The Jet-setting Resumes...

Although Katja is not a fan of flying, she is a fan of traveling (preferably to a foreign land), and thus gets very anxious when she goes too long without venturing out to the airport. Thankfully it was finally time for her first trip abroad since returning from Vienna, and even better it was to London, which is one of her favorite places to visit. 

As with her trip in December, a friend's birthday provided the excuse for her to hop across the pond. Not that she needs an excuse to travel, but if she has one, why not? And, as always, the first thing she did after making her way into Central London from Heathrow (besides having a large and much needed cup of coffee) was head to Danceworks to take class. Please note her beautiful Les Petites Jupes de Patricia skirt and RubiaWear leg warmers; jet lag is never an excuse to not look fashionable.

Besides not liking to go too long without ballet, Katja knows that taking class does wonders to get her adjusted to the local time zone. Plus she loves the studio, the teachers are great and the students friendly. And it's located off of Oxford Street, so it's in a convenient location to get in some shopping, which is a must on any trip to London.

While Katja always prides herself in getting in a healthy dose of arts when she travels (she is a cultured girl, after all), she has to admit that this trip was primarily about socializing. She did, however, make it to one museum, the Victoria and Albert, as it's open until ten on Friday nights. 

The V&A bills itself as the world's leading museum of art and design, and this could possibly be right, given its size and impressive and very diverse collection. Katja spent some time perusing the seemingly endless galleries, before stopping off in the rather fabulous gift shop. Then, of course, it was time for a glass of wine. 

Afterwards she made her way to the German Gymnasium, a newish German restaurant/bar that she wanted to try. The place has an interesting history, which also explains what might seem like an odd name; it was England’s first purpose-built gymnasium, built in 1865 for the Germany Gymnastics Society, with funding coming solely from London's German community. Katja found a seat in the elegant Meister Bar, which has a great selection of cocktails and and interesting wine list. She was tempted by a wine from Slovenia, but as her next trip is to Ljubljana, she figured she'd save trying Slovenian wine for then, and stuck with her standard Zweigelt. Next time she's going back in the afternoon for Kaffe und Kuchen.

The trip involved numerous coffee and lunch dates with friends, and as usual lots of bubbly, especially at her friend's birthday party. 

Katja was very happy that she's the kind of girl who tends to be overdressed, and who always makes certain to pack something fancy (the witty Oscar Wilde did say something about how one can never be overdressed or overeducated, and she completely agrees), as having been rather busy in the weeks before the trip she completely failed to notice the party's black tie dress code. But at least she had a festive dress, and while she might have not been the sparkliest girl there, as usual she was the life of the party.

Katja must admit to a rather slow start the following day; being the life of the party does requires some energy, plus she doesn't like to go without her beauty sleep. But it was still a very social day, starting with a late lunch at the Albion Bankside, where her friend was served one of the most generous cheese plates she's ever seen. Which, of course, made Katja very happy as it meant she didn't feel guilty asking to try the very tasty assortment. After finishing lunch she wandered over to Bedales, in Borough Market, to meet another friend. While the place is a wine bar with a great selection, Katja behaved and stuck to hot chocolate. Lest you think she's getting a little boring, she assures you this was only because she knew she’d be drinking a healthy amount of bubbly at a friend’s place that evening.  

Then, before she knew it, it was time to head back to New York. She's always a little sad when it's time to leave London, so is very thankful that the United Lounge in Heathrow has a lovely cocktail list to distract her. Now if only the United Lounge in Newark was half as civilized...

Out Gallivanting

Katja is not a fan of the winter months, which always seem to drag on for much too long. Still, she’s not one to let the cold weather (or anything else, for that matter) get in the way of her constant search for fun and new adventures. Or to keep her from looking anything less than glamorous while doing so.

And, on the rare occasion that the cold keeps her from venturing out, she stays nice and cozy in style. Because even at home one should be glamorous.

Although Katja hasn't been on a plane since her trip to Vienna (thankfully this will be remedied very soon, as she's off to London in a few days), she has, of course, been doing some traveling. In fact she's been quite a regular on the Amtrak to Boston. Not quite as glamorous as flying the friendly skies, but just as long as she's going places she's happy.

Not surprisingly a lot of her activities in Boston revolved around Boston Ballet. One of these was Glass After Class, an event for the Young Partners of the Boston Ballet, which consisted of a class and then drinks afterwards. This, of course, was a wonderful mix for Katja, as she loves ballet, and she loves her wine. Not together of course, although perhaps that would make her less terrified of turning.

