Hi everyone! This has been one of the craziest weeks abroad so far- my family came to visit!!!!! I was lucky enough to spend the past week with not only my parents and my sister, but also my uncle and grandmother. My great-grandparents (AKA my uncle and dad’s grandparents, AKA my grandmom’s parents) were from Austria so this was an extra special trip. I think it will be easiest if I break everything down day by day so here goes!

Friday 13. Sept: Arrival, Stephansdom, Cafe Schwarzenberg

I woke up early Friday morning and made my way to Vienna International Airport to pick up my family. They arrived at about 9am Austrian time (3am EST). They were not able to check into their air b&b until 3pm, so we brought all of their luggage back to my apartment. It was really exciting for me that they got to see where I have been living for the past 7 weeks! After a short break, we started the week of sightseeing by going to Stephansplatz. We walked around Stephansdom, or Stephan’s Cathedral, and took an elevator to the top to get an awesome view of the city. I also found out that my grandparents had been married in one of the side chapels! Then I took them to a really good restaurant called Der Wiener Deewan. It is a pakistani restaurant buffet where you may pay what you see fit and eat as much as you want. The food is homemade and really delicious. At this point my family was jet lagged and falling asleep at the table, so we gathered everything from my apartment and checked them into their air b&b. Later that night we went to one of the most beautiful cafes I have been to in Vienna: Cafe Schwarzenebrg. Apparently this is an actual tourist recommendation, but a few friends and I had merely stumbled upon it one day. The waiters wear vests and bow ties and we happened to be there on a night they had a live violin and piano player. It was the perfect way to end the first day.

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Saturday 14. Sept: Naschmarkt

Saturday we went to Naschmarkt, a huge flea market near Karlsplatz. They have everything from asian markets and falafel stands to macaroons and ice cream. We spent a while strolling through the market and picked out a bunch of things to mix together for lunch. We brought food back to the air b&b and ate together! It was a chill afternoon. After we ate we went to a nearby park and read and people-watched and at night my sister hung out with my friends and I.

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Sunday 15. Sept: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Fett und Zucker

Sunday we went to the Art History Museum. My parents went to floors one and three, which held the coin collections and Egyptian and Greek pottery and sculpture. My grandmom, sister, uncle and I went to the second floor where they have all of the paintings. Mostly Renaissance artists, we saw pieces by Bernardo Bellotto, Albrecht Duerer and Peter Paul Rubens, to name a few. It was beautiful and each room had large couches where you could sit and waste the day away. Afterwards I took everyone to Fett und Zucker, one of my favorite vegan cafes. I must have ordered about twelve things in a row, but the food was yummy as usual!

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Monday 16. Sept: Haus der Musik and Mozarthaus

Monday we went to Haus der Musik! Haus der Musik is an interactive music-themed museum with rooms dedicated to Vienna and Germany’s most famous composers. We started our tour off with musical steps and saw rooms about Beethoven, Strauss, Mozart, Mahler and others. Each room had music by the individual composer playing and had interactive ways to learn about their lives. There was also a section of the museum dedicated to the physics of sound where you could listen to rocket ships taking off, people laughing, sneezing, coughing and other weird sounds. We bought a combination ticket to the Mozarthaus so after a quick lunch break, we headed over to learn more about Mozart! Later that night we went to my favorite vegan ice cream place. 🙂

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Tuesday 17. Sept: Shopping, Home-cooked dinner, Musical Bingo

On Tuesday my mom, sister and I had a girl’s afternoon and went shopping on Mariahilfer Strasse! I took them to a rock shop I like and my sister and I each got a necklace. For dinner my dad made red lentil curry with ingredients he bought from a local asian market. It was so nice to have a meal cooked by my dad! At night we went to Cafe Lassa. Each Tuesday they have musical bingo. The DJ played a song for 30 seconds- 1 minute and if you had the artist on your card you crossed it out. There were multiple opportunities to win prizes. Even though we didn’t win anything, it was one of the most fun nights I had during the week.

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Wednesday 18. Sept: Schloss Schoenbrunn!!!!!

Wednesday was the last full day so of course we did Schoenbrunn Palace! We bought the Sisi ticket- which is the all-inclusive tour with no waiting in line! The Schoenbrunn Palace was the Viennese summer home of the Habsburgs. While we were not allowed to take pictures inside, I have many pictures of the gardens! It was a beautiful and royal day. We had dinner at a restaurant on the same street as my apartment where my grandmom finally got her Wiener schnitzel!

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Thursday 19. Sept: Departure

It was bittersweet taking my family to the airport this morning. While I wanted more than anything to fly home with them, I know that my abroad experience is not over yet. Speaking German in front of them and helping them with menus, etc. was so exciting for me because it showed me that my language skills have really grown! I have gained so much confidence in just 7 weeks!

I have never been away from my family for this long, even since I started college. While we have our differences and disagreements they really are my favorite people to be around. This week went by way too quickly but I know that the next few months will fly by as well! I am so grateful for their visit and that they got to experience Vienna with me. Only 8 days until we are off to Marburg on the next adventure!

Until next time!