We woke up before the sun rose on St. Nicholas Day to catch our 5:45am train in Salzburg. Our flight home to the United States was leaving from Paris the next morning. Paris was an 8.5-hour train ride away, so…
Salzburg, Austria, and Krampus Night—the Weirdest and Best Event of European Christmas
When planning my trip, I originally intended to fly home with my mom on December 4th or 5th—dates we’d picked to minimize the amount of work she had to miss. But then I learned about Krampus. I told my mom…
Medieval Market, Fairytale Bazaar, and Making the Most of One Day in Munich
The travel mishap on the way to Munich wasn’t our fault. Or I suppose it WAS our fault for not knowing German, but sadly my German knowledge is limited to the word for “dog.” On our early train from…
Christmas Markets in Prague, Gingerbread, and the World’s Largest Castle
My first impression of Prague was when I saw the public piano in the train station entrance. It wasn’t a keyboard—it was a full-size upright piano, there for the general public to use. Someone was playing it beautifully as we…
Vienna, Austria—First Stop on the Grand European Christmas Market Journey
The train strike had ended by morning, and it was finally time for our train ride to Austria. We were taking the same route I’d taken back in August on my nightmare overnight journey from Venice to Vienna. Under no…
The Time We Got Stuck in Italy, and Why Fall is the Best Time to Visit Venice
We took a high-speed train from Florence to Venice. I’d been through Venice twice on my trip before this and even wandered around the island once for a few hours in between train rides in August, but this was the…
