After the Sister’s wrap up of our family trip to Austria and Germany. It’s now my turn! Travelling with my family now that we’re all older is something I appreciate a great deal. I’m grateful that we make the time to share these experiences and memories together. So, if you’ve spent anytime to read through the trip, Thank You! Otherwise, if you haven’t and want to, you can find the whole trip here. Here we go!
Top 3 Highlights
Highlight #1: Schonbrunn Palace
On our first full day in Vienna, Papa Minion and I split from the Sister and Mama Minion to visit Schonbrunn Palace. For the better part of the morning we explore both the Palace itself and the castle grounds. It’s a beautiful property and with the sun out a great way to spend stroll through the expansive gardens around the palace. Being able to do so with my Dad makes it extra special. Sharing moments of laughter, exploration and amazement are memories I will keep with me for life.
Highlight #2: Beer Gardens
One of the things I particularly enjoyed whilst travelling through Germany are the abundance of beer gardens. It feels pretty much like a huge patio and while it doesn’t seem like the peak season for it, I can only imagine what it’s like when they are full of people enjoying the fresh air, tasty food and great company. From what I understand you can bring your own food or purchase from the onsite. So it becomes this very easy gathering place for everyone to enjoy. I wish we had more of these sorts of spaces at home since it would be such a great way to meet up with friends without having to got to an establishment.
Highlight #3: Berlin Evening
While the Sister shared that one of her favourite memories and meals is our visit to the Night Kitchen. One of mine is the leadup to that dinner. As most of is spent visiting various tourist attractions in Berlin, the parental Minions decide to stay in and rest. This leaves the Sister and I for dinner. The combination of the sunset, street buskers singing and a peaceful stroll through this part of Berlin is the highlight. I really liked the relaxed atmosphere and vibe of this part of Berlin.
Favourite Meal
I have two and they’re both in Vienna! Before arriving to this, I knew there were food items I wanted to try. Upon arriving in Vienna, our first meal is at Gasthaus Reinthaler where I immediately get to satisfy the cravings. Being hungry from a long day of flying and being able to already check off an item of food to try makes this meal incredibly satisfying! The next day we visit Schachtel Wirt which not only allows me to check more off my list, but it also offers a refreshing take on some Viennese classics too! In both cases, it’s my first experience of these local foods and they taste very good, which is why they are my favourite meals!
If I could change the itinerary…
I would allot more time for Austria. Because of some flight and schedule constraints we limited our time in Vienna and Austria to a few days. But now, having sampled it briefly, I would like to try more! It’s such an interesting country with so much history. I’d like to explore beyond Vienna and see what the rest of the country is like. There’s a great deal of history, culture and experiences that I’m certain there are yet to be disscovered!
What surprised me?
I’m surprised how multicultural Germany is. Don’t get me wrong, I know that there is a large immigrant population in Germany. However, I was surprised at just how prominent it was. It’s truly a melting pot of different races, religions and cultures. Maybe I had a few preconceived notions about Germany (ignorantly so) prior to visiting. But those are fully debunked now. Even just the amount of international cuisine available in every city is really impressive. Almost to the point where we struggled to find traditional German fare at points.
One memorable story from this trip
During our visit to the East Side Gallery, we stopped into a nice little coffee shop to rest and hide from the rain. While enjoying our coffees, The Sister and I attempted to teach Mama Minion how to take a selfie with her phone camera. What’s memorable and humorous is she just wasn’t able to figure it out. We would offer more coaching and she would either cut one of us out of the photo, or angle it in a way where someone in the foreground would block someone in the background. We would all giggle at the attempt and try again a few times. I loved it because even whilst travelling our family is able to have these innocently silly moments wherever we go and it will stick in mind for a long time to come!
Did I pack appropriately?
Generally yes, since a majority of our trip centres around cities, packing is relatively easy. The one thing I will lament is my luggage. I had purchased a new suitcase for this and future trips that fit especially nice with the “Travelling Minion” theme. My previous suitcase is primarily a cloth exterior and I wouldn’t give it a second thought when I check it on flights. However, not being used to a hard shell luggage, my brand new suitcase arrived at my destinations picking up a few extra scuff marks and damage that I hadn’t anticipated. Moving forward I’ll probably seek carry this on instead of checking it to avoid further damage.
Regrets?
I regret not taking more time to “relax”. What I mean is, I really like strolling around cities with no real destination in mind and just enjoying the “feel” of the neighbourhood I’m in. On this trip, we had a lot of activities or landmarks to visit or see. And while that part of travelling is something I enjoy immensely, I often like to mix that with a bit of aimless wandering with no real schedule or destination. Granted we did have an ambitious itinerary that didn’t allow for this as much. But at the same time, things like the evening stroll through Berlin, or a morning walk along the river are moments that I probably would try to do more of given the chance again.
Advice for people considering similar trips/destinations?
There’s ALOT to see. Whether you enjoy art, the arts, food, history, nightlife, automobiles, sport or anything else. Germany has so much to offer. I think you could probably spend the same amount of time we did on the whole trip in any one of the cities we visited. There’s so much we didn’t get too and so much we probably didn’t even know about to have on our lists. I think the advice here would be to take your time and not feel rushed and you won’t be able to see everything. Give yourself an opportunity to explore as well. I perpetually felt that around each corner is probably some hidden gem and having the time and flexibility to find those will probably be very rewarding!
Final thoughts?
This is a trip that spawned from a Mama and Papa Minion wedding anniversary trip. What started as an attempt to surprise them on the trip evolved into a full blown Minion Family vacation. While it would have been nice to witness their reactions to somehow seeing their son in the hotel lobby waiting for them. I’m glad that this is a vacation that our family as a whole is able to experience from start to finish.
I know I am fortunate to have a family that is so closely knit and is able to go on family vacations like this together. I feel incredibly grateful that not only do I have the health and means to travel. But also that those that I love around me are also able to do so. Having the experiences and memories that have been made on this vacation will be ones I will take with me for the rest of my life. So As I conclude another great Minion trip, I walk away with the ever constant sense of gratefulness, but also an overwhelming sense of contentment.
Hahaha I forgot about that selfie teaching moment!! So funny.
I agree – discovering unexpected pleasant surprises on a not-so-packed trip is often the best experience in my travels. Thanks for the write-up.