Category Archives: Woman

Prague 2017, Travel, Woman

Prague – Lesser Town and the Charles Bridge

April 30, 2017 Aimee Couturier Leave a comment

The theme of this trip was “Be here now”. I really wanted to try to stay in the present moment because, not only has it been way too long since I’ve traveled, but this would be my first time traveling with a man I love. I had very high expectations and wanted to savor every moment.

Arrival into Prague via taxi had us cresting over Petrin Hill where we got our first glimpse of the stunning Prague Castle, Old Town and the famous Charles Bridge. Everything was so old and intricate and very, very clean. It was lovely! We arrived at our hotel, The Alchemist, in Malá Strana. Malá Strana is one of the districts of Prague that literally translates to “Little Side” but is more commonly referred to as “Lesser Town”. The name of the district derives from its position on the left bank of the river Vltava, at the base of the Prague Castle. I chose this area to stay in because it’s much quieter than Old Town and New Town across the river and was reported to have hilly cobblestone streets lit by lanterns that would be close to deserted while the youngsters played across the Charles Bridge. Immediately upon entering the hotel we were given a welcome cocktail of their house made sparkling wine and numerous apologies for not having had a car for us at the airport. They were wonderful and the hotel was gorgeous – over-the-top – lots of gold and rich fabrics and antique furniture and even a stuffed boars-head on one of the walls. Everywhere you looked was something different and unique.

Our room was decorated in a similar vein. Even the beams on the ceiling were hand-painted in swirls and flowers and grapevines.

The hotel hosted a free nightly wine tasting so we figured why not? Almost immediately upon sitting down with our wine, another couple in the lounge asked where we were from. Come to find out they were from Charlotte as well! We ended up sharing our stories over some lovely wine. It was a nice way to begin the trip.

First thing to do? Cross the famous pedestrian-only Charles Bridge and wander around Old Town until we found some dinner.

Prague's Famous Charles Bridge — Prague’s Famous Charles Bridge

The Charles Bridge is a historic, Gothic-style bridge that served as the only means of crossing the river until 1841. It was named after King Charles IV and is protected by three towers – 2 on the Lesser Town side and one on the Old Town side of the river. The bridge is decorated by a total of 30 statues, mostly in the baroque style, originally erected around 1700. But now they are all replicas – the originals are kept in museums for preservation.

It was a beautiful evening and the bridge was packed with tourists and locals artists hawking their wares. Every direction you look from this vantage is awesome. I’ve been to many places in my travels but have never been anywhere where the architecture of the buildings was so ancient and yet so intact. Breathtaking!

Locks of Love - Charles Bridge — Locks of Love – Charles Bridge

Letting yourself get too hungry as a tourist is never a good thing. Every single thing I read about Prague said never to eat anywhere near the Charles Bridge – we’d get mediocre food, poor service and big prices. Well, typical hungry tourists that we were, we popped into a restaurant right off the Charles Bridge. Let me just say, listen to what you read about Prague! The food was actually decent – we both had the typical Czech goulash. In the Czech Republic, the goulash is different than in other parts of the world. This one consisted of lots of savory sauce, beef, a few onions and more bread dumplings than you can wrap your head around. Did I mention that one should believe what they read about Prague?! But at that point, little did I know that bad service is a Czech tradition and usually comes accompanied by a good meal.

After wandering around the Old Town Square and sampling our own bottle of complimentary house wine, we crashed as if we hadn’t slept in 24 hours 🙂

Cartagena, Colombia 2015, Santa Clara Hotel Spa, South America, Travel, Woman

Hurts so good and I’m definitely a natural blond

September 25, 2015 Aimee Couturier 2 Comments

Finally…this was to be the day that I’d get pampered before returning to the real world. But first, a little splurge on typical Colombian coffee. Where else would you go but Juan Valdez, right? Anyway, I returned to my apartment to pick up some things before my massage appointment and while I was there the power went out. Apparently this happens often in the Old Town. I didn’t think too much about it – just left to get rubbed!

