Do something different for your next Christmas; experience the charming European Christmas markets with Viking River Cruises. You will enjoy history, food, scenery, architecture and attentive service and your renewed Christmas spirit will flourish.
Stroll the historic Nuremberg Christmas market and others at each stop along the way. Delight in the smaller gem-like German cities along the Danube in the Wachau Valley. Experience the majesty of Melk Abbey and the aristocratic feel of Vienna in Austria. And finally, glide into sparkling, renewed Budapest.
I confess to being a winter wimp. But the Christmas markets warmed me with the welcoming, cheerful spirit of the visitors and locals alike (and maybe the mulled wine helped a bit). I actually found myself hoping for a (brief) dusting of snow just to make it all even more picturesque.
Oh, those mulled wines? I’ll share a secret with you and you need to trust me on this: add an extra shot of amaretto. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did or your amaretto back.
If mulled wine isn’t your thing you can conduct your own taste test of eggnogs. There’s no end of cherished recipes all claiming superiority over the other.
And then there’s the bratwurst. What can I say? I ate four sandwiches within an hour. You know how they say “you can’t eat just one”? Despite the hazard to my waistline it was well worth it. And everyone knows calories generate heat so it was also part of my strategy for staying warm and embracing the experience.
This past month, I shared my treasured moments across many social channels through my photos. This video is my virtual recap of my excursions through Christmas markets, along the Danube and making new friends on a Viking River Cruise.
I’ve been back in D.C. for a month and I miss Europe already. I’m looking forward to where my path will take me in 2015, as more adventures surely await. Wishing you all the very best in your explorations this coming year!
