Holiday Season

Happy Holidays!

Christmas is coming up quite fast especially here in Austria since they celebrate one day earlier on the 24th.

I remember my parents telling me on my birthday that time would really start to fly and it has.  It seems like December just started the other day and now its well over halfway over.

I've been taking in as much of the Christmas market as I can, trying the different foods and drinks.  Unlike other souvenir shops and sights, the Christmas markets are only open around Christmas time.

Last week, we visited the Christmas market in Mariazell!

For those of you who don't know where or what Mariazell is, I have provided a small map:

Mariazell is a beautiful little city that lies near the border of the states of Styria and Lower Austria.

I don't think these photos do the actual scenery justice.  It is absolutely beautiful there!

We went by train and explored the Christmas market and the nearby sights that afternoon.

Aside from the popular Christmas markets in Vienna and whatnot, we also have a little one at home...

My host brothers enjoy making little crafts and selling them in their own little Christmas markets.  I think it is so cute and I've already visited (and bought a few things) already.

This past Sunday was my host mother's birthday!  We had a bunch of little surprises for her throughout the morning, including a stylish limousine ride wherever we went!

One of the things we did on Sunday was go on the Riesenrad, a giant ferris wheel in Vienna!  

It was quite cool, the ferris wheel has gondolas that you can stand and move around in, much like tiny rooms.

Being up high on the wheel made for some beautiful views.

This view in particular I think is a bit funny.  In the picture, you have modern buildings and a skyscraper, but you also have this much older-looking church (I think it is a church anyway).  It really sticks out and shows the differences of architecture in Austria with a mixture of old and new.

I have really been enjoying this holiday season.  I LOVE the Christmas markets and it has been cool to experience some of the traditions that my host family and Austria in general have. 

I likely won't write a blog next week because my host family and I plan to go on a skiing trip to a place not too far from Mariazell.

That is all I have for this week!

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!