Vienna, with a 5 year old.

If you have a 5 year old, and it is winter and you are in Vienna and you have a day - you should take the subway system here - it is very nice and easy - and go to schonbrunn palace.  You should get the winter pass and just spend most of the day.  So, basically, you wake up - have a lovely breakfast in a local cafe, and then go to schonbrunn.  When you get there, you should go through the carriage museum first, an awesome intro for the kiddos, then get the palace done - as that is not generally the best thing for them, then take a break at the strudel house - where you can sample strudel, then to the gardens, zoo, Palm house, desert and done.  I should say, that if you went on a weekday

in the winter this is what you should do. And this is what we did.  The kinder museum, which would have been awesome, is closed on weekdays in the winter.

Before we left on our trip I heard someone say to me "why would you go to a zoo in a foreign country when you can go to a zoo at home?"  Well, here is why.  Joelly was a bit of a mess.  He was thinking this foreign place really was foreign and had nothing to offer him. He was getting cranky.  Then we took him to the zoo, and he had an awesome time.  He lit up and loved it.  We loved it too.  Being a museum person I love to see how different attractions are laid out and this one was great.  It really is the worlds oldest zoo, and it has a really interesting specimen of animals, including an awesomely hungry panda which we would still be watching if we didn't have other things to see.

This was a great day.  We hopped back on the metro, a little hungry, and got off. One stop before karlsplatz - and basically walked the distance to karlsplatz through the nacschmarket.  This was delicious.  You can tell some of the stalls have been commercially sold but most are a great place to buy delicious food and cured meats.  We saw this in a no reservations with Anthony Bourdain, and I was determined to get to at least one place tony recommended while on this trip.  Just as we were nearing the end of the market, I was losing hope - and there it was, like a beacon in the night - urbanek.  This place is amazing and anyone who goes to Vienna has to stop here.  The owners are super friendly and set you up with a delicious plate of local goodies.  Our favorite wine so far this trip was here too.  Highly, highly recommend.  We walked back to the hotel - by way of stop at the natural history museums where I was able to see my Venus of willendorf, making an unnecessary stop at a bier joint for a delicious Viennese meal and some beers, in which I sampled a bier with some sort of cordial in it.  Yum.  

We may have gotten a little turned around from our walk back from their, I blame the alcohol/beer concoction.  Now it is time to pack up and rest up for tomorrow is our last day in the city, and we are on our way to Venice by over night train!!!!!

Quotes of the day: "best vacation ever" - Joelly.

"It's not like they both aren't good kids, it is just so much easier to just bring one kid." - Joel husband

"What the hell is she doing?" Random German man when I was taking a picture of the wine label at urbanek.  "My father would peel the labels, now we have vivino." Random man "hey think of everything."

Oh, and I forgot to mention.  Joel was able to buy a souvenir from the zoo today, and he picks an American bald eagle stuffed animal.  Really?