A Beautiful Sight

This year marked our fourth year spent overseas at Christmas.  While it is hard to be away from our families at the holidays, we know that we have to take advantage of the opportunity to spend Christmas in Europe.  This year, we were lucky enough to have friends, Marina and her mom, Vija, come and visit and all four of us headed to Munich for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 

The weather was gorgeous and it turns out, it actually set a record for the warmest Christmas Eve EVER!  We left the morning of Christmas Eve and spent the day strolling around Munich checking out the Christmas Markets.  That night we had dinner at Hofbräuhaus and I got to partake on the drinking festivities with a non-alcoholic beer.  We decided earlier in the day that we would try to get to mass that night and we made it in time to the Frauenkirche, but there were no seats.  After about an hour of standing, my ankles (which were swollen and felt like they were going to blow up) couldn't take it any longer so we all headed back to the hotel. 

Christmas morning we woke up to another bright, sunny day.  We had breakfast at a nice, little cafe down the street from our hotel and then headed to Dachau.  Most everything was closed (obviously) so we didn't have a lot of options, but our friends had never been so it was a perfect opportunity to go.  We spent a few hours there before heading back to Vipiteno (we did make a quick pit stop in Innsbruck for pictures), where the weather was 30 degrees colder than it had been in Munich.  So, in a sense, we really did have a white Christmas!

Glühwein and Punch break for Marina and me.

To set the record straight, Marina and Vija were really drinking wine...they just borrowed our beers for the picture. 

Bagel sandwiches for Christmas breakfast.

Yesterday, Marina and Vija flew home.  Kevin had to work so I took advantage of my day alone by napping and catching up on my DVR.  It also gave me a chance to elevate my legs and I woke up this morning to a beautiful sight...my normal ankles. 

Pizza, Gelato, & Spritz

We didn't celebrate Christmas the traditional way, but we still had an amazing time! We took off for Venice on December 24 at 8:00am and made it all the way there without getting lost once (we do not have a GPS). Instead of driving into Venice, we parked in the Mestre and took the train in. We were nervous about whether or not the water buses were going to be running on Christmas Day and couldn't find information anywhere so we opted for the train since we knew for a fact it was running. And at €1.20 a person, you can't beat the price!

Like I stated in my earlier post, we had no plan once we got there so we decided to walk to our hotel instead of taking a water bus. We knew it was a bit far, but we wanted to stop along the way and take pictures. We didn't have a map and just followed the signed to San Marco (where our hotel was located) and it took about an hour (with stopping at the Rialto Bridge). Once we checked in, we dropped our bags and went back out.

Our first order of business was to find the pizza place we ate at the first time we were here. The slices are huge, cheap, and thick crust (so sick of thin crust pizza)! It took me no time and we were there. Alleluia...it was as good as I remembered. And because pizza wasn't enough, we each grabbed a scoop of gelato.

The place was right next to our hotel...dangerous!

Kevin enjoying his Frutti di Bosco (fruit of the forest) gelato in the rain.

It started to rain pretty hard so we decided to take a break at the hotel for an hour. We let our feet have a breather and watched some BBC (Kevin watched it through his eyelids). Since it had gotten a bit colder, we put on our layers and headed back out. Our first stop was St. Mark's Square because I wanted some pictures at night, but since I am still learning the specific of my fancy new camera, they didn't turn out too great. I was able to get a few good ones at the Rialto Bridge though. I guess I better start studying for my next trip to Venice in March so I can get the shots I want.

St. Mark's Square

Rialto Bridge

After my unsuccessful attempt at taking some nighttime pictures, we decided to grab something to eat. We ended up walking around for an hour looking at menus, playing the game where neither of us want to make a decision. And it isn't like there are a lot of choices. We finally decided to drink our dinner. As we were walking by a bar by our hotel (checking out the food options), a friendly Ukrainian man told us to come in for a drink and we did. Kevin had a Spritz and I had some type of strawberry/champagne drink. And along with complimentary snacks, American Football was playing! We ended up staying for 3 drinks and met two other couples from Dallas.

Thank you for the suggestions, Mr. Ukraine.

No matter where we are, I can always find American Football.