Katja also made her way up to Boston for the Boston Ballet gala, Le Bal Epoque. She and her friends enjoyed a leisurely dinner at the Four Seasons' Bristol Restaurant before heading over to the Boston Castle, where the event was held, for drinks and dancing. She had a fabulous time, but then how can one not when there's an endless supply of bubbly. Katja was not, however, a fan of the venue. It felt too cavernous and had very little charm, and is also home to a steakhouse. What can she say, she can be a bit of a snob at times (and as a vegetarian does prefers to stay as far away from steakhouses as possible).

As much fun as the gala was, her favorite trip was to see Onegin, which is one of her favorite ballets. Although she can't say she thinks much of Onegin as a character (a self-involved jerk, really), she thinks it is such a beautiful and moving ballet, and that anybody who has the chance to go see it should do so. In fact she saw it twice.

She also got in a performance in New York, something that she surprisingly hadn't done in a while (too busy traveling and getting up to other things). Although she is generally not a fan of fairy tale ballets, she decided to check out Les Ballets de Monte Carlo's Cinderella, a modern version by Jean-Cristophe Maillot, at the City Center. It certainly didn't rank up there with Onegin (but then little does in her opinion), but she enjoyed the performance, and loved that Cinderella's feet were not shod in glass slippers, but instead dipped in gold.

While Katja is not a fan of fairy tale ballets, she does like fairy tales in other contexts, such as the Fairy Tale Fashion exhibition at the Museum at FIT. She thought the clothing was amazing, and loved the design of the exhibition. If only she could have taken some of the outfits home with her...

Of course the trip to the Museum at FIT was just one of her many museum visits, the cultured girl that she is. She especially loves when art is combined with bubbly (something she's probably mentioned once or twice before), and was thus happy to attend a member event at the Museum of Modern Art for the newly opened Marcel Broodthaers: A Retrospective. While she can't say that the show, dedicated to a Belgian poet who at age 40 turned to the visual arts, was her favorite, she did find some of his work amusing, and enjoyed perusing the exhibition.

More to her liking was Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist inRevolutionary France, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She loved the beautiful portraits, many of Marie Antoinette, but also of other glamorous ladies (much like herself, if she may say so). And while the queen may never have uttered the infamous line "let them eat cake," Katja thinks that it's always a good idea to do so.

On the subject of cake, and since Katja hasn't been able to travel abroad these past few months, she decided to attend an event that would make her feel like she was abroad (and which involved lots of sweet treats). She thus made her way down to DC for an Evening of Viennese Waltzing at the Organization of the American States, which, unlike the Boston Castle, is a venue very much to her liking. The evening, which took her back to her fabulous New Year's trip to Vienna, began with bubbly in the beautiful fountained courtyard, followed by dancing in the ballroom (the evening officially starts with the Grand March), and a decadent dessert buffet. Needless to say she had no qualms just diving right in and trying the many treats. You only live once, after all.

And there's always ballet to burn those calories...which don't count on the weekend anyway (or so she's been told and is more than happy to believe).

And Then There Was Snow...

After a relatively mild winter Mother Nature decided to unleash her forces on much of the East Coast. The resulting Winter Storm Jonas, also known as Snowzilla, brought well over two feet of snow to New York City. Of course even a blizzard cannot bring the city that never sleeps to a standstill; numerous stores and bars remained open. It did, however, sadly mean that ballet classes were cancelled, and that Katja found herself with some unexpected free time. So, after a quick session of fun in the snow (as pretty as it was there’s only so much cold and wet she can take), she decided to head back home to make Glühwein (naturally she stocked up on the essentials just in case all the shops had been shut), and reminisce about her New Year’s trip to Vienna. Vienna is a city that Katja can just go on and on about, because, as she knows she's mentioned before, she loves it ever so much.

Katja is never much of a planner when she travels, and this last trip was particularly leisurely, especially given her that her first evening in Vienna was a late one. After dancing the night away at the Hofburg Silvesterball she certainly wasn't going to get up bright and early simply to get things checked off of a to-do list.

Of course she did made certain to get in some art and lots of cake, but really, Vienna is such a beautiful city that one doesn't need a plan. Simply by wandering the streets one encounters so many beautiful things, such as the window displays at Demel.

Established in 1786, Demel is one of Katja's favorite bakeries in Vienna. It's a lovely spot with a large assortment of beautiful cakes, which can be eaten in numerous charming rooms spread over three floors. But as much as Katja enjoys Demel's cakes, it's the Topfenpalatschinken that she loves the most, and what she orders every time she's there. While it's normally served with a delicious warm vanilla sauce, this time she was given an equally tasty chocolate sauce, as well as the usual generous portion of whipped cream.

