Mass with the Vienna Boy’s Choir was one of the first things we booked after choosing to come to Vienna so we were both so excited to go. I really thought it would be peaceful and magical and give me some time to self-reflect in a beautiful environment. Boy was I wrong! The mass took place in the Hofmusikkapelle (or Hofburg Palace in English) (http://www.hofburg-wien.at/en.html) which was the center of the Habsburg empire for centuries. It was a stunning building but that might be the only nice thing I have to say about it. Don’t get me wrong, the singing was lovely, but we were seated in a small chapel and couldn’t even see the boys. And it was definitely a traditional Catholic mass. Only obviously it was in German so I couldn’t understand a word. But like all Catholic masses, there was tons of pomp and circumstance and way too much incense. To the point where both Candace and I had headaches and couldn’t wait to get out of there! So we did. Before the end. Happily. Hoping we wouldn’t get struck down immediately.
Mass with the Vienna Boy’s Choir
We quickly headed right down the street to Vienna’s famous Café Central – a world renowned Viennese coffee house. Vienna is well known for their coffee houses; this one in particular. The café was opened in 1876 and a couple of it’s famous patrons include Sigmund Freud and Adolf Hitler. They are also known for live piano music in the evenings – which you all know is my favorite – and the opportunity to read news papers in every language. We walked in to be greeted by an incredible display of Viennese pastries – including a homemade Gingerbread house and a chocolate moose (literally!). We found a cozy table for 2 and prepared to just hang out for a while. We had a long, leisurely meal followed by coffee, annoyed the rude waiter a bunch of times, and finished up with Vienna’s famous apple strudel. Wow, was it delicious! It was a wonderful couple of hours relaxing in a beautiful place!
Cafe CentralPastries at Cafe Central
Since we were close to a couple of Christmas markets, we strolled through them and then headed back to the apartment for a much-needed nap.
We had found a highly-recommended traditional restaurant to go to in the evening but it ended up being completely committed (or booked, as we’d say). So we stumbled on the cutest little Italian bistro – yes, first Vietnamese and now Italian 🙂 – named Santissimo. We were waited on by the sweetest older man from Sicily called Marco. Marco had a serious crush on Candace so we had a wonderful time there drinking way too much wine and eating wonderful Italian cuisine – including basic bread with Pecorino cheese and olive oil. YUM! I could live on that. We closed down the restaurant and even invited Marco to sit and have some wine with us. Some wine turned into a lot of wine – most of it free! Marco really wanted Candace to stay and how can an Italian waiter turn her down when she bats her eyelashes and says, “We’ll stay if you give us more free wine”!!! Probably needless to say, the 3 of us ended up dancing Salsa around the tables. It was tons of fun! On the way back to the apartment, we got a few crazy looks as we strode arm-in-arm down the street singing at the top of our lungs and laughing like schoolchildren. Everyone should have a night like this was – and often!
Today was one of my favorite days ever! My birthday gift from Candace was a day of snowshoeing in the Austrian Alps. I will never be able to adequately describe how incredible this day was! But of course I’m going to try.
Candace said last night that she wanted to see snow while we were here. Well, we saw TONS of snow. Candace had made a reservation with www.trekkingaustria.com and our guild was Yannick – a Frenchman who’s lived in Vienna for 15 years. After about an hour drive during which the snow got heavier and heavier, we arrived at the mountain. The mountain is called Stuhleck and is part of the Austrian Alps. We knew it was going to be very cold and windy on the mountain but we had no idea how crazy the weather would be. Honestly, we were scared as we got out of the van and were hit with freezing winds unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. So we bundled up as much as we could and set out. As soon as we got into the forest the winds wound down a bit and we were able to appreciate the breathtaking scenery. Because the weather was so bad, we were the ONLY ones on the mountain and all of the snow was absolutely perfect and untouched. But it was shortly into the trek when Yannick mentioned the day’s avalanche rating. Yes, they rate these things! The ratings fall on a scale from 1-5 and at 4 no one can be on the mountain. Well, the day’s rating was a 3! If we weren’t a little scared before, we were then… (don’t worry, Mom and Dad, the story ends well :))
The stunning Austrian Alps
The snowshoeing was HARD – it was odd because our fingers were very cold but I was absolutely drenched in sweat. It was exhausting in such an exhilarating way! We trekked for about 2.5 hours and then took a brief break in a hut just to get away from the wind before we made our way to the plateau. Yannick described the plateau as the top of the mountain where we could find a “hut” that was heated and we could get some hot soup and a bier. He also warned us about how cold and windy it would be once we reached the plateau. Well, I can honestly say that it was one of the most difficult hours of my life. But as we set out, Candace yelled, “We’re going to make this mountain our bitch!”. It was enough to get us giggling and give us the motivation we both needed to get to the top.
