Day 71 - Ice Skating Through Vienna: Parliament Rink, Tram Mishaps & Jet Lag Mornings

Day 71 and the jet lag is still very much alive and well. We were all up again around 4:30–5:00am. The upside this time was that we actually had food in the apartment, so coffees were made, breakfast was eaten, and no one was running purely on fumes.

It was still pitch black outside, so there wasn’t much we could do early. The kids eased into the morning with some TV and tablet time while Kia and I floated around, half-awake, killing time until the day properly kicked off. We’re still trying to find a rhythm here in Austria. Schoolwork needs to come back into the picture, but right now it’s very much an “ease in” phase after the big travel push and time zone shock.

Once I’d woken up a bit, I decided to head out for a run. I wanted to explore the neighbourhood and run down around the palace area, so I layered up as best I could for zero to one degrees. Shoes, socks, shorts, T-shirt, hoodie, neck buff and gloves. It felt like a gamble, but it turned out to be spot on.

Running in that cold was actually beautiful. Quiet streets, crisp air, barely breaking a sweat. I thought I crunched over ice on the footpath at one point, but it turned out to be salt. There are still chunks of ice around, but it wasn’t as sketchy as it first felt. The biggest change was the undulation. After weeks in flat Vietnam, running up even a small rise felt like a novelty. It was a really enjoyable run.

Back home, breakfast, showers, and then Kia and the kids jumped on a call with her mum. It was Lulu’s birthday, so we had a little virtual celebration for our dog back home. A nice, grounding moment before heading out.

We’d originally thought ice skating only started in the evening, but after a bit more digging we realised it was running all day. That changed the plan instantly. We grabbed tram tickets and headed into the city, getting off near Parliament House where the massive ice skating setup is.

Out the front is Wiener Eistraum, and it’s honestly unreal. It’s not just one rink. It’s multiple large areas connected by winding ice paths that snake through trees, climb slightly uphill, and loop back around platforms. It feels more like an ice skating park than a rink.

We hired skates, grabbed a locker, and started in the beginner area. There were penguin supports and balance aids for kids learning to skate, which was perfect. We stayed there for a while, getting our confidence up. We’d packed lunch, so we ate sandwiches and snacks before heading down to the main skating areas.

Once we hit the bigger sections, we were off. Laps, loops, long gliding paths. I had my watch running and by the end of the session I’d clocked about 4.5km of ice skating over a couple of hours.

The kids were absolute legends. It’s only Emmett’s second time ice skating and Maddie’s third, but they picked it up so well. Maddie, however, ignored repeated warnings about snow and non-waterproof gloves. Eventually her hands were freezing, her socks were wet from snow getting into her boots, and the fun meter tipped over into discomfort.

We had hoped to stay until dark because the fairy lights around the rink would have been incredible, but Maddie was done. Emmett was devastated. He wanted to stay forever. Honestly, they both would have kept going if they could.

Lesson learned. Proper gloves are non-negotiable. Even my feet were cold by the end, and I had thermal socks on.

On the way home we learned another valuable travel lesson: always double-check the tram number. We jumped on one going the wrong way. Thankfully we realised fairly quickly, but it meant hopping off and doing a bit of a walk across town to get back onto the correct line.

To make it more exciting, my internet wasn’t cooperating when I tried to buy tickets on the app. We were already on the tram while I was sorting it out. I eventually got the tickets through just before we realised we were going the wrong direction. On the next tram, a ticket inspector came through, so that timing couldn’t have been better. A fine in a foreign country for something we were actively trying to do would not have been fun.

We stopped at a grocery store on the way back to grab things for dinner and got home mid-afternoon. Kia and I cooked together while the kids warmed up and relaxed. Then we all sat down and ate together, talking about skating, the falls, the wins, and how much fun the day had been.

It felt… normal. In a really good way.

Even though we’ve slipped back into tourist mode a bit because Vienna is a short stop, the day still had that settled, family rhythm to it. Tomorrow we’ll aim to ease some schoolwork back in and keep exploring without blowing the budget. There’s a local coffee shop we’ve been told we have to try, and plenty more of the city to see.

Vienna is beautiful. Calm, grand, and quietly impressive. I’m already looking forward to seeing more of it.