Last week I spent 4 days in Vienna with my good friend Vivian. We had an absolute blast as we visited some amazing sights. As many know, music is my life, and Vienna did NOT disappoint!
We enjoyed delicious hot chocolate while sitting in a cozy 2nd story cafe. We had been walking around, it was our last morning and we were FREEZING! I also had the BEST apple strudel EVER!! The pastry dough was flaky, the inside was full of apples, cinnamon and raisins but the best part was the vanilla sauce it was sitting in. Pure Heaven!
We waltzed down the streets tracking where Beethoven lived. He was a lousy tenant, and lived in many places. We found several of his old homes. This picture is taken in a courtyard where he lived. It was fun walking the streets imagining what songs were being composed in his mind as he too walked the streets.
Mmmmm ice cream!
We attended a beautiful concert inside the Kursalon. Again, it was fun to think back to when Strauss was conducting music inside where we sat. There were about 15 members to the orchestra. We watched a beautiful couple dance around the stage during a few of the waltz songs. We were also serenaded to during a few opera songs. What a night!
My yummy "dog" I ate. The center was drilled out and the dog was stuffed in. I didn't have to worry about it falling out of the bun. What a super idea!
The following 2 pictures were taken at the Hofburg Palace. Inside the gates, we found the horse carriages waiting to take folks on a ride. We just took the opportunity to snap pictures. We spent the day touring the palace and museums inside. Inside the palace also houses the Spanish Riding School. Those pictures are at the bottom of this post.
Luckily one of the Christmas Markets opened while we were there. While in Europe, no Christmas is complete without visiting a market. The stalls are all decorated with unique gifts and trinkets to make anyone happy. We enjoyed yummy warm drinks, and bought fun Christmas gifts. This market is located in front of the "Rathaus" or town hall.
When the Rathaus is lit up at night, it's absolutely beautiful!
We attended an Opera inside the famous Opera Hall. We saw Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Absolutely beautiful! Yes, we were high up!
Here are the pictures taken inside the Spanish Riding School. The Spanish Riding School, a significant part of Austria’s cultural heritage, is not only the oldest riding academy in the world, it is also the only one where the High School of Classical Horsemanship has been cherished and maintained for over 430 years. The Lipizzaner stallions leave their birth place at around 4 years old to be trained here. The inside of this riding hall is gorgeous!! We had very good seats to watch the horses perform. Not only was it incredible to watch how they moved and danced, the classical music playing in the background was superb as well. What a day!
After enjoying the best breakfasts EVER, seeing many historical sights, listening to beautiful music and laughing until we were asked to quiet down by the front desk at the hotel (very thin walls I guess...), the trip had to come to an end. And, while being the luckiest gal around surrounded by the best family and friends, I arrived home to find these sweet flowers and cards waiting. I am counting down the days till my next "get away!" Vivian and I make a dynamic traveling duo. hee hee! :-)
These pictures were taken Sunday. It was freezing, the roads up here were not looking good, so we stayed home from church and enjoyed nature.
We've gotten more snow this year at this point, than last year.
We took a hike up "cardiac hill". This hill lives up to its name, and sure raises the heart rate!
We had to stop for several breaks for the little peeps.
The snow came down as we were walking, it was beautiful!
I love how clean and fresh everything looks. What beauty we're surrounded by!
This is Lauryn's snow angel!
After a very long 2 hour walk, this is how Dallin warmed up. I love this kid!
