Palaces and Coffee; A Typical Day in Vienna

Luckily, Sunday got off to a much better start than the day before; Bailey might have woken up early, but she had also gone to bed the night before without a peep, much less an attempt to wake up and play in her kitchen.  It still took forever and all the hot water to get everyone ready to go, but we left the house before noon…so that was an accomplishment.  This morning we were headed out to Schonbrunn to show off the Habsburgs’ summer palace, which is also one of our favorite places to let the girls loose to run.  We entered the front courtyard and walked around the palace to the gardens. Audrey led us all up behind the main fountain to show everyone her favorite spot where you can touch the water coming down.  Once we had our fill of skipping around puddles, we started our hike up to the Gloriette; the crowning glory of Schonbrunn's gardens.  This process of hiking the winding paths up to the top of the garden was really interesting with a group of people.  John had been joking for days about making some kind of stick as a beacon for us like the rest of the tour groups around the city, but it probably would’ve been helpful…if Bailey could understand reason, that is.  It was all Grandma G. could do to keep her moving and out of the ditch.  Meanwhile, Dad took off in full-on hiking mode, making it to the top well before the rest of us.  It was a staggering disjointed little journey, but we all made it to the Gloriette and enjoyed the views of the city from the top of the hill.

Hot Cocoa at Cafe Gloriette

As we were rounding the building, I realized that I was staring at one of the cafes on my infamous list: Café Gloriette.  So, as John and the girls started heading down one of the side lanes of Schonbrunn park, Mom, Emily and I spontaneously decided to take a coffee break.  Just before we bolted for the cafe, we told dad to let everyone else know we were going to pop in for a coffee—it was a seize the moment type of thing.  Dad telling Joe where we were going meant he followed us...smart man. So we found a table for four, took in our surroundings and then I downed a shot of espresso before popping back out to find the girls.  Two men can really only be expected to put up with so much from those two (and by ‘those two’, I mean: Bailey).

We whiled away some time making cakes out of  the pea gravel from the walking paths and ate snacks while waiting for everyone else to finish lingering over their coffees. (read: trying to get the waiter's attention so they could get the check).  We took a wooded side path that led back to the foot of the gardens; it was an area John and I hadn't been to before and we happened upon a fantastic fountain complete with an obelisk and fake hieroglyphs.  On our walk back towards the palace, John finally fashioned a tour guide stick from a tree branch and a bunch of leaves.  I'm sorry to say it was not the magic solution to organizing our motley bunch, but John enjoyed himself.  He was nearly giddy as a school boy, though, when he and Audrey started stalking the squirrels in the park and actually lured one into touching his hand.  That was referred to as his 'rabies hand' for the remainder of the day.  This picture is only a reenactment, but it's shockingly accurate. 

John and his rabies hand

Turkish coffee at Cafe Museum

Surprisingly, our trip to Schonbrunn only took half the day, so while the rest of the gang chilled out with the girls, John and I headed out together on my usual Sunday afternoon coffee break.  It was really special for me to be able to share this with John; I'd like it if he could accompany me every week, but we'll have plenty of time for stuff like that when the babies have gone off to college.  So, just this once, we headed out, arm in arm, to Cafe Museum where we ordered coffee and cake and sat without talking, for the most part, as I wrote and John read.  It was lovely.  And an absolute testament to John being my best friend; there's no one else I'd rather share that long sweet silence with.   

When we got home after nearly two hours, the house was silent too.  Dad was there to tell us everyone else had gone out ice cream...which turned into ice cream and a trip to the park. (The swinging!  There must be swinging!) It was kind of a bummer doing stuff around the house, waiting for the girls to come home.  I might take breaks from them every week, but I don't need the break from my kids...I need to force myself to stop loving on them so I can focus on something else for a few hours.  Luckily, their absence meant I had some uninterrupted time to pack since we were taking a train the next morning into the Lake District.