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European Christmas Markets VIDEO

 Over the past several years, we have accumulated quite the collection of festive Christmas and holiday articles here on Travel Belles. Due to their popularity, we thought that this year it would be a good idea to bring them to you all in one place! Additionally, I created the above video from my travels … Read more

Visions of Barneys, Gumps and Macys Danced in their Heads

Remember when you were little, and that Christmas catalog or the toy store’s Christmas ad came out (you know the one, with more than 20 pages of TOYS)? Did you circle everything you wanted and dog-eared your favorite pages for Santa, like I did? Imagine doing that now, in person. That’s what our Christmas outing in San Francisco is like. Like children on a new playground, we wonder in amazement at everything around us.

Christmas in Rome (Italian Traditions from an American living in Rome)

Memories of Christmas traditions in Italy from an American living in Rome When I’m shopping in Seattle in mid-October and the red poinsettias in their foil-covered pots are already on display for shoppers who want to skip Halloween and Thanksgiving, I think back to Christmas celebrations in Rome which didn’t begin until mid-December. No endless … Read more

Christmas Market Magic in Vienna

Uncovering the Vienna Christmas Markets I first discovered that Europe offered Christmas markets by accident while in Munich when I, a self- proclaimed travel virgin, asked a pedestrian in Munich why Marienplatz was full of little wooden stalls. To be honest, it wasn’t really curiosity that piqued my interest; I was more upset about these … Read more

The Bad Belles of the Holiday Season

Last week you were introduced to a few of Europe’s most shady Christmas characters. This week to prove that societal inflicted anxiety that accompanies many Christmas traditions does not stop with the efforts of a few ugly paternal types whose existence plays bad cop to Santa Claus’s good, we bring you a few female holiday heavies.

Experiencing the Viennese Christmas Markets

Vienna, Austria, has always been amongst my favorite capitals especially because it is very close to Hungary, and easy for me to get there. But I had never visited this wonderful city during Advent. Finally last Saturday I did. The weather was cold and snowy, but this did not dissuade me from looking around and discovering the city and its beautiful Christmas markets.