Tag Archives: not just coffee and cake

International Women’s Day

8 Mar

One of the biggest demonstrations I’ve ever seen in Vienna. And one of the loudest. I was teaching and had to interrupt the class!

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Life Ball

11 Jun

Vienna, as I have mentioned before, has a full ball season. Technically, this starts on November 11 (St. Martin’s Day) and ends on Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday) although it really gets going on New Year’s Eve.

There are a few balls that take place outside of this season and the Life Ball, started in the 1980s as a way raising awareness for homosexuality and AIDS, is one of these. This extravaganza took place last night, but the related events have been going on for a while.

Last year, for example, the City of Vienna progammed its pedestrian traffic lights not just to show the usual green or red man for go and stop but homosexual couples holding hands. Below is photo of the rainbow flags that adorn the streetcars for the first half of June as a symbol of solidarity and for tolerance: ​

I love Vienna.