[Sam Kapasi]

Some may have guessed and some may be perplexed, allow me to explain.

Weihnachten is Christmas. Silvester is New Year's eve. In the German language.

This year our travels took us to 2 countries divided by a common language. We spent Christmas in Germany (the now-famous little town of Bad Nauheim) and Silvester in Austria (in the stunning city of Vienna, or Wien as the locals call it)

2011 was a good year for Yeti travel. The year saw me visit the UK, US, Greece, Holland, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Thailand and I am pretty sure I missed or forgot some.

However the end of the year in Austria was indeed one of the most memorable travels and it is this one I shall share with you.

I hope you enjoy it, especially the photos because this is more of a pictorial than a typical YetiBlog.

Cheers,
Sam

[Sam Kapasi]

To start with we ended up buying a rather unusual air passage. Here's why:

2 things were clear

• We wanted to spend Christmas with family in Bad Nauheim.
• We wanted to spend New Years with friends in Vienna.

However dates were unclear, we didn't know when we should have left for Vienna.

The best way to ensure good prices for European travel during the holiday season is to book months in advance, so in August 2011 I booked us a one way flight to Frankfurt and a one way flight from Vienna to Mumbai.
This is easy because of the Star Alliance and the fact that Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian are in fact all the same group.
We would figure out the passage/date from Frankfurt to Vienna later.


It was all very exciting, being in Germany for Christmas (we missed last year) and the fact that I was visiting Vienna for the first time. This has been one of my "I-must-visit" cities for almost 10 years.


It was all going to be great.



--------------------------------------------------------------


Or was it?
This year winter has hardly been winter in Europe. When we landed it was 4 or 5 degrees, grey skies, windy and rainy.
Compare that to minus 16 degrees and snow 2 years ago.


For a lot of people especially, minus 16 is an unimaginable situation. Let me tell you that with the right infrastructure and weather - it is actually quite pleasant.
If the house is well-heated and you can walk around in a tee-shirt and then layer up before you go out, you're good for an hour or so. But we don't layer up. ANd is we do, we don't layer down. We refuse to peel off, walking in and out of homes and offices with the same jacket and sweater, never taking it off.



But I'm digressing.


I hate this gloomy weather. I don't really care what the temperature is like. This wind and rain and awfully gloomy sky is just bwah!!
Unfortunately, this is mostly all we're going to see this trip.


The drive to BN is fairly uneventful and the view from the window is uneventful too.
It isn't that I don't find it pretty, I do. But compared to my last visit here in April, it is just bwah!


I'm grumpy and gloomy and it is all because of the weather.





In fact the next 2 days, I take no pictures and refuse to take my camera anywhere. Besides, we're preparing for X'mas. Gift wrapping and shopping and eating and eating and eating, lol.

[Sam Kapasi]

The day starts with the whole family getting together for breakfast and some awesome home-made goodies.
Presents, playing kids, loads of laughter and warmth right from the morning.

We have a lovely time.



Later in the day, we leave Jenny's Dad's place and decide to go for a walk.

A walk? In this weather?

Well, it isn't raining. And this is home for the most important person in my life. I'm in a good happy mood, albeit feeling a bit stuffed.

Yes, a walk.

And if a little town looked this beautiful, what would it do but bring a smile to your grumpy face.

In fact, even the weather looks like it's giving us a little smile. A tiny one.














Her high school




The church where we were married









God! I say while looking at the town with one eye closed (though my camera)
What?
I'm laughing. I'll say it again.
What?
If you live here Jenny, where do you go for a holiday? How can a place be so simply beautiful.
Hmm she says absently.
No really. In India we would travel hours and hours just to see a place like this. I cannot believe you grew up here.
Yeah, she says brightly, it is nice isn't it?




And so we continue walking home


And I see quite a delicious Defender.



And so we walk all the way home. She has a little happy spring in her step - pleased to be home.

And I'm happy to be here with her.

[Sam Kapasi]

Days go by easily in Bad Nauheim. Relaxing days, fun evenings, some singing, some tradition, some ice skating (now I CAN!) and more.

The holiday spirit is wonderful.

Before we know it a week is up, it is time for us to leave for Vienna.

I apologise for making the story about Germany so brief but I have many reasons for cutting this short.

1) Well, for starters, the little town of Bad Nauheim has become famous on TBHP. You have seen photos of this town in every season, lol
2) I don't have a lot of photos in any case.
3) I'm super excited to talk about my visit to Vienna. Like this is going to be great!

So sorry everyone, after this brief but beautiful visit to BN, it is now time to board Niki Lauda's airline from Frankfurt to Vienna.

One of the cheeriest and coolest flights I've ever been on btw. Friendly and beautiful ladies in hot pink shirts and tight jeans (what a uniform!) - good food, great flight.

Recommended absolutely. Was called Lauda air (Gentlemen, please behave!) and is now called NIKI. Just that. NIKI. Wonderful.

--------------------------------------------

I've been to Austria before. Salzburg is beautiful, (for those that will remember the time I drove a brand new M3 there) but Vienna, or Wien has been in my sights for years.

It stands as one of the major cultural capitals of Europe. A city deeply marinated in culture with the depth of history, music and art.

Readers of my previous blogs will remember my visit to Hungary and my fascination with the architecture of Budapest - well from what I've heard, Wien is the Grand-daddy of all things architecture.
Not only is it rich in history, the Austrian government takes great pride in it and major efforts to restore and beautify the city are always on. Understandable since tourism is a major revenue source here.

Wien attracts over twice its total population in tourists every year!!

