In the fourth week of October our students got a week break. They all headed out of town to various destinations, which gave Tom and me a week break from them! So to fill our week Matt, Jenny, Amy, Blake, Cade and Oliver came to visit. It was fun to show them the city we have grown to appreciate and love. Of course what is a trip to Vienna without eating schnitzel and apple strudel?! Here are the Matt Holmans in one of our favorite eat spots...The Twelve Apostles. After eating a full meal, Blake wanted apple strudel...I didn't order anything because I knew he would never finish his...wrong! Blake ordered the apple strudel with warm vanilla sauce and all I got was the opportunity of watching him eat every last morsel!
One of Vienna's most famous landmarks is the giant Ferris Wheel. It was built in 1896, which really didn't instill a lot of confidence for me...how could something that old spinning around high in the air be safe. Apparently Oliver shares my feelings. It was perfectly safe and we had great views of Vienna. You ride in "little box car" shaped cars and they rock back and forth. I am just glad I had Matt's family and not a bunch of teenagers in there with me. I can only imagine how they could get it rocking!
I think the morning spent at Schonbrunn Palace was one of the kids and Tom's favorite. They have a fun area for children and adults...the first stop was the maze. This was a typical element of many European stately gardens. Blake and Grandpa Tom couldn't find their way out and you will see Matt and Cade directing them from above.
Matt and Cade looking for Blake and Grandpa Tom in the maze.
Does it look like fun on the merry-go-round? No one "lost their cookies", so I assume it was!
Matt training his boys on the digger. Cade the operator and Blake the observer.
Blake loved this toy. It was a big bird that you could climb in and then bounce in and the wings would flap. This playground was quite amazing.
Not the best picture, but the kids loved climbing all over the playground toys.
Missing in the playground pictures was Oliver. While the rest of the family played, Oliver and grandma Linda walked the grounds of Schonbrunn Palace. There is a zoo on the grounds and we thought our "little bear" should have his picture taken there. (In case you can't see it, look a little closer and notice the ears on his hat.)
One of the "visitor highlights" is the Opera Toilet. At the bottom of the escalator that takes you up out of our U-bahn stop to the State Opera House is this musical toilet. It blares the Strauss melody "The Blue Danube Waltz". I have heard it's not worth the price to actually use the toilet but it does make a good picture.
This was about the cutest thing ever...One day these pieces of paper appeared on our baseboard. Cade had decided that we needed mice holes in case a mouse came to live in our apartment...they needed a home. *Note: We do not have mice!
Blake worked on this tooth almost the whole time they were in Vienna and finally met success. Despite the fact he was in Vienna the tooth fairy found his tooth...a happy boy!
Sharing our apartment with these four was an absolute pleasure and it looks like they were having fun too!
Time to leave Vienna and I don't think Oliver wanted to leave....I know we didn't want him to leave!
A very thoughtful grandaughter, Amy, left this thank you note for us, with Mozartkugl chocolate included. Mozartkugl is probably the quintessential Austrian souvenir. They are small balls of marzipan coated in a praline cream and then dipped in chocolate....yum! They are wrapped in foil decorated with a picture of Mozart. A sweet ending to Matt, Jenny and family's visit to Vienna.
One of Vienna's most famous landmarks is the giant Ferris Wheel. It was built in 1896, which really didn't instill a lot of confidence for me...how could something that old spinning around high in the air be safe. Apparently Oliver shares my feelings. It was perfectly safe and we had great views of Vienna. You ride in "little box car" shaped cars and they rock back and forth. I am just glad I had Matt's family and not a bunch of teenagers in there with me. I can only imagine how they could get it rocking!
I think the morning spent at Schonbrunn Palace was one of the kids and Tom's favorite. They have a fun area for children and adults...the first stop was the maze. This was a typical element of many European stately gardens. Blake and Grandpa Tom couldn't find their way out and you will see Matt and Cade directing them from above.
Matt and Cade looking for Blake and Grandpa Tom in the maze.
Does it look like fun on the merry-go-round? No one "lost their cookies", so I assume it was!
Matt training his boys on the digger. Cade the operator and Blake the observer.
Blake loved this toy. It was a big bird that you could climb in and then bounce in and the wings would flap. This playground was quite amazing.
Not the best picture, but the kids loved climbing all over the playground toys.
Missing in the playground pictures was Oliver. While the rest of the family played, Oliver and grandma Linda walked the grounds of Schonbrunn Palace. There is a zoo on the grounds and we thought our "little bear" should have his picture taken there. (In case you can't see it, look a little closer and notice the ears on his hat.)
One of the "visitor highlights" is the Opera Toilet. At the bottom of the escalator that takes you up out of our U-bahn stop to the State Opera House is this musical toilet. It blares the Strauss melody "The Blue Danube Waltz". I have heard it's not worth the price to actually use the toilet but it does make a good picture.
This was about the cutest thing ever...One day these pieces of paper appeared on our baseboard. Cade had decided that we needed mice holes in case a mouse came to live in our apartment...they needed a home. *Note: We do not have mice!
Blake worked on this tooth almost the whole time they were in Vienna and finally met success. Despite the fact he was in Vienna the tooth fairy found his tooth...a happy boy!
Sharing our apartment with these four was an absolute pleasure and it looks like they were having fun too!
Time to leave Vienna and I don't think Oliver wanted to leave....I know we didn't want him to leave!
A very thoughtful grandaughter, Amy, left this thank you note for us, with Mozartkugl chocolate included. Mozartkugl is probably the quintessential Austrian souvenir. They are small balls of marzipan coated in a praline cream and then dipped in chocolate....yum! They are wrapped in foil decorated with a picture of Mozart. A sweet ending to Matt, Jenny and family's visit to Vienna.
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