SUNDAY - WE'RE THANKFUL TO BE TOGETHER IN VIENNA

Marriott Courtyard, Vienne-Messe:

LG sleeps until after 7:00am and we're soon up and dressed. We have to pack for checkout after breakfast. Great news--we can leave the car here until early afternoon and take the U-Bahn to the Spanish Riding School this morning.

Everyone might be interested to know that we've been early everywhere we've gone this weekend! Great coordination. Breakfast is even better today as we've discovered double and triple espresso drinks. DM counts 4 espressos so far for his mom--me! I think that is just the right number. We've kidded that we should give three-year old KF a shot of espresso first thing in the morning, as she starts her day CRABBY most days. Just joking! Please don't turn us into to DCFS...

When we arrive at the Spanish Riding School we discover there's an 11:00am performance--we'd expected to just watch the Lipzanner's morning exercises. We'd already decided that MK would go with KF and LG, while DM watches NJ and grandma explores more of Vienna on foot.

DM reads and makes an attempt to relax in the cafe at the SRS, while I chase the rays of the sun, stumbling upon two more Easter markets and lots of window shopping. NOTHING is open in the center of Vienna on a Sunday except cafes and tourist shops. Surprising, as the Austrians, like their German cousins, are not religious. Must be more about family time on a Sunday...

Another gorgeous day in Vienna. The weather has exceeded our wildest hopes.

KF, especially, is entranced by the Lipizzaner stallions. LG was here for the first time when she was three and in love with horses. KF chooses a small black plastic "pony" in the gift shop, while LG finds a clear bouncy ball with a small white horse embedded in the center.

I finish out my morning in the gardens of the Spanish Riding School with a cup of tea, reading two Austrian gossip magazines. I know, class will out...

DM And MK head back to get the car while LG and I find the McDonald's Cafe in Stephansplatz. LG wants a hamburger, French fries, and CATSUP. Yes, ketchup is very important.

By 1:30pm we're at Sudentiroler getting our return tickets validated. The Bratislava bus leaves at 2:00pm, so we sit in the sun and chat. It takes 1-1/2 hours to go from Vienna to Bratislava Centrum via Flughafen (airport) on the Post Bus. I settle back and close my eyes, and when LG accepts that I truly plan to rest, she entertains herself with pen, paper, and her vivid imagination.

When we arrive home, KF and NJ are delighted to welcome us. Soon they're eating sliced pears faster than I can prepare them--especially NJ. She eats about two whole (small) pears all by herself, stealing from KF when she can. MK prepares fried fish, mashed potatoes, and a cucumber salad for dinner. DM makes a Tesco run for Coca Cola Light, eggs, fresh vegetables, etc. Everyone eats well.

After dinner we video conference with Papa. KF is especially chatty. She's been wanting Papa to get on an airplane and come to her house. I'm missing him, too, so it' very good to visually and verbally connect. Yea, Skype!

Soon the little girls are in bed and quiet. All the adults relax with their electronics--DM with the Chicago Cubs game on the Internet, MK with her favorite Slovak T.V., and me with MK's iPad.

Good night, all. Sweet dreams. Three wake-ups and I'm on my way home with lots to tell, tons of photos, and sweet memories.

SUNNY AND WINDY IN VIENNA

A gorgeous day in Vienna. LG and I are up and wide awake at 6:30am, and can't believe it when we knock on 721--they're all still asleep! MK, DM, KF, and NJ! Yep! Still asleep. Seems they had a bit of a rough night while LG and I snoozed away. As promised LG did turn like the hands on a clock--360 degrees. Not always clockwise. She keeps it interesting. I don't know which direction her lanky arms and legs will swing next. Still, we sleep well. And, there's the Jacobs' 3-in-one (cream, sweetner, and espresso) version of Starbucks Via readily available next to the stainless steel electric kettle, so I get caffeinated quickly, which makes a huge difference.

By 7:30am, we're all at breakfast in the hotel restaurant. So many great choices--broiled tomatoes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, oven-roasted potato wedges, croissants, Kaiser rolls,sweet breads, smoked salmon, cheeses, cold meats, egg salad and meat spreads, cereal,waffles... Top-notch selection. Something for everyone. And, an automatic cappuccino, latte, espresso, hot chocolate, mocha machine that's self-serve.

