A Ball in Baden Baden and Waltz as a Contact Sport

So somehow or another I found myself attending a Grand Ball this past weekend in Baden Baden, Germany. Granted I've always enjoyed getting dressed up and looking pretty, but definitely nothing quite as formal as this. The black tie events in Chicago, while fancy don't usually involve an entire weekend of activities like fashion shows and clubbing . . . .

However, assisted in the fashion department by my team of advisers (thank you Andrea, Ilham and Birgit!!), I pulled myself together and found myself on the road Friday afternoon to Baden Baden ready to do anything but go out clubbing. . . .


. . . .which thank god we did not end up doing. Bless the boy for letting me having a quiet night. Seriously. I was so much happier the next day after a good night's sleep, we spent Saturday just wandering through the streets of Baden Baden which for those who don't know anything about it is this old spa town that was founded by the Romans and has a famous mineral spring that feeds a spa called Friedrichsbad. It also has a casino which is said to rival the one in Monte-Carlo as the best in Europe. The casino is actually where the ball itself was held.

There was a medieval street festival taking place in the town that was actually pretty cool. A group of woodworking apprentices were doing a demonstration. Nick explained to me that the clothes they were wearing are actually a traditional uniform for apprentices and as part of their training they make their way through the countryside seeking out master woodworkers to learn from. But for a few years they don't earn any money. Apparently the clothing is just the visible mark of the apprentice in this particular trade and sometimes you'll see them hitch hiking along the road.

So the ball. Oh the ball, was lovely. Nick claims it didn't even come close to comparing to the Viennese balls he goes to every year, but I thought it was pretty lovely (well at least until it devolved into something similar to prom at the end of the night, only with more expensive jewelry and clothes and a lot more alcohol). But the night was wonderful, I loved the opening waltz! Everyone in their beautiful clothes gliding and twirling around the dance floor to the strains of the Sleeping Beauty Waltz from Tchaikovsky. And believe it or not, somehow Nick managed to teach me to waltz while we were waltzing. I think it's because the Viennese come out of the womb waltzing, but that's besides the point. Somehow he managed to teach me to waltz while we actually moved across the dance floor. Now I know, I know that waltz is supposed to be the easiest of the partner dances to learn, unfortunately I never learned them (thank you for that mom and dad). So this is all new to me.

Before we got to the ball, Nick warned me that waltzing is actually a contact sport. To which I replied, well of course it's a contact sport! There are two people dancing, they have to touch each other. He laughed and said, no, think contact sport in relation to say, rugby. Well, I certainly wasn't completely convinced of this idea, but lo an behold, there we are dancing (on a relatively crowded dance floor) and all of a sudden I see this guy tumble over! And then some woman stepped on my foot and it just kept going. I couldn't believe it! Ballroom dancing really is a full body contact sport.

There go my romantic notions of classic ballroom dance as a gorgeously graceful give and take between two people whirling around the floor in some strange throwback to an elegant time in Europe when society would come together for an evening of sociability in the most gorgeous ballrooms in the world.

Anyway, the ball was lovely. We had a really nice time, but as I said before, Nick claims this didn't even compare to the balls in Vienna. And he's already promised me a true Viennese ball experience in January. So I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it truly does compare.

Sunday after the post-ball brunch, we spent the day lazing in the waters of the Friedrichsbad, one of several thermal spas in Baden Baden. There were 17 stages to progress through that included everything from sauna to steam room to a series of hot and cold water pools. Certainly an experience to be had while in Europe especially given how strong the thermal spa culture is in Germany. But if you decide to go just be prepared that is sans bathing suits and co-ed. But really wonderful, for only 29€, it's hard to beat three hours at this spa.

If you happen to be in the area of Baden Baden, I highly recommend that you stop by for the day, it's a beautiful (if expensive) little town near part of the German wine country. Just be warned, the nouveau Russian rich are everywhere.

You can find lots of information here on the Baden Baden tourism site, but for the record, here are my highlights:

Baden Baden Kurhaus - Site of many cultural and formal events, it's also surrounded by some lovely gardens

Casino - As mentioned before, it's said to rival Monte Carlo, just remember that men need to wear a jacket and tie to gamble there.

Thermal Spas - I went to Friedrichsbad, but there are several other wonderful spas in the city including Caracalla.

Churches/Cathedrals - Of course there are several lovely churches that can be seen in the city, the one we stopped to see was the Stiftskirche which can be seen after a somewhat strenuous climb up to the Marktplatz.