To get the season underway, Bregenz parties its way through Fasching (or Carnival, as many know it). We
had purchased a couple of masks in New Orleans the last time we were there, and packed them carefully for
events such as this. This was an especially fine Fasching because the weather was unseasonably sunny and
warm, so the parades and children's events were more fun to see during the day, and the partying was
especially reckless at night.
This year's Queen was a native of Charlotte, NC (Who'd a thunk it?) named Cindy. She and her husband, a native of Bregenz, own a nice restaurant/bar smack in the middle of town. We had a lot of fun there, although we were not exactly circumspect. On the other hand, had we conducted ourselves with moderate good sense we would have stuck out like sore thumbs.
That's our niece, Melanie, over there on the left
with Queen Cindy. We met Gitti and the kids in the town square and enjoyed the day with them.
But the night was ours. We partied with the Blues Brothers, Aliens of one description or another, Birds, Clowns, Knights and Jesters. Andrea was particularly happy because the girls get kissed a lot, a sport in which she excels. I suspect there may have been a fanny-pat or two involved in there, but who can tell in a crowded bar? Other than the happy recipient, I mean.
We met a witty girl named Laura from Chicago. (That's her with Andrea surrounded by well-meaning blue
creatures.) 
I spent most of the night supported by the two most beautiful
women in Bregenz, but I will recover eventually. Life, as they say, is hard in the mountains. But not
hopeless.
The second nice thing about spring here is the spring skiing. The town and valley are bursting with flowers, but the mountains slumber under thick duvets of snow. The blue sky is so dark it is almost black, and you can imagine yourself on the edge of space with stars hovering near visibility. You could make a snowball, but the it would be too powdery to hold together very well, and certainly not suitable for pummeling your little brother from behind a tree. The crowds are all gone, too, so you can almost always ski right up to the chairlift.
There is invariably live music on the terrace outside the lodge, and it is fine to watch the hang-gliders pinwheel overhead while the sun shines through brilliant wings of red and gold.
As if that weren't enough, Bregenz is working hard to establish another festival: the Bregenz
Frühlingsfest,
or Spring Festival. Bregenz is well-known for its late-summer Festspiele already, but this is quite special.
Last night we attended a performance of the Madrid Ballet, 
and it was perhaps the best dance performance I have
ever seen, including Russian ballet. Once in a not-too-frequent while there comes along an evening that reminds
you what dancing is for, why dance companies exist, why you're in the theatre in the first place, and why dance
is not a luxury or a frill but a necessity of life. The execution was flawless, a perfect blend of traditional and modern.
The ballerinas were weightless, floating gracefully through the most imaginative choreography I have ever
witnessed. Only rarely do Austrians award a standing ovation; 
I have never personally seen this done until
last night when the enthralled audience applauded until it collapsed into an agony of exhausted arms. There
will be theatre, dance, and music for the next three weeks solid.
Pretty sophisticated, huh? Maybe, but if you think that's us, you should have seen Andrea chortling
over a McDonald's made-up alpine map this morning. (Okay, I admit to a weakness for
McMuffins. But everything is fresh here. The coffee is capped by a mousse so thick you could
float a spoon on it.)
We're off to Diedamskopf for a day of skiing! Today features hang-gliders, and we are told there will be as many as 100 in the air at once.
What do you think? E-mail us and let us know.
March 26, 2000