is extremely crowded. I had no ordinary gown for two reasons. One, it was a Jessica McClintock flounced voile gown of several crinolines with a pink satin bustier. While beautiful, it was actually quite uncomfortable to wear. (Gee, they never mentioned that in the fairytales!) The second reason my gown was unusual, was the price. I discovered it on the racks at a local store for 60% off a series of prior reductions. They weren’t kidding. The final register tab at the checkout read a whopping $13.78, tax included. I wonder what the royals would have said about that!

   1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6