It was going to a long day of driving so we got up early to get on the road at 7.30am. 

We were heading west to Vienna back through Slovakia. We found Slovakia quite cheap so we called in at ikea to top up purchase a few things and to have their famous meatball lunch!!

After driving a bit more. Mum must have been tracking my phone because a message came through….”are you going to that outlet mall” I had no idea what she was talking about so I was informed it was behind me and given a web site link! 

So we drove over to have a look! It was so cute. All the shops were in a historic village type of design. Every brand was there from Nike to dyson to dolce cabana to Lindt. Little R scored some new shoes and a hoody. 

We did a one night stay by the airport, offloaded BK. He was flying to Armenia to see a work colleague. I drove into central Vienna with the kids. We found our Airbnb and we’re so blessed to get a park right outside so we could unload all our gear and Brendan’s as he’d only taken a backpack with him. After trip to the supermarket I put the car safely in a parking garage for the next two days as we explored the city. 

We went to the technology museum, I thought we’d only last an hour but we lasted 2! We went into the old town and saw the Spanish riding school horses in their stables. We saw the beautiful St Stephens church, I think mass was just finishing because the organ was playing at full volume! 

We then went to the butterfly house, that was a bit of a waste of money so we went round that twice.

Then it was 3.30pm and I was utterly exhausted so back to the house for a rest. 

Kababs for dinner then us 3 snuggled into our beds for an early night! 

I hadn’t really got a plan for what to do before we picked up Brendan from the airport but I didn’t need to worry, Mum did! 

So I was given a cafe name, once I’d put it in Google maps and off we went for morning tea, mum on video call enjoying a cafe she’d visited when she was in Vienna. We had hot chocolates and got to try apple strudel cake and an Austrian chocolate cake. Yum.

After that I went and got the car back out of the parking garage and drive about 20 minutes out of the city to go tobogganing. Kinda like luging but kinda not. A cart on a rail, you control the speed. RK didn’t enjoy it but CK and I did! 

After that thrill I found a park on Google maps out by the airport, I thought I was going to a ‘yatton park’  but it was more ‘mclarens falls’ (with no falls!) we saw some men playing disc golf. I’ve heard so much about that game but never seen it played.

Once we were bored of that we drove to a park up place by the airport and watched the planes land till our Daddy’s one came in. Then it was a long drive of 4.5 hours towards Innsbruck. So blessed it’s summer as we cruised the autobahns in the evening we could see the beautiful sights. We rolled into our Airbnb  just after 9pm. It was still light outside. Haven’t seen the sun set in weeeeeks, months even? 

After a quick one night stay, less than 12 hours! It was a long day of driving and touristing ahead of us. 

This was our 3rd time to Austria and each time before I’d tried to get to the Swarovski flagship store in Wattens but failed. This time it was third time lucky! We arrived before it opened. Admired their grounds and iconic face waterfall and went to the store where BK bought me my first figurine! “Carry on luggage!!!” the lady said to me as she was packaging it up! 

After finishing up there, it was off to the only other touristy thing I wanted to do while in Europe (along with Sintra in Portugal) we drove 2 hours to the Neuschwanstn castle. This is the castle Disney castles are modelled off. It’s under major Reno at the moment so I didn’t get tickets to go in, that would be a waste of money. 

Once we arrived we found parking, finally found how to catch the bus up the hill – nobody was walking 40 minutes up hill in 30 degree heat – and up we went! 

We first went to the bridge behind it to admire it, had lunch perched on some tree stumps. 

Then walked round to admire it from the base. Beautiful and so worth the mission. 

Back on the autobahns and into Switzerland we went. 

Till next time,

Claire