Prague & Austria (2025) - I Have No Proof, But Also No Doubt

Of A Weird Year and Language Learning

“Ohhh, Austria! You ever been?” That’s been most people's response when I tell them we’re going to Austria. Why? The last time we went in 2019, there was a global pandemic just a few months later, then we had a kid, and life just happened around us.

In October, I got the itch again to visit Europe, even though we visited Spain in February. I began researching different itineraries; the usual ones came up: Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Iceland... but we started considering new places like London/Scotland or going to Germany.

My search went primarily into London/Scotland, but ultimately, no matter how I cut it, that trip was wildly expensive. But one night, I was leisurely searching flight deals on a Sunday at 6:00 PM, and all the prices remained stagnant and trash. But at 6:15 PM, something happened: all the prices dropped! Every itinerary I’d been tracking dropped by about 40-50%. Even with the price drop, London/Scotland was too expensive, but now Austria came into view, plus we get to see Hugo and Irene again. We booked the tickets by 6:25 PM.

That’s when I made the wild decision to LEARN GERMAN! Because I have nothing else to do, right? Right. So, amidst everything going on, I added on language learning. I got a tutor I met with once a week for months and used Babbel daily, among other things. I am now two days away from the trip. Although I am nowhere near conversational, I can read quite a bit of beginner German, I can understand a lot of phrases, and I’ve written seven short stories in German. my tutor says my pronunciation is very good for a learner.

What’s our itinerary? We’ll be flying into Vienna through Zurich (I’m not mad), heading to Prague, Salzburg, Graz, and then back to Vienna.

Follow along as we take Luna back to Austria because last time she was here, she was the size of a pea, or a grape, or an orange - I don’t know, she was the size of a fruit.

Day 1 - Of Near Misses and Smooth Transitions

The Wednesday before our departure was like any other day. I went to work, got a haircut, pumped gas, etc. The only difference was that when I got home, we were only an hour and a half away from being picked up by Cynthia’s parents.

Passing through security was a breeze, so we took advantage of our Chase Reserve perks of access to airport lounges. And I am glad we did. The lounge had free food, an open self-serve bar, and a nice ambiance. We stayed there until about 15 minutes before our scheduled boarding time of 8:15 PM. But, as we arrived at the gate, it was eerily empty! A woman asked if we were going on the Swiss flight and immediately told us the doors were about to shut! What is going on here? We still don’t know; it seems like they began boarding earlier, and by the time 8:15 rolled around, we were almost ready for takeoff. Had we been lazy about it, we would have missed our flight, which is crazy because we were going by what the app said and the screen in the lounge.

The flight was smooth, and eventually, we landed in Zurich. Arriving in Switzerland almost felt like coming back home. What also made it feel more familiar is that, even though I still don’t fully understand the language, I can pick up enough German to get around and not feel so lost in the mix. I was reunited with my love, Rivela soda.

The flight to Vienna was short, and once we were in Vienna, we navigated the train station to get to our destination. By this point, we were all pretty exhausted. Still, I have to give kudos to Luna. Despite everything and being a little sick, she was awesome. A lot of people who passed us smiled as they watched her wiz on by in her little ridable luggage.

It was nice being back in Vienna. We stayed near Hugo and Irene’s house. The pizzeria was familiar to us, and the little grocery store, Billa, was one I’d shopped at many times. The pizza I got for us was not pre-cut, and we didn’t have a knife in the hotel room. So we just ate the whole pizzas, no cutting. Fancy? Also, very disappointed the shops didn’t have my favorite Austrian soda, Sugar Free Amduddler. I will find it again!

Tomorrow, we are taking a four-hour train to Prague. We have a private booth in business class—fancy.

Danke, dass Sie hier sind. Bis bald!

Day 2 - Of Prague and Irish Pubs

The day began woefully early, but we needed to be at our train station by 8:20 AM. We arrived at 8:21, thinking we’d missed the train, only for it to roll up seconds later. Close call! The rest of the trip flowed effortlessly. Once on our final train to Prague, we sat comfortably in our business class seats, which were quite nice. The trip to Prague would be a total of four hours, and to be honest, it flew by pretty quickly.

