For some unfathomable reason, the power in our building was scheduled to be off for 5 hours in the middle of the day today.  On a Sunday.  When it’s over 90 degrees outside.  And nothing is open.  Faced with the prospect of spending 5 hot hours without fans or air conditioning, and without the tv or computer to help entertain the kids, we made plans to go out.

After asking around and considering our options, we settled on going swimming.  There are lots of publicly accessible swimming locations in Vienna (from pools to rivers) but one friend highly recommended a swimming area (bath, or “bad” in German) at a manmade lake just outside of the city.

So, just before 10:00 (when the power was set to go off) we set off for Tulln.  It was a quick train trip (less than 45 minutes from our front door to the train station in Tulln) and an easy, pleasant walk from there.  (Fair warning for anyone who tries the trip, though — although the bath itself is stroller accessible, the train station, remarkably, was not.  In fact, we’re pretty sure it was our first non-stroller-accessible train station in Austria.)

It was a beautiful day (if a little hot for my taste) and the swimming area was really crowded.  But it was lovely.  The lake was large and clean, surrounded by nice grassy areas (many of them shaded).  There was a sandy, gentle slope into the water which was roped off and set aside for little ones, and elsewhere around the lake, there were lots of fun things for more confident swimmers (trampoline islands, water slides, canoes and paddle boats).

Overdressed and ready to go!

Even though we expected it, it was a bit of a culture shock for us.  People here are much more comfortable with their bodies, and less judgemental of each other, which all leads to a lot less modesty than we, as relatively prudish Americans, are accustomed to.  Men, regardless of their age and physique, were most often in small, tight fitting, Speedo-type suits (although American style trunks and boardshorts were more common than we expected).  Most women wore two piece bathing suits, again, regardless of age or physical type.  And the kids were often naked. Nearly all of the babies (under 2) were completely unclothed (except for sun hats and water wings) and it wasn’t unusual to see older ones (up to maybe age 5 or 6?) in the buff as well, while the little girls mostly went with bottoms-only all the way up to about age 8 or so.  It was really different.  I definitely got the sense that people were there to be focused on the experience they were having, enjoying the day with their families, rather than agonizing about or feeling shameful over how they looked.  After a few minutes of adjusting to the difference, it was incredibly refreshing and liberating (although I ended up feeling excessively covered up in my own swimsuit, and my kids were the ONLY ONES with rash guards on).  I didn’t see anyone give anyone else a look of contempt for their appearance, and I didn’t hear a snicker or see any pointing (not even by the groups of teenaged girls).  Really, it was pretty astonishing.

Rocks, running water and lots of slopes = not lawsuit-proof.

We had a great time.  Liam slept though the first part, very happily, in a shady spot in his stroller, while B & I ventured out to try to practice his swimming.  We didn’t quite manage that, but he did wade a bit, and he let me carry him out all the way to the edge of the roped-off baby area (about hip-deep on me, so not very).  After his nap, Liam joined the fun, but he was uncertain about the water and the sand, as well, and mostly wanted to be carried around.  The boys got in a bit of play time on a rocky, slippery fountain area before we got ice cream and called it a day.

It was another successful adventure, mixing the familiarity of a day spent swimming with the family with a distinctly European sensibility about it.  It was a fun, easy and inexpensive day trip out of Vienna.  And it was immeasurably better than spending 5 hours with hot and cranky kids in a stuffy apartment.  WAY better.  And next time, I’ll worry less about what I wear.

Attending the Opera is a thoroughly Viennese activity — like going to see a Broadway show while in New York.  It’s been on my list of things to do while we’re living here, but we hadn’t gotten around to it.  Then I read about Vienna’s “Opera for All” earlier this spring, and that motivated me to really make it a priority.  Alongside the famous Vienna State Opera House, they put up a huge screen and project the performances that are happening inside, live, for free.  (How great is that?)

We’ve been trying to go for weeks, but things kept coming up (the kids were sick, the taxes had to be finished, we had our bike trip).  Today was supposed to be the day, but it was chilly (in late June — I love Vienna!) and rainy all day so I thought we were going to miss out on it yet again.  And, since we leave for our long trip to the US soon, I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to do it at all.

