We're off to Vienna to kick off the Christmas season early. This time, I'm traveling with my husband and mom!

I'm curious about how this trip with the three of us will turn out. We picked up our luggage and

arrived at the hotel where we'll stay for four nights and five days. Even though we checked in early, the room was already ready.

A clean and spacious room. We just dropped off our bags and headed out for lunch. We resisted the temptation of the dessert photos on the menu

and ordered some proper meals. The café's interior was elegant and beautiful, but we opted for a quicker seat to avoid waiting outside.

Einspänner enjoyed in its homeland. "Oh, it's super hot!" "It's dripping because I stirred it."

It's not as sweet as the ones in Korea. Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped by a convenience store to grab a bottle of familiar Evian.

My husband drinks so much water that the two complimentary bottles of water provided by the hotel aren't enough.

We went to the airport to meet my mom, who flew in from Seoul. A warm reunion between mother and daughter.

I wonder when my mom will come out. We met my mom safely and are now on our way to the Christmas market.

My mom commented that it's not as pretty as the Rockefeller Center tree in New York. We haven't even arrived at the Christmas market yet, Mom!

Finally, the much-anticipated Christmas market. Since the Christmas market was the main focus of this trip, we chose a hotel just a 10-minute walk away.

Vienna has several Christmas markets, but the one in front of City Hall is the biggest and most popular.

We browsed some cute Christmas trinkets for a bit. Peeking around to see what tasty treats they're selling.

Curious about what's being sold at the stalls with long lines. The problem is, none of us can read German.

While editing, I used Google Translate. It turned out to be "organic Baumkuchen." There were various flavors of Baumkuchen on the menu.

We ended up buying a doughnut with apricot jam from a stall with no line. And a cup of apple punch.

There's also a skating rink next to the market. Some people were skating at a professional level.

Kids holding hands with their parents, having fun. It felt like being in an amusement park. "Look at that big tree..."

"They must have had a hard time decorating it." Thinking of their effort, we took a close-up shot.

My husband got excited when he spotted roasted chestnuts. "Should we just buy one?" 🌰 Time to taste!

Does it taste better because you're eating it alone? We wrapped up the first day successfully. A new morning in Vienna.

We're at the hotel's breakfast buffet on the second floor. The food suited my taste so well that I cleared three plates.

Though it's quite windy, the weather is sunny. We're taking a taxi to Schönbrunn Palace.

After hearing some tips from the taxi driver, we arrived at the palace. While my husband went to get tickets...

...I waited with my mom, looking at the palace model. You can also buy tickets in advance on the official website.

There's also a Christmas market in front of the palace, but we'll explore it later. We entered the palace.

If you show your ticket, you can get a free audio guide, but we skipped it and just went in.

Our ticket allowed us to view 40 rooms, but we quickly toured through all of them. Finally, we arrived at the most famous room, the Hall of Mirrors.

My husband's thoughts on the chandeliers: "They must have lit all those candles by hand in the past."

"It's amazing." My mom's impression: "It's similar to Versailles." We stepped out into the garden.

There was a large crowd gathered; I wonder if there was an event. Schönbrunn Palace and its 500,000 square meters of grounds are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We decided to walk towards the Gloriette. The fountain in the middle was beautiful. We climbed the hill...

...and looked down at Schönbrunn Palace from above. It felt sacred, like standing in a temple.

Holy vibe! There's a café the taxi driver recommended up here. It's quiet and not crowded.

The Christmas decorations are adorable. Also, the ceilings are incredibly high. Here's how to drink iced coffee in Europe:

Ask for a cup of ice. My mom's cappuccino even had bunny ears! Traditional Viennese pastry

be sure to try it when you visit. After fully enjoying the café, we headed back down.

Personally, I liked the gardens and café more than the palace. Now, we're at the Christmas market in front of the palace.

We're going to have a simple lunch here. The menu: oven-baked potato dishes. They were so good that I'd want to eat them again.

Unlike the market in front of City Hall, this one wasn't crowded, making it easier to browse.

A Santa Claus wooden doll caught my eye. I regret not asking about the price. These glass ornaments were also beautiful.

If I had a tree at home, I would have bought them. Such a shame. Two adorable babies taking pictures.

(Startled) I don't understand the language, but it was probably something like "Move!" or "Out of the way!" 😂

Here's another cute friend. On our way out, we picked up some Mozart mini liquors that would make great gifts.

We bought a bunch, and the staff restocked right after we did. 😅 We had a great time exploring and are now heading to our next destination.

On the way, we spotted an intriguing place... ...and decided to walk back to check it out.

If it looks this stunning, it must be a famous spot. It's Heldenplatz. This building is the Hofburg Palace.

I want to take a closer look at that building. It looks like we'll need to walk around a bit, but let's go anyway.

We're pretty flexible and don't mind straying from the plan. "That's the Christmas market we saw yesterday, right?"

