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.