Here’s the thing about Austria… it’s amazing. St. Anton (an adorable little ski town in eastern Austria) is filled with natural beauty and endless opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. We were surrounded by mountains and it snowed every day, creating much more of a festive Christmas atmosphere than I heard back home in Chicago was providing. But after 4 days of amazing snowboarding and 5 nights of seeing what the apres ski town was all about, it was time to head east to Vienna where we would spend 3 nights, including Christmas Eve and Christmas. Everyone knows that Europe – especially Germany and the surrounding countries – are known for having the best Christmas markets.
Unfortunately most shut down on Christmas Eve or even the day before for the season, but we were lucky enough to find one that’s open through the first few weeks of January at the Schönbrunn Palace… which is worth a visit of its own anyway.
First stop…. Gluhwein! If you’re not familiar, Gluhwein is a spiced red or white wine served hot and if you’re lucky, they even throw a shot of Disaronno on top. DELICIOUS! Plus they give it to you in a real Christmas mug and let you take your yummy drink around with you while you shop at the individual stands. When you’re done enjoying your mulled wine, you can return the mug to any of the vendors for your 2 euro deposit back. Delightful.
So long story short, even though it took a short time to get used to a bustling city again after being in St. Anton, falling in love with Vienna was easy to do.
Below is my short guide on how to make the most of out of the time you have in the great, imperial city: Read the rest of this entry
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