Day 73 - First Snow in Vienna and a Winter Walk to Schönbrunn Palace

Day 73, and another full day in Vienna. I woke up especially early this morning. I’d tried to stay up a bit later the night before, hoping it might help me sleep in, but instead I was wide awake before dawn and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I lay there scrolling, watching a show on my phone for an hour or so until the rest of the house slowly came to life.

We were all up waiting for the sun to come up, when Kia noticed something odd on the windows. Snow. Not falling at that moment, but definitely snow that had landed overnight. We opened the balcony door and the whole thing was lightly dusted. The kids stepped straight out, drawing shapes in the snow with their fingers, wide-eyed and buzzing. First snow for Maddie, Emmett and me. Kia’s seen snow before, but this was new magic for the rest of us.

After that excitement I pulled on my runners and headed out for another run. Same loop as yesterday, down along the river. It was cold again, but that crisp, clean kind of cold that makes running feel easier. I secretly hoped it would start snowing while I was running, but it stayed dry. Still, knowing it had snowed overnight made the whole run feel special.

After I got back, showered, and we’d eaten breakfast, we got ourselves organised for the day. The plan was to head to Schönbrunn Palace. It’s a fair way from where we’re staying, about forty to fifty minutes by tram and train, but everyone we’d spoken to said it was worth it.

As we stepped outside our accommodation, I noticed little white specks floating through the air. I said, “I think it’s snowing.” No one believed me at first. Then the kids looked closer. Yep. Snow. Light at first, but unmistakable. There’s a park across the road, and the kids immediately wanted to play. While they ran around, the snow picked up. Not heavy, but steady. Enough that it felt real. Enough that we were standing there, grinning like idiots, watching snow fall for the first time.

Eventually we dragged the kids out of the playground and made our way to the tram stop. It kept snowing on the tram, then again as we walked down into the underground station, and even more when we got off near Schönbrunn. By the time we reached the palace grounds, it was colder and the snow was properly settling.

We wandered through the main courtyard, soaking it in. The palace itself is huge, former summer residence of the Habsburgs, built in the 1700s. We decided not to go inside. It’s expensive, and honestly, walking through rooms probably wouldn’t have lit the kids up. What did excite them was the gardens and the climb up the hill to the Gloriette.

The walk up was slippery, snow covering the paths, but it was worth it. At the top there’s a café and lookout, and we set ourselves up with hot chocolates, sandwiches and snacks. Sitting there, watching snow fall over the gardens and the palace below, felt pretty special. Quiet. Cold. Beautiful. One of those moments you know you’ll remember.

The walk back down was sketchy. A few near-misses. Maddie slipped over at one point and I nearly stacked it myself. Everyone was frozen by the time we reached the bottom, so we headed back toward the city. At the train station we were met by a full wall of ticket inspectors. A proper show of force. Thankfully, we’d done the right thing and had valid tickets, but it was intense all the same.

Back near our place Emmett wanted one more play. Maddie and I were keen to get inside and warm up, so Kia took him for a quick five minutes before we all headed back upstairs. Defrost mode. Kia had a solid nap. I tried to look at some work stuff but am having IT problems with connection to the servers. The kids zoned out with tablets and TV.

The original plan had been to head out ice skating again, but by the time Kia woke up it was after 4:30, the snow had stopped, and it was bitterly cold. Maddie and I decided to duck out and find something for dinner. Rookie error. I didn’t take a jacket, just my flanno, and we quickly realised that shops aren’t open on Sundays. The spa was closed. The shop across the road was closed. Everything further into town was closed.

I rang Kia with a bit of an “uh-oh” update. In the end, we walked back and threw together a leftovers dinner. Bits of pasta, odds and ends. Not fancy, but warm and filling.

I was absolutely cooked. Between the lack of sleep, the run, and all the walking in the cold, I was basically asleep by 6:30. Kia and the kids weren’t far behind.

A big, tiring, cold day. But also one of the most beautiful so far. Snow in Vienna. First snow for the kids. One of those days that makes this whole trip feel very real and very worth it.

Next stop: Scharnstein. And a whole new chapter waiting.