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Vienna

1/22/2017

I always wish for a little bit of snow when we go to Europe for Christmas because it just adds to the magic of a European Christmas. We got the perfect amount of snow, which is a light dusting that covers everything as if you're in a snow globe, but you're able to still go outside and do things.

This is one of the larger Christmas markets outside of Vienna's city hall.

Rathaus (City Hall) from afar. Even the government buildings look nice!

Inside Schonbrunn Gardens, which is the former imperial summer residence because how could you only have one mansion if you're a true royal? You must have seasonal mansions, duh!

Inside a random park that we happened to come across. It's so pretty with the snow!

This made me laugh because you actually get a discount if you bring a dog on the metro in Vienna!

I love duck and pretty much get it everywhere I go in Europe. This entree came with chestnuts, pasta, and brussels sprouts.

Did I mention that I like duck?

Of course we had to try schnitzel, but fried meat isn't really my thing.

Now dessert is more of my thing! We had to try the apple strudel and Sacher torte in Vienna. The apple strudel had nice tart pieces of apple in it, and the torte was really just chocolate cake. Both were okay, but I didn't finish them, which should tell you something.

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Happy 2017!

1/16/2017

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Let's play a word association game. When I say Christmas, I think of Europe, Europe, and oh, Europe. We were in Europe last Christmas, so it only makes sense to end 2016 by being in Europe, right? This time we went to Dublin, Lyon, Geneva, Vienna, Prague, and Berlin over two weeks. Yes, we did TripAdvisor's recommended activities, but you can Google those yourself. I wanted to share some highlights from some of the cities we went to that I particularly enjoyed (i.e. food, food, food, some sights, and more food). To save your fingers from scrolling overkill, I'll break these posts into several parts. I'll start with my favorite...

Lyon & Annecy

Ahhh...France. I've been lucky enough to have been to France three times now, and each time I love it more. For anyone who has fallen in love with a country and gone back, you'll probably be able to relate to being excited and a bit nervous as you wonder if you'll still love the country just as much each time you go back.

Lyon is often compared to Paris, and it is known for its gastronomy. It also has its own Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere and an ancient Roman amphitheater.

Lyon's Roman amphitheater happens to be France's oldest Roman theater. It is situated by Notre Dame and it's free!

The inside of the Basilica of Notre Dame is much brighter than the one in Paris. The gold murals are even prettier in person.

Annecy is a picturesque town that has been coined "the Venice of France." It definitely feels like Venice...well, the Venice I know from magazines and travel blogs anyway since I haven't been yet. Annecy is so quaint and a great day-trip option if you're in Lyon!

Just a usual weekday in Annecy doing some grocery shopping.

Beautifully fresh produce

Lake Annecy has incredibly clear water for a lake and the beautiful Alps as its backdrop.

Do you see how thick this hot chocolate is? Dip the flaky chocolate croissant into the dark hot chocolate...heaven!

Lyonnaise potatoes (a.k.a. potatoes au gratin). I wanted to dive into this over and over again on a cold winter day.

Quenelles are a Lyon specialty. It's a dumpling usually made of fish, but it doesn't taste fishy. The sauce was very rich and perfect for baguette dipping.

These are my kind of greeting cards because they're made of edible chocolate! Take that Hallmark.

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