Once in Prague, I arranged to have a driver meet us inside the train station to drive us to the hotel. It was very fancy. The hotel itself, the Black Star, is a building from the 1600s that was renovated; there are only 7 units.

After settling in briefly, we walked out into the city with no particular destination. But we so happened to come across a HUGE crowd. There, we realized we’d stumbled across the Astronomical clock at exactly 3:38. We didn’t know what to expect but decided to see what happens at 4:00. Let me save you the hassle: two tiny windows open up, and the caricature statues of the apostles appear in these windows and wave a Bible or a cross at you, after 48 seconds, it stops and the windows close. That’s it. Don’t get me wrong, the clock is outright beautiful, and the intricate details are so interesting, but yikes, it’s one of those things you see, and you’re like, “Cool,” and you turn around.

We then went to an Irish Pub. I was thinking this would be one of only a couple of Irish Pubs, no, I think there’s Irish pubs than there are Czech restaurants. It’s wild. I suppose it concerns all the Bachelor & Bachelorette parties (Stag & Hen parties) that happen here. In the pub, we ate and enjoyed some live music.

Afterward, we literally just walked around. This is something that I’ve not historically done. Usually, I have a plan or a list of places to go, but this time, I am going with the flow of it.

We kept seeing shops for Trdelnik, it’s a baked rough chimney filled with fruit topped with ice cream, or just ice cream. This thing was a meal in itself, and it absolutely wrecked by blood sugar for the rest of the night. Still, it’s something to have at least once, because it’s pretty amazing, especially if you have a good pancreas.

By the way, unlike in Austria, where the street signs are fancy and feature a man wearing a fedora, Prague goes one step further and features the man in a fedora PLUS a cute child skipping along.

We are taking a walking tour of the city tomorrow, which should give us a better idea of where to go.

Day 3 - Of Walking Tours & Midday Naps
I don’t know what time zone my mind is on. At 9:00 PM, I am dead tired, but at 3:00 AM, I am wide awake. It’s frustrating.

We began the day by meeting with a group for a walking tour. The tour guide’s name is David, and he was a super impressive person. He’s run multiple ultramarathons, run from Prague to London, biked from Prague to Morocco, and had other wild adventures.

One thing we’ve done for this trip is provide Luna with her own digital camera. That way, she can show us her perspective of the trip. I’ll start adding her photos along with my own. She was excited to take pictures during the tour.

We began at the Powder Gate, one of three towers left in Prague, after a massive wall surrounded the city. It was once used to store gunpowder, hence the name. From there, we meandered through the old town, taking in different sights, like the only still-standing theatre where Mozart premiered Don Giovanni. We also saw the Astronomical Clock, something we had seen yesterday, but this time, the guide explained all the nuances of the clock and its different functions. Each ring is a different time measurement in various cultures, even Babylonian.

From there, we walked through the Jewish quarter, which isn’t really Jewish anymore aside from the Jewish cemetery and synagogues. In earlier history, the area was populated with Jews because they were not allowed to own property anywhere outside of that section. But, that area was prone to floods. Eventually, when Jews could move to higher ground, the area became a slum. At one point, all the buildings were condemned, and the majority were razed. One of the streets there is Paris Street; it’s one of the most expensive streets in Europe.

We got to walk across the Charles Bridge, which was quite impressive. For a long time, this bridge was just called “Stone Bridge,” but they changed its name not long ago because “Stone Bridge” doesn’t have much meaning anymore. Along either side of the bridge are different statues, the first being Jesus, and other statues were added over the next few centuries.

Once we crossed the bridge, we got to the lower city, where we saw a cool market and eventually the John Lennon wall - a huge wall with tons of art. When John Lennon died, the people of Czechoslovakia were cut off from the world, so they didn’t hear about it, but some people did. Since the news was not reporting on it, a few rebels found a large wall and created a memorial for John Lennon. The police eventually found it and painted over it, and the next day, the rebels would come back and paint again. This went on until the Velvet Revolution.

