preparations are under way for the grand dance event, part of the ball season that takes over vienna each winter. every year, over a50 grand balls take place, and thousands of people descend on the city to get all dressed up and dance the night away. these preparations are for the blumenball, or flower ball, an event for 3000 guests. a team of 250 people have spent a week getting everything ready, and today they are busy decorating the hall with 80,000 flowers. translation: 200 years ago, common people were allowedl to dance for the first time. before that, it was a privilege of the nobility alone. the viennese people were enthralled, and that popularity continues to this day. over 300,000 people attend the city's balls each season. but no two events are the same. they can be anything from grand affairs in the city's imperial palace with formal dress and classical music, to modern dance parties where anything goes. this season of events also represents big business for the city, boosting the viennese economy by around 200 million euros each year. this is perhaps not surprising when t

also, there's expanded overnight services, including new sleeper trains between paris and vienna and from amsterdam to zurich. the us finally opened to visitors from europe, brazil, and some other countries only in november. iflew into orlando, florida, on opening day — inconveniently a few weeks late for the big anniversary of walt disney world — 50 years since it opened on october 1, 1971. but never wants to miss a party, the four disney parks will be having celebrations for 18 months, all the way through this year and into 2023. after two summers of disappointment, will this be the year when festival—lovers can return to worthy farm in the english county of somerset? glastonbury, arguably the most famous music festival in the world, was due to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020, until covid—19 forced its cancellation. now, emily eavis, co—organiser of glastonbury, says it will go ahead injune, and two headliners are already confirmed — diana ross and billie eilish. the uk is hosting the women's euros for the first time with the final being played at wembley stadium