Lucy and her week

I played in the park on Monday. On Tuesday I went to the Music Museum and I leaded the music. I went inside Beethoven's house I only was outside of Mozart's house.

Beethoven's apartment house.

I went to the aquarium [Haus des Meers] and I see some Nemo fish and I saw some sharks in a big aquarium, and I saw big sharks, and I saw a big turtle, a water turtle.

Thursday again another park. I played.
Friday, the General Cemetery. Beethoven is buried in the cemetery. The Vienna Museum shows the church and where every apartment is and every store, and one doctor's office.

On Saturday I got some ice cream. I had a picnic.
Today I went to church and it's my last Sunday here. [Who will you miss? What friends did you make?] Two friends. One of them's name is Lynn, and the other is Emilie.

[What are you looking forward to back home?]
My birthday. My birthday's on Monday.

Desserts in Austria

Before we came to Austria, everyone who had been here just raved about the pastries and cakes and bread and chocolates. We knew the chocolate was generally better, though we did manage to find some cheap waxy stuff once. The basic chocolates and store-bought cookies are generally a notch above what you find in the States. It probably helps that the main flavor is hazelnut.
Most chocolates are good. However, we haven't found very many chocolate candies that have absolutely amazing flavor, except for a handmade chocolate from Fürst bakery in Salzburg. It is made with a marzipan center surrounded by a layer of milk chocolate; then the ball is dipped in dark chocolate. This is the only chocolate that Kirk and I have felt the need to put our initials on them so one person doesn't get more than the other.

We've mostly been disappointed by cakes and pastries here. Our experience has not been from a lack of effort in the tasting department, though. We have to be careful when we buy anything. I read all the ingredients or ask the women at the counter which cakes are "without alcohol." They then point out the few that are suitable.
First, we would say that if you think Costco cakes are good, "cake pops" are a treat, and most of the desserts you make come from a box mix, then the cakes and pastries would be very distinctive, fun, and good to eat. However, I guess we have a higher standard and would say that the desserts we make at home, including the ones we eat with extended family (think of a birthday cake made by Mindy), rival and mostly surpass any we've bought here.
We bought a cake at the best bakery in Salzburg. It was interesting, but not wonderful.

We bought slices of cake at one of the two most famous bakeries in Vienna (the other was too crowded and the cake I wanted to try had alcohol in it). This cake was the best we've had, but then again, it wasn't amazing. You would think that for about $5 each slice, it would be better.

It is gratifying when my children and husband say, "your cake is better" or "you make better cake than this."
The bread is nice and better than what you can generally buy or find in the States. There are some interesting wheat breads that have sunflower seeds in them. It is hard to find just a plain whole wheat bread. They have white breads (in various shapes) and then fancy wheat/rye/nut/other grain breads that are more dense and substantial. The children, after a few tries, have almost completely refused to touch the wheat breads here.

What we are learning

A while ago, someone in the ward here asked if there was anything I would miss about being in Vienna. I've been thinking about that question. I think the main thing I will miss is having an endless supply of things to do, as in, places to go see and take the family. In almost two months we've barely made it to a few of the major museums and sights. You could spend months here seeing new things every day. And, we haven't even gone to a single concert or recital or musical production (that's not our stage of life right now).

Henry watching the garbage trucks.

At the Billa grocery store.

I have learned to navigate Austria and Hungary with four children. I have learned how to feed a family in both these countries. I have learned to recognize a number of German written words and some spoken words. I usually can get the idea of what people are saying to me (it costs this much, the elevator is over there, etc.) since my interactions are limited to sort of the same things every day. I can say a few phrases and ask for a few things in German, but not as much as Kirk, of course.

On the S-bahn train.

Andrew has learned that Heavenly Father hears and answers his prayers. He knows how to navigate public transportation using maps and timetables. He said something in German to an Austrian for the first time this week. He also learned how to construct Lego sets and that he really likes crème fraîche. [Did you like crème fraîche when you were nine? Did you know crème fraîche existed when you were nine? Crème fraîche is common here; it is a French version of sour cream that is thicker, sweeter, and very nice on fresh fruit.]

