Vienna - From Sweets to Symphony

Greetings from Vienna!
I lived in Germany for 3 years and was in Europe in 2005 on a different Christmas Markets Cruise and have never seen a day like today. Our cabins have full length sliding doors so we have a great view while cruising. I woke up early and saw a sky full of twinkling stars -- my first clue that weather forecasts had been wrong and we were going to have a gorgeous day. There was not a cloud in the sky, and, although the weather was cold, it felt wonderful -- just like Christmas should feel.

By 8:30am we were driving along Vienna's famous "Ringstrasse" to the heart of the city -- St. Stephen's Cathedral. After a brief tour of this famous cathedral, we walked along several of the streets admiring decorations like the ones in the photo. The architecture of Vienna is equivalent to Paris in the areas that were spared the bombing of WWII. Our stroll took us to the Hofburg Palace, winter residence of the Hapsburgs, who ruled from the 13th century to 1918. There was a small Christmas market near the palace, and I had enough time there to get a steaming Gluhwein in a 'Vienna' mug. Each market has a different mug commemorating that year's market. My collection from 2005 will definitely be enlarged (and possibly my liver!) by the time we get home. Nothing tastes as good as steaming hot Gluhwein on a crisp, cold day as you walk through the stalls decorated for Christmas.

From there we drove to the famous City Hall, one of the most beautiful in Europe and had time to stroll through another Christmas Market located nearby. There I acquired one more mug to add to my collection and got some great pictures with the blue sky above the Christmas greenery.

After a very quick lunch on board, we left again for a tour of the Schonbrunn Palace which was the summer home of the Hapsburg. The Palace had rooms that rivaled those of Versailles but was on a smaller scale. Near the Palace was another small Christmas Market which was fun as it was getting dark and the moon was rising over the colorful stalls. The aroma of the food was tantalizing, but we headed back to the ship for a quick dinner. Since we were in Austria, the chef's specials included Austrian foods such as weinerschnitzel and apple strudel -- both wonderful. The menu for each meal includes at least 3 choices for each one of 4 courses along with a delectable cheese tray and fruit.

Vienna was known as the 'Music Capital of the World' until 1918 so tonight we went to the Auersperg Palais for a beautiful concert of music by Strauss and Mozart. Tonight we cruise to Melk, Austria.

Busy day -- but wonderful.

Linda