Stampin' Up! Vienna Incentive Trip Gala Dinner

During life prior to Stampin' Up! and children I was in the Royal Navy and was lucky enough to experience many events and activities that others don't, but I have to say that the Stampin' Up! Vienna Incentive Trip Gala Dinner night is up there on my list of WOW things I have experienced.  It started romantically, well you have to imagine that bit as we did share a carriage with MONICA  ( LOL. One of my dearest SU friends and second only as a roomie to my DH), as we were transported in a horse-drawn Fiaker to the Museum of Fine Art,  on the most beautiful of evenings. 

Our destination the Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts).

Photo call for all the UK Stampin' Up! Vienna Incentive Trip Achievers with the UK Business Development Manager

The Master of Ceremonies inviting us to follow him up the stairs to view this beautiful atrium and the spectacular dining room.

But even a Master of Ceremonies needs time out for a text and to rest his weary feet!!!

Our entertainment included a concert from the Vienna Boys Choir

The Fine Art Museum in Vienna is comparable in its collection of artwork to that of the Louvre or the Prado Museums, but is less well known.  Possibly some suggest because it's name isn't as catchy, but the collection is magnificent and includes work by  Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Durer, Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Rubens.

Our tour guide was both well informed and passionate about the work she showed us, but she also had a sense of humour and suggested we look for the Bob Hope lookalike in this picture

and a character similar to Wally in the Where's Wally books!!

See if you can spot them both!

A scaffolding platform was in place which allowed us close access to a ceiling space and a closer than normal view of some of Gustav Klimt's work.  Vienna celebrates his 150th anniversary this year.

It was a truly amazing evening and so special due to the exclusive privileges we received within the museum and the concert delivered by such talented boys and their tutor.

ps the food was delish, but no photos!!!!!!!!

Touring Vienna Fr'o'nk meets his 'brothers'

Prior to the Segway tour Martin and I took ourselves off to wander around Vienna's market.  On weekdays it is awash with flowers, seafood, meats, cheeses and much more. There were plenty of willing vendors offering tasters of their products, but mostly we resisted. On Saturdays it is joined by the stalls of the flea market where one of our guides told us you could buy back all the things that had been stolen from the week prior. Martin visited on Saturday morning and was disappointed saying that it looked worse than the worst market he'd ever visited here!  

However having had a generous breakfast in the hotel, we chose to take a light lunch prior to the Segway tour with the Stampin' Up! Segway Team and headed for the famous Hotel Sacher.

This hotel is famous not only for its cake, but also for when a celebrity famously dangled his baby from one of the hotel balconies. 

En route back to our hotel to prepare for the segway tour we took in more sights like the Opera House....

and the Secession Building on the Getreidemarkt, near the Nashmarkt. In 1897, active Viennese artists completed the separation from the 'isms' of academic tradition and founded the 'Vienna Secession'.  Initiators of the movement included Gustav Klimt, who's 150th anniversary is being celebrated in Vienna this year.

We also caught a glimpse of Fr'o'nk who had met up with some of his  'brothers',

before checking out the Zanoni Icecream Parlour

After our segway tour we returned to the hotel to prepare for the Gala Night Dinner which I shall share with you shortly.