It's a cliche, but Vienna really is one of the most beautiful Christmas destinations

Really? Vienna for Christmas? Yes, I know it’s one of “the” places, but it is really worth the label.



Who could resist the lure of skiing, partying on the pistes, shopping and enjoying the experience of the wonderful Advent markets. Toboggan runs, ice skating, night-time sleigh rides…for down under folk like us currently getting ready to celebrate the festive season in the sunshine, this is a place for white Christmas memories.

Book your flights and accommodation straight away, then immerse yourself in Placido Domingo, Sarah Brighman, Helmutt Lotti and Riccardo Cocciante performing in A Gala Christmas in Vienna (DVD/CD 1998). The songs are traditional European and American, accompanied by the Vienna Symphony. Steven Mercurio is the conductor. 

Karl Wenzel early 19th century painting of Vienna markets. They've changed somewhat!

The Christmas Markets in Vienna date back to 1298 or whereabouts, when the ruling monarch Albrecht I granted Vienna's citizens the privilege of holding a "Krippenmarkt". Since then, the character and prevalence of these markets has changed considerably. From the middle of November over 20 official Advent Markets are open to tempt you with a vast array of seasonal gifts and mouth-watering treats.

As you would expect, to commemorate the opening each year, there’s a tree lighting ceremony in front of the markets.

I’ve highlighted just two of the amazing markets – one at the Maria Theresa Square between the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Museum of Natural History, which is open till the 26th for Christmas and then reopens with a New Year market and the Christmas and New Year's Market at Schönbrunn Palace, where approximately 60 exhibitors present handicrafts and original gifts. These include hand-made Christmas decorations and nativity. The fragrance of freshly baked  Vanillekipferl  and hot punch fills the air and creates a wonderful atmosphere. This market, too, opens for Christmas and then again for New Year.

All of my research tells me that they are best visited at night when the trees are illuminated with red hearts and hot-air balloons but I’m sure they will be just as much fun during the day.  Stephen says it's best - and fun - take the tram everywhere, except to the Schönbrunn Palace where you have to take a bus.

Stay on into January, for all the New Year celebrations, and the stunning winter balls. More than 300 balls are thrown during the season, including the Opera Ball and the Bonbon Ball  which is stages as a reminder that this city was the diplomatic and entertainment centre of the world after the defeat of Napoleon. Apparently Paris Hilton was bored at the Opera Ball, but then...

Choirs sing in market stalls and if you wake up early enough on Sundays walk through quiet streets to hear the  Vienna Boys Choir  at the Hofburg Chapel.

Or maybe just take a walk in the Vienna woods.

There are wonderful cafes to pop into perfect for warming up after a brisk walk. This is Demels.

NB.Thanks to the web for the images.




Fodor’s travel is always a great source of inspiration and information. Here’s a trip report you may find helpful from a family in the US : Trip Report - Vienna

There are some wonderful Christmas concerts on too.

  Vienna Christmas Concerts has all the details.

How to get there:

From anywhere Emirates will get you there.

British Airways flies four times daily from London Heathrow to Vienna.

From the US, there are plenty of flights on all the airlines, so choose your favourite. Generally you will have two stopovers, or maybe three, depending on the time/airline.

From Australia or New Zealand you could use Air New Zealand or Qantas or any of the code share partners.

From Asia, eDreams does Singapore/Vienna as does Lufthansa.

Where to stay:

Heaps and heaps of places. Try Booking.com, Hotels.com. Expedia, Trip Advisor…

You can book an Apartment or use  AirBnB for owner managed homes (exceptionally good value, we have found).Or  if you are going budget, stay at a backpackers or  Hostels in Vienna. 

however you travel there, and whereever you stay, this holiday will be one you remember. Don't forget your chargers and extra batteries for the camera.

Spend Christmas...

Spend Christmas...enjoying Fionna's new children's story The Quilt available from today on Amazon. With glorious illustrations by Hanneke Koop and a brilliant book design by my talented daughter Allison, it's a book for children, parents and grandparents. Only one review written so far - but it's a FIVE star!! Many thanks to whoever wrote it. There's a Kindle version too.






Some years ago, my sisters, sisters in law and I met up at our family holiday home and over a long weekend created a beautiful quilt from fabrics that evoked memories of our childhood and and family over all many years. I took photographs, and created a photobook, including every member - and dog- in our family. The quilt lives at the lake, and everytime we go there, the book is brought out and pored over. The kinds love seeing themselves, and identifying all the family members. Both the quilt and the photobook are family treasures now. Here's our real quilt:



and here's our real lake and holiday home.



