Vienna: Part One

We decided to enjoy a festive break in Vienna and weren't disappointed with the Christmas Spirit in this beautiful city.

Within an hour of arrival we found ourselves in the middle of one of the largest Christmas markets in Karlsplatz, which is the home of the impressive Karlskirche (St Charles Church).

Inside was even more beautiful and we enjoyed the most incredible performance of Vivaldi' Four Seaons.

The next morning we headed to the Belvedere, which is a stunning baroque palace and gardens was built by Prince Eugene in 1714. Today it is still a beautiful palace but the highlight for me was the Klimt exhibition - the most famous piece was The Kiss.

Vienna is a very easy city to walk around and every building was beautiful.

Uluru, Australia

Uluru is the Aboriginal name for the World Heritige Listed rock, which used to be known as Ayres Rock. It is a stunning site and it truly took my breath away.

On the first night we enjoyed a delicious meal under the stars, watching the sunset behind Kata Tjuta (also known as the Olgas).

We were treated to some traditional Aborginal dance with our champagne and a star gazing lesson with our meal. It was magical.

The next morning we were up early to see the sunrise over the rock - whilst riding camels... There are hundreds of thousands of wild camels in Australia (estimates range from 300,000 to over - million) and it has the largest camel population in the world.

I was a little nervous to climb aboard these big creatures as they don't have the best reputation, but it was a wonderful experience.

Riga, Latvia

Next stop on the Baltic adventure was Riga, which is most famous for its art-nouveau architecture. I have never seen so many gargoyles before! Almost every building is decorated in some way.

The beautiful buildings made exploring this city great fun, we spent a lot of time searching for funny/scary/beautiful sculptures. 

Tallinn, Estonia

For New Year 2014 we decided to visit Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It is a magical time to visit the city as the Christmas markets are on, with the city's decorations still on display.

The medieval city is very compact and mostly contained within the ancient walls. It's beautiful and easy to explore on foot, with lots of winding cobbled roads and old merchant houses.

There are beautiful views of the city from the top of the very narrow staircase leading to the tower of the Dome Church. The church has been in existence since 1233 and was filled with history inside.

St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is dramatic from the outside.

Estonia was great fun and easy to explore. I would love to go back.