Neusiedler See

On two different days of our vacation we visited the Neusiedler See area. It was a huge lake in Austria that had several different banks from which you could swim and spend the day doing various activities. On one day we went to the Seebad area and on another we went to Podersdorf. Both were extremely beautiful locations along side the water. The first time there we went with the Keens and spent our time together with our families, and the second day we spent together just the three of us. Each day was wonderful and relaxing. I have really missed being near water and this lake was large and gorgeous. Here are some pictures from our time there:




We spent a lot of time in this part of the park alongside the lake. There was a children's pool area with little cobblestone creeks, slides, and other fun things to do in the water.






You can see the lake in the background. Seeing all of the sailboats on it was probably my favorite part. I also really loved the smell of the water in the air. They had a beautiful children's playground amidst the trees so you could get a little relief from the sun while playing or laying out for a while.





Lots of little ducks wandering around our blankets and watching us play. The kids loved seeing them... and maybe chasing a couple of them before we could stop them. :)






I couldn't get here in time with the camera, but I love these swings, which we also have in Olomouc. The boys were so sweet laying in it together and laughing.






Playing in the pool. One of the things I appreciated was that all of the different levels of the pool area were shallow enough for the kids to walk around- and they had water slides to help them get from one level to another. It was fun even for us adults! :)





So sweet holding on to Daddy's hands. I also love the crazy, wild hair after swimming.






Out in the lake





Watching the boats...







Running to Mommy with a huge smile. I couldn't really capture it, but I tried. I have about 8 shots of it, but this was the best one. :)






End of the day family photos... We probably should have tried these before the kids were so exhausted.











The next day we decided our two families would have some personal, family time for most of the day. So, Josh and I headed back to the waterside because we couldn't get enough of that air, water, sun, and relaxation that set in just by being there.







After walking alongside the water and park for a bit we stopped for some lunch at a restaurant with an outdoor patio and view of the water and boats going by. These are the dishes we ordered and they were excellent! Josh had the plate in the top picture, which was a risotto dish with zucchini, pumpkin, and ginger in it with shavings of smoked ham and tomatoes. It was delicious! I ordered a grilled chicken breast with a 3 pepper cream sauce and a side of salad with vinaigrette dressing. These were our best meals of the whole vacation! Jakub ate from both of ours and seemed to love it as well. He was so tired, though, that within about 3 minutes of walking after lunch he was asleep for his afternoon nap.




So, after enough walking to ensure a deep sleep, I parked my boys here under some trees and enjoyed watching them rest and watching the activity out on the water. It was a very windy day so it felt perfect under these trees. Jakub slept for 1 1/2 hours like this!








After the nap we did some rock throwing into the water- a favorite activity of ours. Yes, those are socks with sandals. We live in Europe. They prevent blisters on a day full of walking. They help prevent sunburn on a sensitive area. It's practical. And cute. :)





And we finished the afternoon off with some ice-cream, of course!




Gorgeous days spent with our sweet boy. Love, love, love!