Parents in Europe: Part 2 of 3

Road trip to Vienna!

My dad was very adamant about going to Vienna while they were here. Since Matt and I hadn't been there before, we decided to all go. It's about a 7+ hour drive so we elected to break up the trip by first heading to Schneider Weisse for lunch, a brewery in Bavaria, where Matt swears it's his favorite German beer.

Our trip was also the day of my parents 34th wedding anniversary, so I made them pose for pictures. The dark beer here was my cola weizen, which is part beer, part coke. (Don't knock it 'till you try it! I was just looking for something a bit less alcoholic, since it was my turn to drive after lunch).

This was the end of my meal - a turkey steak with potatoes and some of the best veggies I've ever had. My parents were thouroughly happy with their meals as well - dad had the sausages and saurkraut (which he maintains was the best he'd ever had) and my mom had a ham and cheese salad. Yum yum yum.

 We also caved and got an apfel strudel. Flakey and pretty much perfect.

 On the search to find the shop to buy beer, we walked all around the complex, and I snapped this picture of a content (and a bit buzzed) Matt as he posed with the grand tower of beer crates.

 ...But wait, it's not open?!

 No... sadly they were closed for the rest of the day. Sad Matt... Another time, I promise!

Back in the car, we headed on our way, and a few hours later we stopped at the border with Austria. To drive on the Austrian highways, you need a vignette so Matt went inside while I stayed with my parents.

First picture of dad in Austria!

After more driving, we finally made it to the Hilton Danube. We decided to have a late dinner in their restaurant (after first checking out the executive lounge) and then we called it a night.

The next day after breakfast, we took the subway into the city center and stopped first at St. Stephen's Cathedral. At which point it started to rain and rain and rain....But we checked it out.

Happy mother's day, by the way!

Also, I was really smitten with all the horses in Vienna. It's hard to see, but they all have TINY LITTLE HATS FOR THEIR EARS! Oh gosh. So cute.

Next we walked over to the Hofburg Palace for a tour, followed by lunch, and then over to the Schonbrunn Palace for another tour. Matt enjoyed the various statues around the city.

Matt insisted we walk around the gardens afterwards. It was still raining like crazy so my parents decided to pass, but I went along. I felt it was part of my wifely duties. My pants and shoes and socks were soaked.

It was very difficult to get pictures whilst carrying an umbrella (that had a hole in it and was leaking a bit onto my face), but Matt insisted I capture the fountains and assorted neatness. This duck was having a great time.

After we called it a day, made it back to the hotel and dried off, we were just in time for snacks and drinks at the executive lounge happy hour. The forecast for the next day looked much more promising, so we went to sleep thinking dry and sunny thoughts.

We got up early because we decided to take a train through the alps to the small town of Semmering, a ski town during the winter. We took the mountain train because during the week, our foursome could take regional trains anywhere for 35 Euro round trip. A really great deal!

Here we are on the train!

Finally, we get to Semmering. The goal was to walk into town, check out the scenery, and grab some lunch. We somehow ended up taking the long and hike-centered way on the excursion into town. My parents aren't hikers, but they were good troopers getting up hills! And now they can say they hiked through the alps!

Also- we saw this sign a lot in Austria. Matt lovingly referred to it as a child abductor zone. Just something about those hats....

On the way, we stopped briefly in a little church to listen to an organist practice.

But then we found a great lunch spot. Matt and I got the menu of the day which consisted of cream of spargle soup (white asparagus - German-speaking countries LOVE the stuff), followed by pork medallions in a pepper cream sauce with veggies and potatoes, and then a rhubarb cake for dessert. My parents both got these huge salad plates.

Our soups....

And cake....

My mom had spotted an apple strudel-type dish so we inquired about it. We were told it was an apple cake and so we asked for one for my dad.

He was really glad.... look at this apple-tastic creation?!

Since it was shaping up to be a much nicer day, we decided to catch the train back right after lunch and see if we could check out Vienna in the sunshine. On the way back to the train we took a shorter yet equally beautiful route:

Back in Vienna, we walked around the Belvedere gardens.

Quite nice fountains indeed. It was nearly time to eat again, so we walked over to this massive market area where they had vendors for everything setup, including some restaurants. I was particularly in the mood for Italian, so we found a cute little place and sat down.

I started out with an Aperol Spritz. Have you heard of these? Aperol is huge over here and it's one of my new favorite drinks. Aperol is a bitter orange liquor (so it's not especially sweet, but it gives off a nice orange-y flavor), and the "spritz" part is prosecco and sparkling water. Very, very tasty.

And then I had a big bowl of pasta. Darn good.

With that meal complete, it was back to the hotel and to bed shortly thereafter.

The following day we headed home. We attempted to go back to the brewery for Matt but alas, it just wasn't in the cards. A short distance from the brewery they closed the highway and were directed around the chaos. Matt was sad once again. (It had also rained quite a good deal on the drive, so it was especially sad he couldn't reward himself for all the driving. Sigh.)

Since nobody had gotten pizza at dinner the night before, we ordered one when we got home. We also decided to play monopoly. I got Matt the German language one for Christmas, so we whipped that one out.

