Last week was so busy, I can write a whole post about what happened in just 7 days!

The week before last, we got our first snow (which has since melted) and attended our first Christmas market to have the traditional Gluhwein (and I also discovered Caramel Punch - oh wow!).  Christmas Markets abound all around Vienna and in every small village with stalls selling handmade things, food, drink, carolers and lights.  It's a great party at all of them.

Christmas Market at Schonbrun Palace

Kids playing outside in the first snow.
It wasn't much but it was packing snow!

Monday
Last week began with a visit to the Snow Globe Museum, home of the 'Wiener Schneekugel' company.  It's a fourth-generation family company. The founder 'invented' the snow globe quite by accident when he was working as a medical instrument maker, trying to expand the area that a light bulb will illuminate.  He tried a water filled globe, without much success, and after putting glass flakes in the water (also without much success), he turned over the globe and noticed the effect.  He began designing the insides and the company was born.  It is the only company that creates them outside of China.  The secret, he says, is in the composition and manufacturing process of the 'snow'.  It is quite true that his 'snow' floats around for quite a long time.  The current owner detailed the whole evolution of the company and the current techniques. Almost everything is created in-house and is done by hand.  It was really quite fun.

The third generation; his daughter runs the company now and he still designs scenes for the insides

You can see at the bottom, the original stove where they would melt pewter and the tools on the top for molding it.

A part of the showroom today.

Tuesday was German conversation.  I have recently realized that I have been putting too much pressure on myself to learn and speak German and it was negatively impacting my experience here.  So I have backed off and "allowed" myself to ask people if they speak English some of the time.  I do know the places where they don't and I still go to the class and work on it as I want to.  I am definitely understanding more and able to communicate.  Carissa, however, is putting us all to shame as she improves every day.  Plus, her pronunciation is the best of all of us.

Wednesday was my weekly coffee in a coffee shop with other English speakers.  This was followed by a tour of the Lichtenstein City Palace.  As in, the country of Lichtenstein.  As in, the Lichtenstein family.  As in, they have their own bank.  Wow.  This palace has just completed a $100 million euro renovation and is completely amazing.  It is still the main residence of the family, with their apartments on the third floor.  It is only open for tours twice/month and it is booked months in advance.  It was originally built in a Baroque style and then remodeled in the New Rocco style.  Everything has been meticulously restored and our guide was an encyclopedia, telling us about every piece of furniture, clothing, design, history of anything and everything. The art collection (a part of it is here and the rest in the Lichtenstein Museum) was so beautiful. Because the collection is private, we were not allowed to take pictures inside.  The amount of gold was overwhelming (and we all agreed in the ballroom that it was way too much!!  But apparently it is what the designer was known for.)

This was the main staircase.

The ballroom.  The chandelier is 1.3 tons.

The only thing in this room which is not gold are the figures on the top of the corner candelabras, which the family insisted be painted brown.  Even they had had too much gold!  There are also mirrors on the opposite wall to increase the effect (and are also rotating doors).

One particular designer did much of the furniture inside in this style.  Love this bench.

Thursday was Thanksgiving.  An American graduate student at Craig's office took care of getting the turkey and started it baking in the afternoon.  I made the pumpkin and apple pies and everyone brought something. We had the traditional turkey and stuffing, baked potatoes, cranberries, carrots and beans and pies.  We had the nontraditional Knudel (balls of breading, potato and spices boiled in water), carrot soup, and red cabbage salad.  We ate in the late evening after an afternoon of board games and Foosball.  The office has a large kitchen/eating room where we all gathered.  Of course, it wouldn't be Austrian if you didn't follow the meal with a small glass of Schnaps to aid in the digestion.

Playing "Small World"

The feast begins. Since the turkey wasn't as big as requested, they also gave us a duck.

Yup, the men did most of the cooking!

And most of the eating!

We left long before the students, who ended up playing cards until late in the night.

Friday, our Carissa turned 10 years old!  No more single digit Zirblets in this household!  Despite her tiredness from the short night, she had five friends from school spend the night.  If you know her, you know that she had been planning this event for at least a few weeks, and had created a power point presentation to include the schedule.

Looking in at the birthday girl.

The evening started with a tour of our apartment and then with tea.  Afterwards, I sent the girls out in sets of two for a scavenger hunt.  Remember, it is dark at 4:30 here (we are too far north!) so they were out in the dark looking for all sorts of things - in English!).  After that was "Taste the Rainbow", where you need to move colored candies via a straw from the main container to your own cup.  There were many on the floor, which didn't keep them from eating them despite my warning about the lack of cleanliness. Then was "Foil Fashion" where each team had to create clothing and accessories from aluminum foil. I tried to convince Carissa to have a traditional American meal (burgers) but she wouldn't go for it. So we had Wiener Schnitzel, rice, fruit, cut vegetables, etc.  Then a movie, opening gifts and an ice cream cake. I herded them into the bedroom at 11, but it was many hours before quiet descended.  They were up early for pancakes for breakfast, which they all loved (many had never had them, although they are familiar with crepes).  Craig took them to the park for a while in the morning, then a game of hide-and-seek waiting for the parents to collect them.  After a brief moment of quiet, we had to get busy cleaning the huge mess and rearranging the furniture back to its place.

Dinner Theater (Carissa and Johanna)

Opening Gifts

At the park for frisbee:  Zora, Julie, Carissa, Johanna, Lea, Kasija

Pancake Breakfast

Not enough for one week, you say?  Well, it's enough for me!  I began to have some fatigue and digestive issues again so have moderated the amount of gluten I am eating, which seems to have taken care of it.  I eat it when I want, usually when I am out and about, but not at home and that seems the right balance.

We went to services for the first Sunday in Advent, but didn't understand much more than when we first arrived, 3.5 months ago.  People brought their wreaths to be blessed.  We have decorated our tiny place - stockings and a few ribbons and knick-knacks. And the required St. Nicholas-Krampus team (in chocolate of course). Alex and Dominic arrive on the 16th for three weeks and we will explore and have family time, the first time all together since June.  You know I've been counting the days until that arrives.

The following weeks will be quite busy as well - mostly with shopping and Christmas markets.  Alex's girlfriend will come for a few days between Christmas and New Years.  We will go to Salzburg once to visit our friends and again to go skiing after the new year.  We wish you all the best in the Advent and Christmas seasons and every joy in the new year! And a white Christmas (if you want one!)  Be sure to send us your news from wherever you find yourself as you celebrate the old year, and/or ring in the new one.  

Frohe Weihnachten und Glückliches neues Jahr!