But we are now organised with a basic plan of action so I can get back to the blog.
On Monday, the day after our visit to Schobrunnen palace, the girls wanted to take Shane to the Eisenrad (ferris wheel) to show him....so we headed off again to Prater park and the ferris wheel. Another go on the ferris wheel (which was just as fun as the first...actually we had the entire cabin to ourselves so that was pretty neat....in another cabin we could see a couple sitting at a table having brunch....how very civilised!!).
Our private cabin.....
Up and over.....
We then hired a 'family' bike to explore more of the Prater park (which stretches 4km alongside the Danube river - I keep calling it the "Danooob" to which Shane makes endless jokes!!).
The family bikes....kids sit up the front....parents do all the work - sounds about right!
The girls with their vegemite bread (yes, we have travelled with vegemite for over 2 months now!!)..... ready for the ride.
The bike was good fun but actually hard work to pedal, but we went part-way through the park before having to turn around to get the bike back in time...we stopped off at a playground that had a very cool see-saw/swingy thing....
Parked at the playground
The tyre swingy thingy
After another tour through the amusement park (which was just as quiet as the other day - if not more), we strolled back into the main part of town (via a few bike shops that Shane had managed to sniff out) where I had a few hours strolling through the old city on my own.
For dinner we decided it was time to have a traditional "Weiner Schnitzel", so in the evening we went into the old town and into what looked like a very traditional (ie. authentic) schnitzel place.
Well....I am embarrassed to admit that for the first time in ages (years even) we walked straight into a tourist trap!! Look - the restaurant was nice, good ambience....and the food was good (can't remember the last veal schnitzel I had but this one was one of the best I have had)....and the waiter (although Hungarian, not Austrian) seemed really friendly. Then we went to pay. Well - firstly we were charged for the bread that they had brought out as we sat down (which I know sometimes you have to pay for but I haven't been to a place where they have charged us since we left Australia)....then we were charged for the salad that they brought out "as special" since we never ordered it.....then we were charged 2euro each as a "cover charge"....we were even charged 0.60euro for each of the 2 sachets of ketchup that the kids had on their schnitzel!!! THEN the waiter says "we don't include a tip in this price so I will add 10% as a tip".....I would have said no but I hadn't actually seen the breakdown of the bill at this point.....what a rip-off!!!!
Anyway - these things happen and I just have to remind myself that it was a nice dinner....
So yesterday (Tuesday) was our last day in Vienna. We took a train ride out into the suburbs to find a shopping centre....was kind of like a mini Charlestown square (before it was renovated). It turned into a beautiful, warm (24 degrees!), sunny afternoon so we took a final walk through the old town and to see if we could get another traditional Vienna cake!! We found a cafe that reminded me a lot of Goldbergs that it turned out has no menu and only serves the cakes they have made that day - so no Sachertorte that Shane was after...but they did have Apfelstrudel so we went for that instead.
The cafe....apparently quite famous and very old.....
The girls had an ice-cream (one of their last for the holiday I have warned them....Shane and I are both aware that there will probably be major fall-out and ice-cream withdrawal from the kids when we get home so we need to start 'weaning' them off it now!!). It was so warm that Eloise refused to wear shoes (she really is a beach girl at heart!) so I am sure we had the only child in Vienna (or Austria for that matter) wandering through a major city with no shoes on....!
Making a wish in the fountain...
Enjoying an ice cream - look how dirty Eloise's feet are!!!
Over the last few days we had to decide on where we were going for the next week and a bit before we went to Switzerland (where we have accommodation booked). So....we have chosen....Salzburg for 4 nights, then a trip to Legoland Germany (that we have been promising the kids since before we left Australia) with a side visit to Neuschwanstein castle in Germany....then a few days in Rothenburg and some time with a friend of ours in Weinsburg (both in Germany) before heading to Lake Constance (between Austria, Germany and Switzerland) for a few days and down into Swizerland via Liechtenstien. Are we attempting too much??
A few things we have noticed over the last week or so.
- Austrians eat SO many cakes and sweet things (along with huge fatty sausages)....why are they not big fat people??
- The joke about "no kangaroos in Austria" is EVERYWHERE.....do the Austrians really get asked about kangaroos that much???
- Everytime I see the word "Austria" my mind instantly thinks it says "Australia"....I am constantly surprised when people with the word Austria on their bags and things start talking in German!!!
- EVERY show on TV is dubbed in German.....EVERY show....EVERY movie.....EVERYTHING except CNN international news.....I wonder if they get annoyed at how badly the lips move with the speaking or whether they are just used to it now....doesn't seem to bother the kids though who sit through any cartoon or any kids show no matter what the language is!!!
OK...so today (Wednesday) we said a fond farewell to Vienna (Shane says he could easily live in Vienna...Neve says its one of her favourite places this trip....Eloise still loves Central Park New York).
Our car....has travelled with us from Trieste and will be with us until we leave Europe and come home. Notice how the back doors open the other way out than most cars....it is actually quite good once you get used to not grabbing for the door handle in the wrong place!
We drove out of the city and through the countryside....fields of corn and sunflowers (that had unfortunately finished flowering).....from the flat landscape and towards the mountains.
Auf Wiedersehen Vienna....
Guten Tag countryside.....
And towards the mountains....
Welcome to Salzburg
The girls discovered this market stall in one of the little squares.....needless to say there were a few tears from Eloise when we had to leave empty-handed!
All the shop signs look so beautiful....
These buildings (built back in 1406) are backed right up to the rock wall.....the buildings themselves don't seem awfully deep so not sure if they are dug into the rock as well.
The girls getting into the royal spirit of things.....
The fanciest McDonalds sign I have ever seen. At least I give them credit for trying to blend in with the surrounding shops....a giant plastic yellow "M" just wouldn't have been the same!!
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