Don't Stop Believing : 2012-12-16

Everyone fantasizes about travelling to one of those romantic cities in Europe. Whether it's Prague, Venice, Paris or Rome, we are all guilty of day dreaming of walking the cobble streets, drinking cappuccinos in cute local cafes and chowing down on tasty pastries or sweets in side bakeries. For me, my dream city of romance was always Vienna. Oh, Vienna. There is a song by Billy Joel called Vienna, which I've listened to over 1000 times in the last few years. I'd close my eyes and imagine what the streets would look like, how the food would taste and who I'd be examining the beautiful ancient architecture with. Coming to Vienna was not in my original travel plan but I absolutely loved every second I spend in there.

Upon arriving in Vienna Liam and I were greeted by my friend Clemens' amazing girl friend Christina. Clemens and I met while travelling in Malaysia. We spent a week together on the Perhentian Islands which are located on the North Eastern coast. Thus, when I found out Liam and I would be travelling to Vienna I immediately messaged Clemens to ensure we could at least share a beer together while we were in town. To our surprise Clemens was willing to host us while we were in town.

The three of us (Christina, Liam and I) then ventured back to Clemen's flat, dropped off our bags and began our Vienna adventure. During our time in Vienna we actively tired to see as much as possible in four days; we visited many of the major sites, dined on sausages and schnitzel, watched 'Argo' in an old cinema, went a going away party, hit up a few local clubs, drank a gallon of beer each (in one night), and visited numerous local Christmas markets. Vienna was an absolutely breathtaking city in the winter and I vow to go back in the spring or summer one year.

Although Vienna has and always will hold a special place in my heart, it was our time spent with Clemens and Christina that really made our time there so precious. It was great to have the opportunity to re-connect with a travel friend in his home country, meet his beautiful girlfriend and share many laughs that left us all in stitches. Thank you SO SO much Clemens and Christina for your generosity and the time you spent with us.

Austria

Christmas trolley in Vienna

Love even comes in the form of waffles!
At one of the Christmas markets in Vienna

Street art on the streets of Vienna

I got beers em my pockets

My first beer in Austria

Liam, myself, Christina and Clemens at the Christmas market by the castle in Vienna

Walking the streets of Vienna
Christina and Clemens

Sharing good times over beers at a local pub


Myself with the Austrian singer Tanz Baby. Check out his video up top.

Czech Republic

After we left Vienna we headed up to Prague. Another one of those dream cities. Prague is equally as beautiful and has a strong romantic charm to it. In Prague we did mostly the same activities, saw many similar sites, ate many similar foods however the only difference was there was two of us and not four.

In addition to seeing castles, churches and stuffing our faces with local beers and meats at Christmas markets, I also got the chance to finally work off some of those European calories that have accumulated. Prague has a great Bikram studio located in the heart of the city and a few minutes walk from our hostel. During our time in Prague I was able to fit in a few classes as well as take Liam to his first Bikram Yoga class. All my fellow yogis out there will understand how exciting it is to take someone you care about to their first class. To give them the opportunity to experience something you deeply love and witness how the yoga influences them. Liam did awesome in class, he rocked every posture and made it through the entire 90 minutes without conteplating ways to kill me after (ha ha). In his defence Liam already has a foundation in yoga from his experiences of practicing in Mysore, India a few months prior. After the usual sites and a little yoga we ventured to the South of the Czech Republic to a small town called Cesky Krumlov.

Cesky Krumlov is a fairy tale town. I have never seen anything quite like it before. For those of you unfamiliar with Cesky Krumlov, it is the town in which they filmed the horror film 'Hostel'. Liam and I arrived in Cesky Krumlov in the wee hours of the night. We were picked up by the hostel owner and taken to a cute little cottage/hostel with no other guests present... After we unpacked our bags and settled into our private space we decided to add to the atmosphere by watching the movie Hostel. We definitely cuddled a little tighter that night but woke to see the morning light. As we started to explore the town the following day, we began to notice all the movie shots and angles on the surrounding buildings and sites. It became very evident that a few shots were filmed right outside our hostel! Nevertheless, Cesky Krumlov is a fairy tale town that completely captured our hearts. The town was even more enchanting in the winter as the beautiful scenery was covered in a light layer of snow and the streets were virtually empty of tourists. Definitely a must see for those travelling to the Czech Republic.