We gather our layers of clothing, the stroller (with baby Noel strapped in!), cameras, and cash, then head to the Naschmarkt. This is just the second time MK has been here--she's always stayed home with a baby! First baby KF and then baby NJ. It's very windy, but the sun is shining brightly. It's not even crowded when we arrive! The flowers are beautiful in this bright sunlight. Before long we stop to buy sunglasses for KF and LG. KF is our sensitive little girl and she NEEDS sunglasses--truly.

We buy just some fruit and some vividly colored Easter eggs; some cheese-stuffed olives, good Middle Eastern bread. Usually we carry lots of fresh food back to Chorvatsky Grob, but since we will be in a hotel again tonight we'll just have to be satisfied with a visual feast.

By 11:30am we're on the U-Bahn again and on our way to Schonbrunn Palace to visit the Children's Museum, the Easter Market, and the beautiful gardens. This is my first visit, and I love it. As I've said in the past, Vienna is like a small Paris--I want to sit on one of these benches and soak up the Spring sunshine. DM takes LG and KF to the labyrinth/maze and then to the playground while MK and I play with Noel and sit on a bench. A few minutes of quiet.

Afterwards, we walk through the Easter market, buy some sweet bread for the little girls to snack on, and stroll toward the U-Bahn.

Using the U-Bahn has been such a great idea and so efficient this visit. The little girls love everything about the trains, and they ride free while the adults can ride all weekend for 10 Euros each. The funny thing is that we haven't been asked to prove we have tickets even once and we've been on many, many trains so far.

About 2:30,I get some big girl time alone--DM and MK take the girls for a rest time to the hotel while I head to the
Ringstrassen Gallerien and have a quiet lunch at the Illy Caffetteria--grilled chicken with rocket greens, vinaigrette, tomatoes and cheese. The salad comes with a crunchy Kaiser roll. I sit on the terrace sipping my roter spritzer, relaxin,g and quietly people watching for over an hour. Later I shop a bit.

I've already walked Stephansplatz plenty this trip, but I'm on a mission to buy LG and KF some socks as MK forgot (she rarely forgets anything!) to pack socks for Kika.

The rest of my alone time is spent scouring the grocery stores for specialty items. I buy some tarragon in a tube, apricot and wild cherry jam, cappuccino chocolates, a fresh basil plant and an electric hand mixer for MK. Also, a very cute Billa bag--bright yellow with red cherries.

It's still very windy in Messe-Vienna (I've researched the name of this area--I believe it began about the same time as the Prater amusement park. They created this area for the exhibition and later businesses continued to locate here. It's now a corporate center with hotels, housing, and restaurants.) as I return to the hotel. I have just 45 minutes before we take the U-Bahn2 to Praterstern for the 1/2 block walk to Indisches Restaurant Zum Inder at PraterstrauBe 57.

We order appetizers of fried onion rings and vegetable & beef Samosas. For our entrees,
We order curry for the adults; lentil soup and Naan bread for the three little girls. The servings are modest, but we have plenty for everyone.

After dinner I take all three little girls outside on the sidewalk while DM and MK wait for the check. The two older girls take the strings of Baby Noel's warm red bunting and run in front of the stroller like they're pulling her on a sleigh. We all giggle and laugh. Baby Noel is delighted and this grandma runs behind the stroller like she's younger than reality. A good time is had by all, and I don't die!

Remember me mentioning that I'll have a quiet room of my own? Actually (to use one of LG's favorite words) the reality of one king-sized bed in each room means LG sleeps with Marielle... And, tonight MK and DM put Noel to bed in their room, and everyone hangs out in my room until she is sleeping. This makes sense... While LG and KF watch a video on the iPad, I retire to the bathroom for shower, shampoo, and solitude (for just a few minutes).

We are all having a very good time in Vienna and we are exploring new neighborhoods this trip. Staying for two nights has made our visit so worthwhile and relaxing. We will leave with great memories and many ideas for future visits.

Lights out in Room 721 at 9:00pm and lights out in Room 720 shortly after.

FRIDAY IN VIENNA

LG and I find our way perfectly from the bus terminal in Bratislava Centrum to Vienna's Sudentirol bus terminal just south (sud)of Stephansplatz in the heart of Old Vienna. The U1 U-Bahn is easy to find and soon we are walking about Stephansplatz admiring the horses and carriages and window shopping. We have breakfast at Cafe Europe--open-faced turkey sandwiches (even though we asked for one egg salad and one ham). LG has a very tall hot chocolate with a tower of whipped cream and I savor my cappuccino (even though the waiter brings me melange, which is similar, but no foam).