The winds blew at 50-60 miles per hour as we ascended and the temperature dropped to -22 degrees!!!!! There were multiple times where we really thought we’d get blown off the darned mountain! Only the thought of heat at the top – and imminent death – kept us going. Finally – we made it to the top of the mountain and the hut was such a welcoming sight. It was like a very small ski lodge with a few sweaty skiers and a bar that looked like heaven. We all sat down with our soup and enjoyed a well-deserved break during which Yannick gave us some great recommendations of things to do during our trip.
It was time to head back. Candace’s response was, “We have to go back down that thing??”. Yep, we did. We geared up and headed out. After only trekking about 100 feet, Yannick instructed us to put about 50 meters between all of us. We had no idea why but of course complied. Again, it felt like we’d get blown off the mountain and at one point the winds were so strong and the conditions so bad that I began to wonder about that 3 avalanche ranking. Scary!
But we got passed the plateau without incident. Yannick had decided at this point that we were “hard-core” and could try some fun things. We were instructed to try to “run” down the mountain in the showshoes. With the snow being about 3 feet deep, this was NOT an easy task. But once, and if, you got the hang of it, was really, really fast and fun! Unfortunately, neither Candace or I really got it and spent a lot of time on our bums. But the snow was so soft that it was really a pleasure to fall!
“Ok, let’s take the road less travelled”, Candace said once when Yannick took off between a bunch of evergreen trees when we could have stayed on the forest road. But when in Vienna, right?!
Snowshoeing on the forest road
We finally reached the van and were absolutely exhausted but also exhilarated. We had done it! And loved (or struggled through) every moment! Of course a celebratory glass of wine was in order so Yannick took us to a guesthouse in the local village. No tourists were allowed here, he promised, so we felt special. We had some local wine and finally had the guts to ask him why he separated us at the plateau. He said that if there was an avalanche, at least one or two of us would survive. OH!
We had just a little bit of fun!!!
We had a nice nap in the van and headed back home. But we were both so jazzed up by the day that we weren’t tired. We had decided to try meet Yannick that night for a drink. It took us a while to finally find him – during which we got sleepier and sleepier – but once we did we settled into a Vietnamese restaurant for food and drinks. Yes, we travelled to Vienna to have Vietnamese food. But we really didn’t care at that point. And to replace all of the calories we’d burned, we had to try a chocolate cannoli with caramel sauce on it for dessert. Yum!
We almost passed out right after we got back to the apartment. What an amazing day!!!!! It really was indescribable and the best birthday present EVER!
Tomorrow we’re off to see a traditional Viennese mass with the Vienna Boy’s Choir. Stay tuned…
Day 1 in Vienna didn’t disappoint. We arrived at our LOVELY apartment and soon set out on our first adventure. Which included some struggles with ATMs and a pretty humiliating few moments at a Viennese grocery store. I mean, who knew that you had to weigh produce before you checked out?! And that once you got to the checkout a dozen locals would be giving you the evil eye as you added 10 minutes to their shopping experience?! In the end, though, we had to laugh and eventually made the teller laugh too. In a show of sheer pity, she handed us a chocolate Santa for our troubles and we left one chocolate heavier and lots of produce lighter. On our list for today – bananas and apples at a completely different grocery store!
A brief walk through the frigid Vienna weather – of which we were fully prepared for! – we found a cute little Viennese bistro where we had traditional Viennese fare. The traditional Viennese fare looked strangely like fish fry and fried hotdog – but whatever! It still tasted wonderful with a local beer to wash it down.