Las Bovedas - former dungeons that now house local vendors — Las Bovedas – former dungeons that now house local vendors

I went to the old Santa Clara Hotel in Old Town which is now a Sofitel property and absolutely stunning! Here if you had a spa service you got access to the facility for the day so I planned to spend my day getting touched and pretty and then spending some time by their incredible pool.

Upon entering the ladies lounge, I made a new friend in Jess – a woman from Manhattan who was in Cartagena for an event planning conference. She’d been wined and dined all week long. She also let me know that Martha Stewart was at the hotel and I’d just missed her in the spa by 20 minutes. So I was in the company of Martha…kind of…it was going to be a great day.

I had the BEST massage I’ve ever had in my life here – and I’ve had quite a few. You know the kind? When the pressure feels so good that your eyes sort of roll back in your head and you can’t do anything but concentrate on the luscious feeling? It was one of those…oh so good. It was followed by a mini-facial and a pedicure that was long overdue. On returning to the ladies lounge, I realized that —– I did not have my credit card AND I did not have enough cash to pay for the service AND my credit card (and license and passport) where in the safe in my apartment whose power was out. It being an electronic safe, I was pretty much screwed. Oh my goodness, was I embarrassed! I immediately got in touch with both the property manager and the building manager to see if they could loan me money. And then did what I always do when I’m freaking out. I called my Mom! It was an agonizing 30 minutes or so but the property manager, Barbara, made a trip from her apartment to downtown to let me borrow enough money to pay my bill. I really needed a drink at that point! But – you can’t buy a drink with no money. It was seriously a comedy of errors all around. And I overreacted, of course, but was just so embarrassed about the whole thing. It was a little chink in the armor of what was supposed to be a picture perfect day.

The incredible pool at the Santa Clara Hotel

I do think things happen for a reason, however, because after the whole debacle, Barbara and I went to have a bite to eat and a much-needed glass of wine. We had such a nice time! She and I are very similar and it’s refreshing to see that there are other slightly crazy yet pretty cool women out there in the world. I’m very grateful I got a chance to get to know her.

I had planned on going to the Havana Club to dance with Henry, my building manager, who is a local and would show me the ropes. Unfortunately, in all the events of the day, I drank some water at the spa that definitely wasn’t agreeing with this gringo L So instead of dancing ‘til dawn, I was in bed at 10! I was also reasoning that going to bed early would be better for my day at the beach on Friday.

I woke on Friday to another HOT, HOT, HOT day and was leisurely sipping my coffee and slowly waking up when I checked my email to find that my flight was delayed. How strange – how do they know it’s delayed when it isn’t departing until tomorrow? I honestly didn’t think twice about it but thought I’d just look at my Expedia app to see what I was in for the next day. It said, very clearly, “Your flight departs in 2 hours and 36 minutes”. WHAT?!?!?! Yes, I’m a natural blonde! I had seriously thought for months that I was returning on Saturday, not Friday. Well, here we go. I put some clothes on and literally sprinted down the streets of Cartagena to an ATM because of course I didn’t have any money for a taxi! I can only imagine what people were thinking by the looks they gave me. It was absolutely hysterical. But by 7:30 I was out of the apartment and shuffling down the streets with 2 suitcases in search of a taxi. When I found one, all I had to say was “mas rapido”!!!

All is well that ends well, right? I’m hoping to be in Charlotte by day’s end. Everyone needs a little jolt of excitement on their last day of vacation, right? Just don’t hold it against me…

Cartagena, Colombia 2015, South America, Travel, Woman

Hated it! Loved it!

September 25, 2015 Aimee Couturier Leave a comment

OK, the city is just cool! But not literally cool – it’s hotter than the Amazon here!

I woke up nice and early and had a coffee in my apartment while the rest of the world got up. This town definitely sleeps in.