After the tour, we ate sausages at that little market, with some beer. By then, everyone wanted a midday nap.

Everyone slept long.

For dinner, we went to a Czech cuisine restaurant called U Modre Kachnicky II. This name means nothing to me, but the service and food were fantastic. Lastly, we swung by a macaroon place called Mad Bunny. The macaroons were delicious, but I got accused of trying to steal a Coke Zero because, you know, I am a thug and look like a thug, yo.

Tomorrow, I don’t have any concrete plans except to walk all the way up to Prague Castle. It’ll be a chill and leisure day.

Luna’s Photos

Day 4 - Of Prague Castle & “Argentinian” Steaks

Today was the first day where I woke up a little ahead and took a stroll around town. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a journey for pastries but looking for a grocery store. Cynthia woke up feeling sick, so I went out in search of medicine, but most pharmacies are closed on Sunday, and I figured a supermarket would be the next best thing.

Heading out into the cold, I walked through a bit of the Old City until I found a Lidl, a grocery chain that’s pretty common in Austria. But! right next to Lidl was a place called The Playground. It’s a HUGE toy store; they even have a VR experience where you get chased by dinosaurs. One thing I found interesting about this store, and I feel this is a very Eastern European thing, is that a good chunk of the toy store was dedicated to model trains and train toys, building out toy farms, building out and collecting horses and stables, and city building. It admittedly made me happy. I remember growing up playing with Legos, wooden blocks, and eventually the Erector set, building cars, planes, helicopters, castles, etc.

I bought Luna a bunny stuffy that looks like Floppy from Bluey; she named it Fuzzy.

The Lidl did not have medicine (lol). I walked more and found a convenience store/pharmacy, where I got some stuff.

Once I returned to the hotel, we went to Prague Castle. It was about a 20-minute walk from where we were staying, but the walk was enjoyable, with crowds having thinned a little. Here’s the thing: I’ve seen TikToks of people complaining about the stairs leading up to the castle, and there are videos of folks arriving completely out of breath. As we got to the stairs, Luna said, “Papa, carry me.” So, I hefted Luna onto my shoulders and rucked my child up the inclined hill of stairs all the way up to the top. Boom! Cynthia would ask me, “Are you okay?” And I’d reply, “I work out.” :)

Castle Prague isn’t just a castle; it’s a sprawling complex of buildings that a person can get lost in. According to our guide from yesterday, the Czech Republic doesn’t have royalty, so there’s no royal family. The president, though, does have his official office in the castle. The grounds of the castle are a city unto itself, with cafes everywhere, beautiful and well-kept buildings, amazing architecture, and ornate lamp posts. In all, it was an enchanting place to be. Given this trip’s “No Itinerary” style, we wandered around. We took in the sights, finding a few panoramic shots of the city, enjoying some Czech pastries, and just taking everything leisurely. One thing that caught my attention was how many of the buildings had different architectural design elements. It seems that within the complex, each palace had its own unique design. In the middle of the grounds is a massive cathedral. This edifice was so impressive that when we turned a corner and saw it for the first time, it took my breath away - it’s that impressive. As a frequent Euro-traveler, I’ve seen a bazillion churches, but this one was just impressive.

We walked back into the City, Luna hefted on my shoulders. We took a small siesta, until it was time for our reservation at an Argentinian steakhouse. At least they called it Argentinian, but nowhere on the menu was Churrasco, lolwhat? We ordered the “Argentinian Mix” but it was Ribeye, Filet Mignon, and Chicken. It was definitely delicious, but none of that was Argentinian.

We walked the city a little and came back home.

Tomorrow, we plan to wander again, but the goal is to eat cheese, drink weird wine, and see what happens.

Day 5 - Of Wanders and Sonders

We’ve dubbed this the “no itinerary” vacation, waking up with only a general idea of what we’d do. Here’s the thing: I am sure we’re missing out on things we could be seeing, but honestly, I am enjoying the leisurely and relaxed pace where everything can be savored and lingered over instead of gulped and run—so to speak.

