Tour of Karlskirche in Vienna - and a bit more!

Karlskirche is a baroque church completed in the 1730s following the last great plague - it was built under Holy Roman Emporer Charles VI, in honor of his patron saint, Charles Borromeo, who was "revered as a healer of plague sufferers" (see Wiki!). The frescos on the dome are extraordinary. We were able to take an elevator up to the scaffolding within the dome to get a closer look. Pictures are below!

Gettin' piggy with it (sorry- couldn't help myself there!)

Kate's loving "Brava Strega Nonna" - it's a gorgeous pop-up paper-art book

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mom, Bernie, sister Sara, brother-in-law Doug, and their two sweet peas, Matt and Allie, came for the holidays!! A Colossal Christmas Visit it was! We even got the wild idea of taking 4 kids out of bed at 4 a.m. and flying to Paris for two days - a plan that ended up turning out beautifully. Pics and videos to follow!

They're heee-re!

Christmas market at the Rathaus (city hall)

In front of the market at Schonbrunn palace

Some of the beautiful wood carving in a Christmas market stall

"Don't make me have to use this"...

Snug as a bug in a rug, with Charlie Brown, of course

Nothin' says lovin' like my man in the kitchen...

Getting their giggles out before Christmas eve mass

Making lebkuchen for Santa

Kate works on Nonny's fabulous projects


PARIS!

Les Invalides



Notre Dame - copy of the original in South Bend. Although it's an excellent plaza for the ESPN Game Day set.




Sainte Chapelle





HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We call the sequence of videos at the end, "Bad '80s music. Recycled. Badly." Whether you're in a Vienna grocery store or at their New Year's Eve celebration, your bound to hear Toto and Kenny Loggins, and the ever popular "Thank you for being my friend" (theme song from Golden Girls). And yes, they still groove to it here...Steve Winwood, Funky Town, and don't foget your pan flute...


Turbo Punsch? Two shots o' rum. Yum, says Steve. I'm still a fan of the Kinder Punsch.

The Christmas/New Year's punsch culture - you stand...you drink hot toddies with people you don't know...life is good.

***

After Sunday Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral

And now, the good stuff...










The one good bit of music we did hear was performed by these fellows..

We just love this kid