Have I mentioned how hot it is here yet??? I left early for my tour and sweat was literally dripping from my chin within 5 minutes I had to return to my apartment and get what I’m calling toalla del sudor – the sweat towel

The free walking tour started at 10 AM from the old Naval Museum in the walled in part of town. I really love the free walking tours! This tour lasted a little over two hours and our tour guide had been doing tours in Cartagena for 26 years. He didn’t have the richest of personalities but he sure did know his facts. I always learn so much about a place when I do these tours. I also get a chance to figure out where I’d like to go and spend more time. And I get to do it all for the cost of a tip which – in this case was only 5 dollars. Nice!

I’m not much of a historian but some of the history of Cartagena is absolutely fascinating. For example, the Inquisition of Cartagena. People deemed as heretics against the catholic religion were tortured and then executed in one of the city’s squares.

The Inquisition Museum and the square where the torture would ensue.

Also, the history is reflected in the architecture of the old town. It is a mix of colonial and republican architecture. The balconies of the colonial style housing have sharp pointed corners, allegedly to scare the witches away. Cartagena is 50 to 75% Catholic, and you can see that evidence in the multitude of churches within the city. Also, the doors of the houses give an indication of the wealth of its owners. They are massive – big enough for a horse to pass through – and have brass knobs on them. Legend has it that the more brass knobs, the wealthier you were.

I am much more interested, however, in the modern day secrets of the city. Like where I should go to eat! And drink! And dance! And shop! I learned that there are a few types of cuisine here. The one that I really needed to look for is called la comida corriente. This is typically what the locals eat. It is a set meal of rice, a meat, and a salad for next to nothing!

I also learned that there is a local market called Las Bovedas. It is a colonial structure that was built into the walls and used to be dungeons. It’s now a shopping destination with multiple vendors selling everything from art to magnets. I’d have to make it there.

The famous fat lady sculpture in Plaza Santo Domingo

One of the wealthiest families in the city lives here

A great sign: un cafe ( a coffee) $10,000, un cafe por favor (a coffee please) $7000, buenas un cafe por favor (good morning, a coffee please) $4000

After a great tour I took the guide’s advice on a restaurant and had la comida corriente for lunch. A full dish of local food – including a plantain with hot sauce on it (GENIUS) and a local Club Colonial beer – for the dollar equivalent of $6. Awesome!

Beer + vacation = nap in my world and after that I was off to my first private salsa lesson. It was at a local dance school called Crazy Salsa and I’d booked this lesson weeks ago. My first realization was how different it was from my lesson in Quito. There, all we really did was dance. Here, I learned the names of the moves and ways to perfect my form and footwork. My teacher was a local who grew up about 2 hours from the city – Mauricio. Perhaps the better experience had something to do with speaking the same language? Who knows; either way I learned so much and totally loved it!

I had previously asked the building manager to recommend a place where I could go for just a glass of wine – no food. I looked last night for something and had a hard time of it. He suggested Cafe del Mar, which is located on the city wall where tourists go to watch the sunset. Hated it! The view was nice but it was 20-something people and techno and neon lights…seriously not my thing.

I began to wander and found myself chatting with the manager of a spa I was inquiring about. He suggested a restaurant called La Vitrola for dinner and wine. Loved it!! It’s a Cuban restaurant with live music and an even more lively atmosphere. From the moment I stepped in I felt good. From the older gentleman hitting on me at the bar to the young waiter who said, “come with me, I’ll take care of you”. It was just what I wanted. I didn’t even look at the menu – I went on recommendations alone and enjoyed a beautiful fish, yummy white wine, sweet music and people-watching. Another great day in an amazing city 😊

Super cool doorway at La Vitrola. See the little door within the bigger door??

Adventure, Amazon Rainforest 2015, Ecuador, Huaorani Tribe, South America, Travel, Woman

Getting rid of the bad stuff and goodbyes

September 24, 2015 Aimee Couturier 1 Comment

Day five of our tour took us on our last jungle hike – about a 2 mile walk to the jungle to a waterfall. It was a beautiful and very hot and sweaty trip but it was so worth it. The waterfall was like out of a movie. It was huge and stunning and it fell into a small pool surrounded by gorgeous vegetation. Wow, amazing! We’d all decided we’d use the waterfall as a shower so we stripped down to our skivvies and went for it. The water was cold and clear and refreshing. Roberto said that going under the waterfall itself would “get rid of the bad stuff”. I’ll translate that to “cleansing your soul” and I was all for it. Consider me cleansed – literally and figuratively. We giggled like school children, threw the soap around and took way too many pictures. In short, it was perfect.

