Vienna & Brussels
Hey You,
It’s been a while…Welcome back to my blog!
December is my favorite month of the year. It’s winter here and like most of you, the holiday season is my favorite! I usually spend it with my family but this year, I chose to travel to Europe for Christmas and New Year’s. Honestly, I did not want to come back. Anyway, after I posted some pictures on Instagram, I received a lot of questions about the itinerary, my outfits, as well as how to pack. So, without further ado, let’s dive straight into it.
If you follow me on Instagram ( if you don’t, the Instagram icon is on the top right ;) ), you would know that Prash and I decided to explore the capital cities of Austria, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. In this blog, I will go over the itinerary and the outfits I wore on those days.
Day 1, Vienna: We arrived in Vienna on Christmas eve and explored their biggest (and the most royal) Christmas Market - Weiner Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz. We were exhausted after the long flights, but imagine how excited we were that even then, we explored the cute cobblestone streets near the Hofburg Palace, and ended our day having the best Weiner schnitzel at Plachuttas Gasthaus Zur Oper.
Outfit Details: It was Christmas Eve and it was pleasant outside. And what better than the colors white and red? So, I picked a red corset and wore it over an oversized white shirt and paired it with a denim skirt.
The corset and shirt are from Zara and the skirt and boots are from Mango.
I usually prefer to not wear shorter jackets than my skirt (or whatever bottoms I wear). But in this case, because of the slit on the skirt, it looked just fine. Plus that was the only jacket I have with a red element in it.
Day 2, Vienna: We started with Sisi’s museum and the treasury. This consumed most of our day but the treasury was beautiful - they have crowns, gorgeous gems, royal clothing, and the world’s largest emerald (can you imagine? It was the prettiest gem I saw). We then clicked some pictures outside Hofburg Palace and went on to try Austrian delicacies like Kaiserschmarrn (torn pancakes with fruit jams), chimney rolls, bread bowl soups, Glühwein (mulled wine), and Punsch (hot Christmas punch) at the Christmas market next to St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
At this point, I could not feel my feet. It’s also no secret that women’s shoes are not designed for comfort. Do you agree? Nevertheless, we saw so much of Vienna and were still excited about the next day. We then decided to stretch the day a bit and ended our day with a last-minute Time Travel Vienna show which is an interactive and immersive experience through Austrian history.
Outfit Details: I added green and burgundy elements to match the Christmas theme. I wanted to go for a playful attire in which I would be comfortable walking all day long.
The plaid scarf and the skirt were just the right pieces for the occasion and the weather. I wore a skin-colored sheer legging, folded my white knee-high socks, and put on chunky leather boots to complete the look.
The scarf and skirt are from J. Crew, the coat is from H&M; boots, and sweater are from Zara.
Day 3, Vienna: I woke up all excited and determined to climb the 350 steps of St. Stephen’s Cathedral’s South Tower to see the tiled roof and a 360º view of Vienna. I mean, St. Stephen’s Cathedral was arguably the most gorgeous cathedral I have ever seen, not that I have seen many. The intricately carved interiors and stained glass were the highlights. Thereon, we went to Belvedere Palace to explore their beautifully manicured gardens (surrounding what seemed like a forbidden forest…), grabbed a Bratwurst from their Christmas market, and enjoyed the sunset. A 4-hour opera show thereafter at the royal Weiner Staatsoper was a highlight of the evening - the best-dressed people were all the Austrian aunties and uncles ( NOT KIDDING!)
Outfit Details: I researched the places we were going to visit and decided to bring some color to Vienna’s off-white and green by wearing brown. I also had a long day where I had to walk and climb throughout.
An oversized plaid blazer from Zara and the sweater and pants from Mango paired with my Nike shoes made this outfit extremely comfortable to climb the steps and walk through the gardens.
Day 4, Vienna: Last day in Vienna, and before departing for Belgium, we decided to check out Schonbrunn Palace in the two hours we had. We literally had to rush to the airport to make it to the flight only a minute or two before the gate closed…but, it was worth it! If you had to choose between Belvedere and Schonbrunn, I would choose to explore the gorgeous Schonbrunn Palace any day.
Day 4, Brussels: On reaching Brussels, we were one bag short (thanks Austrian!). Anyways, we had a quick dinner and strolled around the streets. While the streets were all lit up, we observed that Brussels mostly had a crowd full of college students who loved to party. We stopped by Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, Jaenneke Pis, and danced the night away with the party people in the famous 3-floor Delirium bar.
Outfit Details: Traveling day screams for a casual outfit. I chose to wear a button-down patterned blue shirt and black pants from Zara with my everyday shoes to make my travel easy (especially all the running at the airport).
The black woolen coat is from Mango and hands down my best purchase ever!
Brussels, Day 2: It was a stormy day, of course! But we planned to visit the Atomium and Mini-Europe. The Atomium (the magnified iron molecule) had some information on the 1958 world expo and on the top floor had EDM music playing with a fancy lights display. Mini-Europe had detailed displays of famous monuments around Europe, a few interactive elements, and a couple of fictional art like the Snowman crossing (Awww!). We then stopped by to grab some Belgian chocolates, (No exaggeration, we were drooling looking at them from afar) from a local shop, the best (buttery) waffles ever at Galet, and the not-so-great vegan Frites at Atelier Frites. On our way back to the hotel to collect my delayed baggage, we stopped by the Cathedral, Royal Quarter, Kings Palace, Grand Place (this is a must), and their most famous statue - Mannekin Pis (the peeing boy).
Outfit Details: Not having luggage forced me to wear a spare sweater and pants from H&M I had in my carry-on with the black overcoat from the day before. I honestly was warm given the storm in Brussels.
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Oversized Blazers or Coats?
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Here’s the tip for the week-
Tip #20: Travel Tip - Carry a spare outfit in your carry-on luggage when you travel. I usually carry a spare lingerie set, pants, and a full-sleeved top. Baggage delays are a real struggle and having a full outfit to the rescue will save you from ruining the planned day.
Still confused what to wear? Email me or comment down below and I will be happy to assist you in finding the perfect outfit for the occasion.
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I hope you enjoyed the blog and found the perfect style for your silhouette!
Xoxo,
Stylouette
Shama Kamat