Sunshine Day!

After weeks, and weeks, and weeks (did I mention, weeks?) of rain, the sunshine finally came out on Saturday! Hip, hip, hooray!  Given that no one knows when we might get Vitamin D again, we figured the only sensible thing to do was wake up immediately, march right down to the Hertz rent-a-car counter downtown, get ourselves some wheels for the day, and drive on out of town.

And that we did! We drove right on over to the town of Langenlois, which is only about 45 minutes away, which is in the heart of the Kamptal wine region.  Like Reisling or Gruner Veltliner? Those bottles are a dime a dozen around this town, since this region is known for these whites.  The town itself is adorable, and the wineries themselves are open for you to taste (drink), and all have their own small proprietary restaurants where you can have a simple meal and a glass of wine - won't cost you more than 10 euros tops.

Our favorite thing to do in this area is to make our way to the Loisium Hotel - a funky boutique hotel set amidst the vineyards and located right next to the Loisium Wine World (for those looking to take viti-education much more seriously).  But the best thing about this place is that for 28 euros, they're willing to give you access to the pool and spa all day, and for about 70 euros, you can get a massage (about 30% cheaper than in Vienna) and they'll waive the pool fee.  The spa is run by Aveda and a multitude of steam and sauna rooms - hot and very hot, with crystals, with mood lighting, with shaved ice...and they keep a fully stocked "health bar" at your disposal with flavored waters and teas, fruits and nuts, and our favorite, the four o'clock cake hour, all included....Might seem expensive for a day at the pool, but with this being the first day of sunshine in awhile, we were determined to soak up every drop.  Even came back with a tan!

All photography by the New Diplomat's Wife.