Children's laughter sweetens family trip
Seven days in Europe with 13 children and their parents for companions sounds like a recipe for worn nerves.
Instead, it turned into an opportunity for me to witness the wonderment and excitement of queens, kings and castles through young eyes.
I was on an Imperial Cities tour hosted by Adventures by Disney that featured Vienna, Salzburg and Prague as well as stops in the Austrian town of Durnstein and the medieval Czech village of Cesky Krumlov. The excursion brought together six families — with children ranging from ages 4 to 13 — from Pennsylvania, Texas, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Delaware. We followed guides Kim and Alex through an enchanting storyline featuring the Hapsburg Dynasty, which ruled the area from the 15th to the 20th century.
The company known for seamless cruise excursions and theme parks added in 2005 to its repertoire Adventures by Disney tours. It’s taken the stress out of family traveling by orchestrating every detail in destinations throughout the United States, China, Europe, Latin America and, as of next year, Australia. The tours focus on hitting cultural highlights and sprinkling them with Disney magic.
We visited Schonbrunn Palace and Hof Palace, the Hapsburgs’ country home, cruised on the Danube River, walked the streets of Vienna, viewed the hills from “The Sound of Music,” listened to Mozart in Salzburg and watched the changing of the Twelve Apostles in the astronomical clock in Prague.
These and many other treasures made for anadventure packed with knowledge and one-of-a-kind experiences for this young 41-year-old.
Natalie Nelson became my first friend on the trip. Her parents, Barbara and Ron, gave her the tripfor her 10th birthday. Already a sophisticated traveler (she’s been to New Zealand and Alaska), Natalie picked this particular trip for its castles and royalty. We met in the Vienna Marriott Hotel and struck up a conversation in the lobby about her travels and curiosity about the world. She wore alanyard decorated with coveted pins of Disney characters. Our favorite was Jack-Jack from “The Incredibles.”
From the onset, guides Kim and Alex brought a cheery, easy-going attitude to the trip, trouble-shooting for those families with lost-luggage issues and delayed flights. During a welcome reception and dinner, they urged us to go with the flow and to absorb the sights, sounds, tastes of our surroundings. “Experience things out loud, whether it’s a positive or unsure thing, “ said Alex. “We encourage you to live in the moment.”
Our first full day found us touring Schonbrunn Palace to better understand the Hapsburg Dynasty and its matriarch, Maria Theresa, who ruled in the mid-18th century and birthed 16 children, one of whom was Marie Antoinette.
Parents explored the more staid historical points of the structure with a guide, while the Junior Adventurers, as they were called, explored the palace’s children’s museum to learn about the lives of the royals, play dress up and practice a proper curtsy and bow. Their enthusiastic giggles bounced off the palace’s high ceilings and walls.
Separate activities might concern some parents, especially in a foreign land. One aunt traveling with her sister’s family followed along to make sure her niece and nephews were OK with the guides and newfound friends. But Kim and Alex’s school fieldtrip-like discipline — while having fun — reassured parents.
After the formal tour ended, I wandered around the palace’s exquisite grounds, filled with trellises of flowers and an archway of trees. From the highest point on the property, I could see a panoramic view of Vienna’s mix of Baroque, Gothic and modern architecture.
The evening found us back at the palace for a private tour of one of the world’s oldest zoos, featuring African elephants, sea lions and pandas. We ate dinner that evening in an ornate gazebo on the manicured grounds.
The setting of “The Sound of Music” and Mozart’s birthplace unlocked the songbird and classical music lover in most of us. We saw where the musician lived and socialized as we ran through Mirabell Gardensand the children belted out their version of “Do-Re-Mi.”
Parents agreed Salzburg had the most charm, with its narrow streets lined with shops with ornate signs, its residents dressed in Austrian dirndls and, of course, its wonderful music. More importantly, it was kid-friendly.
We lucked out by being there during the Salzburg Festival, five weeks’ worth of musical and dramatic performances. Outside of Salzburg, we visited the 17th century Hellbrunn Castle, a summer palace that’s home to the gazebo where Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer confessed their love in “The Sound of Music.” Bypassing the lengthy lines, we were treated to a private look at the property built by Archbishop Markus Sittikus von Hohenems. It’s this kind of access that made the trip special.
Archbishops who wanted to escape their duties and frolic in the fountains used to play here. The children on the tour could have cared less about the history; it was a chance to get soaked in an old-world water park.
A chill moved through air on a rainy day at the UNESCO site, Cesky Krumlov. We stepped off our motor coachand entered a medieval town filled with 14th to 19th century buildings. Bundled in layers of clothing, we wandered with a local guide to see the castle of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, housed along winding cobblestone walkways and tight passageways.
Prague’s Baroque and Gothic architecture is stunning, and the Charles Bridge provides an ideal spot to view this “city of a hundred spires.”
We visited the city on a Saturday, joining thousands of other tourists. A bottleneck occurred at the Twelve Apostles, which pass along the astronomical clock’s two windows every hour of daylight.We stood shoulder-to-shoulder with other tourists waiting for the quick show. I looked at my fellow travelers and saw strained faces. Many of the children hung onto their parents.
Later, many of us agreed we longed for the serenity of Austria, and the peacefulness of the Danube River cruise and palace estates.
But Disney guides Kim and Alex washed away the angst from earlier in the day with a special farewell dinner. To reveal the details would spoil that signature magic — and I wouldn’t want to do that.
Lisa Lenoir is the former Travel Editor of the Sun-Times.