From Ireland, we traveled to Salzburg and then Vienna. In Salzburg, we took The Sound of Music tour—visiting filming locations, including the house and the glass gazebo. I loved the snow-covered Austrian Alps reflected in the lake, everything quiet and still. We visited the church where the wedding scene was filmed, ate apple strudel, and wandered through the town. Back in Salzburg we spent time in cafés enjoying pastries and traditional food and going shopping.

Vienna felt more formal and architectural. We visited Karlskirche and Michaelerplatz, attended a Lipizzaner horse performance, and walked through the city at night under Christmas lights. I love how European towns and cities decorate for the holidays.

Toward the end of the trip, I got sick and spent two days in bed. The flight back to Rome was miserable, however I remember the warm feeling of seeing Rome before landing and knowing I was home. There is something magical about places in the world being meaningful enough to earn being called home.