By Travis Weber
Staff Correspondent
HEIDELBERG—The Night of the Zahlen started much like any other evening for students in Pepperdine’s International Programs.
But, don’t let the setting fool you. It was a nice piano café named Café Central in downtown Vienna. The cake was delicious. The music was fantastic. The atmosphere was perfect. The place definitely has a claim to fame: Freud, Lenin and Trotsky hung out there. As to the service, it was . . . nice.
For the weekend, our destination happened to be Vienna, Austria. Our day included hours of walking, sight-seeing and shivering in the cold. To be honest, the shivering in the cold was probably just me since I was the one who forgot a sweatshirt.
Because Vienna is known for its operas and ballets, we purchased cheap seats in the top balcony for a performance of “Giselle.”
To stay on track, let’s return to the Night of the Zahlen. I forgot to mention that it was Valentine’s Day. However, the four of us — Kristi Arthur, Nathanael Breeden, Andrea Docherty and I — all hold a membership in the Heidelberg chapter of the Singles Club. In lieu of the day’s festivities, we decided to enjoy a delicious slice of chocolate cake.
Now, let’s return to Café Central.
Our cake served as the prelude to the performance of “Giselle.” We savored our food and decided to begin the bill acquisition process.
“Zahlen, bitte.”
In most German-speaking countries, these two magical words bring the waitperson ready and eager to accept payment for the food and drinks consumed. After speaking the magical words, we figured that we would have 45 minutes to make our way toward the Vienna Opera House.
I recall that the magical words — “Zahlen, bitte ”— were spoken more than five times. The typical nonverbal signals were also used — pulling out the wallet, waving the cash, a subtle head nod and numerous hand signals.
Now that we are well into the Night of the Zahlen, let’s just say that 30 of our planned 45 minutes set aside as walking time were used to complete the Zahlen process.
Interestingly enough, our waitress was nice. She always responded with a smile and a soft spoken, “Moment.” I suppose we are to blame because we mistakenly assumed “Moment” meant a minute, maybe five at the most.
While we live amidst rumors of war, the Night of the Zahlen is one example of the many stories that we remember and hold on to.
I believe it is important to be well-informed of international politics and tensions, but I do not spend my time in fear or in worry.
Amid the talks, protests and excitement surrounding the nearness of war, I will continue to latch onto the small pleasures of life. When I need to regain perspective, two magical words come to mind.
“Zahlen, bitte.”
February 20, 2003
