The Oldest Zoo in the World

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Last December I took the kids on a trip to Vienna, Austria. We got the whole Christmas in Europe experience, which I’ll have to tell you about another time.

The part of the trip the kids talk about most, was our visit to Schönbrunn Palace and the oldest zoo in the world.

 

The zoo was once a private palace zoo for the likes of Emperor Franz I. Stephan von Lothringen, Maria Theresia’s husband. It has been operating since 1752.

The Schönbrunn Palace gardens are now open to the public, and those gorgeous gardens include the zoo, although you have to pay to tour the zoo.

The gardens themselves had an eery beauty to them in the middle of December. I can only imagine how glorious they are in the springtime when the trees are in bloom and flowers fill the grass ways.

The frigid air did not hold us back from exploring together through the gardens themselves, gazing in awe at the enormity of the palace and imagining the fountains full of life instead of the icy darkness before us.

Being from Texas, the kids were amazed at the frozen over fountain pond. They skipped rocks across it to listen to the sounds and would have likely stayed in that place all day if we hadn’t been so quick to usher them off to see the palace zoo.

There were many animals the kids had never seen at the zoo in Houston, but a major highlight was when we spotted something the children hadn’t even realized existed in real life. A herd of reindeer, fuzzy antlers and all!

We came almost nose-to-nose with a polar bear at one exhibit, and enjoyed watching the penguins swim around a few rooms over! The kids were nervous and amazed to be so close to the animals!

Since it was so cold outside we enjoyed moments of relief from the low temperatures in places like the monkey rooms. There were a variety of species in each hall, and gorgeous wooden sculptures that left a serious impression on the adults. The kids just walked straight past these to go look at the monkeys playing.

We took a short stop for lunch in the middle of our day at the zoo. We ate in what was once the palace guest house but has now been turned into a restaurant. The food was amazing and it was interesting to imagine what foreign dignitaries or other important guests had stayed here while visiting the emperor.

Being 5 and 3 the kids were not reveling in the history of these locations as much as I was. The beauty of it, to them, was a day spent together with some of their favorite people, seeing new and exciting sites. I’m sure one day they will have a better grasp on the extraordinary things they got to experience, but for now, their fun memories of a day together in a new place are what matters most.

The first couple of days we were in Austria some of our group was feeling under the weather. Those of us who were not sick stayed close to our flat, exploring local parks and doing a small amount of shopping. Thankfully, the sickness passed by quickly and we were all able to explore together.

Sicknesses and headaches are two of the worst things that can happen on a trip, especially one with kids. It’s so important to be sure you are prepared for whatever your body might throw at you when traveling, by bringing a travel medicine kit with you. You don’t want to be stuck with a headache in another country trying to figure out what medicines you should be taking while also communicating in a foreign language.

For our kit, we make sure we have:

• tissues
• bandages
• gauze
• sanitizer
• Excedrin® Extra Strength
• Excedrin® Tension Headache

I love that Excedrin® Tension Headache offers aspirin-free headache relief! I have such amazing memories of our time at the Schönbrunn Palace zoo, but it could have easily been ruined if I would have had a tension headache come on. Excedrin® Extra Strength offers quick relief for different types of headaches so that we can get back to exploring the world with the kids faster.

No one really thinks about getting a tension headache while on vacation, but it happens! If you’ve ever flown overseas with two preschoolers, you know how stressful certain parts of traveling can be!

To get your travel medicine kit ready, collect individual packets of what you’ll need and put them all in a clear, zip bag. make sure you keep medicine in it’s original bottle so that there is no question about what you are bringing with you on a plane if you get stopped at customs, and so you can be certain that you are using as directed. You’ll definitely want to find your headache solution before you leave for your trip.

You can pick up everything you need for your medicine travel kit, at your local Walmart! I found what I needed easily.

I love that for some, Excedrin® Extra Strength relief can start as quick as in 15 minutes! That’s the kind of fast acting care you need when you’re on a vacation (and every day!).

 

If you have a trip coming up, I encourage you to get everything you need for a travel medicine kit before you go. Even if you’re staying home, make sure to keep some Excedrin® on hand so you don’t miss making a single memory with your kids due to headaches!