Field Trips and Thanksgiving: Vienna Style

More local sights and experiences being shared today on the blog.  Mostly what Husband Jared and I like to call field trips.  He had a few weekdays off to spend exploring with me so field trips were planned for in and around the city.  Our downtime, in between field trips, was spent preparing for Thanksgiving with new friends and then preparing the apartment for Christmas.  Including finding a Christmas tree, hanging the stockings and even making all homemade ornaments for said tree. There are only a few photos to share from our time field tripping and decking the halls.  So here goes.  The photographic story with a few details where photographs were not taken.  

To begin with, turkeys are not readily available for consumption here in Vienna, Austria.  This being the case we chose to cook duck for our Thanksgiving bird.  And then, lo and behold, after making this decision I stumbled upon a random turkey breast at our local Euro Spar.  I was rather excited!  We invited some new friends to join us that evening and it was such a delight hearing their stories over a "traditional" meal and toasting in thanksgiving to friendship and Vienna!  I spent the day prepping and our menu included green bean casserole, corn casserole, bread from the local bakery, a delicious green salad courtesy of our friends, stuffing, my favorite, a bland gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, which received a generous review from our Massachusetts connoisseur and roasted duck.  Perhaps the most humorous bit of this entire night was that said duck provided little meat.  As in if that was the only meat cooked at least half of us would have had a vegetarian thanksgiving. There were pies for dessert, chocolate pudding pie with a biscoff crust and traditional pumpkin pie, both served with whipped cream of course.  Regardless of the mishaps experienced in the kitchen, the food was tasty, the company a treat and our dessert the perfect ending to our day spent in gratitude.  And we have no photos of our friends at the table with us and no documentation of the feast we devoured.  Hmm.  

Prep time in my little kitchen. 

After dishes and clean up selfie!  

Our table, where we gathered.  

Now on to Christmas decorating and "Black Friday", the first day we can listen to Christmas music!  I was ready with my play list and all the cheer I could muster.  Since we were a bit early to the decorating game here we chose an artificial tree as live trees were a bit difficult to come by and also a host of other reasons.  My heart was a bit saddened by this but I over compensated by deciding to decorate the tree with only natural elements, other than the twinkle lights.  Homemade gingerbread men, dried orange slices and popcorn garland, strung together by Husband Jared and myself.  

Angel!  

Learning to string popcorn!  

It took us several days to make enough to cover the tree.  

Gingerbread making.

The finished product. Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...

Now let's briefly talk Christmas markets.  These might have been the most anticipated event in our household.  Last November when Husband Jared and I were on a look-see visit to this fine city the markets were being set up.  I had so hoped to catch a glimpse of at least one before we left but no luck.  They opened the day after we left.  Needless to say this year I was ready, counting down the days really, until I could make my list and visit the markets.  I have not been disappointed.  I am learning that each market locale has it's own theme and is known for something different.  We have visited five or six thus far and below are some photos from the first couple.  

Spittelberggasse Market.  Rows of stalls winding around the area, and the place where I found my wool beanie, handmade in Nepal and maybe the coziest hat I've ever worn.  Also, where Husband Jared found a Sierra Nevada beer that brought him much joy as we perused the market offerings.  

Karlsplatz Market.  I literally gasped as we rounded the corner and I saw this sight.  The picture doesn't really do it justice.  Artisans displaying their hand made craft and wares circle the plaza, a hay pit for the kinder is in the center and food and gluhwein stands are interspersed throughout.  This is the place I tried my first gluhwein, which I had thought would be similar to mulled wine.  No.  Not at all.  At least not for me.  I've since learned I do not care much for gluhwein.  I know there are many out there who do love it, I am not one of them.  

We also tried our first Kiachl at the market above.  Here is the cutie stand that served us said fried treat.  Kiachl is similar to fried dough, along the lines of a dough nut, then it is topped with either fruit marmalade or sauerkraut, or served without topping and sprinkled with powdered sugar.  We chose sauerkraut and I was pleasantly surprised.  Said fried deliciousness was a pleasant combination of sweet and savory.  I highly recommend giving Kiachl a try!  See below. 

Pardon the blurry fork, I could not wait!  

Our Christmas market outings were total successes; Lights sparkling, trees everywhere, booths serving food and drink, handmade artisans and Christmas cheer around every turn, how could they have not been?  

Now on to more field trips.  It should not come as a shock to anyone's system that the next two outings were to restaurants.  Both breakfast/brunch locations, one I had visited before but Husband Jared had not and the other new for both of us.  

Cafe Little Britain serves a proper English breakfast with bacon that tastes almost American.  Enough said, right?  I had sampled this establishment's blueberry crumble and was instantly a fan.  The decor and ambience lend itself to cozy mornings spent sipping coffee and talking for hours.  Every corner was decorated for Christmas and I found myself feeling more festive than ever!   

Next up on the review: Landkind.  I had heard rave reviews about this place and somehow we just managed to make it out for ourselves almost eleven months into life in Vienna.  It was worth the wait.  A quaint, read as tiny and only four tables, kind of place.  Definitely a local vibe done right!  The ingredients are sourced locally and the delicacies such as cheese, eggs, sauerkraut, yogurt, fruit and veg and milk are offered for sale.  There are shelves of liquor, all organic and bio as well.  We enjoyed the coffee, another specialty of this place, and breakfast, all while we sat listening to the conversations happening around us.  Three older ladies to the right, chatting it up, a business meeting directly in front of us and a mom and baby at the table beside us.  What a treat!  

Restaurants and markets and decorating left us longing for a little R&R so Husband Jared scheduled massages for us and time together at Therme Wien.  Therme Wien are hot spring pools, housed indoor and out, that offer spa services and time to relax and swim, or if you so choose to work out and visit the sauna.  There are even salt pools at your disposal.  It was our first trip to this thermal bath in the 10th district and I will say that we left thoroughly relaxed and refreshed.  The only comparison I can offer is that to a Lifetime Gym facility.  And that doesn't even really encompass it all.  The pools maintain a constant temperature of 36 degrees Celsius and they have been tapped from sulphurous springs.  All this talk of relaxing and I am ready for a return visit.  No photos to share, we were too preoccupied with the task at hand: relax, exhale and repeat.  

With that our recap is concluded.  Off for more exploring and planning and preparing. But before that, here is a photo of my surprise presie from Husband Jared.  I had seen these prior to our moving here and knew that I wanted one.  This particular design was chosen by Husband Jared and hand carved by an artist in Germany.   It's my favorite when the candles are lit and the carolers are circling the tree, the simple joy of the season.