From mass to amusement park

June 14th--We left the apartment early this morning in order to make the 9:15 mass at Hofmusikkapelle where the Vienna Boys' Choir sing. The opportunity was great because we didn't have to pay and we actually got to see them. The boys sing from a high balcony at the back of the chapel where they are heard, but not seen. That is if you are in a pew. We opted to not pay for a ticket and just stood in the narthex. We could still hear the boys and see the Mass on a TV monitor which meant we could see the boys as well. After the mass we went for a short coffee/hot chocolate break at Starbucks. It was the closest cafe with outdoor seating. We didn't want to go far because the next mass we were attending was right across the plaza from Hofmuikkapelle. After our snack, we walked to the Augustinian Church. The church's mass is a hit for music lovers. Although we couldn't understand a word of the mass, we were able to enjoy a "concert" by the orchestra accompanying the choir. It was beautiful music from famous hometown composers Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. After the service, we headed back to the apartment to change from church clothes to play clothes and we were off to the Wiener Prater. This is known as Vienna's Playground, but to us it was like the State Fair of Texas. The first thing we saw and rode was the Ferris wheel (Riesenrad). This wheel was built in 1897, is 64.75 meters tall, weighs 430 t and turns very slowly at 2.7 km/h. It didn't matter how fast or slow it moved, we got a great view of the amusement park and of Vienna. Upon exiting the Ferris wheel, the kids just went crazy with excitement...literally kids in a candy store! We rode several rides while making our way to Schweizerhaus. This is Vienna's most famous beer garden. We got a perfect table right next to the playground so the kids played while Mike and I worked our way through an all German menu. All and all though we did an excellent job. We had a knuckle of pork, cucumber salad, french fries and weisswurst...and of course a couple of Budvar's, the original Budweiser beer. It was all very good. After lunch, we rode a few more rides before enjoying some cotton candy. We finished up the day with a small train ride. The funny thing about the train ride is Austin not seeing it as a "ride". He asked "Where are we going? Where's our suitcases?" Our kids are learning so much from this adventure. This was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!