I headed out around 10:00 and walked across town to the highest-rated bakery within a reasonable distance of the hotel. It’s a French-style bakery called “Nostressy Bakery.” Inside, I grabbed a chocolate croissant, a pistachio swirl, an almond croissant, and a latte. I took them and strolled to the square where the astronomical clock was located. I sat on a bench for a few minutes, listened to music, and people-watched as folks gathered in front of the clock. This morning jaunt has been a tradition of mine for quite some time.

Once back at the hotel, we eventually left and headed to The Playground, a giant toy store/arcade. This place was pretty awesome. It had the selection and wackiness of an FAO Schwartz without the anxiety-inducing crowds. They also have super cool games and a bunch of near-VR stuff you can do. We didn’t do any of that since Luna is a bit young. But! We sent her down a 2-floor slide (cool parenting). Before we left, the three of us spent a good bit of time filling in a lego art frame. Luna was so happy.

From there, we tried to find a spot for the typical cheese dish, smažený sýr- a fancy Czech way of saying “queso frito.” The first place didn’t exist anymore, and Luna was going bonkers, so we stopped to get cinnamon rolls while I searched for another location. We went to Lokal, which is fun because Miami has a Lokal, too. This place served traditional Czech dishes. I had beef goulash, and Cynthia got the friend's cheese. Both were fantastic. At one point, I lamented on how delicious the goulash was, yet it was so simple in its making, but if you’d given this to a Hispanic, they’d toss 20 more spices, some olives, onions, four potatoes, a malanga, and some noodles. We be extra, yo.

Full and satisfied, we gift-shopped for folks and headed to the hotel. The plan tonight is to just go out and get dessert because tomorrow we leave for Salzburg.

On a side note, we stopped off at a bunch of different stores as we walked around. One of those stores was Manufaktura. Imagine a place like Bath and Body Works, but the products are made with beer or natural flowers and extracts. We bought stuff there and are excited to give them a go. If I get chased by drunken men, I know I’ve made a mistake.

On a second side note, I see a lot of people as we walk around, and of course, I am the main character of my own story, but as I see people sitting on benches or enjoying the same things I enjoy, I can’t help but wonder about their lives and what got them here. What are they currently going through? Each person is the main character in their own story. I like to create little stories for people if they seem interesting enough.

Day 6 - Of Missed Connections & German Pizza

We said goodbye to Prague as we boarded the train for Salzburg, which should have been an easy-peasy six-hour journey. It was not, dear reader.

Czech trains are not German trains, they’re not Austrian trains, and they’re certainly not Swiss trains. The train was serviceable, but even though we booked first class <pinky up>, it really did feel like second class anywhere else. I ordered a “Basket of Pastries,” excited at the infinite possibilities of tasty, sweet delights that awaited me - It was a basket with a bread roll and three slices of bread. No butter. No jam. No jelly. Straight up rations, son.

We noticed that the train was lagging behind. I had purposefully booked us a nice 20-minute layover at our connection, but halfway through the journey, that layover was now only 5 minutes, and by the time we neared the Linz/Donau station, we were 15 minutes late. Still, about 30 minutes before our late arrival, I booked a second train, this time in second class, like a bunch of peasants.

At Linz/Donau, we had an extra hour and ten-minute layover. So you may ask, “Jovanni, with all this free time you had in Linz, this wonder of Austria, where did you go, what did you eat, what culinary adventure did you go on? We ate McDonald’s like unrepentant Americans. No, but really, it was for Luna.

Eventually, we made it to Salzburg and walked to our hotel, Villa Elisa. We met a cheerful landlady who gave us the key. When we got to the room, we were greeted by a cute but modern room. It’s small, but it has a bigger kitchen than the apartment we stayed in while in Prague! Also, much to Luna’s joy, it had a bunk bed for her to sleep in.

Looking forward to dinner, we wanted to go to Burgerista, a spot we ate at TWICE the last time we were here—dumb Americans.

Here’s the thing: Four separate Uber and Taxi drivers canceled the ride on us, so we ended up going to a hole-in-the-wall pizza spot where everyone was speaking German. The food was delicious.