And, since she's covering the topic of desserts, why not mention two of her other favorite cafes, Café Imperial and Café Diglas. Café Imperial is located in the luxurious Imperial Hotel, and is known for its Imperial Torte, which, according to legend, was invented by a kitchen boy on the occasion of the hotel's opening in honor of His Majesty Franz Joseph I of Austria. However Katja doesn't really care who invented it or why, she just knows that it's incredibly delicious (she is partial to things with marzipan). Equally tasty were the other cakes she tried there; it was a cake for lunch kind of day so she had an excuse to indulge.

Café Diglas she loves both for its cakes (she enjoyed a delicious yogurt and poppyseed concoction) and its decor - little ornaments dangling from chandeliers, and lampshades made of petticoats. Not quite as cute as tutus would have been, but close.

Besides indulging in sweets at her favorite coffee shops, it wouldn't be a trip to Vienna without catching a performance at the Vienna State Opera. The beautiful opera house, designed by architect August Sicard von Sicardsburg and interior decorator Eduard van der Nüll, originally opened in 1869; most of the building was destroyed during World War II, and it reopened in 1955. As much as she loves opera, Katja prefers ballet, and always hopes that there'll be one on while she's in town. And indeed there was, John Neumeier's Verklungene Feste and Josephs Legende. She can't say either would rank amongst her favorite ballets, but she still very much enjoyed the performance, especially as she always likes to see things that she hasn't seen before.

It also wouldn't be a trip to Vienna without visiting a museum or two, and enjoying some of the art that she loves so much. She's a huge fan of the artists associated with the Vienna Secession and the Wiener Werkstätte. One of the museums where their work can be found is the Leopold Museum, which also has many works by one of her favorite artists,currently on display in the exhibition Egon Schiele – Self-Abandonment and Self-Assertion. Other favorite museums of hers are the Museum für angewandte Kunst, and the Belvedere. Sadly she wasn't able to make it to either on this trip, but she knows she'll back, and most likely sooner rather than later.

Vienna is also a city filled many beautiful churches, and one of her favorites is the 17th century Franziskanerkirche. While it might not be as grand as the Stephansdom, she loves its Baroque interior, which comes as quite a surprise given its much less ornate Renaissance style exterior. The church is particularly lovely over the holidays, as it's decorated with Christmas trees and poinsettias.

Finally, as she is writing this drinking a tasty glass of Glühwein, Katja figured she'd mention that not only does Austria have very good cakes, it also has very good wine. So, of course, she made certain to sample lots of that too. Among the spots she likes to enjoy a good Austrian red are Santo Spirito, a restaurant/bar which plays classical music (so cozy and relaxing), and Pürstner, an Austrian restaurant with very eclectic decor (she's a sucker for things like that).

But, of course, as much as Katja likes her wine, and even when she indulges in a bit too much of the stuff, she always remains a lady, and knows when it's time to end the evening.

Wine goggles really aren't her style, after all.

Why Hello There 2016

2015 seems to have been a particularly busy and travel-filled year for Katja; in fact she’s not quite certain where the year went. What she is quite certain of, however, is that she had a fabulous time ringing in 2016.

Always one for a foreign getaway, she decided it would be much more fun to ring in the New Year abroad, specifically in Vienna, one of her favorite places in the world. Because what’s not to love about a beautiful city with impressive architecture, fabulous museums, wonderful music, and last, but not least, the most exquisite cakes.

The trip got off to a good start when she was upgraded on her Austrian Airlines flight over. The refined girl that she is, she was happy to have dinner (multi-course and prepared by an in-flight chef) served on proper plates and with proper cutlery, and to drink (champagne, of course) out of glass, not plastic (so much more civilized). But perhaps the highlight was the massaging chair and mood lighting. Nothing like being able to create the perfect ambiance with just the press of a button...

Katja arrived in Vienna early on the 31st, and of course first on her agenda, after dropping off her bags at Le Méridien, where she always stays, was cake. The city is home to many charming coffee shops, one of the most beautiful ones being Café Central, an impressive space filled with columns and boasting magnificent ceiling arches. Located in the Palais Ferstel, it first opened in 1876, and has welcomed the likes of Sigmund Freud and Leon Trotsky during its very distinguished history. But really, it's all about the treats, and so she indulged in her favorite Viennese coffee specialty, the Einspänner (an espresso topped with a generous portion of whipped cream), and, obviously, cake (it makes a great lunch). She especially loved Central's dainty little chestnut torte.