Then, we woke up from our naps and, voila!  The rain had cleared and was replaced with a beautiful blue sky, no humidity and a pleasant breeze.  Ah . . . Opera time!

The show tonight was actually a ballet (it was a collection of short pieces, which worked wonderfully for the kids).  We arrived late (mostly because I didn’t check the time and everything else I’d looked at started at 7:30 . . . but today’s was at 6:30 — oops).  There were some chairs that seemed to have been provided for people (not sure, though, because we got there late) and some people had brought their own folding chairs, while many others just sat on the ground.  We found a spot easily, set up our picnic blanket and started to watch.  (We were the only ones with a picnic blanket.  We were the only ones with a picnic dinner.  But, rather than being affronted by our idea, it looked like most of the other viewers wished they’d thought of it.)  We sat, ate our meal, and watched some ballet.

I’d love to say that it was a perfect evening.  I’d love to say that we sat and snuggled with the boys while they were quietly enraptured by the dancing.  I’d love to say that they drifted off to sleep in our arms under a twilit sky while Dan & I cuddled up and enjoyed the rest of the show.

That isn’t how it went.  (But isn’t it a nice story?)

Instead, we wrestled with the boys (Mom and Dad are sitting down!  Let’s jump on them!), chased Liam around the square, shushed both of them (a lot) and doled out several, “If you can’t behave then we won’t get ice cream on the way home!”  But . . . seriously . . . it was great.

We stayed a little over an hour (including a convenient intermission which allowed the boys to run around and let off some steam).  We did get to snuggle the boys (between being jumped on).  We clapped together for the dancers (we were the only ones — since we were outside, and they were inside, they couldn’t hear us, but I figured it was good practice).  And, we were treated to A LOT of dancing from both boys, inspired by what they were watching.  (And, as it turns out, we did get to have ice cream on the way home.)

It was really fun, and pretty easy.  The boys enjoyed themselves more than I thought they would, and no one was particularly bothered when they did act up a little.  We were on the same block as one of the busiest streets in Vienna, so Liam’s noises were not worse than the regular traffic noise, and since the screen is way up high, the boys aren’t big enough to block anyone’s view.  (We also had the sense to sit kind of off to the side, so we weren’t in the way of the people who had cared enough to actually be on time.)

It was hard, though.  There was nothing relaxing about it, for Dan & I.  I’m glad we did it anyway.  We took our kids to see a ballet at the Vienna Opera House (albeit outside) and lived to tell the tale.  In fact, we had a great (if intense) evening.  My boys, at 1 and 3, have seen and enjoyed ballet.  I call that a win.

The Prater is a park of about 6,000,000 square meters in Vienna.  It’s made up of 2 completely different parts — one is a wild, crazy, slightly cheesy amusement park, and the other part is the “green Prater”, which is a huge, forested recreation area.  (It’s kind of Vienna’s version of Central Park.)

Last year, we visited the amusement park, and although it was interesting, it wasn’t quite the right fit for the boys — Liam, in particular, was big enough to want to try everything but too little to actually do so.  (It was also shortly after we arrived, so we were probably more chicken to try new stuff than we are now.  We should go back and check it out again.)

The other day, Liam and I went on an expedition to explore the green part of the Prater — something I’d not done with any particular thoroughness.  We walked for over an hour, mostly down the “Hauptallee” (main path) that runs down the middle.

From the depths of the park, you’d have no idea you were in the center of a major city.  It is green, lush and very quiet (cars aren’t permitted).  We saw dogs, horses, bikes, walkers, runners, trees and open spaces.  There were paved paths (very stroller friendly) as well as wood chip covered running/bridle paths.  Most importantly (given how warm it was here t his week) there was lots of shade and plenty of cool breezes.

We’ve been back 3 days this week to walk or run.  It’s a very peaceful break from the bustle of the city, made more surprising by the fact that it’s about halfway home from dropping Benjamin off at school.  We really enjoyed it, and I think we’ll be visiting often.

For each of my boys’ first few haircuts, I did them myself.  Although I worried about cutting them, cutting myself, or mangling their beautiful hair, nothing horrible happened.  Even so, I know that although I have many skills and talents, doing decent hair cutting is beyond me.  (Liam’s, since it’s curly, is a little easier — which I didn’t expect — so I’ll probably be able to do his for a little while yet.)  After those first few, we turned Benjamin over a to a professional.