After again bundling up for a long cold walk through the city center, we set out. Walking through Vienna at Christmastime is magical! The streets are lit up like Christmas trees, people are everwhere and the storefronts boast Christmas chocolates and pastries. We looked like innocent children seeing Santa for the first time – big silly grins on our faces for miles! We crossed one corner and our eyes lit up to see the entire street covered in big, red, lighted balls! It was such a sight!
Big Red Balls on Rotenturnstrasse
We were on our way to one of the famous Christmas markets – termed Christkindlmarkte – that sits right in front of the Vienna City Hall – Wiener Christkindlmarkte am Rathausplatz. For a moment we thought we were lost only to round a corner and see the most spectacular display of Christmas lights outside City Hall. Tons and tons of white lights, a huge stunning Christmas tree and different kinds of lights in each of the trees – one had lighted red hearts, another lighted guitars, another lighted snowmen. It was incredible! The first stand to stop at the Christmas market is the mulled wine stand – called glühwein. You can get red or white and it is mulled with spices and served hot. Which we desperately needed because it was so cold. I have to say, the first sip of glühwein was pretty disgusting. It’s definitely an acquired taste – which I was able to acquire pretty darn quickly.
Christkindlmarkt Rathausplatz
The Christmas markets sell everything from traditional Viennese food to artwork to Christmas ornaments. Some of the Viennese hand painted ornaments are lovely and will definitely be coming home with me.
We wandered the market for a while and when we got too cold decided it was time for food and wine! We found a very close restaurant and tried Viennese goulash for the first time. It was so yummy. As my mom would say, “It’ll warm your innards”. And they needed warming. Candace tried an Austrian red that was so smooth.
I pride myself on being very good with directions but got us so lost on the way home from the market. Fortunately, there’s always an Irish pub to pop into. And we had a fantastic time! Drank cheap wine and spoke with 2 local guys who taught us how to order beer in German and gave us some recommendations of places to go in the city. P.S. If you need to order two beers in German, it’s zwei beir bitte.
A short cab ride was in order to get us out of the cold and avoid us walking another few miles. On our way back we stopped in a neighborhood café for another glass of Viennese wine. Apparently gross means big – we didn’t mind!
Stay tuned for day 2 – snowshoeing in the Austrian Alps!
It’s been 16 months(!) since my last adventure. It’s been a crazy – and sometimes heartbreaking – year with the sickness and loss of my sweet Roxy (my dog and love of my life for those who didn’t know her). But she is in puppy heaven right now chasing rabbits and is no longer in any pain. I miss her every single day 🙁 BUT – this post is not a sad one!!!
Today I’m on my way to Vienna, Austria to celebrate my 40th birthday with my best friend. It will be a different kind of trip because I’m so used to traveling on my own and I’m so psyched about it! Two adventure traveling girls instead of one! We only have a few plans set in stone but I promise we’ll have adventures and I’ll post about every single one – unless what happens in Vienna stays in Vienna of course!
For me writing this blog is about documenting my trip, of course, but it’s also about being accountable. As those who love me know, this is my chance to get out of my comfort zone and experience a part of life that most others don’t get to. And for that blessing I’m going to take advantage of – and appreciate – every single moment!
A taste of what’s to come…snowshoeing in the Alps, a Christmas mass featuring the Vienna Boys Choir and of course, seeing an opera – in fancy gowns – at the Vienna opera house.
Below is a picture of a typical Vienna Christmas Market. In the background is City Hall.
Sea kayaking at last! It seems like I booked this trip so long ago and it’s finally here. Unfortunately, that means it’s also my last night in Iceland.
It was an early morning as the trip left the city at 9. We had a short ride to Hvalfjörður fjord where we were to kayak. As most of you know, sea kayaking was one of the big reasons that I chose this trip to Iceland over others. And I really, really wanted an opportunity to see some whales while I kayaked. But…I didn’t see any. Which is interesting, seeing as the name Hvalfjörður is derived from the large number of whales which could be found and caught there prior to the 1980s. And until then, one of the biggest whaling stations in Iceland was located in this fjord. But still…no whales. But the fjord was as breathtaking as the rest of Iceland has been. And it was fascinating to learn that during World War II, a naval base of the British and American navies could be found in this fjord because it offered them some protection. You could still see the remains of some of the buildings used during the war and our guide explained that there were submarines docked in the fjord during the war.
