Vienna, Monday

The weather was worse today than yesterday (colder, wetter), but we did allright. We saw a more beautiful part of the city today. Yesterday the city seemed just kind of blocky and grey. Very industrial looking in a way, even though it wasn't industry we were looking at, just buildings. Today we were in an older, more beautiful, and "monumental" (Nathan's wording) part of the city. It felt more European and more charming, even though grand. Yesterday felt very impersonal, because of the size and repetitiveness of the buildings.


We went on a train that gave a tour of the ring of the city, where the most impressive buildings are. By the time we got the train, we were cold & kind of miserable. There was a light rain, and a slight wind, and everyone was cold and just wishing to be warm. The train finally came. There weren't any empty seats at first, but we were just happy to be out of the elements. Eventually some seats opened up, and we were able to sit and listen to a recording about the sights that we were around us.

After that tour, we ventured out again. The kids started out strong again, but did start to wilt. We were going to head to a museum (warm but interesting), but decided to stop at McDonalds, to fuel up the kids cheaply. We had peaked into a historical Viennese cafe, but with our chaotic and sometimes picky group, we decided against actually sitting down there. We cause quite a commotion. At McDonalds, we didn't cause much of a distraction, but the food was McDonalds - easy for the kids to like, but not special. We hung out a long time there because kids took a while to eat & there were bathroom needs, and then there was a new excitement for the kids. They realized that when people pay their 50 cents to go to the bathroom, they get a receipt that can be applied towards food, including cookies. So now our kids had a new purpose. Waiting for people to not claim their receipts, so they could grab them and convert that money into cookies (1 Euro each). So that ate up a bit of time. But the kids were happy.

Later we walked through the square again, and took a peak inside St. Stephen's Cathedral. It is the central church in Vienna. It was beautiful on the outside, but it seemed pretty spooky on the inside. I kind of wanted to just get the hell out of there, it was so dark. So much money and effort spent on making it beautiful inside, money that was probably given by poor people hoping to get god on their side. But anyways, the kids were interested in the candles. I wasn't planning on giving them money to light candles for, but Luke asked what they were for. My kids don't have anyone in their lives that has dies that they remember. But then Luke remembered Chuckie, our fish. So I had to give him money to light a candle for Chuckie.

We then headed through the city towards the Natural History Museum. We got there with only 40 minutes left before it closed, but we went in anyways. It was a very cool museum. I wish we had had more time there.

Now we're back home, where it's warm. We haven't been lucky with weather or time (several things that we had planned to do had been unexpectedly closed). But we have gotten a taste of the city.

The scooters have been a life saver. The kids have fun turning various elements in the environment into jumps or ramps for tricks or speed. The kids do end up whiny by the end of the day, but overall, they have been troopers.

I'll post some pictures.

The kids were starting to fight with each other.  Degenerating.

Lighting a candle for Chuckie at St. Stephen's Cathedral.

This horse had been biting this woman (its caretaker), trying to get her attention.  Finally she turned around and kissed it.  That didn't satisfy it.  It bit the back of her shoulder again.  She turned, grabbed it and gave it a bunch of kisses, right on the nose.  It was fun to watch the connection.

Time to cross.  Everyone cross!  NOW!

The inside of the building of the Museum of Natural History was amazing.  Yes, the museum itself was amazing, but the building would have been impressive, even if it were empty.

There was a camera and screen that showed how much heat our bodies were giving off.  We had a lot of fun looking at ourselves and identifying where heat was coming off.  Conclusions:  hair is a good insulator.  JoJo and Ursula have the best insulating hair.  Ursula and Luke look the most like monkeys.

That is Luke, in the background, breakdancing for the heat sensing camera.

Back at Ursula's studio apartment.  3 boys, happily engaged by their computers.  Upstairs another two playing.  On the bed, another one relaxing.

This is the view from up above.  There is a loft where Ursula and her kids are sleeping.  The breakfast area and kitchen and our sleeping area are below.  The space is small, but Ursula has used her ingenuity to maximize its effectiveness.  There is a place for everything.  The height of the room is made use of.  It totally works.  But, I must say, if the kids are restless or wild and it's raining outside, it can seem very small.  If the kids are quietly occupied, it feels very cozy and comfortable.