"Ah." "If we keep going this way, we'll end up at the hotel." Good thing my husband noticed before we went too far.

It's still too early to head back to the hotel. Now, let's head to our actual destination.

A street filled with Christmas lights, Kohlmarkt. If you walk a bit further down this street...

...you'll find one of Vienna's top three cafés, Café Demel. People are lined up on the stairs.

We arrived around 4:30 PM and got seated with almost no waiting. We ordered Sachertorte (chocolate cake) and coffee.

Honestly, the café at Schönbrunn Palace was tastier. Maybe I had too high expectations because it's one of the top three cafés.

The Christmas lights outside were dazzling. My mom seemed to really like it here. That wraps up today's itinerary.

Yesterday's breakfast was so good, I'm sticking to my favorites today. Before starting today's itinerary,

we stopped by a market near the hotel. Picked up two bottles of water. We took an Uber

...and arrived safely at Belvedere Palace. Though it's a palace, it's used as an art museum now.

Our main purpose here... ...was to see Klimt's "The Kiss." Since it's his most famous piece, there were crowds of people in front of it.

The use of gold leaf in his work makes it truly unique. We managed to capture a frontal view during a brief moment without people.

Klimt’s works have such a distinct style, which I really like. The gold leaf was so mesmerizing that I almost missed the woman's head in her hands.

Klimt is famous for painting many portraits. But that doesn’t mean he only excelled at painting people.

There’s so much more to see here beyond Klimt’s works. It’s a place art lovers would definitely enjoy.

After exploring the second floor... ...we headed out to the gardens. From the gardens, the palace looks majestic.

We were debating whether the slopes next to the stairs were for carriages. Nowadays, it seems runners use them.

I’ve never seen autumn leaves on a yellow wall like this before. I bet it looks completely different in spring or summer.

Right outside the gardens is a restaurant. I mentioned wanting to try German-style pork knuckles, and the hotel recommended this place.

The beer-shaped menu was massive. What caught my eye was the beer flight on the menu. A fairly large pork knuckle arrived.

I didn’t understand why he was shaking the knives instead of pulling them out. The pork knuckle was a bit dry, so it wasn’t as tasty.

We chose to walk to our next destination to help digest the meal. We arrived at St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

A grand cathedral in Gothic style. They had a model of it at Schönbrunn Palace, and here it is again.

A European trip wouldn’t be complete without visiting a cathedral. Candles held the prayers of many people.

This place is significant to Mozart. His wedding, his children’s baptisms, and his funeral were all held here.

They also hold concerts here, which must be amazing. If anyone's attended a concert here, please let me know how it was. :)

Today, we're checking off another of Vienna's top three cafés. The ambiance here gets an instant thumbs-up.

There's an incredible variety of desserts on display. It's hard to decide what to order. After waiting about 25 minutes, we finally got a table.

Espresso came with a piece of chocolate. The cappuccino had a fluffy milk foam topping.

The apple strudel wasn't as good as the one at Schönbrunn Palace. The taste wasn't anything special...

...but seeing the large group tours coming in, it's clear this is a must-visit spot for tourists.

If you exit through the back, you'll find a gift shop where you can pick up some nice souvenirs.

At 5 PM, it was already quite dark outside. We decided to visit the Christmas market across the street.

This one is located in Maria Theresa Square. It stays open until December 31, so those visiting in the last week of December can still check it out.

The tram was packed with commuters on their way home. There was a large police presence—what could have happened?

A news station was on-site interviewing citizens. Once again, the City Hall and Christmas market looked stunningly beautiful.

No matter how many times I see it, it's breathtaking every time. We stopped by a market to try Vienna-style cookies for the first time.

Picked up some water while we were there, too. Now, we're heading back to the hotel.

In front of the Vienna State Opera. We're waiting for the shuttle we booked to Pandorf Outlet.

The shuttle was supposed to leave at 9:30 AM... ...but by 9:50, it still hadn't arrived.

It was so cold while waiting that we were shivering. Wasting 30 minutes of precious travel time was so frustrating.

They didn’t even apologize for being late. 😡 After about an hour's drive, we arrived safely.

First stop: Gucci. We’re browsing for a men’s wallet as a gift. There were also many scarves to choose from.

There was a wide selection of bags as well. The Gucci x Adidas collaboration collection was abundant.

The bright colors really caught my eye. Even though I aim to dress in demure designs, I can't help but be drawn to bold ones.

And there were some elegant children's outfits as well. After finishing our purchases... ...we moved on to the next store.

Since it’s winter, we were naturally drawn to outerwear. We quickly browsed through other stores.

Simple bags and wallets stood out. Polo items are still cheaper in the U.S. A little away from the Pandorf Outlet, there’s a Max Mara outlet.

The items were well-organized by color. Camel beige was the most popular color. I purchased a black coat I absolutely loved.

We didn’t have much time, but it was still a successful shopping trip. Now, we’re back in Vienna.

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