9 29 03

In
spite of everything you’ve heard about our world being a global
society, let me tell you it just ain’t so everywhere.



The idea that what we do here is done in a similar manner all
over the world or visa versa just isn’t so. Don’t you believe it
for a moment.



Case in point, our trip to Austria last week for a wedding. Now,
this wasn’t your ordinary ‘run down the aisle in Las Vegas’ and
be done with your vows in ten minutes type of an affair. No,
sir. This was a three day Katy bar the door drink beer, eats
lots of great food …drink wine, wear tuxedoes, and ride in a
carriage type of thing. I think up in the Northern part of our
county it would be referred to as a ‘soiree’.



Whatever, probably comparable to what we’d refer to as a
‘hoedown’.



Anyway, once we arrived in Salzburg, Austria, our schedule was
precision planned, as you would expect.



Something to do almost every four or five hours. Breakfasts,
lunches, cocktail parties, dinners…even a disco. There’s a
frightening thought for you.



Then the civil wedding at some government house and then a
formal church wedding with the bride and groom being whisked
away in a horse drawn carriage.



You should see the kinds of buildings these people have, they
know how to live large. The room where the civil wedding was
held could easily contain my entire house and probably that of
our neighbors.



The wedding dinner afterwards was a black tie event in which I
lost count of the number of courses being served. All I know is
we had a lot of food. I’m talking a lot of food. No macaroni and
cheese or beanie weenies here.



At exactly 9:45 pm we were ushered out onto a balcony of this
magnificent castle and entertained to a fireworks display on the
lake. .



Then it was onto the ballroom for some light Vienna type
waltzing complete with full orchestra and more wine. Violins and
more violins.



Made me wonder what the poor folks were doing back home



I must say these folks know how to throw a party. It had to rate
up there as the longest wedding I’ve ever been to in all of my
years. I was worn out from having too much fun.



The bride was radiant, the groom handsome, everyone in their
place with nary an accident or moment of unpleasantness, unless
you count my missing a step at the church and nearly breaking my
ankle.



This was certainly an affair to remember.



What a contrast for someone like me, who can remember attending
weddings in our part of the world where Thunderbird (July- a
very good month) and MD 40 (not a good month) wine was served
with a frosted sponge cake for the bride, and Twinkies being
used for the grooms cake.



All of this taking place in the front yard while the strains of
“Your Cheating Heart” by Hank Williams played in the background
on a stereo brought out onto the porch of my Uncle’s new double
wide mobile home. As I recall the fireworks display consisted of
the bride’s two nephews, Bubba and Craig Wayne setting off some
bottle rockets and a few dozen sparklers. I don’t remember if
this was the wedding where a hay bale in the back of the best
man’s truck caught on fire from one of the rockets or not. Seems
like it was.



Different societies, different cultures, same results. Two
people fall in love and get married. Happens every day here in
the good old US of A and every other country in the world. Both
sides looking forward to years of wedded bliss ahead of them.



God bless them, I wish them the best.



Makes me wonder how they do funerals over there. I’ll have to
get back to you on one of those, if I get a chance to go. I can
tell you how ours have gone. Take the description I just gave
you of the wedding and change the music to Johnny Cash singing
gospel and there you have it. Oh, yeah, we’d leave off the
fireworks. That would be uncouth.



Wouldn’t be a dry eye in the parking lot.