We are excited about tomorrow. We are visiting Wild Park Aurach again. The last time we were here was in 2019, when Cynthia was pregnant, and now we are returning with Luna in tow.

Day 7 - Of Say Hello to Your Mother For Me

Today is the day I was most excited about. The plan? Pick up a rental car, drive to Wild Park Aurach, and see Luna experience this cool park, where Cynthia and I came only five years ago while pregnant.

The drive from Salzburg to Aurach was scenic, with sweeping panoramas and vistas of the mountains, rivers, and lakes that speckled the countryside. Luna was fascinated by what she was seeing outside—so much so that she let me control the music (a rare feat) without complaining.

A decent understanding of the native language has been an enormous help and has made people significantly more friendly. I can’t have an entire conversation but can get through quite a bit.

The park was just as we remembered it. It was good to be back. The sun was shining and cold enough, but not too cold. The animals were friendly. Walking in, we spied out two deer fighting or play fighting. We aren’t sure, but one deer lost half his antlers in the end. So, we wondered if maybe the other deer was helping his buddy out.

Further down, a herd of goats lounged around, so we did what we came to do: pet animals. Luna got to pet a few different goats, especially the one we named “Buddy.” This particular goat was white, with one of his horns half-missing. He followed us around for a bit. We weren’t mad.

Whenever I see animals, I say, “Say hello to your mother for me.” It’s a joke that is hilarious to me but hasn’t been funny in the broader scope of society for over a decade. It’s when Andy Samberg made fun of Mark Wahlberg on SNL when he went up to a bunch of farm animals and tried to have conversations with them. It’s not funny in print, but that damn skit cracks me up. I asked a lot of animals to say hello to their mothers for me.

We had a nice meal outside at the park’s restaurant. I have a traditional Tiroler Nodlesupper. It was a beef bouillon soup with two large cheese dumplings inside. It was so good.

We then stayed and watched the animals' public feeding, where all the friendly animals gathered in one spot and waited for a tractor to haul a bin of feed onto troughs. Some animals are intelligent; they hop onto the bin and eat straight from the supply, while others take their station at a trough. It was great to see, and Luna got a huge kick out of it.

In the end, we met a family from Gainsville. One of them had proposed to his girlfriend the night before. We chatted for a bit.

We took the nice, gold-hour drive back to Salzburg, where we got a cab to Burgerista. Now, you may ask, “Why did you go to a burger place in Salzburg?!” Because last time we were here with Irene and Hugo, we ate at Burgerista. It’s just damn good. It was so good that Hugo said, “I’ve never been to Burgerista, and in two days, I’ve been to two locations.”

The cab driver on the way back was friendly and told me it was very polite of me to talk German to people initially as far as I could go. He even commended my pronunciation.

Back at the apartment, we needed to wash a ton of clothes that now smelled like a farm. Our sink was tiny. So what did I do? I soaked the clothes in the shower and stomped on them, applying Tide and soap. I did multiple cycles of this until I realized that we have a laundromat in the hotel (lol).

I took the clothes down and dried them.

Tomorrow, we take the train to Graz, where Hugo will join us at the train station at our destination. Graz seems like an interesting place. Some people seem indifferent to it, while others say we’ll really like it.

We’ll see what happens.

Luna’s Photos

Day 8 - Of Train Delays

Today is a travel day. Thankfully, we booked a later train from Salzburg to Graz, leaving at 12:10. However, OBB is not SBB - or rather, Austrian trains haven’t been as precise as Swiss trains.

We woke up late and slowly got ready—so slowly, in fact, that I asked for an extra hour to check out, and we still only got out at the exact checkout time. It’s no big deal; we had plenty of time to walk to the train station, sit down, and have a cinnamon roll and a croissant at Anker, a bakery.

That is when I got my first notice that the train that left at 12:10 would now leave at 12:30. It's no big deal. After lingering at the bakery, we arrived at the platform at 12:25, only to be told the train wouldn’t come until 12:45.