I had one of the same guides for this tour as I did for the Blue Ice tour on the glacier – Simmi. He and Rowan, a Brit who had a summer to kill, explained the trip and how to gear up. I’ve been kayaking before but this was my first time in a proper kayak with proper gear. We wore wetsuits and spray jackets and a flotation device as well as spray skirts – which is what straps you into the kayak. We were taught to paddle and spent a few minutes learning how to escape if we capsized. Yes, those were the words used. But I wasn’t scared! Ok, I was a little scared. You had to have the mind to figure out where your spray skirt was attached to the kayak while underwater in order to escape. Luckily, I didn’t capsize – although one of the men in our group did. Finally we were off.
We kayaked around the shore of this gorgeous fjord for about an hour. Mostly people were spread out so you couldn’t hear anything but the sound of the wind and your breath and your paddle hitting the water. It was very peaceful. And the weather turned out to be perfect. It was a bit windy but that only made the trip more exhausting and exhilarating. And a bit painful; my arms and shoulders are still screaming at me!
After an hour or so we stopped for lunch on a little beach and then headed back. All in all we kayaked for about 2 hours and it was as great as I’d hoped – except for the fact that I didn’t see any whales. I didn’t even see any fish unless you could the enormous jellyfish that we saw near the shore.
One of the guides, Rowan, had lived in New Zealand last year. I told him I was heading there for a 40th birthday trip next year and asked if he’d mind recommending some spots. He proceeded to draw a map of both the North and South islands, complete with where to go and what to do. He also completely changed my mind on what time of year to go. It was awesome! And it makes me even more excited for that trip!
Probably needless to say, by the time I got back to my room I was tired and very, very sore. I need a rest from this vacation! So I took a quick nap. I woke up at 5, however, and remembered that most of the non-tourist stores here in Reykjavik close at 6. I needed to get moving in order to purchase some artwork. I made my way down Laugavegur which is one of the main shopping streets in Reykjavik and found what I wanted in a store called Art 67. I had seen this store on my first day in Iceland and knew I’d find something incredible there. I bought a glass bowl and 2 glass candlestick holders from a local artist that will always remind me of this harsh, yet gorgeous place. The proprietor also helped me find a restaurant for my last night in the city. I told her I wanted something that had Scandinavian food, was frequented by locals, that had a good atmosphere and of course, good wine! She pointed me to Grillmarkadurinn.
Grillmarkadurinn literally translates to the Grill Market. It was the sassiest restaurants I’ve ever been to. It was hidden in an alleyway and I never would have found it without the recommendation. I sat at the grill bar, which is the bar surrounding the grill. It was fun to watch them grill the food. And all I ordered was fish soup and it was the best fish soup I’ve ever had. Filled with BIG chunks of lobster and shrimp and mussels. That the and (loaf!) of bread with it was more than enough for a small army and it was an absolutely perfect last dinner in Reykjavik.
Well, it’s official – I am finally…lonely. I can humbly admit that last night was difficult. This country is so amazing and I’ve done so many once-in-a-lifetime things and last night it really hit me how much I wish I had someone to share that with. Don’t get me wrong, I did’t let it get me down but it was the first time that I felt that ache since I’ve been here. In some ways, its a good thing. It means I’m ready to go home. Enough about that…more about another incredible day yesterday.
My morning was spent wandering around Reykjavik. I haven’t spent much time getting lost in the city so decided to do that. I also haven’t spent ANY time shopping and am now feeling a little pressure in that area. For those of you that know me, I always bring back some piece of local art from every place that I travel to. That way my home is filled with memories of all of the places I’ve had the fortune of going to. So I was able find a couple of places that I’ll go back to today and pick up a memory of Iceland.
In the afternoon, I was off to ride Icelandic horses with Islenski Hesturinn – a company that was recommended by Trip Advisor and by more than one person that I’ve met while here. The stable – which is run by a woman called Begga. She grew up in Reykjavik but has traveled the world. I’m not even sure how many languages she spoke. More than 4…Anyway, she was absolutely fabulous. She had a smile that could light up a room and was so passionate about what she does and her horses and that passion was contagious. She sat us down for around 30 minutes and spoke to us about what we’d experience and how to ride. There were only 4 of us on the tour so it was very intimate.
