Graz

We went to Graz where Arnold's father's family is more recently from. We spent a little time in the city and took a look around at all the fun stuff there. We decided to go to the top of the hill and when we got to the stairs decided that although it would be cool to say we walked up the elevator was looking pretty nice.

This is the view from the top. Sam was being pretty silly and curious as always so he didn't hold still well for the picture but he's still cute and smiling.

We went to check out the Armory which was absolutely amazing. I've decided every little boy should get a chance to see it. Although we couldn't take our cameras in we did get to see a glimps of some kind of military thing that was going on just outside of it.

Sam fell asleep by the time we finished with the Armory so I guess that's a good excuse to take him back later to see it again someday when he's a little older. :)

Flying...Glad I didn't do this one :)

Getting ready for take off. The checklist was complete and all we needed was a picture before we turned over the camera to the boys.
It was probably good that they weren't gone for too long. This is Arnold with his long legs in the little plane.

This is Dirk the amazing local pilot we found hanging around us while we were there. I think he was excited for a good excuse to fly again.

Sam was very anxious to see his Daddy again. They were only gone for an hour, but since Arnold was gone for 3 days to take the Bar he didn't like him being gone for that long.

Sam loved playing in the plane for a few minutes while we waited for a helicopter to move so we could put the plane back. However, I think the sunglasses case was his favorite part. :) I'm sure that will change as he gets older.

Sunday afternoon on the Danau

After lunch we headed to the Danau River to have a relaxing time in the shade and a bit in the water too.

Sam was so cute as usual and Dirk got some great pictures of Arnold and Sam.

Sam loved the water although it was a little chilly so he got a bit cold after a while. If it wasn't for the temperature I think he would have played all afternoon! :)

Sunday morning

So, I don't have any pictures from going to church but after that Dirk and Caroline met up with us and we took a stroll through the park to our next destination the Prater which was a little scary for me...

Dirk took a bunch of fun pictures from the worlds oldest ferris wheel... Yikes! So I'm scared of heights and this was a bit creepy for me but we made it. Notice I'm not next to the windows in this one. The wind kept blowing and it was just a bit shaky for me.

Afterward we stopped at a little cafe on the way back to the car to get some lunch. It was really fun cause we had little sparrows that kept coming and eating crumbs off the ground. They were so fun to watch and Sam loved them.

Later that evening...

Ok so after a short break that afternoon while we tried to get Sam to calm down and sleep we went back out again. This is a picture of a really cool cathedral we saw...not sure on the name but it was big and cool and once I find out (and I'm not tired) I'll post the name. They were also working on it at the time so if you look closely you can see that as well.

These pictures are more pictures of the palaces in Vienna. I think this one is the winter palace. We didn't get to go inside but it was pretty amazing from the outside. Apparently this is where they keep the jewels and all the treasury so Arnold and I will have to go back and see it some time.

I think this is the part of the palace that they still hold balls in although don't quote me on that. I'm tired and it's been a few weeks so I'll have to get Arnold to edit this later for me if you want to know details come back again. :)
Ok, so I have to include at least one of the statues we took a picture of since there were so many fun ones that we saw. And although I was not the one to take this picture(infact I think these were all taken by Dirk, Arnold's friend) it's just perfect! So enjoy! :)

Beautiful Vienna...

Ok, to start we probably have a million or atleast a lot of pictures of this place so I tried to pick out just a few. It's a castle or I guess more likely a palace that was huge and beautiful. The first picture is from the entrance. Once we got it and got the tickets we walked all the way up to the back and got a view from there....It was a long walk. Sam had fun climbing the stairs by himself but he decided to sit and take a bit of a break at one point. He's just too cute for words.

So this is a picture looking back at where we came from. The entrance is on the other side of the building in the distance so the grounds are pretty huge. I can't imagine having a backyard that big.

A closer look at the back of the palace and the pretty gardens. Not that you can see much but it was beautiful.

This is where we walked to and climbed up the stairs to the top so we could see the view. We then walked all the way back and took a tour of the palace. I have to admit I got a lot of excercise that day since this wasn't the only walking we did. It was worth it to see the old summer palace of the Austrian king. They really lived a completely different life.

Austria, here we come!

It's always nice to have a sleepy baby in the car. I particularly like this picture because the doll is sleeping too and the drool that is coming from Sam's mouth. He does have 4 molars now so he has every right to be drooling in this picture.

This was the most beautiful path we walked on for a short break. We stopped by this place called Wallhalla that is dedicated to great Germans in history. A lot of people usually only think of one German when they think of Germans but so many beautiful and wonderful things have come from here and it's sad we don't think of those first.

Father and son taking a stretch! :) It's so much fun to see them together! They make quite the team. And then there is me hiding my expanding waistline infront of the Danau river. It made me think of the viennese waltz I've danced so many times.

Dad this one is for you. Random mining thing at our stop. Pretty fun and Sam is cute!
So sleepy! He did great in the car but it's just not the same as your bed especially when you are stuck in traffic and it's warm... Thanks Sam for being so good!