Oh Vienna………, European Stampin Up Incentive Trip 2012……….

'We walked in the cold air

Freezing breath on the window pane'……………… {lyrics from the song Vienna by Ultravox which was huge when I was in my teens}

And no it was not cold, not at all, it was boiling infact, 37 degrees to be exact and I loved every single moment!

It was amazing……..

…..from the very moment we set foot in Vienna airport to moment we landed at Heathrow.  I was so fortunate to be able to take along my husband, Simon and he could not believe what wonderful hosts Stampin' Up are and how friendly everyone was.

The food was amazing……

We had an extra day to enjoy Vienna, than on previous trips so we have lots of free time as well as organised events with the whole group.  On arrival to the hotel and after checking into our room we went along to the hospitality room where all the Stampin Up members of staff were waiting to welcome us. 

It was great to see some familiar faces including Shelli and Stirling (the CEO and her husband) and of course lots of new faces as all the achievers had brought along a guest.  There were bowls of sweets and the chance to spin a wheel for some Stampin' Up goodies.  It was then time to head back to our rooms, unpack and get ready for the evening dinner that Stampin' Up had planned for up in the prestgious hotel restaurant.

I love the opportunity to dress up as I am normally more  of a slippers and pj's kind of a girl come 8pm.  And I think we turned out pretty good –

It was an impromptu photo so not all the UK girls were in this photo.  The group then spent the rest of the evening getting to know eachother better.

The next morning saw us up all bright and early and off on a trip to Schönbrunn Palace for a tour of the palace and gardens.  We thought there might be a surprise activity and Julie Kettlewell even brought her dancing shoes just in case, but none of us could guess what it may be.

Can you guess? Have you seen photos already?  It was the perfect activity to relax the group and had us all in fits of giggles in no time.

Strudel Making

Here is Simon and I waiting to get cooking…

And the room waiting for 60 noisy, giggly and excited people wanting to make Apple Strudel.

This is what they should look like……

and this is what Julies looked like (mine was no better and I had to have a second lot of dough as I had too many holes).

Pete (Monica's husband) making a rather fine job and I just love the expression on Juies face on this next photo, says it all I think…..

Our lovely UK Country Manager, Paula

Making the strudel was harder than it looked and we all got a round of applause for taking our completed strudels to the front of the room and were presented with a certificate 😉

Time to stretch our legs around the beautiful Palace gardens whilst the strudel was baked.  A nice wander on a really warm afternoon with lovely people – what could be nicer….

Its been a long time since we had a break away without the kids ;-D ha, ha, ha!

This is what the cakes looked liked in the bakery,

and this is what my strudel looked like….. I never ate mine, I think I lost my appetite when I saw it!

It was a great morning and the rest of the day was ours to enjoy as we wished.  So what else to do but make plans to share dinner with my lovely UK group.  Schnitzel in a typically Austrian restaurant, good company, good fun and a little something was waiting for me on our return.

Photo of the contents and all the pillow gifts and goodies in the photos at the end of the trip…….

So be back for more of our trip, {if you can stay awake!!!!}