Vienna for Christmas!

All of these photos posted in the reverse order I was hoping for.... but here we go:  First you should know that Christmas in Vienna is impossible to describe...but imagine lights that are 2-3 times the size of you hanging between buildings that were built yearsssssssssss ago.  And walking around finding streets that each hold their own magic and own style. Stumbling upon christmas market after christmas market with people from all over europe drinking hot, sweet wine, eating sausages and pastries and candied nuts. everyone is smiling. homemade ornaments and gadgets and toys and puppets and art in miniature houses all in a row. christmas lights, christmas trees, christmas spirits, aaaah. 

   Picture 1: Don't you love the architecture?  I loved the hustle-bustle of pre-christmas!  
Picture 2: On our last night in Vienna (the 27th) we went to the Opera house (isn't is classic?) and saw the Nutcracker Ballet (Ballett: Der Nussknacker).... standing tickets were only 4 euros!  And it was so lovely! The costumes were amazing and even though i have seen this ballet before, i was so impressed with the idea that a whole story can be conveyed through dance and lyric-less music.  Whole emotions are expressed through their passion for dance and dedication to the art.

After the show we met up w/ 3 friends from the hostel to try to find good dancing. good - not so sure - shady, on the river, dark, really loud bass, dudes entranced by the lights overhead, hipsters everywhere, smoke everywhere - that is what we found. a european experience - sure. an experience we kept laughing through - of course. the nice part - we paid ourselves back at the end of the night. bc if you take empty glasses or bottles back to the bar - they give you money back. GENIUS. so we went around collecting other people's trash basically and made ourselves a few euros. more bars should do that. we got home at 4am. or 5am. i don't remember. we were supposed to wake up in time to go to the vienna boys choir and check out of the hostel before that -- no - we woke up at like 9 i guess. and laid around the hostel and used our little book to try and find some decent place to have coffee or eat - we failed at 3 attempts all over the city - so we went back to a place that we had the day before that was near the center and the opera house and enjoyed a superb meal. we walked down the streets - and said goodbye to the city sprinkled by magic fairy dust and christmas cheer from santa's sleigh. 

Picture 3: (the 26th) This is the Belvedere.... two palaces, separated by a garden, that were built in the 18th century as the summer resident for Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736).  It is known for its Baroque architecture, and design. Now, it holds art from the Middle Ages.  Here we saw the Gustav Klimt collection, so of course "The Kiss" and "Judith."  It was nice and I like Gustav more now... but i have to admit, lyds and i were distracted when we were here because we were supposed to leave the following morning and head to Salzburg but had just discovered our train tickets were going to add up to 100 euros each.  We were internally trying to sort out alternative last minute options.
Picture 4: Christmas Night dinner!  Everything closes Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas.  All Shops, restaurants and grocery stores.  By night time we were starving and it looked as though our only option would be vending machine food from the hostel.  But in our last minute of searching we saw a distant lite up sign.  It ended up being this tiny, little, Italian restaurant.  The only two workers (ma and pops) probably lived in the back or upstairs of this place.  Since we were basically sitting in their kitchen, we watched them make our food from scratch and it was delicious!

Picture 5: (the 25th) Kunthauswein Museum.  This is the outside of Hundertwasser's art gallary.  He also designed the building, which had 10 trees growing out of it from the inside, uneven floors, organic materials, and no straight lines.  I have lots to say about him so he will be a different blog post later... but this was the greatest Christmas gift i could have ever been given.  It re-engergized me and reminded me of the goodness of art and the inspiration it offers me.  Lyds agreed.
Picture 6: Christmas day still...lyds and i parked on the second floor of Starbucks for a few hours, with the view of the opera house, hot coffee, books, journals, and music.    
Picture 7: Hofburg Palace....we didn't have a chance to go inside it.  But it was attached to the Albertina, which we did go to.  It is a huuuuuge Art Museum with over 500 works.  It shows the historical progress of art from impressionism to modernism.  We saw pieces by Monet, Degas, Picasso, Rothko, Van Gogh, and more.  Sometimes life doesn't feel real.  You know you are doing things and seeing things, but the reality of it doesn't sink in.  I had this moment there though where I thought..."This is now.  This is real. Its Christmas day.  I am in Europe, standing in front of a Monet. How did this happen and how grateful am i?"   Picture 8:  St. Stephans Cathedral.  The picture does no justice.  It's dark and gothic and beautiful.  Inside was a bit of a tourist attraction which look away some of its mystery and appeal for me.  But the building is impressive nontheless.
Picture 9: Christmas Eve.  Haus der Musik is an interactive museum where music is audible and visual.  There was a room that was a recreation of the womb.  It sounds cheesy but it was powerful and comforting.  It kind of vibrated and the colors and sounds were intoxicating.  There interactive activities helped you create music, direct music, morph sounds, combine sounds, record sounds, visualize feelings, and so much more.  It also had a bunch of amazing historical, brilliant musicians. There were whole rooms on Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Strauss, and more.... all of them had, at some point, lived in Vienna and created masterpieces.  I can't imagine inventing the things they thought up.  It's brilliant.  Also.... someone find the cd "i mozart lounge" please.  It has a weird bluish sculture on the front photo, if i remember correctly... it is so creative and so fabulous! and it is not the same as "Mozart Lounge" which is not as good at all.
Picture 10 - one of the christmas market booths.  Meat.   ew.
Picture 11 - One of the christmas market booths.  Handmade items.
Picture 12:  this was our first starbucks since being in the US.  I have a whole new level of drip coffee to go.  
Picture 13:  Christmas Eve. This is inside the Votiv church and it is where Lyds and I went to Christmas Eve mass.  It was in english...and so cold we could see our breath the whole time.  But I liked going back to my old roots and being in a catholic service.  I have my own conflict with Catholic beliefs, but i must admit, there was something beautiful about the tradition of it all.  That cross-culturally people are doing the same motions.  Its a bizarre global connection and it was perfect for Christmas.  And Im stealing Lyds words to describe the church because I agree: "you know the ones that catch bad flack for being too big and impersonal and cost too much money - those ones that steal your breath and remind you that the history of christianity is jaded and beautiful - one that couldn't be contained or boxed in by cathedrals or catholics or protestants - ones that make you realize the awe and majesty of one we serve that is greater than us - we had christmas eve mass in one of those." 

After church we went back to our hostel and made some friends in the downstairs pub. 
Photo 14 - hot wine....its so weird and sweet, and filled with pieces of fruit.  They serve it all over the markets and you can keep the mug, or return it and get some of your money back.
Photo 15 - one of the magically decorated streets.
Photo 16 - lyds and i literally frolicked around the streets.  they were overwhelmingly amazing.
Photo 17 - the biggest market.  This was the most amazing christmas event i have ever seen.  tons of booths, tons of food, tons of drinks, tons of lights!  Even the trees had giant, light-up ornaments.  Everyone was truly enjoying the season.  I think it should be mandatory for everyone to go and experience Vienna at Christmas time.  It is more beautiful than i know how to describe.  

I have a million more photos i could post from Vienna, but i know this blog is already too long. All in all, if i couldnt be with family on Christmas (though we all know lyds is family)... Vienna was, by far, the perfect alternative.