Sunday, Cultural Sunday (6/16)

From now on when I think of the Austro-Hungarian Empire--and I will--I'll think of statues and palaces because that's what we saw all day today.

First stop was our local subway station (Keplerplatz) to the appropriately named Schoenbrunn stop, which is the stop for Schoenbrunn Palace.  We arrived shortly after it opened, had breakfast at the castle cafe (of course) and then we were in.  Started with a tour of the indoor rooms which were very opulent.  Unfortunately, photos were not allowed.  Our audio tour covered just over 20 rooms and it was just the right amount.

 The palace entrance

The palace

Schoenbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburgs and has been a tourist attraction since the 1950s.

The gardens of the palace are free and open to everyone.  I saw many locals running along the gravel paths, though their progress got harder as the place filled with tourists.  And a recurring theme to this part of the trip: Vienna had scaffolding and sound stage construction going on at many of the things we wanted to see.  The debris ruined otherwise good photo ops, IMHO.

Side view of the palace (with gardens)

Roses from the trellis

Fe and I at the Neptune Fountain

Gloriette

View of the Palace and City from the Gloriette

We spent about three hours total here, then we headed back to the city center for lunch.  Next was the Rathaus, or Vienna City Hall.  You didn't think that was where they kept the rats, did you?

Vienna City Hall, rear view

City Hall front.  This shot was cropped to avoid all the construction, scaffolding, and fence.  Follow the link above for the whole view.

Opera House

Monument to Vienna mayor Andreas von Liebenberg.  He oversaw the preparations for resistance to the second Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683.

Hofburg Palace

Emperor Franz I in the Hofburg Palace courtyard

Archway in the Hofburg Palace

Maria Theresa statue in Maria Theresa Square

Natural History Museum in Maria Theresa Square

I can't fit everything we saw today into the blog.  Everywhere you turn here, there's something that catches your eye, and books have been written about it all.  

Needless to say we were pretty tired after all this walking even though it hadn't been as hot as before.  We had some pizza for dinner--a lot of places here mix Turkish cuisine with pizza for some reason--and called it a day.  Don't judge me.