Our family has been here for around 120 years, although this is not the original cabin.

Christmas in...Rio de Janiero

I've been to Rio 5 times. It draws me back - the people, the architecture, the history, the music. Even the beaches - which is a big admission from an island girl who can count about 15 beaches within 25 kilometres of home.

I haven't been to Rio at Christmas though, and I think it would be an uplifting time to go. Except New Years Eve would be much more exciting, so perhaps go then.

Christmas Eve is the most important time for families to get together, with everything closing around 6pm (even hotel restaurants) so families share the event. There is a big fireworks display at the Lagoon, but other than that it is a time for families

On the first day of December, the Christmas lights are turned on, and around the 2nd or 3rd of the month, the world's largest floating artificial Christmas tree is lit up in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, with fireworks to herald in the festive season.  It stays lit until Epiphany,  the 6th January. The tree was created in 1995, and is 85 metres high. Each year the theme is different. Visitors can also view an array of performances in Parque de Cantagalo located nearby the lagoon.

And since it wouldn't be Christmas without the manger scene, the citys host the manger scene festival. The Allah garden in Ipanema presents a collection of manger scenes contributed by various Brazilian artists to bring the tradition to life.

New Year however, is a BIG bang, with events everywhere, especially on Copacabana Beach.

After Carnaval, New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro is the biggest party of the year in the city. During New Year's Eve day, people  gather at Copacabana beach to honor Iemanjá, the Afro-Brazilian goddess of fertility and motherhood, by placing offerings like flowers and candles into the ocean and celebrate with free festivities for ‘Reveillon’(roughly translated as a night-time celebration, especially a feast traditionally held after midnight on Christmas or New Year's morning.



The evening festivities kick off officially around 7pm New Year's Eve when DJs and bands kick off at the official stages along the beach. Everyone’s musical taste is catered for with live rock acts, Brazilian pop songs and samba music.

The main stages are in front of the Copacabana Palace and across Rua Santa Clara. The other stages are situated along the 4km stretch of beach between Leme and the Copacabana Fortress.At midnight,
a spectacular 20 minute fireworks display will blast out the old year and welcome in the new year.  . All  all night parties follow, organized by all the major beach hotels including Copacabana Palace (this is the most fancy one in bal masqué style) for the more than 2 million  revellers.  Everyone dresses in white and red, signifying both good luck and romance. The Rio de Janeiro hotels stay open all night, serving breakfasts from around 3am until midday on New Year’s Day. 

Thanks to Huffington Post for this image.

How to get there:
Fly on any of the major airlines

Where to stay:
There are heaps of great places from super-budget to ultra luxury. Check Trip Advisor, Expedia, Booking.com or your own favourite.   If you want a beach front room to watch the celebrations, you might be out of luck for this year, but give it a try.

Local Nomad Apartments offer a great range of apartments, which can be a better option for families and couples than a hotel.

Tours Gone Wild offer a 7 day package for 2014, from December 28, to take in the magnificent displays, performances and pure atmosphere of Rio's New Year celebrations.

Where to spend Christmas series: Santa Fe, New Mexico

A magical, spiritual, uplifting place on Christmas Eve, I think it's one of the most beautiful places to be. In the mid-1980's, when we were there, all the street lights were turned off, and no cars allowed in town.

The tall adobe walls and historic streets were lit  by traditional farolitos (candles in little brown paper bags); the snow fell softly and everyone walked the streets wearing big warm smiles (as well as lots of woollies). Luminarias (small bonfires) were lit at the entrance to driveways, and residents offered mulled wine. My children were tiny, and goggle-eyed.

At midnight, or thereabouts, the birth of Christ was reenacted around the Plaza, the square in the middle of town. In Spanish. Including a donkey for Mary. The play finished at the palace of the Governors, with food and Christmas Carols.
This year, according to the Visitors Bureau, the reenactment is on December 14, and the walk is now on Canyon Road, starting at dusk on December 24. Thanks to the web for the images - mine are all lost in time somewhere (or maybe a box in the garage)...

You can get there by plane, to Alberquerque and then a car ride or another short plane trip. You can stay at one of the many hotels, B&B's, or Inns. Hurry though, accommodation is booked early and quickly for a Christmas in Santa Fe.

CHRISTMAS is coming! Where would you like to celebrate?
November we look at places to celebrate Christmas.
How about right at the North Pole? Begin the excitement of Christmas now... 