A stunning waterfall in the middle of a jungle

We had to say goodbye to some of the staff at that point and we got into the dugout canoe for our last cruise down the river. This time we were going in the direction of the road. We got to see the end of the Huaorani land, which is very clearly marked. After leaving were on the land, we enter land belonging to the Shuar tribe. This tribe is known for shrunken heads!

We ended our cruise at the bridge that begins what is called Zona Intangible. This area was set aside to guarantee the subsistence of people in voluntary isolation. This is where the Tagaeri tribe and the Taromenane tribe reside. These two tribes want no outside influence and maintain their culture and traditions from centuries ago. These traditions include hunting with only spears and blowguns and, basically, killing anyone outside their tribe when they infringe on their land. From the stories we’ve heard from the Huaorani, they don’t discriminate. They’ll kill members of other tribes as well as oil company workers and illegal lockers.

This was where we had to say goodbye to Uweme, Eloy, Edison and Marco. Since these were the staff we got to know the most, this was difficult. All I could do was sincerely thank them and hope they know how much their brief presence in my life meant.

We got into our taxi that would take us to the city of Coca for our flight to Quito. Right away Roberto called this the Toxic Tour and you could immediately see why. It’s disgusting! The stark difference between the lush, alive, green jungle that we spent five days in and what we now saw was so extreme. There were oil rigs everywhere you looked it seemed. Literally I saw two within 1 mile of each other. Anything tall had been knocked down and there were pipes following the whole road. Terribly sad… I don’t know much about drilling for oil but apparently what is drilled contains a waste product that cannot be used. So to get rid of this, near most rigs is at least one huge fire. The fires I saw were over 6 feet tall and they burn all the time. So not only are the oil companies polluting the land, they’re polluting the air as well. It’s just awful!

It was a quick and smelly flight back to Quito where Jen, Roberto and I said goodbye to Louise and Shane. The three of us then (finally!) indulged in a local beer called Club. I couldn’t leave Ecuador without tasting the yummy local beer!

It was time to say goodbye to Roberto and Jen. It’s always so hard for me to do this. I know that I don’t really know these people all that well but when you share this kind of experience with them, it feels as if you do. And to think that I might not see them again makes me very sad. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without Jen opening up her cabin to me. Just having someone in the room with me eased my fears so much and I could never thank her enough! So who knows, maybe our paths will cross again one day. I sure hope so! At the very least I’ve made friends and so many memories. We’ll always share those…

Tomorrow I’m off to Cartagena where I’m going to indulge in some good old-fashioned pampering. Wine, dancing, food, shopping, exploring… And more great stories please…

Adventure, Amazon Rainforest 2015, Ecuador, Huaorani Tribe, South America, Travel, Woman

A journey down the river

September 24, 2015 Aimee Couturier Leave a comment

Today we had a lazy day while our guides worked their butts off. We spent three hours poling down the river – well, Eloy and Edison poled while the rest of us searched for wildlife around the banks of the river. It was an absolutely perfect day to canoe down the Shiripuno river. Overcast with small bits of sun and rain. During the trip we spotted so many beautiful birds like the Toucan and the Macaw and different types of Heron. We also managed to see another type of monkey – the Duskitiki money. It was far away but so cool to see it running in the trees. Also at one point we heard a fairly loud howl or roar. First Uweme thought it was a howler monkey but then realized it was a jaguar! A jaguar was growling so close to us! Just the thought of that gives me goosebumps. Of course we couldn’t see it through the forest but knew it was right there.