Once on the train, we settled into our seats, and I worked on the laptop for three of the four hours of our journey while beautiful pastures and stunning mountain vistas flew by. For the last hour, I sat back, listened to music, and enjoyed just stewing in my own thoughts.

Once we arrived in Graz, we met up with Hugo, of previous Austria and Switzerland fame. He suggested we take the 20-minute walk to the hotel to get our steps in. I am always down for walking.

We’re staying at the Grand Hotel Wiesler.

I am proud of this next moment - I walked up to reception and greeted her in German. She didn’t switch to English, and I did the entire check-in process in German from start to finish. Sure, I wasn’t the most eloquent or chatty, but I was able to understand her, respond, and do everything that was needed. I walked away, feeling a sense of pride in myself. Yes, it was a simple five-minute back-and-forth, but I did it in a third language. I did what I had set out to do back in October.

The hotel is nice, and the room is large.

Once we settled in, we went into the town and walked to El Gaucho, a steakhouse. Again, I spoke with the hostess in German and got a table near the bar since the main restaurant was packed. The food was quite good.

Afterward, we returned to the hotel and found ourselves amid some sort of protest. We tried to spy out what the protest was about, but reading the signs or understanding the speakers on their bullhorn was difficult. I did see a sign that said, “Idee Bruachen Wir!” meaning, “We need ideas Now!” From what I could gather, it was a protest regarding freedom of expression. I'm not sure, though.

Tomorrow, Hugo is showing around Graz and taking in some sights. See you there.

Los geht’s!

P.S. I love European signs.

Day 9 - Of Castles & Treasure

We met Hugo downstairs and made our way to Cafe Caramello. This bakery had stellar reviews. Once inside, it revealed itself as an Italian bakery. At first, they only had plain croissants, but when we ordered once, the lady told us they had a full assortment of different creme-filled croissants—vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, and some others. Everything we ordered was fantastic.

Luna was obsessed with a playground just a few feet away, so we had to stop there before heading to Schlossberg. There’s a few ways up to the top of this old fortified structure up at the top of a mountain - a funicular, an elevator, or 404735983709 stairs. I was up for taking the 340857398508 stairs, but I was vetoed. Instead, we took the funicular up.

Up top, we walked around and enjoyed the grounds, the structures, and the views from Schlossberg. At one point, we came across what is now being used as a venue, but it looked like it was once a large building, maybe storage with a bunch of arched rooms. When I looked down at the place, it gave me boss battle vibes, as if I were in a video game.

While there, we began looking for Geocaches, which initially appeared on this blog in Salzburg in 2019 with Hugo and Irene. Luna was super into “treasure” hunting, and for what it’s worth, she got involved and tried to find clues and offer suggestions - it was like having a tiny detective on the case.

After Schlossberg, we went to eat at Grosser Brau, a half-pub-half-restaurant that serves amazing German/Austrian dishes. Everything was einfach toll.

Once satisfied, we did more Geocaching around town, popping in and out of places we wouldn’t have ducked into otherwise. Luna, again, was super into it, as were all of us. After some successful and unsuccessful geocaches, we visited the man-made island in the middle of the river. There rests a cool hang-out spot and a very posh cafe. We sat and had coffee because we all had hit the doldrums and were dragging.

From there, we walked along the river for a bit until we arrived at Harry’s Gelato. Guys, this place is so good; I think it may be better than Murphy’s. I know, that’s high praise, but it’s true. It’s pretty phenomenal.

I’ve been trying my best to speak German wherever I can, and so far, so good in most instances. Sometimes, people respond very fast, and with words, I don’t understand, so I have to apologize and tell them I only speak a little bit of German. Still, it seems people have been appreciative of the effort. I feel my pronunciation has been well received because Rosalie, my tutor, would place emphasis on that.

Finally, we had to say bye to Hugo, who was headed to the train station.

The rest of the night, we took it easy.

Tomorrow, we are taking Luna to Frida & Fred’s, a kid’s interactive museum in Graz.

Bis Bald.

