Vienna with kids - prepare to spend money

Ariving to Vienna felt like a breeze of relief from stressful Rome. The noticeable organization and order can be perceived from the moment we boarded the Austrian train to Vienna, arriving to the station and using the metro.

We settled in our accommodation, a functional and central Airbnb with good facilities. The only issues was sharing the toilet and the lack of a fan. The two nights we spent there were the most uncomfortable ones due to the heat. Vienna is an expensive city, but  is full of options for children and adults. 

 
This is what we decided to do with our two days in Vienna:

My son wanted to take the horse carriage sightseeing tour for 80 Euros (40 minutes  ride) this was out of our budget, although it broke my heart to say no, life is not about getting what you want but understanding that not getting it is not the end of the world. We then took tram no 1 which allowed us to orientate ourselves and  see some landmarks in a charming old fashion tram for less than 4 euros for both of us.

Haus der Musik

We visited Kunsthistorisches Museum Armour and Weapons collection which my son really got engaged with and I also liked it a lot.  Then visited the State Hall at  National Library open to the public area, a magnificent building, and later on, we visited the House of Music in which we spent a good amount of time enjoying the not so crowded and fun museum, finalizing with conducting an orchestra, we both tried several times until we managed!

We visited t ST. Stephen’s Cathedral  located only 2 minutes’ walk from our Airbnb, great opportunity to see a gothic masterpiece, in addition we paid  7 euros for both of us, and took the elevator to  one of the towers,  great views of the city. 

Choosing a concert was based on reviews and length, we attended a quartet concert in StAnne Kirche, a beautiful baroque church with amazing acoustic. A short concert of 1:10 minutes that is easy for parents to persuade children to try to enjoy. It was a beautiful concert and great experience for me, as my son fell asleep.

We visited Damel coffee shop to have a look at the cakes with the intention to return if my taste and sense of smell were to recover. I took my son to eat Sacher cake at the Sacher café,  and used the afternoons to  walk the streets of Vienna, absorbing  its vibrant, organized life and its grandeur. We concluded our days in Vienna with a walk around the museum quarters, continuing to walk to Naschmarkt and dinner at a restaurant recommended by the owner of our Airbnb called Neni. The Naschmarket gave us the very much needed change of scenery of the tourist crowds, and we enjoyed very much seeing the Austrians enjoy their Friday evening among friends. The food was also very good.

From the train to Prague and a hostel window in Prague

18.07.2015/19.07.15

The night we left Rome

Musei Capitolini

Finally! I could not wait anymore, I was glad to leave Rome, the inferno, the overwhelming heat took almost the best out of us, and other tourist around. It was easy to witness the vacation stress with other mixed factors in people’s reactions, the way they discussed publicly about which direction to go, the way a woman left her man standing saying “ I'll see you later in the hotel, I am not going with you” in a very angry voice,  or a child crying in desperation asking to be carried by the brave parents who obviously could have used a stroller.

 

I have been to Rome several times and  I know is vast, rich,  beautiful and there is a lot to do that I have not seen yet, but it is crowded!   I decided to come here because Aleksander had it on his wish list. I hope that this short visit of  highlights leaves Aleksnader with a good impression for him to return alone, for I do prefer Paris if I am going to get to know a capital well.  

Using public transport was out of the question, being in the metro stations and in Termini was like being in tank full of sharks ready to bite, pickpockets everywhere, we witnessed one event with violence, enough to put us on guard, enough to make Aleksnader skeptic, enough to take a few taxis.

But we tried as best as we could to live as budget travelers, seeing the things Aleksander wanted to see, and the things his mother wanted to see (churches) and we walked long walks, this time we avoided the hop on – hop off and we used our backpacker legs.  We used the budget for a ride on a bicycle taxi that Aleksnader had been asking since we started our holiday. The happiest smiles the boy gave me once I said let’s take one.

We took an afternoon in Trastevere and enjoyed the change of scenere and pace very much. If there should be a next time I will stay away from the tourist area and stay in an area like this.

Our last day was spent waiting for our night train counting the minutes for our departure, we met my cousin Francisco who is working in the University of Rome with something related to his field of physics and mathematics, and quantum physics. He has been in Rome for one year and he hopes  to finish his work in one more year. He is one of the “babies” of the Nettel family that I am so fond of. Francsico met us at Termini, we had coffee and a long chat catching up, we said goodbye to each other, but he returned again and surprised us to say goodbye and to make sure we came safely to our train. I was glad someone carried my backpack.

Our Airbnb accommodation was interesting, an old cistern, converted into an artistic basement with several private rooms with bathroom, spotless, nicely decorated, convenient in term of location but the only issue was the lack of windows. More than two nights I could not have coped. The host Domenico was really good, friendly, and responsive. The Airbnb provided daily cleaning. I noticed that the price of the accommodation today had increase to the double I paid. Artist studio in the center of Rome

Musei Palazzo Massimo

Now we have left Rome, my son has enjoyed very much climbing the bunk bed of our little cabin place in the train, he has opened and close all the compartments and I have not seen him so happy and engaged with something since we started this holiday. As for me, I welcomed the silence and privacy of our compartment if only for a night.

