next month

My hubby and I are headed on a christmas adventure next month. Since joining Fujimamas I have worked every christmas, one year we even had to move an office ALL day and then work that night... ! Recently the travel we have done has been either politics or work related and often with other people so this time we are getting away on what I hope will be a super romantic holiday. We are going to Vienna and Prague for Christmas on a fancy tour. Usually i don't like the tour kind of thing. But it is nice this time because since we are so busy we don't have tons of time to plan this trip and everything will be taken care of for us...

the plan looks like this

Vienna & Prague Christmas: 8 Days Escorted Tour

Picture-perfect scenes from olde world Europe await on this winter wonderland holiday to the Vienna of the Imperial Hapsburgs and to beautiful Prague. Stay at deluxe hotels, attend classical Christmas concerts, wander about Christmas Markets brimming with crafts and warm spiced wine, and see the sights of historically rich cities. Gypsy music mixes with the concert piano, the old embraces the new, and Christmas-time is simultaneously bustling and peaceful.

* 3 nights at the Sacher Wien Hotel in Vienna
* 3 nights at the Radisson SAS Alcron Hotel in Prague
* 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 6 dinners

Highlights

* Visit Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral and Hofburg Palace
* Dine at Schonbrunn Palace and attend a holiday concert
* Tour the Vienna Woods
* Enjoy Christmas Markets at Vienna City Hall Square, in Baden of the Vienna Woods, and in Prague
* Explore Prague's Old Town, Wenceslas Square, St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle and the old Jewish Quarter
* Attend a symphony or opera performance in Prague
* Enjoy free time in each city

Itinerary

Day 1 - Depart
Board your overnight flight to Austria.

Day 2 - Arrive Vienna/Christmas Market
Welcome to Vienna, Austria's refined capital on the Danube River, known for its coffeehouses, for the Hofburg and for the waltz. Transfer on your own to the hotel, then in the mid-afternoon, visit the Christmas Market at the Rathausplatz (City Hall Square), where the Viennese come to stroll among elaborately decorated trees, to look for crafts and to enjoy Gluhwein (warm spiced wine). Your elegant Viennese hotel sits in the very heart of the city on a pedestrian street.

Day 3 - Hofburg Palace/Vienna
Walk (the best way to experience Vienna) on the pedestrian Karntnerstrasse to medieval St. Stephen's Cathedral, symbol of the city, and to Hofburg Palace, the Imperial Palace of the Hapsburg dynasty, to visit the Treasury and see the crown jewels. This afternoon, explore the hilly Vienna Woods, inspiration for Schubert's music and Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. Visit the former royal hunting lodge at Mayerling and wander the Christmas Market in Baden, which is also known as the Advent Mile. Dinner is out on the town this evening.

Day 4 - Vienna/Schonbrunn Palace
Your morning is free in Vienna. This afternoon, see the Baroque masterpiece Schonbrunn Palace, which is often compared to the palace at Versailles. About 40 of the Palace's 1400 rooms are open to visitors. Stroll the Christmas Market on the grounds before enjoying dinner in the Palace's Cafe and a concert in Schonbrunn Palace.

Day 5 - Czech Republic/Prague
Travel through the rolling Austrian and Bohemian countryside, hopefully white with fresh snowfall, en route to Prague. This beautiful city is known as "a symphony in stone," where Charles VI ruled as King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor and amassed wonderful Gothic landmarks, including Charles Bridge and St. Vitus Cathedral. Dine out on the town this evening.

Day 6 - Prague/Old Town/Old Jewish Quarter
Begin city sightseeing with a walk to the Stare Mesto (Old Town) Square to see the Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall. Explore the Jewish Quarter, the best-preserved complex of Jewish monuments in the whole of Europe. The Old-New Synagogue dates from the 13th century and the Jewish Cemetery has a fascinating variety of Renaissance and Baroque tombstones. This afternoon, see Wenceslas Square, Charles Bridge and the meandering Vltava River.

Day 7 - Christmas Day/Prague Castle
Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce! The morning is free for anyone wishing to attend church service. This afternoon, visit Prague Castle, the complex of monuments standing as the symbol of the nation. St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica and the Golden Lane are all here. This is Christmas Day and as a finale, attend an opera or symphony performance this evening.

Day 8 - Conclude Prague

I hope to do LOTS of eating and blogging about eating.
should be fun. One of my missions is to find some great christmas things at the traditional markets! and we are staying in the Hotel Sacher- home of the sacher torte! reports on that for sure!