The Icelandic horse is different from any other horse in the world. They are smaller than other horses but very, very powerful. The real difference, however, is how purebread they are. No horses – in all of Iceland – are vaccinated. And, if a horse leaves the country they are not allowed back in. Iceland is very proud of their horses and rightly so. In addition, the Icelandic horse has 5 gaits. Most horses have 3 – walk, trot and gallop – which should sound familiar. The other 2 gaits are the unique tolt and the beautiful flying pace. We would be riding using the tolt on the tour but Begga showed us photos of horses using both the tolt and the flying pace. In photos of a horse using the tolt you can see that only one hoof is on the ground at a time. Unbelievable, right? And with the flying pace, NO hoof is on the ground at a certain point. Even more unbelievable – and gorgeous! The tolt is unique because the ride is smooth. Icelandics joke that you can ride and sip a glass of champagne at the same time – with no spilling. It sounded amazing and we were off.
My horse was named Ljosbra – a gorgeous white and brown female. We mounted the horses and were given a little direction before we left the gate. We were told to have our heels down and sit in the saddle like you sit on a couch – ‘heavy’ is what Begga called it. That’s how you communicated to your horse that you were ready to tolt. Well, it took me quite a while but I finally got the hang of it. I’m sure most people have trotted or galloped on a horse; you really do bounce quite a bit. But when you are tolting, there is honestly no bounce! Its the most incredible feeling in the world. So smooth and fast. I would go between trotting and tolting because my form would change and the horse would know and the difference was so stark. So yes, I was walking around last night like I’d spent time on horse 🙂 But by the end of the ride, I was like an old pro – thanks to Begga and her instruction and of course, practice.
The ride itself was over 2.5 hours long. We rode around some lava fields near the stable and by lakes and mountains made of volcanic ash. As with everything in Iceland, the scenery was fantastic and wild. Begga took photos of us the whole time and, although I don’t have any right now of me on one of these beautiful creatures, I will have some within 2 weeks and I’ll make sure I post them here.
This tour was definitely another highlight of my trip here. I think that I had a huge grin on my face the entire time I was riding – especially when we were going fast and I had the tolt down. And like I said, Begga’s passion was contagious and the horses were so beautiful and sweet.
I got back to my hotel for a quick shower and decided to take in the local art scene. There’s a show currently on at the Harpa in Reykjavik called ‘How to Become Icelandic in 60 Minutes’. It’s a one-man comedy show that makes fun of all things Icelandic. I had wanted to take some time to see the concert hall called Harpa and thought the show might be enlightening and entertaining. So off I went.
Harpa is a stunning concert hall near the harbor in Reykjavik. It was originally funded privately but when the financial crisis occurred in 2008, construction on the hall stopped. Finally, when things started to look up financially, the government decided to complete the construction. It is something the Icelandics talk about with a good bit of sarcasm because the development was intended to include a 400-room hotel, luxury apartments, retail units, restaurants, a car park and the new headquarters of Icelandic bank Landsbanki but now just includes the concert hall. Regardless, it is a stunning building and the show was so funny.
The show was put on by a Reykjavik local who provided 15 lessons on how to be Icelandic; all of them poking fun at the Icelandic. Some of the lessons included ‘Love the balls’, which refers to the tradition of eating Ram’s balls and the pronunciation for Eyjafjallajökull, which is the volcano that erupted in 2010. We also learned that on the weekend we should get drunk and have sex. It reminded me of an offer I got earlier in the week…the show was very funny and it ended with a video montage of why we love Iceland. The images of glaciers and volcanoes were stunning as you could imagine.
I made a quick stop at The Icelandic bar for a glass of wine and to watch the world go by. But by 11, accounting for the loneliness, I was asleep in my own apartment.
Below is an awesome video of the horses scratching their backs after the ride. They look like they are in heaven!
Our groupRiding Icelandic Horses
I’m also including a beautiful picture of a garden outside Parliament (not too much security, huh?) and a picture of the Settlement Exhibition. Notice it says 871 +- 2. That’s because they’re not positive of the year the Vikings arrived.
Parliament871+-2
Stories from a newly married, adventure seeking woman looking to see the world.