Wien is also the centre of the Silversterpfad - The New Year's eve path - a properly organised street party/festival on the occasion of New Years. Brochures are handed out and a fantastic plan is made by the city government. http://www.stadt-wien.at/freizeit/si...pfad-wien.html - a street festival where hundreds of thousands of people will dance and enjoy every kind of music on the streets - attracting tourists from all over the world.

We're staying at a friend's place. The home we're staying in is bang-smack in the middle of the historical 1st district. In fact you can see the entire old city right from the windows!

We reach Wien in the evening and settle down to friendly chat and warm food. Tomorrow is going to be wonderful.

[Sam Kapasi]

I wake up bleary-eyed and walk into the toilet. We are in Wien -- I remember and i peer out of the bathroom window.

OMG!!







You can see into the Imperial palace courtyard from the bathroom. OMG OMG!! The sun is out!! The sun is OUT!!

Jenny wake up!!!!

It is even colder than Germany here. Today is the 30th of December and we have blue skies, sunshine and we're SO GOING OUT!!!

As we climb down the stairs with our friends and reach towards the main door I swear I can hear the clip-clop of horses.

Horses? I ask my friend?
He opens the door with a flourish and laughs. Yes I would think so.



OMG!







Preparations for tomorrow night's street party.





I have been out of the house for only 10 minutes. I think my poor camera will break today.

[Sam Kapasi]

St. Stephen's church!

The thing with Wien is -- great cities have great architecture but the level of depth and detail that this place has is simply stunning.

Take for example the rather famous St. Stephen's church. Of course, like every good thin in Wien, it is being renovated (with an image of the pre-renovation used as construction masking, wonderful!)

Look past the massive grandeur and look at the sheer detail of every square inch of this place. OMG!

[Fauji]

Hey Sam,

Nice to see you enjoying European Christmas. Rightly said, these places are so beautiful. Yes, i also heard from my friends in Europe that winter has been less severe than last year. But where the people boy?? I don't see many on the streets. Have they all gone in serach of sunny place? Goa?

Looking forward to your adventures in Vienna.

[mayankjha1806]

So here the flood comes in, lovely pictures of Vienna Sam, i guess the whole Europe is blessed with similar looking beautiful architectural buildings, and yes the winter inside the house is never really harsh.

But, but, Christmas without snow, never imagined that except maybe in Australia, this is a surprise in Europe.

[moralfibre]

There is another interesting Indian connection with the town of Bad Nauheim. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, took his last breath in this very town on 19May1904. This was a time when Tata Steel was yet to be operational.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

I have been out of the house for only 10 minutes. I think my poor camera will break today.

you said it. The places are so amazing that every other step you want to click.

gesundes neues jahr, Sam

[mav2000]

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[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

There is another interesting Indian connection with the town of Bad Nauheim. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, took his last breath in this very town on 19May1904. This was a time when Tata Steel was yet to be operational.

I didn't know that and had to look it up. Thank you for that, so I am not the first Indian connection there, lol.

Yes, this little town is a spa town and the brothers Schumacher come here for Physio. Famous presidents and celebrities have been here. Elvis lived here for some years during his army days, he met Priscilla here.

Still, it is a small town by Indian standards. 30,000+ people.

------------------------------

As we walk further into the town, our hosts take us to the world-famous bakery "Demel"

Here is what Wikipedia says about Demel

Hofzuckerbäckerei Demel, or simply Der Demel, is a famous pastry shop and chocolatier in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1786 on the Michaelerplatz. In 1857, August Dehne (the son of the founder Ludwig Dehne) gave the company to Christof Demel, who moved the bakery to the Kohlmarkt, where the Demel is still located today in its original building. The company, once a purveyor to the Imperial and Royal court of Austria-Hungary, was headed by the Demels until 1972, when Udo Proksch bought the company. In 1989, the year Proksch was arrested, the Raiffeisen Bank became the owner of the famous company. In 2002 Do&Co took over the Demel.
A curiosity is that the waitresses address their patrons in the 3rd person ("He/She wishes"), which is the historical polite form of address in German.

Once again, you see what I mean. Depth, culture, history. And CAKES!!! OMG!


























As we tour the kitchen, we watch the young and old talented confiseurs make their delicate works of art. A sign says NO FLASH/KEIN BLITZ.
I take a few picutres without flash. As I do that, another lady uses her mobile phone with flash and takes a photo.

The pastry chef lady opens the glass door, storms out as hard as she can and looks for the biggest camera she can see.

Me.

EXCUSE ME! she says rather loudly, pointing to the sign. No FLASH! She stares angrily at me.
Umm.. It wasn't me Miss.
The lady next to raises her hand, shaking slightly.

Wow. These guys take their craft seriously.

[cityvic]

Woah what a write up and Brilliant Pictures.

Made me miss my second Europe trip we made 2011 Summer.We went to the following places
Budapest
Vienna
Salzberg
Prague
Berlin
Helsinki

Would love to visit these places again in Winters someday.

EDIT:Those cakes look Yumm.

[ambivalent_98]

Happy New Year Sam ! Hope the weather did not block your nose and make you ill like last year (I hope I am right.) . Nice photos but yeh dil maange more. Oh and by the way do we also see updates on the Polo YetiBlog ?

[download2live]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

One of the cheeriest and coolest flights I've ever been on btw. Friendly and beautiful ladies in hot pink shirts and tight jeans (what a uniform!) - good food, great flight.

Cheating!!! You forgot(?) to click the picture of (ahem) the uniform??

Awesome cakes BTW. Paradise for people with sweet tooth.