Thankful

This year I have lots to be thankful for. I am especially thankful for our family and friends who are like family. I hope you and your loved ones have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Europe Recap #2

From Budapest, we had a two hour train ride to Vienna. We arrived in Vienna around 6pm and it was freezing. We were so happy to have brought winter coats, gloves, and scarves because we would need them during most of our trip.

Our hotel in Vienna was a few blocks from the main city square that is filled with restaurants, cafes, and shopping. After checking into the hotel we had an amazing dinner of wiener schnitzel and walked around the town. On our first full day in Vienna we decided to go out to Schonbrunn Palace. The palace served as the summer residence of the Habsburg monarch. The palace grounds also include beautiful gardens, playful mazes, and a zoo. We spent several hours exploring everything and enjoyed a late lunch in the restaurant at the gloriette before returning to Vienna for dinner and more wine. The second day we spent exploring the Hapsburg Palace and Treasury Museum in Vienna. We also got to see a practice session of the Lipizzaner Stallions from the famous Spanish Riding School. In the afternoon we walked through the Volkgarten before following Rick Steve's tram tour around the city. For dinner that night we tried a traditional Heurgerian (wine garden) in the city. We enjoyed delicious gruner veltliner wine and a traditional meal of spreads, meats, potatoes, and vegetables. On our third day in Vienna we visited Saint Stephen's Cathedral which has been in that location since the 1300s. We then did a little shopping in the town and stopped at a cafe for espresso and hot chocolate. For lunch we went to a sausage stand that P had been eyeing for some delicious currywurst. That evening we headed out of the city to a Heuriger (wine tavern). It was about a 35 minute train ride and we spent a few hours enjoying the atmosphere and wine. Since it was cold we stayed inside but imagined in the warmer months the gardens would be filled and lively with more customers. We finished the day with dinner at a restaurant near our hotel and then complimentary wine in the executive lounge at the hotel.

Vienna was one of my favorite city's on our trip. I had no expectation of it and really loved everything about it - the history, culture, food, wine, etc. P and I agreed that we could have easily spent another few days there and will definitely be going back.

St. Stephens' Cathedral at night 

Schonbrunn Palace

P playing in one of the gardens on the palace grounds

Me in front of the zoo entrance at Schonbrunn Palace

Us at the top of the gloriette with the palace in the background.

A view of the palace and grounds from the top of the gloriette

Beautiful flowers at one of the stands in the city square

P with Habsburg Palace behind him 

Taking a break outside of the Treasury Museum

View of City Hall from Volkgarten

View of Stadpark from the Marriott Executive Lounge

Enjoying a traditional dinner and wine at the Heurgerian in the city. Our waitress insisted we wear these hats for the picture. 

Inside of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Tiles on the roof of St. Stephen's. The original tile was destroyed during World War II but were replaced with ceramic tiles by the people of Vienna.

Patrick outside of the Heuriger.

Europe Recap #1

As promised, I am finally going to start recapping our trip to Europe. It has hard to believe that we returned from our amazing trip over two weeks ago. Last weekend we were missing it so much that I made currywurst for lunch on Sunday so we could feel like we were still in Germany. And just last night we were already brainstorming where we could go in 2015.

Our first stop was Budapest, Hungary. We took a red eye flight from Dulles to Heathrow and after a short layover, had another 2.5 hour flight to Budapest. It was a long day of traveling but we arrived in Budapest with all of our luggage (always a fear of mine after Patrick's luggage didn't make it with us during our 2008 trip). While we both really enjoyed our time in Budapest, we agreed that it is probably a city that we didn't feel the need to return to. It is a beautiful city that is split into two parts - Buda and Pest - by the Danube river. Unfortunately a lot of its original charm and history (it once rivaled Vienna and Paris with charm and cafes) were destroyed during the Soviet Occupation. So to us it felt like a city that was stuck between that Soviet Occupation and desperately wanting to reclaim the culture and energy it once had.

Our first afternoon and evening in Budapest was spent in the Pest part of the city. We walked around the town a little to get oriented and had dinner. Because of jet lag we fell asleep pretty early. The next day we took the metro to Buda and walked around the Castle Hill area. Afterward we took the train to the City Park before heading back to our hotel for a little nap. We had a nice traditional Hungarian dinner (beef stew, chicken paprikash and dumplings). The next day we had a few hours before we left for Vienna so we explored the Market Hall.

Outside the Hungarian Parliament building in Pest.

My favorite shop name in Budapest. We didn't go in but I obviously loved the name.

A view of the Parliament building from Buda.

Who rode this funicular to the top of Castle Hill in Buda.

A view of Pest from Buda.

A view of the Chain Bridge and Pest from Buda.

While at Castle Hill we were able to catch a changing of the guard.

Another view of Pest from Buda. You can see that the leaves were starting to change colors.

City Park is similar to Central Park in NYC, it is a beautiful green space in the city. This is where the Turkish Baths that Budapest is famous far are located. We did not bring our swimsuits so we weren't able to check them out.

We lucked out with a really great hotel room. It was less than a block away from a metro and our room was upgraded to the top floor with a balcony. If it was a little warmer we definitely would have spent more time sitting on the balcony. 

The Central Market Hall reminded us a lot of the Westside Market in Cleveland with lots of different vendors and stalls selling all kinds of fresh produce, meats, and prepared foods. 

Outside of the Market

Our next stop.....Vienna!

Brain Dump

Taking the lead from two of my favorite blogs, Tea Time with Tess and Classic Annie and doing a brain dump today. I know I have lots of catching up to do (especially pictures from our trip) but this seemed like the easiest way to get back into things.

// I cannot believe that last week we were in Paris. We have only been back for five days and already the trip seems like it was a while ago.

// That being said, I definitely have post-vacation blues. It has been a little harder to get motivated this week and just when I thought I was over the jet lag, I have been so tired the past two days.

// In two weeks we are hosting Thanksgiving again. I feel a lot less intimated this time but am probably a lot less prepared. I do have a menu planned out and the turkey pre-ordered. I am especially excited to use our wedding china!

// It feels like the holidays came super fast this year. Maybe it is because we missed Halloween while abroad and that always seems to kick things off for me.

// P and I will put up our Christmas tree and decorations the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I just love how cozy and festive our apartment is when it is decked out for the holidays.

// I have bought a few Christmas gifts already but still have a long way to go. Most of the people in my life are pretty easy to shop for which makes it less stressful. On the other hand, I have no idea what ideas to give others for myself. P and I always struggle with this. We just don't need/want a lot anymore.

I will leave you with one my favorite pictures/selfies from our trip. I promise to recap the whole thing with lots of pictures soon!

Grateful for my amazing husband and the travels we share!