Day 1888. It was Saturday, and it was a holiday, our national holiday, so the kids had no classes today. And I was amazed that they all slept longer than usual, even Sammy. Randy got up an hour later than usual, at 8 am, to make breakfast. Soon I also got up as we were all gonna go downtown for what they had set up there for the day.
We left the house just before 9:30 am. It was a dreary, foggy day with rain in the air that sometimes became tangible. We took the subway downtown, then found out the Ring trams were not running, so we had to walk the one stop to Town Hall square, where lots of events always take place in Vienna. As were getting closer, we could see two army vehicles closing off the street. The kids got to look inside and have pictures taken, then we continued on.
The first thing we saw at Town Hill Square was a rescue helicopter. We didn't get in line to be able to climb inside, but continued walking.
Next we saw a rescue dog that the kids got to pet, then we reached an army tank. The line was short, so we lined up to go inside and then look out on top. Tammy's head went back down so fast that I couldn't even take her picture. Emmy came next but Sammy never looked out. It was too hard to get him up there, especially as he was upset.
We walked on and saw some police vehicles. The kids got to sit on top of a police motorbike. Then they got a little police flag. The fire department vehicles were right there as well, and Emmy went straight for it. He walked inside in the back, then they stood in line to get inside in the front. Randy took Sammy there as well. Coming back out, the kids saw the water hose and pretended to spray me with water. Even the empty hose was really heavy.
We walked by some ambulance vehicles and got to where you could actually pretend to put out a fire. There were two boards with fires on it set up next to each other, and they had a hole in the middle. That was your target. Then they had two water hoses that water actually came out of. They had to point it at the fire, at the hole in the middle. The boys really enjoyed doing that. So much so that Sammy was very upset, when we moved on.
They had a parcours set up that the kids were excited about. They got helmets and scooters and had to go through it. The many cones that were set up were confusing to them. Once Randy took the lead with Sammy, they simply followed Daddy, and that worked out. It was their first time on a scooter with two wheels instead of three, and I was surprised by how much trouble that gave them.
We walked on and reached the sewage system department. They had a training set up there. The kids got helmets, had to walk through a tunnel with lights and fog and then walk back out. They had a video on the inside so that you could see the kids from the outside.
Right next to it they had a race track set up. The kids actually got a car quickly and both raced it around the track. They enjoyed it, but I was getting very worn out. There was nowhere to sit.
It was time to move on as there was a big fire department presentation starting at 11 am. There were already lots of people standing there, but Tammy and Emmy were lucky to get to stand in the front row, after I had first put Emmy on my shoulders to see. And it was a great presentation. They showed different fires and how to put them out, what to do and what not to do. The kids especially enjoyed the fire action.
We continued walking. I really was done, but powered on. We looked at food options there but weren't impressed. I was not in a place to appreciate any more stations. We decided to go to McDonald's to eat, as we were gonna go right past it. And so we walked and walked in that direction. We passed the army vehicles again and made a quick stop there to see what else they had set up. Then we got to McDonald's and ate. I was in bad shape, but glad to get to eat something. But I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open. I just wanted to get home and get some rest.
After we were done, we walked to the subway and rode it home. It was 1 pm, when we walked through our door, and I went straight to bed and slept. Randy was so considerate to take the kids downstairs so that it was quiet around the bedroom.
I ended up sleeping the whole time we had at at home, for nearly 2 hours, with interruptions. It was of course Emmy who ended up waking me up for good. Then we all got ready and left the house again just after 3 pm.
And I was still really exhausted and stayed that way while we were gone. We took the train and then the subway, then walked to church. They had festival going on today to reach out to the community, and as it was all fun stuff for the kids, we wanted to be there.
The jumping castle was the first thing we saw, and the kids went straight for it. Tammy stayed on very briefly and wanted to see what else there was. We first went to a station, where you had to estimate how much candy there was in three different jars. I filled out the paper. Then we went to a place, where you had to throw balls into cans. Neither Tammy nor Emmy got any in, but they got candy as a prize. Then they briefly played ball at another station.
We walked on and reached the face-painting station. Tammy and Emmy got their faces painted at the same time. I was surprised, when Emmy said yes to the first picture she showed him, which was Batman. Tammy went with a butterfly. And when Sammy came, he wanted Mickey Mouse, of course.
Tammy was done first and eager to get to the crafts stations. She made a little heart first, then went to another station where both she and Emmy made a card. Randy and Sammy came, and Sammy was on the floor and crawled to the pastor who was talking with a guy. He pulled himself up to talk to the guy, then the pastor picked him up.
I had a few chances to talk to people from church and tell them about the past two weeks. The pastor then prayed for me briefly.
It was time for the last item on the agenda: Kasperl. We all sat down by the theater, and then they started their puppet program. They did a great job doing well-known puppetery with a Christian message. After the show, they came up front with their puppets so that the kids got to touch them. Then the event was over.
We started walking in the direction of the exit. I just wanted to get home. We took the subway and were so lucky that the train came just a few minutes later. That way we were home just after 5:30 pm.
Even though I was exhausted, I needed to make dinner for the kids, so I went straight to the kitchen to make them sandwiches and cut up fruit. After I was done, I lay down in bed briefly. Then I decided to help with the bathtub after all. I read them a story, as usual, and they wanted a second chapter. Just before the end of the chapter, Tammy was already asleep in my arm. And it was only about 7:30 pm! I took her to bed, and Emmy went to bed as well, then I got myself something to eat. After having eaten, I started working on the many pictures of the day. And I started feeling better. Now it's 12:30 am, and I still have to fill the dishwasher before going to bed.