Ten things you never knew about the north pole has some fun facts. For example, this site tells you that  there are two North Poles!
Unlike the South Pole, which lies over the continent of Antarctica, there is no land beneath the North Pole but more of a floating Arctic ice sheet that expands during colder months and shrinks to half its size in the summer. To complicate things even more, there are two different definitions of the North Pole. The first is the north magnetic pole, which is, quite literally, a magnetic phenomenon which changes daily depending on changes under the Earth's crust. Additionally, there is a north terrestrial pole, which is the fixed point that references the top of the Earth.

To the north Pole really does get you there, at least with images, via a huge ice-breaker. Or, take a cruise to Greenland and the Arctic Circle with Fred Olsen Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, or Silversea Expeditions. All offer an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. Check that the cruise you want isn't only in the summer! 

But if you look carefully, you will find some Northern Lights spectaculars -  Arctic Norway Cruises  does do a northern lights trip. Royal Carribean does too.

This image by Gerald Zinneker is of Greenland. The village looks gorgeous.

 Here's a site that offers a North Pole Experience. It seems to be in Arizona, which according to my schoolgirl geography actually isn't anywhere near the North Pole,, but heck - it looks like fun! You can delight in the magic of the holiday season at Santa’s enchanting, 400-year-old workshop,Mrs. Claus’ Bakery, Elf University, Santa’s Sleigh Hanger, and family time with St. Nick himself.

North Pole.com is another fun site to check out. It doesn't actually get you there, but you will have a great time with the activities. Enjoy them with the grandchildren!

Whakatane - Caves, holes in rocks, huge vistas and safe swimming beaches galore

This is our first holiday to Whakatane, a warm, sunny, coastal town in the Bay of Plenty (NZ's North Island). Stephen did come here on a work visit in the 1970's, but I expect it has changed somewhat since then!
The town is small and easy to walk around. Lots to see-

a big hole in a rock, an old old cave,

boats coming in through the heads, people fishing...and some of the huge pohutukawas (NZ's Christmas Tree) are out already with their vivid red fronds and two toned leaves.

This one was right on the waterfront. I snapped a queue of families waiting to have their catch weighed.

We drove up to the highest point by the trig station and took in the views. Stunning.
 

There is an old maori carving looking out to sea, watching eternally. Way out to sea is Whale Island and behind that White Island, an active volcano.

 We took a walk down a steep track to Otarawairere Beach

 and found aquamarine clear water, huge Pohutukawa trees for shade and a white fine shell beach. The tide was going out, so we thought we'd walk around the point to Ohope Beach, one of the best in the country. Unfortunately the tide wasn't far enough out, and we were forced to turn back when we were almost around the point. Well, we could have jumped into deep water, with waves pounding us as it roared up a channel into a cave, but decided that wasn't really an option we would consider. Here's the channel taken from the point. 

So we turned around again, walked back, climbed 200 or more steps up a cliff side and once at the top, climbed down about the same number to the west end of the beach. More stunning views, well worth the climb.

One evening we ate with friends at a restaurant called Detour, and the food was very good. I had a Moroccan chicken salad and Stephen had a rack of lamb so big he could hardly get through it all. Good value for money and pleasant atmosphere.
 We strongly recommend you include Whakatane on your “go to” list when you visit Down Under

New Zealand: Taupo Waipahihi Botanical Reserve and Mini Golf

We are in Whakatane today; the sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky. But I wanted to share my photos of the beautiful Reserve in Taupo. It was established in 1966, and is filled with native and introduced trees and plants beautifully maintained by maintained by a big team of volunteers. The camellias are just finishing and the rhododendron are spectacular. We walked around the main route and diverted through several of the bush walks. I kept stopping to take photos, and we met three young women from Sweden, Germany and New York holidaying in NZ on their gap year, looking for a place to have a picnic; some young mothers walking their babes in pushchairs and quite a few runners.

Here we are with a stunning red rhodo as background.

I don't know the names of the rhododendrons - maybe one/some of our readers will recognise them.

view from a great picnic spot

We came around a corner on the walk and this was the view. Sunlight sparkling on Lake Taupo.







The camellia tree was almost finished for the spring and I spent a while finding one that hadn't started to go brown.

And then I came across this lovely pieris.
























There's a bumblebee in the centre of one of the flowers!



















Most of the azaleas were past their best, but this one shone in the sunshine



Way in the distance down the lake are the three big mountains - Ruapehu, Ngarahoe and Tongariro.

These are Ruapehu top, and Ngarahoe below.





We love mini golf, and any visit to Taupo requires several games and some grudge matches! The mini golf course is beautiful, just like a manicured garden.



Fionmna with her whole in one




And Stephen got a hole in one as well! Here he is celebrating.