LG loves the Swarkowski crystal displays and even gathers some crystal sprinkles in her small hand. She would love to walk out of the store with some, but... We can hardly wait for KF to see all the bling. KF discovered on Wednesday in L. Mikulas that her favorite design is hanging crystals!

 

We keep watch for DM, MK, KF, and baby NJ--finally seeing them coming out of the U-Bahn at 1:00pm. They're hungry and so we find the Weiner Wustof kiosk and order sausages with mustard to eat standing right in the middle of Stephansplatz. We've done this before in the freezing cold, so we're happy to be here on a warm, but windy, April day. The sun is shining and all is right in our world. A friendly clown makes balloon creations for all three girls, and DM makes a "donation."

Marielle takes the photo!

As anticipated KF loves, loves, loves Swarkowski. We have a scary moment while I'm distracted paying for gelato, KF wanders off. We find her in about 15 seconds, but it scares us all. She is too independent sometimes. She has no fear, except she really does't like people to get in her face unless she initiates. We say a sincere prayer of thanks.

 

After window shopping and lingering at an outdoor cafe while the little girls eat their gelato, we decide to take the U-Bahn2 to the Marriott Courtyard Vienna-Messe to check in and check out our hotel accommodations for the next two nights.

It is so windy as we walk the short distance from U-Bahn2 Krieau to the hotel! Our rooms are lovely. I settle in for a nap--I had about three hours of sleep last night and a busy morning with LG... We've been having such fun, but she had more sleep than I did last night and she never tires!

MK takes the girls to the park to play, and after about 2-1/2 hours, DM knocks on my hotel room door and says we're going to Vienna's only authentic Mexican restaurant, Tacos Lopez. Their friend Dulce came to Bratislava from Mexico for university and recently she brought DM and MK to this restaurant where she is treated like family. Even though there are reserved signs on each table, they make room because we are Dulce's friends!

Tacos Lopez is located near our hotel and although we've driven, it's an easy commute by th eU-Bahn--for future reference.



Very, very good food, and very, very nice people. DM has beef fajitas, MK has chicken mole, the little girls have chicken quesadillas with rice, and I have crispy chicken Tacos Dorados. YUM! I'm in heaven. We also enjoy fantastic guacamole and salsa with chips.

After dinner all the girls cross the street to the Spar gourmet grocery while DM pays for dinner and walks next door to Zum Inder to make reservations for tomorrow night. Always thinking ahead when it comes to meals. That's my boy!

We leave Spar with a few healthy foods, but mostly chocolate for family in the states and for RvH.

LG will share my room tonight because we have king-size beds in both rooms and just a pack-n-play for NJ. DM warns that LG sleeps like a clock--turning her body 360 degrees all night long.

LG settles in fairly easily, giving me time to blog. Now it's time for my shower and hair washing so that I'll be ready to go early tomorrow. We get a big breakfast at the Courtyard, and most of us will go to the Spanish Riding School at 10:00am to see the Lippzaners train.

We also plan to visit the Naschmarkt and the little girls want to find another playground.

A very good day in Vienna, Austria.

BIG TRIP: Days 3 through 6

Lots of time watching baby NJ crawl and climb, and always with a plan. It doesn't take much to get her to smile. She's the perfect baby. She gets tons of hugs and kisses from LG and KF, her mommy and daddy, and papa and grandma, too.

We've mostly been at home laughing and talking, and swinging granddaughters into the air. There've been some musical chairs, a bit of yoga, some book reading, and tickling.

ESCAPING FROM WINTER

LL and I drive into Chicago today--no real plan in mind other than a visit to the big Whole Foods just off North Avenue on Kingsbury. Our meandering itinerary:

Design Within Reach
Fun, and expensive. In reach for whom? Gorgeous leather furniture. Rockers. Coffee tables.

Whole Foods
Intelligentisia coffee--Lincoln Park Blend. A gift for CA, and he will share! Also, haricot verts for dinner tonight, cranberry nut bread for breakfast tomorrow, dried oyster mushrooms to add to tonight's risotto.

America's Dog

We can never resist a hot dog... Although, this time I opt for the pulled pork with sweet potato fries while LL really doesn't resist the hot dog and curly fries.

Swedish Bakery

I hadn't gotten it together to order pastries, but I am able to pick up two cakes for Sunday's guests and a few petit fours for moi! And, tomorrow the little girls will find they have some yummy porcupines for their treat.

Julius Meinl

We finish off our afternoon with a relaxing cup of coffee in this very Austrian cafe.