We got a late start today because we were meeting my friend Meredith at lunch time. I can’t tell you how excited I was to see her. Her husband is currently assigned in Hungary, and they drove up to spend the day with us.

We picked up right where we left off. I already miss her and can’t wait for the next adventure.

We got photo bombed by the cutest little guy. Chance made me laugh all day.

When we got out of bed this morning it had snowed quite a bit. It was great looking out and seeing all the buildings covered in snow.

The view from our room this morning.

We planned to meet Meredith and her family at St. Stephens, which is super close to our hotel, but we got distracted many times by the beauty of the city.

Medieval church we saw on the way

Michaelplatz Christmas market, there were tons of horse drawn carriages

The church in Michaelplatz

On the way, we also found the Vienna 5th Avenue. It was gorgeous and so much fun shopping. I had to be dragged away from a Burberry bag.

We finally made it to St. Stephens and Stephensplatz Christmas market. I was blown away. St. Stephens is stunning!!! It is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. Every angle was different and more beautiful than the last.

Pictures of St. Stephens

After the Stephensplatz market, we made it back to Rathaus. The second visit was just as shocking and overwhelming as the first. I couldn’t believe it but it was even more crowded today.

We took the kids to the Ferris wheel and carousel, they ate a giant cotton candy, and they ice skated. While the kids skated with Troy, Meredith, Dave, and I snuck away for a few glasses of wine at the wine bar next door.

Entrance to the market at Rathausplatz

Insane crowds at Rathausplatz

Time to skate

It was time to say goodbye to Meredith and her family. After a lot of hugs, we split ways.

We decided we weren’t ready to go back quite yet. We booked a dinner reservation and then headed back to Stephensplatz to see it at night.

I am so glad we went back! There are no words to describe how beautiful Michaelplatz, “5th Avenue”, and Stephensplatz were at night. Seeing St. Stephens was awe inspiring and brought a tear to my eye.

The chandeliers hanging above “5th Avenue”

St. Stephens at night

We strolled slowly back to our hotel. On our way we saw a man propose. The entire crowd cheered. It was lovely to watch.

Our last stop of the night was at the Marienhof restaurant. It was our one night for outstanding Viennese food.

Goulash and spaetzle

Schnitzel and parsley potatoes

Our night came to an end with a great dinner and a nice bottle of wine.

Well almost……..

When we got back to the hotel and turned on the TV, there was a naked dating show on. That is right I said NAKED. We couldn’t understand a word, but we were glued to the TV. I always forget how progressive Europeans are and how hilarious their shows can be, this was probably Dave’s favorite moment of the whole day!

Tomorrow we are going to a market in the country and then headed to Bratislava, Slovakia. We are pretty excited to get in the car and start exploring!