2015 Summer vacation in New England

2016 School Talent Show

Winter Holiday: Vienna, Austria

Grüße aus Wien, Österreich!! Sorry for the late follow up on our last trip to Europe.  As the little guy gets older, his schedule of activities increase, giving Daddy less time to blog.  Anyhow,
we arrived in Vienna on New Years Eve at 5:30pm local time.
 
We stayed at the beautiful Park Hyatt Vienna which, like SFO's Centurion Lounge, opened it's doors in June 2014.  

 The building began construction in 1913 and was originally the Lower Austrian Escompte Bank.  It remained a bank for many years before closing its doors in 2008.  

The luscious interiors is described as contemporary art nouveau inspired.  The rooms and public areas are beautifully appointed with all the amenities that hotel aficionados come to expect in a 5 star hotel.

We're off to explore the city.

Taking the ringstrasse (ring road) streetcar for a quick tour around the Innere Stadt (old city center).

The Austrian Parliament Building.

Rathaus(Town Hall)

Back at the hotel after a morning of sightseeing.  Looking through vault doors that lead into the buildings safe which is now the hotel's indoor pool.

Time for a late afternoon swim before dinner.

Our first dinner out was at the famous Zum Schwarzen Kameel which is about 3 doors down from the hotel.  Aside from the delicious menu, the restaurant/bar and delicatessen has  a rich history which dates back to 1618 when the original owner, Johan Baptist Cameel, acquired the building.

Daniel loved his first ever chicken schnitzel.   After dinner, we retired back to the hotel to catch up on our sleep and get ready for the next day's journey.  Gute Nacht.

2015 Winter Holiday Travel Day

Travel day to Vienna,Austria.  We took the 2:50 pm Air France flight 87 from San Francisco International  to Charles De Gaulle.  Yes, Sheepie came along.

Air France Lounge SFO

This will be Sheepie's 3rd trip to Europe.  We arrived a couple hours early to ensure no problems with check in.  To our surprise, check-in was a breeze.  All the check-in counters were open with no lines.

Image from Boardingarea.com

  With a little more time than expected, we decided to visit the new American Express Centurion lounge which just opened it's doors in June 2014.  The lounge offers gourmet foods and top shelf drinks to its card members.  The vertical garden in the lobby is cool.

 The decor is very sleek and modern.  It was very busy.  We had to wait a few minutes for a table in the dining area.  However, the wait was worth it.  The small bites were delicious and plentiful.

Images from Boardingarea.com

  Our only disappointment is its location  in the domestic terminal.  This required a bit of a walk from the international terminal.  But, with the prospect of 11 hours on a plane, we embraced the stroll.    After trying the offerings, we headed back to the international terminal to the Air France lounge to enjoy its noshes and gather our carry on luggage which we had left with the concierge.

Finally, we board and are off to Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport to catch our connecting flight to Vienna, Austria. Wir sheen ins in Wien!

The Little American's 2013 Summer Vacation

Yesterday was Daniel's first day back to school. His was excited to start the first grade and seeing his classmates from Kindergarten. These are the photos of his Summer break vacation to New York City and Bermuda.

Busy Bee's Graduating Class of 2012

Today was our pre-school graduation day ceremony at Busy Bee which I attended for 2 years.

 There were 25 in our graduating class which our teachers said was the biggest class yet.

This was the moment of the ceremony where I stood up to declare what I wanted to be when I grow up which was a singing police and fireman.

A picture with my 2 teachers Deanna(L) and Jessica.  I will miss them so much.  Next is a two week vacation in Europe than a short summer school session before starting Kindergarten in the fall.

The Little American's 1st Swimming Lesson

Yesterday was my very first swim lesson at the local YMCA.  There were 7 of us in class that day.  As you can see, I left everyone behind....next!

Coming Soon...The Little American's First Roman Holiday

Ciao a tutti!

    I'm very excited about my first trip to Italy this June with my parents.  We will be staying in Rome but will take a few day trips via express trains to nearby cities and towns such as Napoli and Firenze.  I hope you will join us here as I hope to share photos of my daily excursions at the end of everyday while visiting this wonderful country with its rich history.  Please stay tuned.  Arrivederci!!

My 2011 Christmas Concert At Busy Bee