After stopping at our campsite where we’d spend our last night, we continued downriver to another Huaorani community called Nenquepare. Here we got to meet the head of that community as well as 2 of the teachers and a bunch of children. The tribe had had a party at this community just 2 days ago. Members of the Huaorani from hours away by canoe came to the 2-day party! Apparently it was quite an affair. So we learned about the community and then Uweme and Edison and Roberto took to the hard work of making a fire the traditional way – with a stick, a piece of wood and a piece of cotton from one of the trees in the forest. This was another one of those times where everyone worked hard while we stood around and watched. I can’t imagine having to do that to get fire! Edison, who is 16 and will soon marry, was getting picked on. Apparently you cannot find a wife until you can make fire this way.

We spent some time hearing about how the government and oil companies had built them a new school and were even providing computers. It’s fascinating the mix of old and new here and it will be so interesting and perhaps scary to see how the Huaorani evolve with this mix of tradition and modernity. A new school with bright lights and solar panels sticks out like a sore thumb there and just doesn’t seem to fit nor to sit right with me. It feels like the tribe is being bribed for their land and aren’t getting close to a fair trade for it. It’s kind of sad…

We spent a lot of time listening to the stories of the community leader and his father. Tales of brutality with illegal loggers and folklore about how a father past away and came back as a jaguar. The tribe has such profound respect for the jaguar and you could see the pride in the face of a son as he spoke of his father.

It was pitch black when we returned to our campsite. We had dinner by the light of a headlamp and fell asleep in our tents to the sounds of insects and frogs and monkeys.

Adventure, Amazon Rainforest 2015, Colombia 2015, Ecuador, South America, Travel, Woman

Me = Travel Snob

September 12, 2015 Aimee Couturier 7 Comments

I am a travel snob. There, I’ve admitted it. That’s the first step, right?? I set such high expectations of each trip and hope that the next will be just that much more crazy, adventurous, dangerous and over-the-top than the previous one. Will it be as great as my previous journeys? Will it challenge me? Will it make me uncomfortable? Will it teach me something about me and this beautiful world? I’m hoping to answer YES to all of those questions!

A river runs through it - the Amazon — A river runs through it – the Amazon

This time I’m off….to the Amazon rain forest. Woohoo! I’m going to the Ecuadorian rain forest and I chose that because of my desire to learn the Spanish language. Even though I’m not even close to being conversational, I thought that going to Brazil and being surrounded by Portuguese would completely knock me off my Spanish game.

I’m going to be spending 5 glorious days deep in the jungle with the Huaorani tribe – a tribe indigenous to the area who are focused on keeping their home – the rain forest – intact. They do this by inviting a small group of people to an Eco lodge which they created and now maintain and immersing them in their culture and customs. We’ll live like the Huaorani do – hunting and fishing, climbing trees, building fires for heat and being surrounded by rich wildlife. We’ll even spend one night sleeping under the stars – with the bugs and the snakes and the jungle animals. Soooo cool!

I’m so looking forward to learning from and learning about these people – and of course the others who will be part of the group. I think it takes a special (i.e. crazy?) group of individuals to take on this kind of tour. So I’m hoping we all have a lot in common.

After my stay in the jungle, I’m going to pull a complete 180 and travel to Cartagena, Colombia – a place known as one of the most romantic in the world. I’m going to pamper myself there with wonderful food and wine, salsa dancing, long walks on the beach and a bunch of history about another new country.

I’m excited to once again share my journey with you. This forum has definitely served as a way for me to document my crazy adventures because I don’t want to forget a moment. But I also hope it puts a smile on someone’s face or makes someone realize that they can follow their dreams or encourages a desire to learn and interact with people that are so different from us.

I hope you’ll stick with me – it’s going to be a great ride!

Travel, Vienna 2013, Woman

Pampering and the Vienna Opera

December 12, 2013 Aimee Couturier Leave a comment

Today was going to be a big day. Since we weren’t able to get to the zoo yesterday, we were determined to make it today. So it was an early morning and we were first in line for the Vienna Imperial Zoo. It was a VERY cold morning but at least no rain and we enjoyed the zoo for over 3 hours. My favorites were the Rhinos, the giraffes and the bats. Creepy cool!