Matt is a capitalist dog when playing monopoly. Check out the serious expression. It didn't matter at all that he was playing with his in-laws: he crushed them. (And me - it really doesn't matter - he's in it to win). You've been warned.

On Friday, I'll re-cap the rest of their travels in Germany. Have a good week!

Parents in Europe: Part 1 of 3

Let's talk about Paris. We'll come back to Vienna and Germany later.

My parents really wanted to go, so I said that when they were over here, I'd take them, and I'd take them on a train. So that's what we did. Just the three of us, as Matt was out of town for work.

They only wanted to hit a few things, so we opted to leave on Tuesday morning and return Wednesday evening. Here we are on the train, with one of many cappuccinos my mom got throughout the trip.

Everyone's awake!

 ...and then dozing off. We took a French SNCF TGV train, with top speeds of around 320 kmph/198mph!

After fighting through wind and a ton of pollen (seriously Paris, get that stuff under control), we finally arrived at our hotel, with nice cushy beds and plenty of pillows.

On our way to dinner, I took them around on the Paris metro for the first time. If you've ever ridden it, you know what a maze it can be, what with its 300+ stations. I led them out next to the Louvre, where they were not expecting to see so much awesome as we emerged from a corner escalator.

Walking toward the Arc de Triumphe, we stopped to smell the flowers in the Jardin des Tuileries

 Mmm, nice.

 With ominous clouds looming and wind continuing to whip, we continued along the Champs-Elysees toward the Arc.

 Victory!

 We also went right up to it, but couldn't see a portion since it was being blocked off for a concert or demonstration or ceremony. Something.

 Before we went to the Eiffel Tower, I had made us reservations at Maison de la Truffe, which essentially translates to House of Truffles. Matt and I had eaten at their other Paris location last year and really enjoyed it. After previewing the menu, it looked like everyone could find something they enjoyed.

I, being in France, had been salivating over a Beef Tartare. The truffles on top made it all the more magical. Even my dad tried a teeny tiny bite! And liked it!

 My mom thoroughly enjoyed her truffle-topped omelet. I didn't take a picture of my dad's fish. He opted for no truffles, so his plate wasn't nearly as pretty.

 But his chocolate mousse was!

 Mom's cappuccino. I had a tiramisu. We all left stuffed, and ready for the Eiffel Tower.

It rained on the way, but by the time we got up to it, in its illuminated glory, the clouds were parting. This picture isn't edited in any way - the clouds truly looked like that as they dissipated.

 Time for some pictures!

 Here's dad getting a picture of me taking a picture of them.

 Mom and I!

Once we got up there (after first sharing an elevator with a kid from Richardson, Texas, a stone's throw away from where Matt is from), I captured a short video of the lights.

The following day we had a decadent breakfast at Angelina, where Matt and I have been before. Delicious cappuccinos, black teas, fresh orange juice and a ton of carbs. Rolls, croissants, chocolate croissants - and butter, jam and honey. We really needed to carbo-load for our continued walk.

I took them to the Pont des Arts, where they were fascinated with all the love locks. Many couples come to the bridge (as well as bridges in a few other European cities) to attach a lock and throw the key in the river to represent their love for each other. I pointed to a few humorous locks of the combination variety that seemed a tad disingenuous.

We made it to Notre Dame in time to hear a choir perform and walk around. You could tell they were singing quietly, but those acoustics were top notch.

More walking, rain and wind led us back to the Louvre mall area where we had a bite to eat and I got Matt these treats. Eventually we made it back to the train station, boarded the train, and got home in time for bed.

Au revoir, Paris!

We now return to regularly scheduled blogging.

My parents have come and gone, and all I'm left with are a ton of photos of their trip. And homework, of course.

For my parents VERY FIRST trip to Europe, Matt and I attempted to give them a taste of the best the continent has to offer. We started out in our own backyard of Mainz and took them to the wine festival going on down by the Rhine river, followed by a whirlwind trip to Paris by train, had a few relaxing days to recuperate at the apartment, and then a road trip to Vienna. Although we saw and did a ton, there was still more we could have accomplished.

But certain guests of mine somehow brought all the rain to Europe when they came, making for some wet and soggy sightseeing days here and there. We managed to get a lot of great pictures though.

Here are a few of my favorites. I'll recap the rest of their adventures next week.

Wine fest on the Rhine (which my parents will always insist on calling "river fest")

 I took them on a long walk down the river and made them stand on the train bridge to get this picture. My mom does not like bridges, so it was an impressive feat.

 Dad drank more beer than I thought he would during the trip.

 And look who else tried some!

Before the rain, we managed to venture out in Paris to enjoy the flowers and ambiance.

 Visiting the Eiffel Tower was also a treat - the rainy weather made all the tourists scatter.

On the way to Vienna we stopped for lunch where they brew Matt's favorite beer.

 Outside of Vienna, we took my parents on a scenic train ride through the pretty Alps. And made them hike into town for lunch.

 The views were great though, and everything was very peaceful and quiet.

 My parents have never played monopoly with Matt before. He doesn't go easy on anyone, even in-laws.

This one is probably one of my favorites. On the last day I had them get dressed in our Oktoberfest gear to pose for pictures. This is their prom pose picture.