Tomorrow we will wake up in Vienna, the land where my ancestors lived after they moved from Bohemia. There will be family stories to tell.

From the train Rome – Vienna 15.07.15

From Vienna, waiting for our Airbnb chck in. 16.07.15

From Nice to Cinque Terre - Arriving to Croniglia

We took the local buss No. 23 directly to the airport where we were to pick our buss to Geonva. The price per person for this 3 hour drive was 9 euros, very good busses with WIFI. Upon arriving in Genova we bought the only ticket train we didn't pre order to Cinque Terre, for 10 Euros per person, we had to run like crazy in order to catch the train that was about to leave in three minutes, we arrived with no problem all the way here. Total traveling time was less than six hours.

 The costal views from France to Italy are very pretty, but as we got closer to Italy you notice the difference right away. The train ride along the cost was really scenic, every village got us more and more excited about arriving in Cinque Terre, when we finally made it here we couldn't believe our eyes, my son was more excited about the place than he has ever been.

We spent the afternoon exploring the little village we chose as our accommodation destination. We picked Corniglia mainly because is the smallest village, has around 250 inhabitants, doesn't lie close to the see, and therefore has less tourist, but charming and beautiful it is. We also were late booking, so comparing prices in other places vs. standard, Lidia's  Il Carugio - Stanza privata con Park seemed like a very good deal. Here for 200 Kr more per night compared to our other accommodations (except in Vence which was booked via Booking.com) you get a very good deal. The place looks even better than the pictures, the room was in perfect conditions, clean, specious and pretty, private modern bathroom, Air condition which we haven't had in any of the other places, but after a week surviving with a fan, we notice that we have acclimatized well, and we only used it as a fan. Il Carugio has a beautiful terrace, everything is so clean, and also offers the use of a laundry machine for free, should I have read carefully could have saved me some money by waiting one day to do our laundry. There is small and well equipped kitchen just next to the terrace and people are welcome to prepare a meal here or order take away and enjoy a meal on the fantastic terrace.

Lidia, the owner came to pick us up at the main square and took us to her B&B. She provided plenty of information, borrowed us a guide, gave us a map, and was very attentive and kind giving us around 15 minutes of information and recommendations. 

Last night we tried   Ristorante Cecio   Delicious food, great view.



I have been up since five AM, no one is awake, but I have so little time and sleeping through such place is a true shame. The birds and the roosters have been up for a while, now is 7:00 AM, I had my coffee at the terrace, facing the sea and the church,  the bells are  starting to chime a tune, and in the distance one can here the church bells from the neigbore village that stands even on a higher top. This place is idyllic, I regret not booking more days in Terre Cinque, but we will make the best of the time we have here. It's time to hit the walking trails but the smell of fresh baking bread is inviting me out, is time to wake up the little one.

Buongiorno
From Corniglia Cinque Terre,
12.05.15

 

Vence and Saint Paul de Vence

Vence

We left Aix on the direction to Nice,  and upon arriving in Marseille I lost my tickets on a trip to the toilet (maybe they were stolen), so we ran to the ticket center to re issue new ones, standing in line with 15 minutes to go before departure, it seemed like an eternity until our turn came to speak to one of the ticket service employees, no problem, we reached our train, it was a big double decker train and it was full, we sat next to a young man who immediately started talking to us, a French/American young man of 22 with Norwegian roots.  

Villa Bellebo, Vence

We arrived in Nice and we took the tram and walk in order to find the buss that for 1.5 Euro takes you on a 40 minute trip to Vence and St Paul de Vence. We were tired and from Vence to to the B&B we took a taxi 16 Euros.

We arrived in Villa Bellebo ran by a Flemish couple that simply made our experience amazing. The right place to come when you have been hanging with your kid for many days and in need of grown up conversations. You can read here my review on theirguesthouse on TripAdvisor (not published yet)

Here youcan read more about Vence the 12th century medieval city  

And also by buss from Vence, only 4 km away you find the impressive and beautiful place of St Paul de Vence, here you can read about St. Paul de Vence history

There is much to see, and it is true that the area is better explored by car, however, this should not stop other travlers like us to not venture to such beautiful places as Vence and St. Paul de Vence, both worth visitng and spending more time, which we didn't have. 









After our sightseeing trip we returned to our Villa Bellebo, we used the swiming pool, and enjoy a little bit of sun and later shared a  nice dinner with the owners and other guests. The night prolonged itself until 1 AM,  the company, the good food, the conversations, the laughs and the fresh evening atmosphere of the south of France gave me a short but serene night,  and the conviction that I had chosen well converting a simple French summer night into a magical French summer night in Vence. 