When Candace and I travel together we usually make time to go to a local spa. Pampering is an important thing after you’ve trekked in the Alps for a full day and are getting ready to spend 14 hours in a plane. Also, it’s pretty cool to see spas in other countries. Will they do anything differently than we do? What will the experience be like? Anyway, we had booked at massage at Vienna’s famous Sacher Hotel after a recommendation by a local. Vienna’s world-renowned Sacher Torte is also sold here. One of the first things on my must-do list for this trip was to have the Sacher Torte at the Sacher Hotel. So regardless of the spa, this was going to be a destination.

We had a massage scheduled but also wanted to spend some time just enjoying the spa. Being absolutely freezing at this point, we were happy to head there. We got off at the Stephansplatz metro stop which is the center of the city – also called Innner Stradt – and one that we hadn’t been to yet. We were thrilled when we got off the metro and were hit with huge crowds, tons of stores and Christmas all over the place! It was just what we were looking for. One entire store was draped entirely with white lights and a huge red bow. We oohed and ahhed all the way down to the Sacher Hotel which happened to be directly across from the Vienna State Opera House. We were treated like royalty as we entered and were lead to an access-only elevator to take us to the spa. The spa was lovely! We were given all of the necessities for relaxation – robes and slippers, fruit and tea. There was a Therarium which I’d never heard of before. It was essentially a sauna but every 10 minutes water would spray onto either Lavendar and Mint leaves and it created the most wonderful fragrances. Apparently these herbs are good for your skin too. There was also a relaxation room – nice and dark and oh, so comfy. We relaxed and warmed up for a couple of hours and then were off to our massage.

I had a wonderful one! It wasn’t too unique from the massages at home except that the masseuse massaged my stomach. I don’t think that happens too often in the US. The whole thing was an incredible experience! And since we were running late, we decided to get the Sacher Torte to go. We’d eat it with a nice Austrian wine while we were all dressed up for the opera later.

This was the night I’d been waiting for! La Boheme at the Vienna State Opera House – called Weiner Staatsoper, which is reported to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It had sure looked that way when we walked past. And…to top it all off we got to wear fancy dresses! When in Vienna, right?! I may be biased but I have to say that we looked pretty damn good! Maybe except for the knee-high socks and winter boots we were wearing under the dresses. We had to keep warm, right? Once we were in our finery, of course wine and the unveiling of the Sacher Torte were in order. OMG – YUM! This dessert is so rich but not overly sweet. It has a bitter chocolate sort of taste which was to-die-for. And paired with wine – sheer perfection!

We got to the opera house just in time to pick up our tickets and head back to the Sacher Hotel for a quick cocktail before the show. This hotel is exquisite. It is so warm and full of Christmas. Dark reds and blues and blanket the walls which are filled with dark wood. It’s simply gorgeous. And the huge Christmas tree and homemade gingerbread house made it all the more inviting. We snagged a prime seat in the small, intimate bar and enjoyed our cocktails.

Off we went to the opera. We were absolutely the most dressed of anyone we saw but we simply didn’t care. We felt and looked beautiful. Our seats were not the best but I thoroughly enjoyed the show! As I said, we saw La Boheme which was loosely used to create the modern-day production of Rent on broadway. Well this is one of my favorite shows ever and since I already knew the story line, it was relatively easy to follow. The intermission was different than anything I’d experienced in the States. All of the tables had been reserved by patrons and included glasses of Champagne or wine and an assortment of food and pastries. It was quite lovely. The entire experience of the opera held up to my expectations. It was a spectacle to be seen in so many ways – the show, the people watching, the traditions of the patrons.

Having only had part of a Sacher Torte for dinner, we headed to a café for some food. Candace had said earlier that she was disappointed that she wouldn’t get to have gulash again but there it was! Wow, that’s some good stuff. And the perfect portion when we share. Disappointment…gone! We were also able to reflect about the week and what were our favorite parts. There were a lot of favorites!

