Winter Wonderland-Vienna

So this past weekend we traveled to Vienna, Austria which was quite a trip!  It is hard to say what I did the majority of the time that I was there because for the most part it was freezing cold while we were there!  It was kind of rough the first day.  We took a bus there with my study abroad program.  As we were about an hour or so outside of Prague we had a beautiful little surprise of, oh yes, you guessed it, SNOW!!!!  It was so wonderful!  The snow flakes were gigantic and were just falling so gracefully.  It was exactly as the first snow of the year should be.  We stopped at a gas station and there were snow ball fights going on and my friend Rachel and I enjoyed (what I may argue to be) the best cup of hot chocolate in which I may have ever tasted!  It was great!

When we arrived in Vienna it was, as I said, rather chilly.  The kind of cold where it goes right through you and straight to the bone.  We were staying in a very nice hotel which was a nice change.  There was a tour that was scheduled and we started to go on it.  However, by the time that we had made it no farther then 3 blocks, we had found ourselves in a down pour rainfall and soaking wet.  So we decided to break off from the tour and head to a cute little cafe to warm up and enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate.  Some people got what is called Sacher cake which is a popular dessert in Austria and the surrounding countries.  While the cake looked quite good, I don't think that I would ever try it again.  It has a certain kind of spice to it and is not a sweet cake.  Overall, it was really just interesting.

That night we went to a cute little restaurant called Centimeter's and then after dinner we walked down to the city hall.  It was great to see that the city was already in the Christmas spirit!  There were christmas markets and Christmas lights all around!  it was truly just a beautiful little winter wonderland to walk around.  Unfortuantley, the bitter cold wind did not want us to enjoy this too much.  So we headed back to the hotel fairly early to get ready for the next day.

On Saturday we were split up into small groups where we had a tour guide which showed us all around the city.  We saw the city hall, the huge museums, all of the historic buildings and so much more!  After our city tour we, once again, went to a small cafe to warm up.  In the afternoon we went to another market and looked around and then went to the crowned jewels museum which was interesting.  There were the robes, crowns, and many more of the items in which the emperor's use to wear and have.  The best part was when we walked out of the museum and it started to snow!  Oh we were all so excited!  We were running around and sliding through the snow.  There may have even been a few snowballs being flown around.  

We then walked through the shopping district, which I was able to resist the temptation and not buy anything.  After walking through the city for awhile we, of course, went to another cafe to warm up.  I guess it wasn't much of a cafe this time though because we visited, oh yes, Starbucks.  While I am usually VERY against visiting American stores, coffee shops, and restaurants in foreign countries, it was a great taste of home and just comforting.  The rest of the night was spent enjoying the nice warmth of the hotel.  I was even able to take a bath, something which I have not been able to do in months.

On Sunday we went to the Schloss Schonbrunn which is the old palace right outside of Vienna.  They had a Christmas market there with a huge christmas tree and christmas lights.  We went to the restaurant and my friend Cort and I shared an apple strudel (delicious) and had some delicious hot chocolate. After the restaurant we walked around the gardens which were behind the castle.  It was beautiful but was for sure some place that I would love to visit again in the spring or summer when it is all blossoming and green.  Overall it was a great trip and I am truly in the Christmas spirit now!