Vienna: Days 2-4

Day two of the vacation was probably Jon's favorite day. We started with breakfast at another cafe. [I could really get used to Vienna's cafe culture]. The main event of the day was the Vienna Philharmonic. Jon was not about to drag me to a 3-hour opera even though Vienna's opera is world-famous so this was the next best thing. I may or may not have had trouble keeping my eyes open. This is heresy to Jon, but it was warm in the concert hall, I was jet-lagged, and the music was just begging to lull me to sleep.

Jon, on the other hand, couldn't get enough so I'm filing this one in the success column. It was his vacation too...I guess.

After the symphony, we got back to business with another Christmas market and more fried dough. We just happened upon this market on our way to the subway - it was as delightful as all the others.

That afternoon, we headed to Schloss Schonbrunn, the summer palace of the Hapsburgs. It was impressively large and ornate. We toured the rooms, walked around the grounds, and then hit up their Christmas market. I swear these things were everywhere. This one was lovely because they had live music, and you can't beat the backdrop of a beautiful, glowing palace.

view of the market from a palace window.

That night, we had dinner at Plachutta where we ordered the traditional Austrian dish Tafelspitz. It's basically boiled beef, which I know sounds disgusting, but it was really quite tasty. We bookended the day with another cafe stop for some post-dinner dessert.

I loved the boot mugs at this little market. We stopped here for a drink before dinner.

Tafelspitz!

mmmmmm....pastry.

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Day three was also a palace day. Every day should be a palace day. This one was Belvedere, which now exists as more of an art museum. And you guessed it, they had a Christmas market too. Our snack of choice at that one was freshly cut and fried potato chips. Calories don't count on vacation, and I really hope they didn't count on this day.

tea at the palace. chandeliers everywhere. 

We spent the afternoon doing some shopping, hitting up more markets, and buying a new pair of shoes. It's a vacation tradition for me to buy new shoes because all of the ones I brought hurt my feet. I broke down and bought my first pair of Uggs. My feet were so much happier the rest of the trip.

We stopped for tea at the Grand Hotel. There were some diplomatic meetings going on in Vienna while we were there, and I think someone important was about to arrive. The lobby was full of suits with earpieces and reporters. It made for some fun people watching while we enjoyed our traditional afternoon tea.

That night, we had dinner at Steirereck. It's supposedly one of the best restaurants in the world. It did not disappoint, but I was so full at the end that I started to go into food coma a la the Dubai brunch to end all brunches. I guess afternoon tea just three hours before dinner was a bad idea.

i took one sneaky photo of our post-dessert dessert, which arrived partially suspended from this pretty branch.
+1 for presentation.

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Day four was our last day in Vienna. That morning we stopped at Mozarthuas, where Mozart lived for a number of years during his time in Vienna. We had another cafe breakfast and then did some final souvenir shopping before taking the train to Salzburg.

are you happy?

Don't we all just want to be happy? I know I do, which is why this last Sunday's sermon was especially sweet. Brian is a friend of ours - we had the pleasure of getting to know him and his lovely wife Sonia while he served as an intern at Capitol Hill Baptist. They have been living in North Carolina the past year, and will soon be moving to Philadelphia to plant a new church. It was so nice to catch up with him as he stopped by Del Ray Baptist last Sunday to deliver the sermon.

Speaking of the sermon, it was so, so good. Sometimes as Christians we spend a lot of time talking about sin and our need for a Savior. Those are good things. Confessing sin and meditating on our dependence on God are necessary for the Christian life. Being a Christian certainly isn't just about being happy, but have you been rejoicing in your Savior lately? We are happy travelers with happy hearts headed to a happy destination. Hopefully you can delight in that truth today, especially if you are feeling weary.

As Brian said, "Jesus is the captain of happiness." I love that. So listen & be happy.

We also sang this hymn on Sunday, which is an old spiritual written by a Methodist preacher in the 1800s. It's not a familiar hymn to me, but it's quickly becoming a favorite. [Here is a college choir singing it. Lyrics are below.]

Hark, I hear the harps eternal
Ringing on the farther shore,
As I near those swollen waters
With their deep and solemn roar.

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Halleluja, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

And my soul, tho' stained with sorrow,
Fading as the light of day,
Passes Swiftly o'er those water,
To the city far away. 

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Halleluja, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

Some have crossed before us safely, 
To that land of perfect rest;
Can you hear them singing faintly
In the mansions of the blest?

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Halleluja, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

Mighty Jesus bear us over
There to kneel before they throne.
May we join Thy saints forever
Praising Thee and Thee alone. 

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Halleluja, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

The Friday Happy List

Orange is the New Black. What would happen if someone probably a lot like me (a WASP-y yuppie) got dropped in prison for 15 months for a 10-yr-old offense? It's a fascinating look into a world that is both humiliating and humbling, but also heartwarming. I was touched by the many stories of compassion the inmates showed for one another. We also really enjoyed the TV show (available on netflix only), but this is your official warning that it is crass and would probably offend some of you. (Mom, I'm talking to you. Don't watch it.)

Mumford & Sons. Have you ever given someone a gift that you secretly hoped you could keep? Yep, that's me right now. We gave Megan and Aaron tickets to go see Mumford & Sons (and friends) in Guthrie, OK for her birthday. It's part of their Gentleman of the Road tour. I'm insanely jealous, but also insanely excited for them. 

NBC Soccer commercial. There is only one kind of football in my book, but this commercial makes me laugh every time. 

Eating Pizza Out of the Box. Our kitchen is in boxes, and we've neglected to pick up paper plates. We ordered pizza at about 8:30 p.m. last night as we were driving from the new house back to our apartment. I brought the pizza box to bed with me, ate it right out of the box, and then fell asleep. I am not ashamed. It was glorious.