Five sleeps till Papacino and Nanny Rita!

Happy Birthday at the Grander Schupf

 

And it went so quick that finally we were on our way to meet our first set of visiting family members from the airport!  If you’re wondering who Papacino is, it’s my Dad!  A nickname given to him before Amelia was born as he thought Grandad sounded too old so we suggested Papa as we already had a Poppy and as he loves going out to café’s for a morning cuppa, so Papacino came about and just stuck!  And Nanny Rita is self explanatory!  It’s a bit of a mouthful though.  Papacino and Nanny Rita.  Thought about combining them in the way that Tom and Katie became TomKat and Brad and Angelina became Brangelina!  So how does PapaNana sound?  Or The Cino’s?  Sorry Dad, had to give a bit of an explanation as it’s a unique name for a GRANDAD! But we couldn’t imagine you with any other!

Gorge Walk

Anyway, he hired a great little car, and all my anxiety about him driving on the wrong side of the road was a waste of energy as he handled it no problems, apart from very nearly sideswiping a few posts and kerbs which had me ducking for cover.  Amelia and Noah were so excited to see them and equally excited to open the bag of presents, which included a fairy that flies on her own (magic!) and lego for Noah.  They were straight to bed though as it was late and school next morning.



The weather was great while they were here, a couple of quite hot days, around 30 degrees, when they took the opportunity to visit the swimming pools and get some exercise and bath in the sun.  Rita’s birthday on the Thursday we took a drive into Kitzbuhel, a ritzy expensive little town with oldy worldy charm and really expensive clothes and jewellery but averagely priced coffee and cake in which we indulged.  In my excitement of having a long awaited day off without the kiddlies I overdid things by ordering a Café Grande, not expecting it to be served in a soup bowl.  Three coffees in one left me with a bit of a frown clutching my stomach and keeping a close eye on the whereabouts of the public loos.  That evening for Rita’s birthday we had dinner at the Grander Schupf restaurant, the very same in which we spent our Christmas, the one with the slide going down to the toilets.  I realized at this visit as my German has since improved that the slide is for people with ski boots on, as it’s pretty impossible to walk down steps, and you are supposed to sit sideways with your legs dangling over the side.  Now it all makes sense.  Bit disappointed in Nanny Rita though as she can speak German but still rode down 4 or 5 times, feet first, squealing all the way!  But her German did help us out with ordering, and she actually got something that wasn’t even on the menu and we were all delighted with our dishes even though it was an hour long wait! 



Rescuing Noah from the Kneipp

Knocked out after Dads Thai Red Curry

Poured of rain on Saturday but Sunday we took a drive out with the intention of spending a relaxing day at the second largest lake in the south of Germany, Chiemsee.  In the madness of preparing for the trip with two children Maciek had said to anyone listening, “It should be good, it’s got the longest beach on the second largest lake in the south of Germany.” which I later relayed as (remember I was running about like a chook without a head and hadn’t given this statement a second of thought) “It’ll be great there, it’s got the longest beach in the world!” and only as the words escaped did I realize that once again I’d been tricked by my husband into saying something completely stupid and nonsensical!  So back to the point, we had forgotten our Sat Nav, so failed to find ‘the longest beach in the world’ and failed to impress The Cino’s who were happy to sit in the warmth of a café with a cup of tea (just kidding!) and an apple strudel!  So after an hour of driving we changed our plans and headed to Innsbruck (“Is it old?” asks Dad, “No, course not, we’re smack in the middle of Europe and everything is completely brand new and modern.”  I replied.  He he he!) only to realize that Munich was half the distance so headed there instead.  And after all the kerfuffle of the morning, we ended up having a brilliant day in Munich, the sun came out, we wandered around, HAD A COFFEE, and finished the day in the Hofbrauhaus for steins of beer and giant pretzels and more apfel strudel and big brass band oompa loompa music!



