Touristy Day

Being Saturday, I had no treatments booked so we played tourists and explored the Innerstadt (city centre).  We took the U-bahn (subway) there then checked out the Museum Quarter, a huge city block of various museums, including a kids' museum.  Alexis is signed up for a construction workshop there this coming week.  We walked (Dad pushed me in a wheelchair) to the Hofberg Palace, Stephansdom (gothic cathedral for which the city is most well-known), Mozart's house, opera house and finished at the Town Hall, which is lit up beautifully at night with a gorgeous clock tower.  At the base of the town hall is set up a huge Christmas market with dozens of wooden stalls lit up with lights and decorations, various wares (toys, glass ornaments, leather, etc.), hot drinks, local food treats and hundreds of people.  It's hard to describe in words, but the whole scene put us instantly into the Christmas spirit.

The buildings here are all architectural masterpieces.  The streets are spotlessly clean and are filled with people walking, shopping and socializing.  We have felt safe everywhere we go, even after dark, which is a good thing since it gets dark by 4:30pm.

Some edible treats we've enjoyed so far have been:  maroni (roasted chestnuts), pancakes, Viennese coffee, gluewein (hot drinks served at the street markets), hot dogs (more gourmet than what we get at home), sachertorte (layered chocolate cake with a layer of jam), homemade caramels, schnitzel and viennese stockpot soup.

We're taking some pictures, but you'll have to wait until we get home and put them in an album to see them (yes, I still do that the old-fashioned way).  No big changes to the treatment regime this week except the addition of a traditional chinese medicine practitioner and some natural anti-inflammatories, mostly for pain control.  Next weekend we plan to take the train to Baden, a nearby spa town.  Will post more soon...

God bless,
Shawna

P.S.  Some folks have asked for our mailing address.  Thoughtful, but just mail things to our home address in Calgary and we'll enjoy opening them there.  We will be changing apartments partway through our stay, so would hate for something to get mis-directed in the mail.