Our next trip was to the city Vienna. With only a few days we packed our carry on luggage and flew out from Charles de Gaulle. Arriving late at night without a map we descended from the airport shuttle train into a foggy abyss. We hoped for the best, turned right and walked “tout droit” as the French would say. Luckily we arrived right in front of our hyper modern hotel.
We headed out the next morning map in hand. Although it can be quite cold a real plus to traveling in November and December are the Christmas markets, or in Vienna the Christkindlmarkts. In Vienna there’s not only one Christmas market but SEVERAL, and at least a Christmas booth or two can be spotted at almost anytime. We spent the morning walking around the city center before finding the largest of the Christmas markets in front of the town hall. There we had delicious lunch of Christmaspunch, deep-fried garlic bread, and frankfurters.
That evening we went back to the Christkindlmarkts for a delicious spaetzle dinner. We had thought that the Prater might be within walking distance and headed in its general direction. The foggy abyss manifested itself once again and we only made it as far as the Danube. We turned back towards our hotel stopping in at a wine bar to sample some local wines before calling it a night.
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| The Foggy Abyss |
The next day we went to the
Schoenbrunn Palace home of the famous Hapsburg family. Although the gardens weren’t blossoming in the November cold, the zoo and large iron and glass greenhouse were very impressive.
We then took the Metro to the historic
Prater amusement park where we went on one of Europe’s oldest haunted rides.
That night we went to the popular
Figlmueller restaurant for the best schnitzel in Vienna. After dinner we went back to a few Christkindlmarkts for a last bit of Christmas shopping.
The next morning before we flew home, we went to the Belvedere Palace to see "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. It was a great weekend getaway. We didn’t have to worry about missing the Christmaspunch too much though, because the Marché de Noël had started in Arras!
This Christmas we spent in Arras with Andre’s parents. Bob and Louise arrived just in time to see the Arras Christmas market on December 24th. We walked around the market one last time and bought extra provisions for our Christmas Eve dinner of foie gras, several different cheeses, saucisson, and champagne!
Most of the day was spent on skype and lounging around the apartment. After a delicious roast duck dinner, made in our oven with has it’s own motorized spit, we went for a late night’s walk to see the Christmas lights. 
