Vienna was everything we had hoped (despite Norah and myself getting sick and a trip to the hospital for Norah). Even the rain - I can handle the rain and the frigid temperatures. Having a fever and a sore throat through those, though, was tough. However, with enough Gluhwein (mulled wine) we stayed warm and kept the sickness at a manageable level.
It was amazing to meet one of my oldest friends on earth in the far East of Europe (well, farthest East I have ever been), for such a huge holiday. This is the first Christmas I have ever spent away from family and to choose where we wanted to spend it was really incredible. (last year was technically the first, I suppose, but it was just Wayne, Norah and myself, 3 weeks after moving to Dublin so it didn't feel like a holiday at all).
Favorite parts of the trip: (not in order of importance)
1) Wayne torturing Vickie with his bare feet and general talk-of-feet (Vickie has a very serious foot phobia). He's cruel.
2) Seeing the markets lit up at night
3) Eating weinerschnitzel
4) The Children's Museum with Reese and Norah
5) Seeing Viktor Frankl's home
6) Watching Reese and Norah opening Christmas presents in front of the tree Pete foraged for us, in Vienna, Austria
Can I just say, this picture is 100% unedited (even in the rain). The Tree outside Rathausplatz (Vienna City Hall)
Norah arriving in Vienna, Austria - December 22, 2012 - Age 2 1/2.
Incredible.
And she found a cubby.
First dinner on our first night there - Vickie had Liver (her mom would be so proud!) - and it was amazing.
I opted for WienerSchnitzel and while this could feed 3 adults, I ate it all.
Our apartment - I found this vacation rental on a great website and the woman who owns this place (and 3 other properties in the city), had hundreds of rave-reviews. They were all correct. She arranged for taxi's for us from the airport, she supplies 2 cell phones, a laptop, umbrellas, etc. etc. This was a 2 bedroom/1 bath apartment and it worked perfectly for us.
The 2nd huge bedroom - with at least 14 foot ceilings.
Light snow the first morning when we woke up - henceforth, it was rain.
Get this: You're probably thinking, is that a PINATA? With Mickey Mouse and Santa Clause on it?? A student at Vickie's school in Turkey, MADE this Pinata, by hand, for Reese and Norah to open on Christmas!! Isn't that incredible?? And it's not a Pinata that you beat to death, to open. You pull the ribbons on the bottom and there is one "trigger" ribbon that pulls the bottom out! You'll see more pictures later on. What an incredible boy, though, to make this for our two kids.
The City Hall (Rathausplatz) Market, during the day.
The basket man.
Where we had a warm mug of Gluhwein (Gloo-Vine) - or hot mulled wine. This woman was about as friendly as she appears.
Kinderpunsch
Ornaments galore.... You wouldn't believe the number of Christmas ornament stalls
On the Christmas train around Rathausplatz
No, that butterfly is not on Vickie's hood, it's high in the air - it just happened to be the perfect spot to turn for a picture.
Ever seen anything cuter than that? So THIS is who makes all the Christmas cookies in Vienna....
(that's a raindrop coming down, not a comet, shooting up)
This stall was incredible. They had all these carved wooden drawers in logs, in every shape and size you could think of. They were the perfect furniture to outfit your dream Hobbit-house. (our dream Hobbit-house)
The wooden toys there were incredible and we're really kicking ourselves for not buying anything for Norah. We just kept thinking "Oh, we'll get something eventually" but didn't plan on things being closed for the majority of our trip and before we knew it, it was time to go. Lesson learned. If you see something you really like, on vacation, get it then - because that IS your chance.
Create-A-Manger - Pick your own wise men, pick animals, have it your way!
My Dad would have LOVED this booth - All wooden puzzles/brain teasers and they were beautiful! If he could've been here, he would've bankrupted himself at this stall.
Wayne looks tired (the ribs hadn't arrived yet), and Norah....well... she's clearly in the middle of some Andrea Bocelli rendition.
Ah yes, here are the smiling guys with their yummy dark beers
And a happy Vickie with her meat and starch shovel 'o food! haha! We LOVED this dish though. It literally was called "misch masch" and was pieces of bacon, sausage, stuffing 'blocks', pasta and all around fried goodness. It was amazing and we all got about 3 more meals out of it.
Wayne's expression says it all - looking at his "small" order of ribs. (14 inches long). Sick.
On the way to the ZOOM Children's Museum - the best place we have EVER seen for children. And at €4 per family, it couldn't have been more perfect.
