Trip to Vienna

 Way back in February, we took a four day weekend down to Vienna, Austria with my parents for a mini vacation. I am just now finally getting around to posting about the trip.

 Vienna is gorgeous. Even in winter. And huge! Since we wanted to make the trip fun for the kids, we did a lot of family friendly stuff. There were so many more things on our list to do and see, but 4 days was really not enough to pack it all in. Our first stop, the zoo.

 The zoo was amazing, and I can only imagine how much better it would be in spring or summer. I want to return. It is the oldest zoo in the world and also ranked among the very best in the world. So much space and so much for the kids to see and do.

Cooper insisted on playing on the playgrounds even though it was freezing out and they were covered in snow. 

 This cave room was his absolute favorite. Lily's face is priceless! They had real live bats flying around that literally touched you! My mom was scared to death. Looks like my dad was too! So funny.

In this exhibit there was a very bad, very happy monkey. I will not elaborate. Mom and I thought it was hilarious! My dad's face says it all.

 For lunch they had this beautiful circular restaurant right in the center of the zoo with great food. The ceiling and walls were adorned with frescoes.  Why don't they make zoo restaurants in the states this awesome!

On day two, we visited the Schoenbrunn Palace, an imperial 1,444 room Rococo summer residence. Most people go on a tour of the actual palace. However, with kids, and having done so many palace tours over the years, we all decided to just stick with the Children's Museum at the palace. In the first part of the museum, you get to dress up in imperial clothing. Too fun! Wish I was being serious in this picture like the rest of the crew. After we ate goulash at a nice cafe in the palace. We were unfortunately too full to try their famous apple strudel.

 It is hard to tell in this picture, but that is a huge perfume bottle of Shalimar. My mom loves it and has been wearing it since I was little. I'd steal her shirts for bedtime just to sniff them when I was little.

 Cutest bakery ever! Pink storefront with the most delicious looking doughnuts and cakes ever. We let Cooper pick one out and it was divine.

My sleeping beauty. She napped on me in the ergo carrier daily as we trotted along the city streets all toasty warm in her snow suit.

Here are my boys hanging out at the Apartment Concerto.  The apartment was perfect. Three bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and they even downloaded tons of English movies for visitors which came in handy when we came home exhausted from touring each day. Located above a famous bakery right in the middle of downtown (in the pedestrian shopping area).

One late afternoon we took Cooper to ice skate at this huge ice skating rink right outside the City Hall. Cooper fell asleep within 10 minutes of our walk and when we woke him 40 minutes later, he was too tired and cold to give it a try. Might not have been the best place to learn how to skate though. It was packed and getting crazier by the minute with classical and jazz music playing at first then changing to hip hop a little while later.

Fun trip indeed, and only a 5 hour drive!