Here, in Austria, the results have been very uneven . . . . sometimes literally.  (We had much better luck in the States.)  Part of it is a communication issue, to be sure (our meager German doesn’t extend to many haircutting terms, and since most tourists don’t get their hair cut on vacation, the hair stylists don’t always speak a lot of English) and part of it is that I like to keep B’s hair long, and that isn’t the predominant style for little boys here.  So, when I ask them to leave it long, they either take me too literally (did he even have a hair cut?), leave parts of it too long (frighteningly close to a mullet) or kind of ignore our requests and do something long-ish but also kind of non-specific.

Benjamin was due for a hair cut again (funny how that keeps happening) but I realized, this time, that he’s old enough to decide for himself what his hair should look like.  But, how do you ask a 3 year old how he wants his hair?  I tried talking to him about it, but when I asked him, “What do you want your hair to look like?” he said, “Like this” (meaning, the way it already looks), and when I asked him how he wanted his hair cut, he lifted up some of the hair on the top of his head and mimed cutting it, while giving me a look that said, “Is this a trick question?”

So, then I asked him to look at the other kids at school and tell us if he wanted his hair to look like any of theirs.  There’s a wide variety represented, most on the short side, but none of them appealed to him.  So, then Dan (in a moment of brilliant inspiration) Googled images of “little boys hair styles” and let B look through until he found one that he liked.  They showed the picture to the stylist, and although she left it a little longer than the picture (which Mommy is grateful for), it turned out great, and B is very happy.

He’s 3.  He’s still SO little, but he really is big enough to start making some of his own choices.  In addition to picking out his t-shirt every morning, I figure hair style is a good place to start.  No matter what he decides, it’s temporary and it will grow out.  He can experiment with different things, and express himself.  I like his hair long, but I want him to be able to look however he likes, and I want him to have the experience of having the freedom to choose — which will lead to sometimes making decisions he doesn’t like, and then having the opportunity to make different choice next time.

This is the shortest his hair has ever been (not counting his first year when it was just wispy baby hair).  Just looking at it in a picture, I never would have chosen this haircut for him, but now that he’s got it, I love it and I think it’s perfect for him.  It suits him nicely and he’s all ready for summer.  And the smile he gets when I tell him he did a great job picking his hair style is pretty wonderful, too.

A couple of weeks ago, Benjamin’s whole school went on a big end-of-the-year trip.  From the descriptions and the pictures, it seems like they had a great time.  (There were pony rides!)  Alas, B wasn’t able to go — he was way too sick that week.

He’s been a little sad about it ever since.  Not constantly or anything, but he’s asked several times if “today” is the day of the field trip (to which I remind him that it already happened) and has commented a few times that he didn’t get to go because he wasn’t feeling too well.

Poor guy.  I know how disappointing it is to miss out on something you were looking forward to, even for a good reason.

before

Yesterday, though, he got to go on a field trip with his class, to a nearby botanical garden.  And he was SO happy about it.

It does sound like a fun day.  They took the bus and the train (he got a seat both times, which was apparently worthy of note).  He dug in a sandbox, played soccer and played on the slide (he climbed up the slide part and then slid down, rather than climbing up the ladder — that was pretty fun, since I usually discourage that).  They played in a maze, saw lots of animals and got to watch bees making honey.

He had a fantastic time.  He came home worn out and happy.

after

I’m so glad he got to go.  It was a highlight of his educational experience so far.  The best part, though?  Having lunch with his friends.  (Usually, we pick him up at noon, which is before lunch is served.  Yesterday, they were out until 3:00, which means he got to join everyone for lunchtime.)  Back in September, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see a day when staying longer at school would be a good thing.  I’m so happy he’s having such a good time.

I love being outside, and Vienna gives me lots of beautiful reasons to get outdoors and explore.  Since I’ve seen a lot of the city most immediately around where we live (although, as I learned last week, there’s still plenty more to find) I’m always looking for new places to check out.  That can be tricky, though, since I’m usually exploring with at least one child (and typically a stroller) and I almost always have a fairly tight time limit.  It’s much easier to be relaxed about exploring a new place when you aren’t worried that a wrong turn (which might tack an hour onto your trip) will ruin your schedule for the day, and it can be really daunting to enthusiastically venture out only to discover that my chosen destination is completely stroller unfriendly.