It has absolutely been one of my favorite trips ever. Vienna is a GORGEOUS city with so many different sides to it and so much to do. I’d recommend it to anyone. It was magical at Christmas in a way that is probably unlike any other time of year but I imagine it’s stunning when everything is in bloom in the spring or summer.

Travel, Vienna 2013, Woman

Viennese Markets in the Pouring Rain and the Majestic Belvedere Palace

December 10, 2013 Aimee Couturier 1 Comment

Drinking copious amounts of wine last night didn’t bode well for the run we had planned for the morning. So instead we slept in (finally!) and tried to recover. The run can wait for tomorrow.

On the day’s agenda: Vienna’s famous Naschmarkt. The Naschmarket is a fruit and vegetable market but it offers so much more. The fruits and veggies come from around the world and there were many that I’d never seen before. There were also spices and cheeses and meats and breads. Interspersed were food vendors offering all sorts of traditional fare. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating and we got soaked going through the market. Cold and wet, we really didn’t take full advantage of the market. Soaked at this point, we decided to head to the next destination.

Yannick, our guide from the snowshoeing adventure, had recommended an ‘underground’ Christmas Market called Karlsplatz. This market is different in that it offers less traditional Christmas fare. It’s known for it’s sweet playground for children and crafts which feature local artists. As you all know, every trip I take is commemorated by a piece of art from a local artist so I was very excited about this market. So, even though it was pouring and we were soaking wet and freezing, we trudged along hoping to find something fantastic. Well, we did! There was some incredible art there! One of the requirements for those wishing to run a stand at this market is that the products on sale must be made by the applicant themselves. So it was all very original and we got to speak to the artists we bought from. Success!

Cold and wet and kinda depressed about the weather, we headed back to the apartment. I have to say, I felt a little trapped. All of my loved ones know that I’m no fun to be around when I feel that way. But Candace handled it – and me – well. BFFs just know what to do in those situations…

We decided to try another famous Christmas market in the evening. We bundled up – really, really bundled up – and headed out, stopping along the way for mini bottles of wine. Night one we drank gluhwein – the Austrian version of mulled wine – and just decided it wasn’t for us. So we decided we’d fill up our gluhwein mugs with our own wine! Yes, we are just that smart 🙂

The Weihnachtsdorf vor dem Schloss Belvedere (or Belvedere Palace). This market is the latest addition to the Christmas market scene in Vienna and is set against the backdrop of the baroque style Belvedere Palace which was the summer residence for Price Eugene of Savoy and now houses museums and stables. The palace is absolutely stunning to walk into! The grounds are incredible and feature a large pool and majestic and massive wrought iron gates. It was a beautiful sight! But slightly less impressive because some of the fairy take Christmas lights weren’t turned on 🙁 We still had luck with the vendors and enjoyed walking around with our version of gluhwein.

The Belvedere Palace is in a district of Vienna that we weren’t familiar with so we stopped into a sweet hotel to ask for a restaurant recommendations. The most adorable bellhop (what is that called in German?) suggested a traditional restaurant around the corner. What a recommendation! The restaurant was called Sperl and was fantastic. It was warm and cozy and almost completely full and reeked of Christmas and Viennese charm. We split some wonderful and I drank the traditional Gruner Vetlinger wine which is very similar to a Pinot Grigio but just a bit sweeter. We had a blast getting silly with the waiters.

We decided we were tired and a date night was in order. We stopped on the way back to the apartment to pick up some wine and dessert and promptly put ourselves to bed with ‘This is 40’ playing on my tablet (thanks Kerry!) and a Schokokuchen pastry to share (an Austrian pastry similar to a donut with chocolate merenge inside).

Another FANTASTIC day in Vienna! But, the question remains, will we ever see the sun while we’re here??

Travel, Uncategorized, Vienna 2013, Woman

Mass with the Vienna Boys Choir

December 9, 2013 Aimee Couturier 1 Comment

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.

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!

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!

Adventure, Travel, Vienna 2013, Woman

Big Red Balls

December 7, 2013 Aimee Couturier 2 Comments

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!

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.

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!

Adventure Traveling WIFE!