We went to a restaurant once (that was enough)
so we could have "typical Austrian food" (also once was enough).

Edward has also learned that Heavenly Father hears and answers his prayers. He knows about antiquities and castles. He can talk about Austrian military history, from his perspective. He can build Lego sets. He knows some German words and can read signs and understand some of the announcements on the U-bahn.

Lucy at the Archduke Ferdinand's car.

The blood stains and bullet hole in his uniform.

Lucy has learned to count to 10 in German, adding to her knowledge of those numbers in English and Spanish. She now plays "going on a train trip" with her dolls and Henry. She can get on and off of escalators, trains, and elevators, mostly without help. She can help me go shopping in Austrian and Hungarian grocery stores.

Lucy playing in the brown sand at a park.

Henry playing at a park.

Henry is learning more words and has even asked for some things using a word. He knows how to sit patiently in his stroller (most of the time) for long stretches of time. He is learning how to play on playground equipment. He recognized a Raphael painting we saw in a museum when he saw it later in a book at the apartment. He pointed it out and kept "talking" about it in his funny Henry way.

Sitting in the stroller.

Altarpiece and burial place of St./King Leopold and his wife Agnes.

Henry at a park.

Henry.

I'm not sure what Kirk has learned since he's on his way to Amsterdam right now and can't tell me. I suspect he has learned tons of stuff about his research project. He knows much more about Central European countries than he ever thought he would--and he's just beginning the research. He also has learned that offices are wonderful spaces and he wishes he had one here in Vienna. It would have been nicer for him to be in Budapest because he has an office to use at the university when he is there.

At the museum (the statue is of Jacob and Rachel).

Lucy's writings

This week we went to the museum. [Which one?] The one that had more paintings. [Kunst Historisches.]

Children playing.

We went to stake conference. [She printed this neatly in her journal.]

We went to go see a church. We took pictures and we took a tour.

At the church playground.

I got my Legos--Princess Legos with a castle. Andrew made them for me.
I got my presents that's going to be for my birthday in Utah. [Where did you get them?] At the store where I got my German doll. [Müller.]
I took a train!

On the S-bahn.

I went to the military museum. I went to look at some pictures. I looked at tanks.

The photo Lucy took (Empress Elizabeth).

At the military museum.

Cannons at the museum.

More military stuff.

Tanks.

A busy week

This week we tried to get out and see more things. Kirk went back to Budapest for two busy days of working with students. Here are some of my favorite photos (or Henry's, but he can't write very well since he isn't talking a lot yet).

Henry next to the 2-year-old prince (painting by Velázquez) in the Art History Museum.

At the Augarten Porcelain factory. Unfortunately, they didn't sell any of these nice dishes.

Henry's favorite thing: playing in the sand. We had some sunny days this week.

At the playground.

A panda bear without any crowds of people near it.

Henry screaming because I didn't let him climb into the panda bear's cage; he tried.

Vicuñas from South America; these are my favorite of the camelids in Chile.

A close-up of a sea lion.

Can you spot the baby?

The rain forest building with large bats near the top.

Children in the rain forest. Can you see the bats?

A woman with a pet bat in the rain forest building. I was jealous. I wanted a pet bat.

Henry and Lucy inside a small room in the Hohensalzburg castle in Salzburg.

Playing inside the castle walls. It was a very neat castle—a "real" castle.

Henry found the digger that was hidden from the tourists.

The Sound of Music steps in Salzburg. No, we weren't singing anything. We were hurrying to get back to our train.

Lucy's news

I went to the castle in Salzburg. I loved the museums [in the castle].

Inside the Salzburg castle. It was very windy at the cannons.

This is walking on the (enclosed) battlements. The wood floor is original.

I got some ice cream that looked like a clown.

Lucy with her ice cream.

I went to some playgrounds.

We found some new playgrounds. We will run out of time before we run out of playgrounds.

I went to the zoo. I loved the tricks the baby elephant did.

Lucy on a play elephant.

The real baby elephant doing tricks.

I also went to the art history museum and saw some paintings.

Lucy acting like the princess (painting by Diego Velázquez).