I recently spent five days in Vienna, which flew by in a blur of peacock feathers and bubbly beverages.

Thirteen Fabulous Things About My Mini-Holiday in Vienna

1. Punsch at the neighborhood stand with T & neighbor D.
2. Sekt in the Mies Van Der Rohe Suite at the Hilton Vienna Plaza while having facials with dahling friend T. (Sekt being sparkling wine! Yes, it truly was fabulous.)
3. Gorgeous light-chandeliers along the Graben in the city center.
4. Kasespaetzle!
5. Christmas markets – nothing will put you in the mood for the holidays like a market.
6. Great conversations with old friends over wine and pizza.
7. Shopping in Merkur for chocolate, bread and a zillion other things I wanted but couldn’t fit in my suitcase.
8. Helping my friend T get ready for her gorgeous wedding by running errands all over the city like a local.
9. Visiting Vienna’s one and only feather atelier to buy large quantities of peacock feathers. (The wedding’s theme and the inspiration for the above “Thursday Thirteen” banner.)
10. The U-Bahn – so simple & convenient. I love public transportation! And I love the honor system!
11. Taxi drivers with GPS sure beats trying to give directions in Chinese like back in Linyi.
12. Something called an aperolspritzer, which was tangy, delicious and drunk in copious quantities.
13. Watching my friends T & G renew their wedding vows in a beautiful café surrounded by friends and family!

Vienna pics to follow.

Find out about Thursday Thirteen here and find more participants through Technorati here.

Thirteen Things to be thankful for!**

1. I’m thankful that I have a roof over my head, raw concrete or not.
2. I’m thankful that I have a functioning toilet, squatter or not.
3. I’m thankful that I have access to food, with melamine or not.
4. I’m thankful that I have Internet, censored or not.
5. I’m thankful that I have a dear husband, admissible to the US or not.
6. I’m thankful that I have a healthy family, far away or not.
7. I’m thankful that I have clothes to wear, fashionable or not.
8. I’m thankful that I have friends, on Facebook or not.
9. I’m thankful that I have a job, love it or not.
10. I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to travel, frequently or not.
11. I’m thankful that I have a heater, dehydrating or not.
12. I’m thankful that I don’t have to cook a big Thanksgiving turkey, whether I want one or not. (no oven)
13. I’m thankful that I have reached thirteen and don’t have to think up another one of these, creative or not.

Happy Thanksgiving Americans!

**Not necessarily in order of importance!

This Thursday Thirteen is a new thing I’m trying out, kind of like Wordless Wednesday and Photo Friday. I’ll post thirteen things about something new every Thursday.

Find out about Thursday Thirteen here and find more participants through Technorati here.