I was lucky enough to take a trip to Vienna, Austria with my sister Rebecca this November. We did so many fun things, but especially enjoyed being able to check out quite a few of the city’s Christmas markets! Christmas markets began in Germany and date back to medieval times, but many cities in Europe now celebrate them in November and December each year. Vienna … Continue reading 7 Vienna Christmas Markets, Ranked
I’ve been a fan of Vienna ever since I read some of Eva Ibbotson’s novels as a kid. As I learned more over the years–of Gustav Klimt and the Secession movement, its musical past (Beethoven, Mozart, and many others had connections to the city), the winter ball season, the Spanish Riding School with its prancing white Lipizzaners stallions–I fell even more in love with the … Continue reading 36 Hours in Vienna
We ate breakfast at our hotel today (it was just yogurt, toast, and jam, and we missed our English breakfasts from London a little) and then set off for Edinburgh Castle. We took a bus ride up most of the hill to it, and then walked up part of the Royal Mile before arriving at the castle. Mickey and I started our Edinburgh Castle experience … Continue reading Edinburgh: Edinburgh Castle & the Royal Mile
The highlight of today was the Tower of London! We started with a tour by one of the Yeoman Warders, or ‘Beefeaters’, who actually live at the Tower and know all about it. The tour was very entertaining and he pointed out the many uses this place has served–from the royal mint to a zoo to a palace for the royalty to its most infamous … Continue reading London: Tower of London
Today was a great day–we took a 1.5 hour train ride to Warwick Castle and got to see part of the English countryside, which was very pretty–lots of sheep, dairy cows, and a few horses, with pretty rolling hills and everything is very green! (Our guess was that it’s because it rains so much here). The castle was very big, and the most fun I … Continue reading London: Warwick Castle & Wicked in the West End
We started our second day in London with a hearty English breakfast of beans, bacon, and eggs over easy at our bed and breakfast. Beans for breakfast was better than it sounds, though the bacon was more like ham than what we think of as bacon. We also had some toast and fresh-squeezed orange juice, so it was a strong start to the day. Michaela … Continue reading London: Hampton Court Palace, Leicester Square & Chinatown