As much as we wanted to stay all night, we knew we were in for a long night so we ordered a sandwich and headed towards St. Mark's Basilica. At about 9:30pm, the people started coming in herds so we hopped in line. Luckily, it wasn't too cold and we only had to wait until 11:00 for the doors to open. We found a seat, but I would say about 1,000 other people had to stand. Luckily for us, the mass booklet was written in four languages (including English) so even though we had no idea what anyone was saying, we could follow along. Mass was beautiful, but long. About an hour in, people started leaving (which I think is so rude) and those who didn't leave, were drifting in and out of sleep. The ones who stuck it out with us, ended up getting out of St. Mark's Basilica at about 1:45am. It was totally worth it though!

On Christmas Day, we woke up exhausted, but ready to get back out and explore the city. The weather was gorgeous...clear skies, sun shining. We actually had to take off our coats because it was so warm. And despite being Christmas Day, the streets were packed with lots of people and cameras. For the most part, we just walked around until we made our way back towards the train station. We decided to have a slice of pizza and a scoop of gelato to celebrate Jesus' birthday and then we were off.

Buon Natale!

Ciao Venice! We'll see you soon!

Virtual Christmas Card

If you haven't already figured it out, you're not getting a Christmas card from Kevin and me. I really wanted to send them out since this is our first Christmas as a married couple, but somehow it slipped my mind. Now, on December 22, it is a little too late. But thanks to Picnik, I was able to design a Christmas card and I don't have to worry about whether or not it will make it to you in time for the holidays. So Merry Christmas family, friends, and random people that read my blog!

Christmas in Venice

After much debating, we have made a last-minute decision to spend Christmas in Venice. We are only able to stay one night since the boys practice on the 23rd and 25th (at night), but we are super excited. Our plan is to leave Vipiteno early on the 24th and drive to Venice. We can park our car outside the city and then take a train and water bus to our hotel. Our plan once we get there is to have no plan, which is hard for someone like me who likes to know what I'm doing and where I'm going at all times. The only reason we are doing this is because we have already been there and have seen the sites. Plus, we are sure lots of places will be closed for the holidays so we might just end up walking around for hours. The only thing we are definitely doing is midnight mass at St. Mark's Basilica. I cannot wait for it, although I've read that you have to get there about 2 hours early for a seat. I'll have to make sure I pack some treats for the wait!

We're a little nervous in regards to transportation because we haven't been able to find much information about whether or not public transportation will be running Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We emailed the water bus company and they told us what line to take, but didn't answer our question about their holiday schedule. It looks like we'll have to play it by ear. Fingers crossed that we don't have to spend a fortune to take a water taxi. I guess if all else fails, we'll just have to stay in Venice an extra night.

Hello December!

When I woke up this morning, I had so many things to look forward to. For starters, it is the first day for my Advent Calendar. I had never heard of them until we went over to England and they were everywhere, in all sorts of shapes and flavors. Now I HAVE to have one every year! Kevin told me, he would just buy me 25 candy bars, but it isn't the same. With an Advent Calendar, you have an excuse to eat candy for breakfast and I love having that little piece of candy to look forward to.

December also brings the holidays. Of course, we are sad that we won't be spending Christmas with our family. And it looks like Kevin has zero days off, but the Christmas season in Europe is so much fun. Christmas Markets take over towns. We have only been to the one in Vipiteno, but we're planning on making our rounds in the coming weeks. At these street markets, you can purchase local crafts, fill your belly with fattening treats, and stay warm with Glühwein (mulled wine). It also gives me a chance to expand my Christmas ornament collection (we get an ornament in every city we visit).

On Monday, we are going to Krampusumzug. It is a tradition that takes place every year on December 5. Men dress up as Krampus, a demon-like creature who punishes bad children. Think of Krampus as the opposite of Santa (or St. Nicholas as he's called here). Apparently, the Krampus roam the old town and Christmas Market frightening people with chains and bells. Here's an idea of what I'll be looking at Monday night.

December also brings the end of Movember so Kevin no longer has a schnauzer (moustache in German) as of right now. Yes, I was starting to get used to it, but that doesn't mean I thought it looked good. I'm happy to have my husband back to normal, at least for a few months.