Munich

We forced them on a short hike, you have to do it while you’re here!  Not far, just down that path and round a bit and up that hill!  Very nice, along the river and into a gorge.  And after we ended up in the village hotel/restaurant/café for a … can you guess?....Wrong!....Icecream!  Again a long wait but worth it in the end as it was absolutely massive.  Imagine the biggest icecream fruit sundae you’ve ever had and triple it!  After that we walked to the Kneipp.  A kneipp is a shallow pool fed by water running down from the mountain, and words can’t describe how cold it is!  The purpose is to go hiking and then do a lap in the Kniepp, great for circulation and general health.  Apparently.  It really hurts!  Half way round if feels like your legs are going to drop off!  Well impressed though with PapaNana, then both did it without complaints, even twice if I remember correctly! 



Munich

It was all over too quickly.  Only five days.  But lovely to see family again, it’s been a whole year since we left home!  And it was a lucky escape too with their suitcase packed for Phuket and one jacket just incase, as the next day it snowed!  Great bit fat fluffy flakes of it!  From 30 degrees to snow in the space of four days!  So Dad and Rita, you’re almost home sweet home now.  Hope you had a fantastic trip and we look forward to seeing  you again sometime soon! xxxx

Hooray Shoulders!!




K

Random April

A Day in Zell am See

So not many punters on the Pippi Longstocking hairdo then?  Except for one (not sure who it was?) who was close – but the answer is – Pencils!  I stuck pencils into the lackies closest to her head.  So there you go.

Since then, Maciek started back at work as a tiler.  As expected it knocked us about a bit and we were all tired and grumpy for a couple of weeks, earlier starts, longer days, kids missing him as they’d gotten used to him being around in the afternoon.  For about two weeks Noah was asking him if he had any chocolates when he came home from work, as he used to nick them from the hotel!  But now we are used to it again and I just have to make the effort to take the kids out in the afternoons or they go crazy in the apartment and drive me insane!  But the good side is Maciek is now occupied and is not ‘ghosting’ me around the house wondering what to do with himself! (er did the washing, cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming cross your mind???)  No, he did make pretty good house husband while it lasted, but wouldn’t be making a career of it!

Pool party in April

Cake in style

We were invited to our first Austrian kids party, one of Noah’s little friends from the Kinderkrippe, turning 2.   Bit of a stress as we were running late as usual but then found the road we needed closed due to roadworks with no diversion on offer, no Sat Nav, and it was then I realized I had also forgotten my phone!  The alternative route would have taken us maybe 45 minutes at least but Maciek was having none of it and so took a punt on a tiny turn off heading up into the mountain and God knows how but we got there but we did, and arrived at a grand place with a huge front terrace with stunning views and an infinity pool, only not really an ‘infinity’ pool as it doesn’t continue into the ocean but you know the ones I mean?!  Very different from our typical Australian kids parties.  It started at 3pm with a slideshow of pics on the big screen (creatively put together to music) of the little boy from baby till now, followed by the presentation of the cake and blowing out candles and Happy Birthday songs, then cake and coffee consumption, and after that mingling while the kids played and swam.  The barbeque was then cranked up and we ate great food around the table on the terrace drinking champagne with the sun setting.  More like a civilized dinner party than a kids party.  No pass the parcel, no musical statues, no lolly bags, no buffet table full of sweets and fairy bread, no gathering around the birthday kid for the ceremonious opening of presents (these were just ripped open randomly as people arrived).  So a very different experience for us but we had a fantastic afternoon, not sure how we keep ending up at houses that look like they belong on ‘cribs’!  And we weren’t even the last to leave at 8pm. 

Just a couple of ‘Maciekisms’ to finish:

Zell am See

Maciek sat next to me on the couch, and offered me a plate with the last piece of cake on it.  He continued to stare at me while I took the slice and bit into it, and then he said “That was a rhetorical question.”

One evening once the kids had finally gone to bed I suggested we watch a movie.  We had recently gotten a hold of that one based on the books by Stieg Larsson.  And so Maciek said “Let’s watch The Girl with a Tattoo of a Dragon on her Back.”  Hahahha!!

Next post:  Dad and Rita’s visit J

Schwarzsee and the Wilder Kaiser