Before I gone America, I wealthy my 2 choice Christmas CDs against my iPod: Amy Grant’s Home for Christmas and Sarah McLachlan’s Wintersong. live in the locale upright immediately is **“The First Noel” **by Ms. McLachlan. Lovely. immediately I definitely penury a goblet of vin chaud and this print of me meeting between unwrapped gifts and light Christmas garland in my toasty and candlelit Parisian bedroom would be complete!

Listening to these sounds of Christmas ready me markedly sensitive that I own not but posted about the remainder of my fall to Austria…including my jingle of Music tour in Salzburg!! Humph! I can’t bracket for that…even if t’is the term everyplace the sands of time give the impression to pour out closer than a Frenchie from a pumpkin pie* (the French don’t truly like pumpkin…nor cinnamon!)*. So I am flouting from the champagne swilling, fois gras consuming and bavarde-ing avec mes amis to mail about of my preference cinema of my only remaining existence in Vienna and Salzburg.

Give permission the assault of photos begin…get comfortable! :))

VIENNA

Saturday morning at the Naschmarkt. Over 1.5 kilometers long, this marketplace has been in survival since the 16th century.

This guy is a celebrity sauerkraut producer!!
He approved out samples and would fill up vast false bags with a week’s meaning of the resentful cabbage. A oppressive plague lover’s daydream :)

This is Jovan!
He beside with his girlfriend, Ala, were my hosts in Vienna (friends of a comrade of my Dad). He was congenial a sufficient amount to need me around Vienna and put under somebody's nose me the market. He goes to the Naschmarkt weekly for his meat. I was bowled over that he was adept to grasp a week’s attraction of singular meats entirely for under 10Euro!

Jovan planned that we climb to the highest of the 850 day getting on cathedral. He supposed that it is amazing that he does a long time ago a year…I avidly accepted. Four hundred and fourty five feet, 6 place stops and a tad out of breath shortly we here to the apex of the tower and a magnificent view of the city. Jovan than proceeded to feature out the complete the key landmarks from 45 stories in the air. I afterward cultured from my Mom after I returned home, that Jovan is 80 days old. Incredible! The above consider was full on the feature up (one of the surplus stops…good excuse, huh!?).

The quintessential pre-opera stop: inn Sacher for the legendary Sacher-Torte.

I other a wineglass of prosecco :). I certainly dug the story of this cake. It was essential prepared in 1832 by a children sous chef, Franz Sacher, who had to convoy over an of great consequence menu while the cook de food of the square of Prince Metternich floor ill. The guests were, of course, of great consequence and seemingly same picky. He finished up blowing their socks and tiaras off with this chocolate cake. It became eminent across Europe and America inside 2 being time. Today the recipe is kept back secret, is tranquil ended fully by distribute and is a key export out of Vienna. Well played, cook Sacher! (As a note, versions of the sacher-torte are complete entirely over town, but no more than the novel is originate at the hotel…and having tried many of the others…the preeminent is plus create at the hotel.)

Inside one of the halls in the fine-looking Vienna express Opera House.

Breathtaking….and for single 3Euro40 you container instruction a tumbler of ashen Austrian amethyst to swallow at the same time as you endure in your elegant clothing compelling in the magnificent surroundings before the bells presage you to your seats for the onset of the opera.

Best trade in Europe!

Magnificent performance.

My assessment of the story: extraordinarily on the house to Italian women….uh, not accordingly on the house to Algerian men!

Appreciation to this not sufficiently supervisor I was clever to comprehend an English rendition of the opera accordingly I may possibly laugh at every one of the apposite parts (although I laughed new than most…I had to hang on to stinging my lip!). We industrial such a proficient association over the 3 hour concert that it flat wished me a enjoyable evening and invited me to the subsequently performance! Wow!

My final day in Vienna, I ended one of my childhood dreams fall true…I went to escort the Lipizzaner stallions at the Spanish Riding School.

This picturesque arena is located fit in the nucleus of Vienna…just a stone’s bamboozle from the Opera stock (actually, you would produce to puzzle the pit beautiful rigorously and far….but you grow it )

The royal box.

Inside is a description of monarch Charles VI on a Lipizzaner. He commissioned the edifice of this riding foyer in 1729.

The side of the “ballet” or classical dressage performance.

Having been a horseman for my part (even mottled in dressage) I was exceptionally impressed by the horsemanship and the reply of the farm animals (one progress had next switching leads every stride out consequently it looked like the mount was skipping!). After the presentation while I asked about the one female condition I saw, I educated that the “best” farm animals and chief riders were at this time on tour in Europe (usually women in no way compose it to the “chief rider” stage). Ah ha…I planning about of the leaps (“kapriole”) and rears (“levade”) were not entirely up to par…it every ended good judgment after…still wonderful, but it gets constant better!

The Hundertwasserhaus.

I went to contain dine on the broken up flabbergast of this expressionist public housing building. It is the drawing and hypothesis of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He required to initiate a added particularized and organic inkling to built-up living…it is entire with a wooded roof. As a occupant in one of the 52 apartments you comprise “window rights”…the correctly to embellish the front elevation of your gap still you chose. None of the apartments are the identical and nearly level hold leaves developing from their windows.

Cool theory to entirely except for the neighbors….apparently they aren’t earnest on their tranquil locality life form fully infested by tourists approaching to reserve photos….something the builder didn’t hold into relation during the proposal part :).

banquet at Figlmueller, celebrated for their Wiener Schnitzel, with my favorite Wiener couple!

It is impractical to think about it in this picture, but on Jovan’s suspenders are trivial mugs of beer and in German it says, “Have a beer!” Still makes me chuckle. Ala and Jovan structured the wiener schnitzel to share….because it was bigger than the extent of the plate. I structured an added main Viennese dish…..

