At last, the day arrived for my sister-in-law Susan and I to begin our Christmas Market adventure in Europe.  We met at Newark Airport, and all too soon it was time to board our flight on Austrian Airlines whose slogan is “The charming way to fly.” It was quite delightful.

We had chosen to fly in Premium Economy, which gives one a slightly wider seat and more legroom. And although I have short legs, I do have a slightly wider seat myself, so this is perfect for me. However, here’s one of the many tricks airlines play: they already have you paying more for the Premium Economy seat, and then they charge you more to choose which seat in Premium Economy you’d like to sit in! Since we wanted to sit together, we had to pony up and pay to choose our seats.

In any event, we settled into our seats and got ready for our eight-and-a-half-hour flight to Vienna. It was an overnight flight, so in between our dinner and breakfast snack, we were able to catch forty winks. We also had screens so we could watch some movies.  What more could you want?

Of course, with premium economy, you get real silverware tucked inside a real cloth napkin to eat your food. Also tucked inside was the world’s tiniest clothespin.  We had to ask the flight attendant what it was for. Any guesses? It was to pin your napkin to your shirt! An Austrian bib-maker if you will. 

We arrived in Vienna and headed through passport control and the baggage claim. I tried to get us an Uber for the ride into Vienna, but when we realized that it would require us to walk to another location for the pickup, we just went with a regular taxi. 

Our ride into town was quick, but along the way, I kept seeing balls of green in the otherwise leaf-barren trees along our route. What were they? Nests? Squirrel weirs? This mystery would be cleared up later in our journey.

Soon enough we were at our hotel, the charming Hollmann Beletage Design and Boutique Hotel in the Inner City of Vienna. The cheerful concierge Sarah greeted us and said our rooms would be ready soon, while she led us to the sauna/shower/spa to freshen up.

There is a reason that this hotel has won Trip Advisor’s Best of the Best Award for 2023, and I’m so happy we stayed there.  It is easy to miss, tucked into a quiet street, and surrounded by shops and restaurants. All that it has is a small red awning bearing its name.  Discreet.

With its spacious rooms, comfy beds, and a delicious breakfast that is cooked to order, the Hollmann Beletage is a perfect base from which to explore beautiful Vienna.

By using the Citymapper app (which gives you transit information for over 100 cities worldwide), Susie and I could easily find our way around beautiful Vienna.

The game was afoot!