Luna’s Photos:

Day 10 - Of Frida, Fred & Harry

The plan for today was to visit the Frida & Fred Children’s Museum. After taking a leisurely stroll to the Backerei Sorger and enjoying a latte, I brought back croissants and other baked goods to Cynthia. Once ready, we made our way to the museum, taking a nice walk along the river until we reached our destination.

As soon as the museum doors opened, the deafening sound of little Austrian kids screaming escaped. Inside, we bought tickets. The first instruction we received was to take off our shoes. I looked around, and sure enough, everyone, including adults, had their shoes off.

Downstairs, there was an exhibit on how microchips and tags work, with interactive displays, including scanning closely to learn how to do inventory. It sounds a little dull, but there’s a timer, and it’s a game, so Luna had a blast. Also, there was a bubble exhibit where the kids got to do a bunch of stuff with bubbles. Lastly, there was a huge sloping wall of soft steps and slopes. Luna and I raced down several times until I had gone up; no other adult had gone up with their kid. After I did it, some other dads went up with their kids.

Upstairs, each of us got a QR code, and the point was that we’d been transported to the 1400s in a time machine, and we needed to do nine activities to get enough power to go forward in time. Each activity was based on medieval things, but they all had a lesson regarding social media and internet use. It was a….weird mix. It was a lot of fun but weird. And since, for the activities, we used an English translation, it was wild to see some of these characters absolutely roast each other. Most likely, it doesn’t sound as harsh in German, but in English - they were fighting words.

For lunch, we went back to the same restaurant as yesterday, and I had the exact same thing.

Afterward, we returned to Harry’s Gelato - I have to admit, I think this may beat Murphy’s in Dingle for best ice cream. I know that’s wild, but it’s true.

Our last activity of the day, we located a nearby Geocache, had a hard time initially, but Cynthia ultimately found it. Luna was thrilled we found another treasure.

From there, we went home and packed up.

We arrive in Vienna tomorrow, where we’ll spend the last couple of days before flying back to Miami.

Luna’s Photos:

Day 11 - Of Vienna Waits for You

We left Graz, grabbing pastries from the local Euro Spar :( Instead of an actual bakery. I know, I am being pastry-snobbish. The ride to Vienna was smooth, with no issues; we rode a RegioJet that proudly serves the Czech water Cynthia hates.

Once we arrived in Vienna, Hugo met us at the train station, where I was able to turn off my brain and follow him back to their house near the Rathaus. Rathaus, despite its funny name, is the “council house” or “Advice House.”

We settled in and relaxed a little bit before heading to Via Toledo. This pizzeria is considered the best pizzeria in Europe, outside of Italy. That’s a tall order. A little-known story about me - the first time I visited Europe was to see my brother, who was studying abroad in Nice. While there, we went to Monaco and had pizza at a tiny hole-in-the-wall pizzeria. There, I had a four-cheese pizza, and it was the best thing I’d ever had. Since then, whenever I go to a new pizzeria I’ve never tried, I always order the four cheese. I’ve eaten a four-cheese pizza in almost every country I’ve visited. Guys, the four cheeses from Via Toledo were legit. Yet, this is a boring pizza compared to the specialties they have here. This place is a bit bougie - Cynthia and Irene got a super zucchini pizza with zucchini creme, fried zucchini, and more zucchini. Hugo had a pizza with goose bacon and fig jam - WILD.

From there, we walked around and found a playground where Luna and I played along.

Unfortunately, by the time we got back, most of us were pretty tired and ended up having an early night.

Tomorrow we are going to Schloss Schonbrun and going out for Ramen.

Vienna is beautiful.

Day 12 - Of Emperors and Peasants

Today was the day Luna had been looking forward to. Let me take a step back.

Luna has been watching a show called Little Einsteins. It’s a cute show that showcases an artist and classical music in each episode. Each episode is 25 minutes, and to her credit, she loves it; for me, I can’t get past 15 minutes before wanting to nap. One of the episodes has to do with Schloss Schönbrunn, the seat of the Hapsburg Empire that has its markings all over Europe. Luna has been fascinated with this place for a few weeks and is incredibly excited to see it.