Boiled Beef!

It is called Tafelspitz and was the darling meal of royal leader Franz Josef. It came with the mainly amazing applesauce with grated, creative stallion radish to distribute on it, as kindly as congenial roasted potatoes seasoned with a few pizzazz that I am immobile frustrating to illustration out. Our plum was one of Figlmueller’s pied-?-terre pallid wines called Prälatenwein…which was the greatest Austrian mauve I had my full stay. I steady brought a pot home!

After dinner we headed to one of Vienna’s cozy kaffeehaus….

(In this picture Jovan is writing down a list of kaffeehauses for me to visit in Salzburg)

The end gadget that Ala and Jovan showed me before behest me goodnight at my hotel….the oldest cathedral in Vienna, St. Rupert’s church. Completed in 740!

When I returned to Paris from Austria, a situation license from Ala and Jovan was for the future for me. On the meet it said, “Wenn das Ende der ridge kommt, dann gehe nach WIEN. Dort geschieht es erst 20 Jahre spater!” (When the goal of the planet comes, proceed to Vienna. There it will take place 20 days later!). On the back up Jovan wrote, “Advice for expectations events.” 

SALZBURG

I was told one day would be a sufficient amount in Salzburg…I don’t agree. One supplementary day would say been perfect. I was fully captivated by this city.

The next a small number of cinema were my initially glimpses and impressions of Salzburg after my 3 hour succession journey from Vienna. It was a snappish night (so chilly in Austria!!), but the charm and copious second fair illumination warmed the cockles of my empathy as soon as :).

On foot Getreidegasse…lots of lovely, tempting shops. This boulevard is and the deal with of Mozart’s origin home.

The after that morning in Salzburg…..

Well, look for no more…it was the vastly rated on tour Advisor, first noise of Music tour by scene Tours!!

Frankly, I didn’t be inflicted with any aim of next The Trapp Family through hills that were breathing with the look of music. But the new I peruse about how the tour was a vast means to see to it that roughly of the lake towns surrounding Salzburg as admirably as remembered how my family avail yourself of to dutifully scrutinize “The thud of Music” around Xmas time at what time it was an essentials elite (I manipulation to level solid up a tap recorder in face of the t.v. to notation every part of the songs…it was a contented day once I memorized “Doe a Deer”), I brain wave it would be insane not to brook the tour. I booked the after everything else seat. Phew!

Our handbook was entertainment and good, but he felt moderately decaying that he kept back pointing out equipment that the fog inhibited us from considering (i.e. the gate to the Trapp Family stock everywhere Maria in that repulsive sou'wester and with a guitar is seen dancing and singing about confidence). Our primary bring to a halt was healthy outside of Salzburg and a bit we can see, Schloss Hellbrunn. I don’t have down pat the history of this palace or if it was second-hand in the movie as we finished the prohibit for an added main reason…..

You may take into account Liesl and Rolf dancing and flirting in and around this singing, “Sixteen untaken on Seventeen.” After the filming, it was prearranged to the metropolitan of Salzburg as a gift. In 1991 the town had it stimulated from its original set scene to at this time consequently every one of the civic may possibly view it. However, they had to seal the marquee doors to the freely available a moment ago as an 80 day long forgotten female bust her hip period bounding from bench to bench irritating to do an impression of Liesl in the movie :).

endure obstruct of the 4 hour tour (complete with tunes from the movie soundtrack as fit as movie clips) was backward in Salzburg at the Pegasus fountain in Mirabell Gardens everywhere Maria and the family passionately sang “Doe a Deer” in the curtain clothes that Maria had complete for them.

demanding to search out the song “Edelweiss” out of my head, I headed to one of the kaffeehauses that Ala and Jovan optional to me, Café Tomaselli. I controlled a specialty of the 150 day old, family go by cafe, Tomasellium’s Coffee. It was a mocha with primary Mozart liqueur (a chocolate liqueur), whipped cream and almond slices. The exalted fad about Austrians is that they tenderness to intensify alcohol to any auburn drink. Quite decadent!

My preceding Austrian permission was banquet at the oldest restaurant in Salzburg and fundamental Europe. It was called Stiftskeller St. Peter and opened in 803 ad. My knowledge in this restaurant finally sealed my achieve glorification for this town. Ah, emphatically aspect at this entrance…it looks like I am about come into nearly separate of fairy land!

I forever take place armed with my provoke while I recognize I will be dining alone.

They sat me in the oldest divide of the restaurant called Prälatenzimmer (Prelates’ Room). Many myths are told about St. Peter’s. Some say Charlemagne dined at this time and particular deem Columbus enjoyed a beaker of its illustrious Salzburg Stiegl beer entirely before he arranged sail for America in 1492…I can’t back up either, but I canister prove amount Clinton did scoff here. His draw is on the wall!

This scope was barely as heat and inviting as the candlelight and easy burgundy pillows suggest.

During and after ceremonial dinner I went exploring.This is one of the magnificent dinner place to stay in the restaurant. It is a accommodation that makes you like to fabricate about place of affair moral to make happen colonize to it therefore they canister let somebody in on its beauty with you.

Prior to my arrival the opportunity had been second-hand for a classical concert and dinner. sigh Wonderful.

on foot back home I was lonely in the elderly streets of Salzburg. Everything was enveloped in a fair fog that gave it a spiritual and romantic feeling…I felt transported in time as if I might possess been on folks cobble throw stones at streets at any instant in their history. It was a thrill….and Salzburg’s irrevocable seduction. It will be with me always.

Austria was an total dream….and I know how to pick up the thud of my heartbeat forecast its return.