Divorce Fair: The Ferris Wheel is More Fun

The fair is such a joyous place: cotton candy, the Ferris Wheel, the Tunnel of Love and--divorces?

Austrians love their divorces more than they love 'love', it appears. More on the latest blow to Cupid, the Divorce Fair, from New York Post:

Vienna is a city where "I do" often turns into "I want out," a fair for those wanting to untie the knot seemed a sure hit.

But journalists easily outnumbered those looking for advice on how to end their marriages on Saturday, the first day of what was billed as the world's first divorce fair.

Detectives were ready to catch a spouse in the act, mediators to help ease the pain of separation, a laboratory to conduct paternity tests, and, of course, lawyers to do everything else.

So where were all those in struggling marriages?

The Austrian capital would seem a good venue for the event, with its 66-percent divorce rate, near the top for European cities. The country itself has a rate of more than 50 percent. In the United States, the rate is thought to be between 40 and 45 percent.

If you're living in that time when it seems all your friends are rushing to untie the knot, 40 to 45 percent sounds low.

One person in attendance had a reason for the low turn-out in Vienna.

"Too many cameras," said Berhard Spernern, one of the few at the event hoping for a divorce. "I think that's part of the problem - a lot of people don't want to be seen or be photographed here."

Cameras are sometimes a damper to amore. But the fair offered more than rows of lawyers plying their wares.

Most of the 16 firms with stands at the fair offered standard divorce fare - legal services, private investigations, mediation and conflict management. But some catered to more unusual needs.

"Many people come to us when they are already in the middle of divorce proceedings," said Susanna Haas, whose $600 DNA analysis promises to end bickering about why the little one does not look like daddy. "Proof of parenthood can play an important role in divorces."

In the next room, Isabella Stozek, whose "Hairdreams" offered hair extensions, volume treatments, highlights and other regimens, said such makeovers were important to women looking for a new look to accompany their new start.

In America somewhere, a boy gallantly plunks down his money and tries to win his sweetie a stuffed animal. Meanwhile, couples in Vienna walk romantically along the streets at twilight; their thoughts passionate, as they head toward a journey together to the Divorce Fair.

by Mondoreb
& Little Baby Ginn
[image:vcmagazine]



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