After devouring her treats she burned off some calories by wandering around the city for a bit, checking out the Silvesterpfad, or New Year's Eve trail. The trail consisted of numerous stalls selling various renditions of the Glücksschwein, as well as other tokens meant to bring good luck, and even more stalls selling warm alcoholic beverages, the most popular being Glühwein, served in festive pig and mushroom shaped mugs. Her favorite, however, is Eierpunsch, which, like her coffee drink of choice, is always topped with whipped cream.

Then it was back to the hotel for some beauty sleep, as she wanted to look her finest for the Hofburg Silvesterball, where she would be ringing in the New Year.

It was a glamorous formal affair, one of the many balls held in Vienna during its winter ball season. The ladies all donned gorgeous (well, for the most part) floor length gowns, and there were numerous rooms filled with a wide array of music and festive decor. Katja watched the debutantes make their way up the stairs

before making her way to the dance floor, or should she say dance floors, as she went from waltzing to Strauss to disco-ing to Boney M. And, unsurprisingly, there was much champagne, or in this instance Sekt, to be had. Because, of course, she wouldn't want to start off 2016 without her favorite beverage in hand. Katja also made certain to pick her own lucky four leaf clover, one of the traditions at the ball. While she's not particularly superstitious, she knew it couldn't hurt, and always better to be safe than sorry.

Katja enjoyed herself so much that she thinks she might have to make New Year's Eve in Vienna a yearly tradition.

Of course, as with almost any party she attends, she was amongst the last to leave. She certainly would never let something silly like jet lag get in the way of a good time/ruin her reputation as the life of the party...

It Was a Very Merry Christmas

The holiday season was such a blur for Katja - with all of her travels and festivities it went by in what seems like a second, albeit a very action packed second. Because she really, really loves Christmas, Katja often feels a bit gloomy when the holidays are over. Plus, it's started to get much too cold for her liking, and cold weather tends to maker her rather grumpy. So, she just figures she'll just reminisce about all of the great times she had. And, since it's so cold, why not do so over a glass of Glühwein or two? Because, Winterzeit is indeed Glühweinzeit.

After her Thanksgiving trip to visit Christmas markets in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Strasbourg, it was back to New York for a few days, during which she got in as many ballet classes as possible. They're the one thing she truly misses when she travels.

And, during the holiday season she really loves to take class at Ballet Arts, as the studio is covered in Christmas decorations, making her happy to be dancing mood even happier.

Then, after a few class-filled days (with a bit of work thrown in), it was time to cross the Big Pond once again. This time she made her way to London, to help a friend celebrate a big birthday. Always the life of the party, Katja wouldn't want to miss an important celebration. And, the generous soul that she is, she's always more than happy to help friends polish off large quantities bubbly. Or wine...she wouldn't want to come off as too fussy...if it comes in a bottle with a cork she'll drink it.

As always, London was incredibly festive for the holidays. The streets were covered in lights, and the restaurants and shops were beautifully decorated for the season. This got her in the mood to do some present shopping, which was a good thing as she had lots of it do. She swears she was only briefly distracted with some shopping for herself. But then again there's nothing wrong with also buying oneself a present.

Otherwise her time there was spent catching up with friends (over more bubbly and wine), and fitting in a dance class or two. She does love Danceworks, her London studio, and recommends it to anyone who likes to take class when they travel.

Once back in New York it wasn't long before she was on the road again, albeit to a much closer destination, Boston. She loves her friends there, so is happy to have any opportunity to visit them (something she believes she's mentioned before, she can be a bit of a broken record).

And, of course, she wanted to support her friends in Boston Ballet's Nutcracker, as they were in the midst of a very busy season of nonstop shows, so saw a couple of performances during her visit.

But obviously the highlight of the month was Christmas itself, which she spent with family in Fawn Lake, Virginia. Having been a good girl all year she anxiously awaited Santa's arrival, hoping she'd get all of the ballet related goodies (plus some other things) that she had requested. Whoever said patience is a virtue obviously does not like Christmas as much as she does.

But at least the wait for Santa was worth it, as she was well-rewarded Christmas morning. As were her friends and family. She knows it's not all about her, as greedy as she might sound at times.

And, of course, Christmas is not primarily about the presents (even though she really does like to get them), but about having a great time with those she loves, drinking and eating too much (it wouldn't be the holidays without excess), rocking around the Christmas tree, and laughing lots. Because, if there's one thing she believes, it's that we should all be happy penguins.

Life is much too short to live it any other way.