Winter in Gastein, Austria - Prelude

Friends who are familiar with my traveling habits know that I have some peculiar rules when it comes to the definition of a trip. Here are the basic guidelines:

• Taiwan & Austria do not count, because these trips serve a purpose to visit family and friends. 
• Staying at friends' places do not count. Lodging is an important part of the travel experience. 
• Destinations within driving distance do not count.  They are getaways, not trips.

I know my husband is rolling his eyes now, but the most memorable trips for me were the ones when I had  entered unknown territories with foreign landscapes, languages, and cultures.  I felt excited, stimulated,  and super aware of my surroundings.  These are the kind of experiences I crave when I travel. 


Having been to my husband's hometown for more times than I can remember, I never thought about putting these trips on my blog. That is, until this past holiday season when I spent 10 days with my husband's family in his hometown. Initially, I viewed this trip more of a family obligation rather than a pleasurable vacation. However, I was truly surprised by how much I enjoyed it! It had been way too long since my last winter visit, and I came away with a new found appreciation of this pristine alpine winter wonderland.  

This picture was taken from my mother-in-law's 3rd floor garden. 

Her garden reaches the river. (translation: lots of yard work in the summer time)  

There is a golf course on the other side of river . 

Next: Winter in Gastein, Austria - What to do 

Christmas lights - Dyker Heights, Brooklyn

This post was meant to be published before the holidays; however, my December was extremely busy.  I assume that all the lights had already been taken down, but you can always plan for next year's visit.


Dyker Heights' Christmas lights has been quite a local spectacles.  I vaguely remember watching it on the local news many years ago, and always wanted to visit.


We drover there on a Sunday evening in early December to avoid the crowd, but the down side was that not all the houses had their lights up.


However, there were plenty of houses with extravagant Christmas lights. This was my favorite house.  It was very tastefully done.


This house had the most over-the-top Christmas decoration.  It had so much going on that you could barely see the house itself.


There were some impressive mensions with huge yards in the neighborhood.


It is a really fun activity to do during the holiday season and a great place to visit if you have out of town guests.

To see the Dyker Lights next year, click the Link for more information.

Holiday Train Show - New York Botanic Garden, Bronx

H's mother was visiting in the recent weeks.
She loves Christmas, so I thought it would be fun taking her to the Holiday Train Show at New York Botanic Garden.


Knowing that the train show is a popular holiday activity, I strategically planned the visit on Thanksgiving Sunday when there were significantly less crowd.


Many New York iconic landmarks were made into miniature scale with painstaking details using natural plants.


It is truly enchanting to see the show after sunset when the twinkling lights illuminates the conservatory.


Many parents bring their young children to see the show.
Kids' eyes lid up watching the train passing through the miniature New York architectures.


The mini conservatory looked just as beautiful as the real one.


It was a warm day when we visited, so we were able to enjoy the botanic garden as much as the train show.

For those of you who are interested in visiting, read up the great tips to make your visit more enjoyable.
If you are driving and going with more than 2 people, you may want to sign up for the Garden memberships.
The discounts, guest passes, and free parking may be worth it!