The Prater and More Playgrounds (Does it ever end!?)

I think God might have heard my prayers, because today has been the sunniest, most glorious day since we got here. I'm starting to realize that Vienna really is a sleepy city--and I mean that in almost every meaning of the word. Mornings are for rest and solitude. I'm sure there are masses headed out to work every day, but the rest of the city doesn't seem to bat an eye until well after 10am. Personally, I've found early morning is the best time to get to the market and avoid the shoving masses. I can then feel free to spend the morning getting things done around the apartment. For instance, most apartments here only have a washer and I'm cool with that. In my little crunchy heart, I've always longed to do away with using my dryer, but the lazy American in me has always won out. Hanging clothes on a drying rack and waiting 12-24 hours for them to dry is time consuming, but totally doable. Especially when you've got time to waste in the mornings.

This morning after all the dishes were washed and wet clothes hung out to dry, we headed out for the day with a picnic lunch on what Audrey has coined as 'our adventure'. Today I was determined to see what The Prater is all about and I wasn't disappointed. 

Before we booked our temporary apartment, we had been seriously considering one in the city's second district, Leopoldstadt. We found the area appealing for it's close proximity to the UN Complex and the enormous green area called the Prater that encompasses a fair amount of the district. Today, thanks to a stellar playground near it's entrance, we only saw the tip of the iceberg, but I have a feeling The Prater is a place we will be frequenting on sunny days. 

The playgrounds around here just never cease to amaze me; they are so abundant in number and the play equipment is really imaginative. Most of the small neighborhood parks (from what I've seen) host similar play structures, but the one we saw today was made for pirates in training.  There were rope courses aplenty, crazy nest-like swings, slides, hammocks reachable only by climbing a rock wall, and oh, yeah...the sweetest zip line I've ever seen designated for small children. I've heard other ex-pats lament the safety issues that could be found in these play areas, but to my eye, teaching a kid how to balance across a humongous rope bridge or climb a narrow staircase with only one chain handrail is a recipe for independence and awareness.  When kids have to become aware of the consequences of their actions, even in play, it can only be a good thing.  Sure, there will be bumps and bruises and maybe a trip to the emergency room, but I'm a huge advocate of learning from mistakes.  The poo-pooers can take their American playgrounds.  These play areas rock.   

"So I told Mom; If you bought 15 lbs. of peanut butter, we might as well eat it."

I let the girls run rampant for quite a while before forcing them to sit down and eat their lunch.  After our PB&J (do they eat anything else?) I let Bailey finally take a ride on the zip line.  She had seen a kid on it earlier and was just dying to try it out.  This zip line started on top of a steep hill and went for what seemed like miles to the opposite end of the playground; it looked like inertia would take a kid about half way back before coming to a full stop again.  Being a mama of at least one cautious kid, I sat Bailey on the little seat and dutifully held on to her, running the entire way so she wouldn't fall off and crack her head open.  A dad whose little girl had been playing alongside ours decided to step in and let me know that parents could ride it too; that it was easier for the kids to ride if they hung on while you catapulted across the playground together. Heh.  Ok.  Thanks.  ...Then he offered to show me...and politely returned the seat to my hands when he was done.  How could this fuddy duddy mama say no?  It seemed the height of rudeness; this guy was just trying to help us out.  So, with Audrey stoically standing at the top of the hill, I saddled up, grabbed The Bear and screamed my ever-loving lungs out at how fast that sucker went.  It was fantastic.  I was riding so low to the ground I thought at any moment I would be picking bark chips out of my teeth.  But we survived, unscathed...and Bailey thought it was the greatest thing ever.  

So, you can understand how difficult it was to explain that there was anything more interesting to see in The Prater.  

 

But after some screaming and crying and "Me Tayground!  Me Tayground"-ing, we meandered our way over to the most recognizable feature of this area: The Wurstelprater, which hosts a small amusement park, most notably home to a huge ferris wheel (the Wiener Riesenrad), from which one can enjoy an aerial view of Vienna.  There are carousels, restaurants and cafes, roller coasters, even a little train to take a tour of the place...and ponies.  

Guess where we stopped.

"Me ride a horsie? Me ride a horsie?" Bailey was already starting to show signs of sleepy hysteria and she wanted me to let a stranger plop her on a horse? Yeah, that didn't happen.  But while sister might have had her fun zip lining, Audrey's time to shine was in her element--on a horse.

We toured most of the place and then stopped for some gelato on the way out.  We'll be back.  It might have been a bit cheesy, but it was fun.  Maybe next time I'll actually get to see some of the  miles of trails that we missed out on today.