This morning, Liam and I set out to explore.  We left early, before it got too hot, and took the 38 tram from Schottentor (right by our house) all the way out to Grinzing.  I looked all around online, and couldn’t find a good description of how to reach the hiking trail from the center of Grinzing, so I just looked it up on Google Maps, and it didn’t seem too bad — just 2 long blocks (or so) from the center of town to join up with the path.  No problem.

Turns out, though, that the first block was STRAIGHT UPHILL.  I’m not really exaggerating all that much.  It was reminiscent of San Francisco — that kind of hill.  Yikes.  But, I trudged up the hill, with its cobblestoned sidewalks, pushing my now sleeping child, only to find that the second block was made of . . . . stairs.  Steep, stone stairs, right back down.  Below me, at the bottom of the hill, I could see the trail, but I couldn’t get to it.  So, I pulled up Google Maps again, and went for plan B.

I didn’t have to go back down the hill (which was good — I at least felt like I’d accomplished SOMETHING) but I had to walk all through a residential neighborhood to go back around to meet up with the trail.  I failed twice more (once due to more stairs, once due to a street with lots of traffic and no sidewalks) to meet up with trail, but finally (almost 40 minutes later) I managed it.  Whew.

Once I found the right place, it was beautiful.  The path wound between the backs of the vineyards (the properties mostly back up to each other, it seems).  The track was wide and paved (if a little steep in places) — perfect for walking with a stroller (or jogging, or biking).  Some of the vineyards we passed were small, just backyards converted for growing grapes, and some were massive farms that disappeared over the crest of the hill.  I saw some beautiful views, a few gorgeous houses, and I really got a feeling of being out in the country (while still in Vienna).  It was pretty much exactly what I was hoping it would be.

But, after my 40 minute hike TO the trail, I was tired, it was getting hot, and the walk was pretty much entirely uphill.

And, since vineyards are pretty much just big farms that grow grapes, it was pretty isolated.

During the course of my walk, I only passed about 6-8 people, and they were all men.  It took me a while, but that started to seem weird to me.  I’m used to running in to all sorts of people when I’m out walking — men and women, young and old.  People are always out walking their dogs, jogging, pushing strollers, out with their families.  After about 20 minutes, I started to feel my distance from civilization and my rusty US-born self-preservation instinct kicked in.  I turned around.

As soon as I headed back, I passed 3 women — one walking (alone), one jogging (alone) and one blind woman (white cane and all) walking with her two dogs.  I think I was being a little paranoid (but I really was in the middle of nowhere, and I trust those instincts, even if they get a lot less exercise here).

With my lessons learned from my overly long trip to the trail,l I managed to make it back to Grinzing in less than 15 minutes (but how did it manage to be mostly uphill on the way back, too?!?).  My walk ended up a bit longer than I’d intended, but it was still a success.  The path itself was great, and definitely stroller friendly.  I wasn’t able to find a really easy way to get to the trail with the stroller, though.

(For anyone trying to reach City Hiking Trail 1 from Grinzing with a stroller, I recommend taking Langackergasse east away from the center of Grinzing.  Take your first major left on to Schreiberweg and your first right onto Arlethgasse.  Right now, the sidewalks on Arlethgasse are under construction, but it’s a quiet street with little traffic.  At the end of Arlethgasse, turn right onto Unterer Schreibergasse — the street ends almost immediately, but there’s a paved path at the end that slopes downwards and will bypass the lower part of Langeckergasse which is impassable with a stroller due to steep stairs on one side, no sidewalk on the other and very fast traffic on a very narrow road.  The path will take you to Kahlenberger Strasse.  Turn left and follow it to Wildgrubgasse.  At the corner of Kahlenberger and Wildgrubgasse, you’re actually on the City Hiking Trail, but to get to the good views, turn left on Wildgrubgasse and continue past the Friedhof Heiligenstadt.)

For myself, in the future, I’ll keep looking for another path.  This one was pretty, but I think I’ll save it for the weekends when I have Dan with me, or at least, the rest of Vienna out exploring the countryside.