From Nice, 10.07.15

Aix en Provence

I  can’t begin to tell how tired we are... the days have been full, full of life, sun and things to do. No minute wasted, not even the minutes we have returned to our Airbnb’s to rest and avoid getting over exposed to the sun. We have arrived in Nice after what has been four amazing days since we left Arles, on the direction to Aix en Provence and later Vence. 

The days in Aix were wonderful, our Airbnb accommodation just around the corner of Cours Mirabeau, our hosts, two retired journalist with a cozy flat,  a good bathroom and bedroom, and more important friendly, knowledgeable and polite. Rene took the time to mark a map for me so I would make the best of our time in Aix. We visited museums, markets and churches, and we walked on the streets of Aix, myself falling consciously in love with  the place and my son absorbing a reality that will only return in his mind when he is older, in the impressions memorized by his senses. I am impressed about his disposition to visit museums and experience art, the way he tries to tell me how color conveys an  emotion, the way he suggest a place to take a good picture, how he reads the map, how he tries to speak English with those who try to speak to him.

I sat in café in Aix en Provence and drank Rose wine, and I realized that I had not been aware of my state of mind, for the only state of mind I had was that of living life, being in it. I had no sadness, I had no creative thoughts, I had no depressive feelings, I had no worries, I had no longings, I had my son and myself and that wonderful uneventful happiness that last time I felt was on the 22 of December walking the snowy park of the Oslo castle.  

  

Things to do in Aix en Provence 


From Nice, 10.July. 2015

Arles

We are following the recommendations of my cousin who has sent us to Arles and Aix en Provence. She lived many years in Aix herself and is very fond of the area. We arrived in Arles to find a very nice accomodation via Airbnb in a typical Arles house, our hostess has been nothing but kind, knowledgeble and accesible. The place has a great charm and is located just in the center of Arles.

We had the chance to wander around the streets of Arles, visit a few churches, stumbling into many plaza's including Place du Forum, where the famous café where Van Gogh inspired himslef to paint Cafe Terrace at Night stands and one of my favoirte  paintings since I was a teenager,  we also visited  the Van Gogh foundation  and liked it very much, and finally were lucky to come during the Fete d' Arels and attend for free the festival of Arles celebration show. We have walked along the river, got lost in the tiny little streets and upon turning the wrong way we fell in love even more with the place,  discovering new corners, charming streets, Arles!




People are friendly, the place is safe and the history of the city interesting to learn about. Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments



Do to the heat, we had to take it easy and take several breaks indoors.  However we are leaving this place with the certainty that we will be returning once more.

From Marseille, 6.07.15

You can't do it all!

Keep it simple, walk and buss trip

Our Airbnb in Walthamstow

The one constant and overwhelming feeling is that of missing out on something. I keep telling my self "you can't do it all and is ok". We started late on Friday meeting my friend Anthea for lunch at China Town, after that she took us for a walk and left us next to Big Ben where Aleksander wanted to be, we continued on a hop on - hop off buss which gave us a needed rest after the long walk and the one thing my son was hoping to do. We concluded the day heading back to our Airbnb accomodation with enough time to socialize with the owners with an informal chat in their livingroom. We were greatful for their hospitality and kindness.

From Walthamstow to Arles

We left their place early at 5:00 AM in order to be on time to catch the Eurorail. The terminal is beautiful and the checking process very smooth, we parted towards the south of France at 07:20 AM and arrived in Avignon six hours later, we the took the 40 minute buss to Arles and found very easy our new Airbnb accomodation and settled in starting with a fresh shower, the temperature in the south of France reaches the upper 30's these days. 

New Airbnb accomodation in Arles

Our new host is a very nice lady with a typical Arles property, in fact two as she has bought two homes and put them together. The room and private bathroom are spacious and her home full of character. 

We feel safe and welcome.

From Arles 5.07.15

London for free?

Not entirely! But one of the goals of this trip is to enjoy the attractions that are offered for free in each city we will visit. London has plenty to offer. With a 5£ donation one can -with  a good conscious- enjoy several of the free admission museums in the city. And who in the right mind wouldn't do so, I order to support the work to keep such wonderful places.

We visited yesterday the Natural History Museum (buy the 5£ child interactive book, worth it) and the Science Museum (Extra cost to dress as an austronaut, try the simulators or the iMax movie) We used around 6 hours in both places and we loved it. Absolutely wonderful to get lost in time in those two places.

Later we visited the Hard Rock Cafe London, walked around Covent Garden stopping to see the street shows, drop in at a hairdresser for my son for a 12£ scissors hair cut and later in the evenning attended the Stomp show, which I knew was going to be a hit with my boy. Frankly I loved it too, being a fan of percussions, it's amazing how delicious the sound of stomping can be. A thrill!

From London  3.07.15