I have a soft spot for Austria. When I was 18, I spent an academic term there as part of the University of Montana's Vienna Experience program. It was mind-blowing. I had been to Europe the summer before as part of the Montana Youth Choir, and I knew I wanted to go back more than anything. When I got into Chamber Chorale (at that time UM's top choir and the only way you could go on the program), I was ecstatic.
I'm pretty sure I packed more into that three months of living abroad than I have at any time before or since. We sang in the Musikverein about four days after we landed. We did homestays and a great concert in Hungary. We went to Poland. I returned to Prague. And, of course, we lived in Vienna--about a ten-minute walk from the Schoenbrunn Castle--and studied German, music, and art. As introductions to the great capitals of the world go, it was a pretty sweet one.
Even with my time in Austria--an eyeblink, really, in the scheme of things, although I have been back numerous times since--I never felt that I got a great handle on the character of its people. Austrians--and especially Viennese, it seems--are very reserved. While I had more conversations than I can count with random Czechs over my time in Prague--on subways, in squares, at market stalls--I can remember only a handful of such encounters with Austrians.
All of which is a long-winded way of introducing a link to a really interesting New York Times op-ed this morning. "Dungeons and Austrians" explores the idea that perhaps there is something more than coincidence to the fact that two horrifying cases of abduction, rape, and imprisonment have come to light in this small Alpine nation. Or perhaps not. Either way, it's an interesting read.