Semester Break Trip (Part 3 of 3)

I apologize for this post, as it is less verbose than my previous vacation posts. I am letting the pictures speak for me this time, as I have to run and catch a train to Rome. I know, tough life....

And finally, I present Vienna and the grand Austrian ball, held at the amazing Hofburg Palace:
We arrived in Vienna earlier than most, in order to take in the sights and sounds of Vienna. Let me tell you, Vienna was COLD. But aside from that, it was pretty neat, too. For one, the city had a big winter festival set up, with multiple ice skating rinks and curling rinks. The city even used the Rathaus to stage a light show (I stole this picture from Liam's blog):The night before the ball, Liam and Meghan were also in town early, so Mark and I joined them at Hotel Sacher, to sample the famous Sacher Torte, which is a yummy chocolate cake with apricot filling

After sampling this fine cuisine, we headed to a very cute bar to sample some of the local Riesling, which is my favorite varietal. Here are Meghan, me, Mark, and Liam (you may recall Meghan and Liam are my across the street neighbors in DC):

So, that is the sightseeing in Wien (the proper, Austrian way to spell Vienna). Now, on to the ball. I must confess, most of my ball pictures are stuck inside a disposable camera right now. Therefore, I will have to make do with other people's pictures and then some of my own. First, here I am in my dress, which I loved:

Here are some pictures of Mark and myself taken at the ball. And I am sure Mark would enjoy me adding two things about these pictures/his attire. First, unlike what the second picture suggests, he does not have a silver or white streak in his hair. And, most importantly, his is a real bow tie that he tied himself:Finally, here are some pictures of the inside of the palace and of the main dance hall. And yes, I did dance. Although not well. Mark, however, can bust a move. Or at least, bust a waltz, however, that just doesn't have the same ring to it. I don't know what the proper slang term is for waltz? Bust a spin?And that was the Austrian ball. A good time was had by all. Except for my feet. But, luckily they have healed by now....