Frohe Ostern!

It's been a nonstop, four-day vacation over here in Wien. CM had Friday through Monday off from work, so I've been pretending that his only job is to hang out with and entertain me. It's been going well. We've balanced indoor time of the lazy afternoon movie-watching variety with adventurous exploration time consisting of long walks (and a bike ride!) around parts of the city we don't know as well.

Yesterday we had friends over for Easter brunch, for which I made Mama Bossy's Braided Loaf (delicious as ever) and Smitten Kitchen's Spinach and Egg Strata (RECOMMEND). We bought good dark bread from our favorite bakery and laid out an assortment of cheeses, meats, spreads, and veggies. Nobody left hungry. I think this is my new favorite way to host brunch—one hot dish that can be prepared the night before, and everything else bought at the market. Oh, and our friend Laus will need to always be invited, because he makes the very best crispy bacon, and bacon is a must for brunch.

Since it's our first Easter here, we didn't know quite what to expect, but it turns out Austria does the usual basket/bunny routine. I even saw jelly beans in the store alongside the many chocolate eggs. I did take pictures of the few special holiday things that made it into our apartment.

Bunny buns from our bakery. The crunchy sugary ears were especially delicious.

Bunny cookies. Not nearly as yummy as they looked, sadly.

Our grocery store carried these dyed eggs in the case with the other eggs. I medium-boiled them to eat in cups at brunch. I couldn't remember ever seeing these in an American grocery store, but I love them!

I hope you all had a fabulous Easter!