Where in the world is Cat Doran???

So without realising it, i managed to go to the home of 'The Sound of Music', and yes, I was the dag that went on a tour to see all the wonderful sites. And i will admit to being an even bigger dag, and watching the movie after I left Salzburg!

I know its soo sad, and i dont even want to think of how many times i watched that movie growing up. In the future it will be a matter of watching the movie, saying 'been there, done that, and got the t-shirt'.

So, in a grown up manner, Salzburg is also the home of Mozart. Saw his home and his mothers birthplace [at mondsee] and the question i ask, is what is the significance of both of them being pink????

Wandered around the own town of Salzburg, up to the fortress [which is extensively in the back ground of the movie]...and checked out the cute little Christmas Markets. Its amazing, they dont really have the tradition of celebrating christmas, but the markets are AMAZING, and what i found even cuter, was real live advent calendars. They had many homes which had the 24 winddows, and each had in them a number. Every day a new window was opened! Quite Cute!!

Oh, and I cant forget, in typical me fashion, i decided to get on a bus....and ended up the Baravian Alps in Germany! Opps!! Gotta be done :-)

So with the debarcle behind last years christmas, and this little duck not reaslising that London does not get snow, I decided that I would guarantee myself a white christmas. Looking at the cheap options, Iceland appeared out of nowhere....little did i realise that it was actually false advertising.

Leading up to christmas, I walked into my local coffee shop [sorry no free advertising here] all rugged up, getting my hot drink, carols playing in the back ground, suddenly it made sense that Christmas be cold, and that there would be no surfing on Christmas Day....now all i needed was the snow.

Okay Reykjavivk is a very, very pretty town...actually it almost seems as though you have stepped right into the scene of a postcard, but does there look to be any snow to you???? Obviously, I was bitterly disappointed. Here I am all prepared for a White Christmas, and the snow hadnt yet been delivered!

So ok, I take a deep breath and prepare to get over it. Nothing else to do but explore the beauty that is Iceland. First things first, head to Tourist Info and book a tour, hell with 4 hours of daylight, i think i needed the express tour around.

I know this picture looks like its been taken a ridiculous time where i should not have even contemplated being out of bed, but it was actually 10 or 11 in the morning. So okay, as the sun decided to half rise (and the 2 seconds in between it deciding to set) we get to the the Gysir and the Gullfoss (or Golden) waterfall. Okay quite pretty, but not amazing [I know I am starting to sound like a snob here, but at least I am honest].

So what else do you see in a land that is made from volcanic activity. Yep, an extinct volcano, now this was amazing.

Next it was a visit to what seemed soo boring, the oldest parlimentry site in the world! Ha! The jokes on me, its actually a place of amazing beauty! Its where the Eurasia & American plates meet...and essentially what will be the demise of iceland [ok, it prob will take a few thousand years]. Judge for yourself!

So the next couple days are rather uneventful, wandering around Reykjavik, having an amazing Christmas Dinner (they celebrate on Christmas Eve)....and an early night! Next morning was magical! I had been a good girl all year!!!!

Its amazing, for the first time in many years, I felt Christmas all over again, the excitement of waking up...and rather than see numerous presents magically appear under the Christmas Tree, I saw the ground covered in a blanket of snow! Truly Magical.

So my trip to Iceland was capped by a visit to the Blue Lagoon....an memorable experience, so pretty and serene...but still Nothing will beat the White Christmas.

I hope everyones Christmas was just as Magical! Take Care xxxx