Another Christmas Market at Maria-Theresian-platz
They were filming some TV special at this market and, randomly, they came up and asked us if we would mind being filmed writing down a Christmas Wish for their "wish tree" and then tying it onto the tree. I agreed and asked how much it paid. kidding.
Me writing down my Christmas wishes for family members and Norah checking out her boot.
At the last minute the guy came up to us and said, "Looks like we won't have time to film you tying the wish on the tree because that guy sang too long" (the TV anchor broke into an awkward solo of "Silent Night" that was apparently unplanned). Hahaha! So good...
One of the other crew members was very nice and came up to give Reese this big ol' platter of Christmas cookies! We were so shocked.
Norah got to ride on the Reeses' buggy and they loved it!
Ohhh Reese is so cute!
Vickie brought these super cool bath salts/sugar substance that changed the bathwater color! They were in heaven.
Our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Bless Pete's heart. He went back out into the cold, just to search for this and found it in a dumpster. I've never liked a Christmas tree more.
Letter from Santa on Christmas morning
Walking through the gates of the Hofburg Palace (throne of the Habsburg Empire)
The Hofburg Palace
In the center is the balcony from which Hitler made the historic speech (1938) announcing that Austria would become part of the Third Reich (and cease being it's own country). Below is the crowd gathered that day - looking out from the balcony at the statue you see above.
I wish I would've posed like the statue instead.
This picture does not capture, in the least, how impressive this statue was.
Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), Vienna. You can tell a bit of the scale here but this is, by far, the most collossal structure I have ever seen. With the fog, we couldn't even see the top of the steeple so I can only imagine how beautiful this would be on a sunny day.
The Interior of St. Stephen's Cathedral - Christmas Day Service
Not sure why, exactly, but you see these pig cakes, all over the place in Vienna.
4 comments:
from "the mail & guardian":
"Austrians present their nearest and dearest with small “lucky pigs” around Christmas time in a custom thought to date back to a spinster’s success in finding a husband.
The “Gluecksschweinchen”, made out of plastic, pewter, brass, or as a cuddly toy or even in bronze, is supposed to bring its recipient good fortune in the year to come.
The tradition originated in German-speaking countries from an old maid who was given a piglet, decked out in a gold paper heart, and went on to find a husband, according to Vienna’s Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions.
In the past, the “lucky pig” was offered from November 11 for Saint Martin’s Day, while in some rural areas rice pudding is still served at the end of the Christmas meal in which a whole almond is hidden. Whoever finds the nut is given a small lucky pig made out of marzipan as a present.
Sometimes the pig takes the form of a petit four cut out with a pastry cutter and flavoured with cinnamon, cloves or lemon zest.
Lucky pigs are often used as decorations for the Christmas tree.
Now....where can i find myself a piglet with a gold hear necklace....
Also found this blog:
thenewdiplomatswife.com
living in vienna and wondering about the great after-christmas piggy invasion...
Sorry, here's that particular post:
http://www.thenewdiplomatswife.com/2010/12/austria-isms-this-little-piggy-went-to.html
Sarah! Thank you! I love this!! I wish I had known that before we went! Dang it. If I had known I would've scooped up a bunch of them. What a funny tradition though. Love that store. I'll read through that blog post now. Love you, thanks! G
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