Keep it Simple: Austrian labyrinths, miniature golf and chocolate torte cake
Traveling in Europe, my wife and I recently discovered, with our two oldest grandchildren in tow, is way different than when it is just the two of us.
When my wife and I are in Europe we walk, and walk, and walk. And then walk some more. We did all of that walking in Austria and Slovenia with the grandkids and their parents at the end of June, but in between all the walking we played two rounds of miniature golf in Vienna and Slovenia’s Lake Bled, “the world’s most beautiful lake.” We also navigated three mazes at Schonbrunn Palace Park in Vienna, rode a Ferris wheel, swam, took a half-day Danube River boat ride and ate lots of desserts — things we don’t normally do while traveling abroad.
Well, we did play miniature golf last winter in Lagos, Portugal but other than that one time we are not usually in a golfing frame of mind when we walk and walk in country after country enjoying a sidewalk cafe coffee or a late afternoon beer at a lively pub — something we never got around to doing with the livewired grandkids who preferred swimming on and around huge inflatable ladders, slides and trampolines at Lake Bled.
My grandson Gabe, who turned 13 on the shores of Slovenia’s Lake Bled, had been wanting to visit Austria for the past several years. He had written a school report on the Alpine country based on the fact his great-great-grandmother had been born there at the turn of the 20th century and immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 2. I liked the family thread the trip involved and so, despite a hectic summer, willingly jumped at the chance to travel to the country of my grandmother’s birthplace.
Although it was a busy summer for my wife and I, this was the year we took the plunge to travel to Austria with my oldest daughter’s family; and a side trip to Lake Bled, a beautiful spot we visited last fall with friends.
The three formal labyrinths at Vienna’s massive Schonbrunn Palace Park were a highlight of our trip. Each maze was constructed of ornamental hedges and contained interesting stopping points along the way as you attempted to find your way back out. Climbing poles, a viewing platform, musical tile stepping stones and funhouse mirrors, all added to the enjoyment of being with my two grandchildren and their parents.
The first night in Vienna set the stage for a number of after-dinner desserts; specifically Sacher-Torte, a decadent double chocolate cake first whipped up in Vienna in 1832. A brawl almost broke out between the two grandkids as they vied to see who could stuff the most cake into their pie holes after an enjoyable dinner at Toni’s restaurant near the apartment we rented for our five-day stay in this city of ornate architecture known for its love of massive statues and monuments.
For his birthday in Lake Bled we ordered a slab of the town’s famous cream cake; consisting of a puff pastry base and layers of custard cream. The waiter brought out the cake with a candle and a plate which said “happy b-day” spelled out in chocolate syrup. While they didn’t enjoy the cream-filled concoction as much as the Sacher-Tortes they sampled in Vienna, there was no evidence of the cake’s existence when the brother and sister team walked away from the lakeside cafe table.
Back home here in the great lake state I have plenty of fond memories of my grandkids joining us abroad and I hope it instills in them a desire to get out and visit this big old goofy world and sample even more of its world-famous regionally created desserts.
What could be more fun?
— Michael Jones is a columnist and contributor for the Gaylord Herald Times. He can be reached at mfomike2@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Keep it Simple: Austrian labyrinths, miniature golf and chocolate torte cake
