Three generations, two foreign cities

Within 18 hours of getting back from Munich, three visitors showed up in Prague for me. My mom and two grandparents came all the way across the ocean to spend the week with me, and I couldn’t be more thankful and happy about it.

Praha

It was SO cool to be a tour guide for my mom/grandparents. I showed them all of the must-see places (St. Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, John Lennon Wall), had them see the amazing view from the Astronomical Clock tower while I was in class, and made them try the famous ice-cream filled tredlniks. We found our fair share of amazing restaurants, befriended all of our waiters/waitresses, and tested out some new foods and drinks. We also witnessed a wedding and saw the bride being twirled around in front of the Astronomical Clock. Talk about a fairytale wedding… and she looked absolutely beautiful.

I think it is needless to say that they were absolutely amazed by Prague, specifically how clean it is and the all of beautiful architecture. We had some favorable weather and really made the most of our week together. After the first night of heading home alone, Papa insisted I stayed in their hotel with them for the remainder of the time. He didn’t like the idea of me going home at 11 PM alone. Funny, because I did tell him about the amount of times I’ve done that at 3 AM by myself… but hey, I didn’t argue.

Mamie stories

• She claimed that a hotel worker was her boyfriend
• She ordered an $80 steak. Meanwhile — My meal, Papa’s meal and Mom’s meal COMBINED were not even $80. So there’s that.
• Direct quote: “I put Michelle on one of those leashes for children and hooked her to the clothes line”
• Direct quote: “My phones charge lasts so much longer here than at home”

Vienna

After a few days in Prague, the four of us took a bus to Vienna to spend our last weekend all together. I can’t believe/explain how much there is to see in Vienna.. three massive palaces, parliament, the town hall, cathedrals, beautiful gardens, etc. etc. I did not expect for Vienna to offer so much, but I think we were all pleasantly surprised. My only complaint is how much construction was going on to all of the historic buildings — it took away from them a little.

Once we got into Vienna, we spent our first day exploring the city center. We saw the St. Stephen’s Cathedral and sat at a cafe people-watching for a while. None of us really had an itinerary planned out, so we thought it’d be best to get a tour of Vienna the old fashioned way, via horse and carriage. We had the BEST driver/tour guide. He showed us so much and serenaded us almost the entire time. He was hilarious and so sweet, and Papa took to calling him “Mr. Buttons” (we still aren’t exactly sure why)… Definitely happy about taking this ride though, because it gave us ideas of a lot of places we wanted to head back to the following day.

First thing in the morning we set off for the Schönbrunn Palace, the most visited attraction in Vienna. We honestly could’ve spent an entire day here alone. We took an hour-long tour of the inside of the palace, which was stunning as could be expected. So many stories of Marys and Elizabeths and Napolean. I’m not exactly a history fanatic, but I thought all the stories were interesting. Like for example, only one of the many Mary’s was allowed to marry someone she loved. The rest were forced into marriages for political reasons/peace between countries. What a life.

Afterwards we explored the gardens, hiked up the hill for an amazing view of Vienna, and peaked into the Tiergarten Schönbrunn (the oldest zoo in the world). Then we headed to the Volksgarten (rose garden), Parliament building, and the Hofsburg Palace. That night we went to a very authentic restaurant where the waitresses wore drindls and the waiters wore lederhosens, and we tried a traditional Viennese meal: Wiener Schnitzel. Yum.

Our final day together, we explored a little more to areas we hadn’t been yet. We saw the Rathaus, the Sigmund-Freud Park, had lunch at Café Central – a famous café that has been around since 1876, and used to be frequented by Sigmund Freud, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Alfred Atler, etc. From there we went to the Belvedere Palace — equally as beautiful as the Schönbrunn Palace — and then eventually said our goodbyes to Vienna. My mom and I got on a bus and headed back to Prague, and my grandparents set off for a 12-day tour of Austria/Switzerland.

Side note: A major, major thank you to my wonderful grandparents for everything. I loved being able to share my beautiful city with you and loved exploring a new city just as much. I am so thankful to share my love of traveling and experiencing new places with you both. This was something I will never ever forget, and I am so blessed to have been able to share it with you both. Have an amazing rest of your time in Salzburg and all over Switzerland. I love you both with all my heart.