Just Like Mommy!

I love Starbucks.  This is a well known fact around here.  Unfortunately for me, they are just not found in every town in Europe so my chances to get a coffee from there are few and far between.  So imagine my surprise when we came across one in Aachen, Germany a few weeks ago when we stopped on our way home from Brussels to visit their famous Dom (King Charlemagne's remains are here).

Aubrey is pretty quick to spot them for me and will even tell James that “mommy wants Starbucks”.  While we drink our Frappuccino’s, the girls usually share one of the bottled smoothies you can purchase there.  They love getting these drinks!  This time, however, I told James that we should let them share a Strawberries & Cream Frappuccino*.  Their very first drink with a green straw! 

This was huge for me so I had to snap photos of them enjoying their Starbucks.  At least they humor me.   I guess a photo was a small price to pay for their drink since it was gone in no time.  There was a small demo of some sorts going on that weekend so it made for a cute back drop and I will use these photos for my Project Life album. 

Do your kids share any of your favorites? 

Thanks for stopping by!

*For those who are not aware, there is no caffeine or coffee in this drink so don’t judge.

Vienna Waits for You

Okay, maybe Vienna isn't waiting for you but JG sang this line to a Billy Joel song the entire time we were in Vienna.  We left the house at a decent time and according to the GPS Vienna is just 4.5 hours from our home....however, when you have kids and are limited to just one chain of gas stations in Germany in which you can use a ration card to get gas it tends to add some time to the drive.  A lot of time. 

We arrived at the Hotel Cortina around 4:30 p.m. and checked in.  We grabbed the camera and our jackets before we headed to the U-bahn, which is just a short walk from the hotel, so we could begin our adventures in the city.  We took the subway to Karlsplatz and grabbed a frappuccino from Starbucks before we walked down to St. Stephen's Cathedral.  This beautiful church has an amazing rooftop and gorgeous spires but as our luck would have it it also had an abundance of scaffolding.  At least many famous sites make an effort to disguise the scaffolding by covering it with a photo of what you're missing.

Located right next to the church is the store to one of my most favorite treats of all our travels, the Manner wafer cookies!  The lemon wafers are so delicious and I was excited to visit the store but it was crowded the first night so we went back the next day.  I ended up with a little stash of cookies!

On the same platz (square) we found a group of street performers so we stopped to watch their show.  These guys were pretty amazing...take a look below.  Yeah, that guy was spinning on his head!  

We found this interesting memorial named The Gates of Violence, just a block over from St Stephen's and on the Albertinaplatz, which is in rememberance of all victims of wars and violence.  It was a very interesting piece of art with images on all sides. 

The Albertinaplatz is just a small portion of the Hofburg Palace and this portion is now a museum.  I liked this statue of the gentleman on the horse mostly because I like the oxidation.  I really, really like the way a green dome looks against a blue (or in this case cloudy) sky.  The contrast is usually very stunning and I find myself wanting to take tons of photos. 

By this time it was pretty late so we stopped for dinner and then headed back to the hotel.  My first impression of Vienna was pretty amazing.  Honestly, if given a little more time there, it just might replace Prague as my favorite city!  I loved being there. 

The next day we continued our walking tour and I will share those photos tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Five For Friday

I like random lists which is why I like doing Five for Friday posts.  This week I want to share five things that I am currently lovin'....

1.  Adele's "21" CD - This is a fantastic album and I like it more than "19".  I have been listening to it all week and there I like every. single. song.

2.  Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino Ice Cream - Makes this SAHM's world go round!

3.  Ali Edward's Scrapbook on the Road Class - This self-paced online class just might change the way I scrapbook our vacations from now on.  Similar to her December Daily album, Ali walks you through setting up a scrapbook prior to the start of your vacation.  While you are traveling, the album acts as a journal and place to keep your ephemera.  You add your photos once you get home.  I love, love, love this idea and have no idea why I haven't been doing this all along.  I have a hard time scrapping vacation photos and all the little bits that I collect along the way.  We have a trip coming up and my album is nearly finished. 

4.  Old Navy's Flip Flops for little girls - Not only are they cute and functional...they are dirt cheap!  Best deal to be had at ON.  I bought 2 pairs for each of my girls back in early March and I am so happy I did because I can't find them online now. 

5.  The fantastic weather we are having right now.  It is near the end of April and we have had temps in the 70's for the past couple of days.  Seriously, pretty much perfect weather for me.  There is a slight breeze to keep it comfortable and nice enough for flip flops and capris.  My girlies are enjoying the weather but L is terrified of the bugs.  My solution to avoiding epic meltdowns due to the mere sight of an insect is a spray bottle filled with water.  L has no fear when she has that in her hands. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.