Hugo took us to the Schönbrunn Children’s Museum. The first order of business is to dress as Hapsburg socialites. We all dressed up and took fancy pictures. Luna was so excited by it all that she didn’t want to leave. After the cosplay, we entered the museum. It was nice; it went from chamber to chamber explaining the life of a royal versus the life of a peasant, along with “artifacts” and typical clothing and everyday items each class would use. It was fun to go through it all.

But the highlight was watching Hugo and Cynthia try to solve a puzzle. They first set a timer for 5 minutes, then another, and then just turned the timer off altogether. The puzzle was harder than it seemed.

Once we left the Children’s Museum, we went to the HUGE grounds of the Schloss and walked the gardens, or what was currently available, since they were getting ready for Spring/Summer. Then, we made the long climb up to the cafe on the hill looking toward the castle.

Once we were done, Luna begged Hugo to find treasures. So, we went ahead and found a nearby Geocache.

We then took a stroll back home.

I napped.

Once it was nearing dinner time, we stopped off at a park where I took a picture of Cynthia when she was pregnant in 2019. We recreated the photo now with her and Luna. I’ll post the original and the new version.

For dinner, we went to Makotoya, an excellent Ramen restaurant that reminded me of Ichimi back home.

Back home, we drank wine and random European spirits while playing Carcassonne and listening to music.

Day 13 - Of the Fanciest McDonald’s & the Opera House Sausages

Today was our last day of the trip. It would be a day where we’d walk 20,534 steps.

Since it was our last day, it was time to finish gift shopping and do the last-minute things we wanted to do. So, with Hugo as our guide, we walked all around Vienna.

At the start of the day, I went to what ended up being a Vegan Bakery. Not by choice; it was the highest rated bakery in the area, so I went, not realizing it was a vegan spot. The bakery was quaint and small; one person was in the whole place, but it smelled delicious. In the end, the stuff was not the best, but still very good. Hugo believes that hipsters elevate the reviews because they love to praise stuff like that. He had no proof, but there was no doubt.

We walked toward the Vienna Freitag store once we left the house as a group. I’ve wanted a Freitag bag for a long time; I enjoy their ethos of using upcycled materials to make their bags, and that so many of them are unique. When we arrived, none of the messenger bags really called to me, but I did end up getting a Freitag x Secrid wallet. I wanted a Secrid wallet anyway, so I got two things in one. I also ended up getting Cynthia a Freitag purse.

Once finished, we walked around, visited several little souvenir shops, and got gifts.

Luna got hungry, so of course we went to Ha-McDonald’s (this is what Luna calls McDonalds’). But, guys, this McDonald’s was fancy. It had chanceliers, columns, crown moldings, murals on the ceilings, and a McCafe that operated like a legit coffee shop; it was the nicest McDonald’s I’d ever been to. At one point, the manager even asked if everything was good. What? It was just such a welcoming place. So instead of this antiseptic, modern office vibe that US McDonald’s have been implementing lately, this was a beautiful and cozy establishment.

With Luna full, we then went to get Sausages. Where? The Vienna Opera House. In this amazingly fancy place, where for some shows tickets start at Taylor Swift-Esque $2000 a ticket, right outside, you can get some of the best sausages in Vienna. We all got the Sausage with cheese inside, which was then placed inside a baguette. I also ordered a pretzel. Ugh, it was delicious.

After the sausages, we went back home to finish packing.

For the evening, Hugo and Irene took us to a place where they often play music. It’s called Acapulco. . The woman who owns the restaurant was there and treated us like family. We immediately got margaritas that were generously tequila-forward. We also had quesadillas and nachos. Lomo salteado, all sorts of great Mexican dishes. We hung out and enjoyed our time there.

We also went to a super nice Whole Foods-looking grocery store, where we bought a bottle of Chianti Classico and chocolates for people back home.

Once we got back to the apartment. We popped open the wine, played chess, lost, and hung out until it was time to sleep.

We would need to wake up around 5:00 AM to be ready for our 6:00 AM taxi.