Before I get into the trip stuff, I do want to say Happy Thanksgiving and I hope those that are reading this had a wonderful day with family, friends or just a quiet day being thankful for all we have. Whenever life gets crazy, I have to stop and think of all the things that I have and be thankful for my wonderful family, an amazing home, incredible friends, a job that I love and a partner that is truly my best friend. Life is damned good.

After the entire week of sunny, warm weather, today is grey, bleak, cold and what we actually expected for the end of November. We bundled up to go find breakfast, got downstairs and Ken decided we would just eat at the hotel. Even if I didn't get my $$ worth on a buffet, he could definitely do some damage and it was certainly easier.

Since it was dreary, we decided to relax a bit before deciding on the agenda for the day. (Translation: go back to bed and read for an hour…or even take a nap).   Seemed like a good plan and I caught up on some work stuff, while Ken focused on his book.  

Around noon, we finally got moving and plotted our route to Hellbrunn which has a great castle and a famous Christmas Market.  It was 2.5 miles with a path up and over the mountain that we were on yesterday. So with the handy google maps, we wound our way through farms paths, quiet alleys, busy thoroughfares and past some impressive estates before arriving Hellnbrun Castle.

The Christmas Market was just starting to open and there were very few visitors, so we had the place almost to ourselves. The fountains and grounds were really beautiful and it is noted that they have changed very little from when they were built in the 1600’s.   The gazebo where Liesl from the Sound of Music sang "16 going on 17"  was donated to the Castle, although it is locked as I am sure everyone would want a go at singing and jumping from bench to bench.

At this point I was a bit hungry, so it was time look through the market stalls for something yummy. That wasn’t too hard, as every other stall has some type of food. I settled on a cheese sausage with spicy mustard and some gluvein (hot spiced wine) which was perfect as both tasted great on a chilly day.    After checking out the local crafts, we went in search of the bus and headed back to the hotel.

After a couple of hours rest, it was time to meet Chris and Paige for dinner at St Peters Stifskeller, the oldest restaurant in Europe and one of the nicest in Salzburg. We had dined there a few years ago with the Mozart Concert Dinner, but that was more of a banquet setting.   We arrived to a party atmosphere outside the main entrance, with the locals enjoying music, beer, gluvein and snacks from the hut. We went ahead and took our table in the beautifully decorated dining area. There were many rooms all decorated for Christmas in different themes.

Chris and Paige arrived and we started the evening with a celebratory sparkling wine, which ended up being made from pears. I had ordered it, but had no idea that it wasn’t just normal wine, but it ended up being great.  We all found some good menu choices, including risotto, roast beef, weinerschnitzel and chicken cordon blu.  

Ok, now here is where the evening got interesting. Paige was starting to show us some pictures, when her eyes got wide and said “DAD…watch your head!!.   At that point the deer antlers which had been hanging on the wall above our heads came tumbling down right on top of Ken’s head. This also included all of the candles and other decorations on the ledge.   It was quite a commotion and the waiters came over to see what had happened and pick up the scattered decorations, including the wayward antlers.

We resumed our appetizers, when Ken touched the top of his head and found he was bleeding, and not just a little…it was really bleeding. So he used his white napkin to try and stop it, while we called the waiter over to advise we would need a new napkin and showed him the problem. The Manager immediately came over and brought some gauze, ice wrapped in a napkin and antiseptic, all the while apologizing as “this had never happened before!.   Ken was fine, but we did have a good time at his expense, as he looked a bit goofy with the ice bag on his head.

We finished the dinner and was pleasantly surprised that the entire dinner was comped…that was a very nice gesture and really appreciated as it was going to be quite costly!     In the pictures you will see the offending decorations and Ken’s ice bag.  

At that point it was time for bed and to be thankful that it was only a superficial wound!!