Christmas Travels

For only the second time in my entire life, I did not spend Christmas in Connecticut this year.  Instead of me flying back home for the holidays, my mom, sister and grandmother came over here.  Since they'd all come over here with me when I first moved, it was fun to have them see Christmas here, although next time I think they'll choose to come in the warmer weather and enjoy being outside more.

We spent the first week of their trip in Vienna, visiting Christmas markets and coffee houses, drinking good wine and eating good food, and walking all around this magical Christmas city.  The day after Christmas we set off for a week of travelling in a big circle before returning back to Vienna New Years Day. 

Our first stop was Salzburg, which none of them had ever been to, and is one of my favorite places, so I'm always happy to go back.  We were thankful to have fairly clear weather while we were there, even though daylight is still very short and does somewhat limit the time you can go see these beautiful views.

Even though it was the 26th, the Christmas market there was still open that day, so we took full advantage of another chance to have some more glühwein from a stand. 

The next day we went out to the Salzkammergut lake district to view some of the lakes and mountains a bit closer

St. Wolfgang

And after a lovely dinner in Salzburg, one last look across the river at the old city before we took the train the next day to Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany.

The main square in Rothenburg

We took the slightly creepy nightwatchmen tour in Rothenburg...might as well get into the whole medieval thing. 

The old wall around the city is still mostly in tact for people to walk around.

Inside St. James Church, which was built from 1311 to 1484.  This alter piece was carved around 1500.

This is the more original main alter piece, built in 1466.  I cannot even fathom how old so many of these things are.

Our next stop was to climb up the tour above the Rathaus (the small white tower above) and get a birds eye view of everything.  The stairs started off nicely enough...but by the end it was more like a very skinny ladder...

The second to last bit of staircase...where you reach the platform to pay. 

But the views across the town were definitely worth it.

Climbing back down.

This city is so unique because it is so extremely well preserved from how it was in the Middle Ages.  Again...so hard to actually fathom how old this is...and what it must have looked (and smelled) like back then.  This is one of the gates into the city...crossing the mote outside the main wall.

Especially at night walking around felt like being in a gingerbread city or something, almost Disney-esque, but real.

Our next and final stop was Prague which I actually hadn't been to since a trip I took back in 2006.  Being there over New Years the crowds were a bit nuts, and we decided to take an all day walking tour so we could see the sights and listen to someone talk rather than try to read everything as we're fighting crowds.

Up at Prague Castle

The cathedral doors have these almost cartoon things on them depicting important events in the history of the cathedral.  This one is illustrating them being given a relic for the cathedral...a hand of a martyr that was then sainted. 

Walking down from the castle to the Charles Bridge

Our walking tour included a boat ride along the river for a bit of a different perspective of the city.  This is looking back at the Charles Bridge from below.

The Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square.  This is definitely one of the coolest things ever.  I would love to get a small replica of it for my desk.  It is super intricate, marking not only date and time, but also position of the sun, phase of the moon, and astrological sign.  And not only does it do all these cool things, but it was installed in 1410! The calendar and figures were added about 1490, and that's how it still stands and operates today.

New Years Day we headed back to Vienna for about another 48 hours until they all flew back home.  It was super fun to have family here and great fun to travel, although I think what I missed most about my normal Christmas holiday is being able to just sit and relax, bake, work puzzles, watch movies, read...so now I almost feel like I need a recovery from my vacation!  Classes start again on Tuesday, and we're still finishing up the semester, so it's one more big push to finish before our longer February semester break.  Happy 2013!