Schönbrunn Palace is the former imperial summer home situated in Vienna. Since then it’s served as Allied Command headquarters in WWII and held a famed summit between JFK and Nikita Khruschev. It also has been featured on the Amazing Race. Supposedly there’s 1,441 rooms in this place. I was too cheap to buy a ticket so stuck to the freebie grounds and botanical gardens. I got the gist. Hopefully this photos will as well.
I spent an hour or so sitting on a bench reading Great Expectations. There’s certainly worse ways to spend a Friday afternoon.
Horse carriages for 30 minutes around the gardens — 65 euros no matter how many ride. I thought about joining a family as an honorary member and chipping in … but it’s hard enough to get somebody to take a photo for me. I offer and take one for them… fully expecting them to offer to reciprocate but, sadly, they never seem to do so here. Thus, more and more selfies.
Let’s be honest, if the Habsburgs had Facebook, they would hate-friend the Ottomans in a heartbeat. As it is, I always find it funny to see people amidst great historical and architectural or natural beauty and have their noses in their phones. Granted, later I was reading my kindle in the gardens but, um, er, ah… what’s this stone doing in my glass house?
Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses.
I really loved this panoramic image of the back of the Palace. The solitary woman holding her selfie stick feels like it captures the era as much as the one above of that family all on their smart phones.
This is the Neptune Fountain.
The next series of shots are taken looking back at the Schönbrunn Palace as I climb up to the Gloriette.
On my way back down, I wandered past the most intriguing “Maze and Labyrinth.” I guess they’re two different things.
I hadn’t paid my admission fee so couldn’t go in but as I read the description that’s probably okay. I was told there would be no math…
As an aside, I really shouldn’t do that “math is hard” thing… albeit it is hard for me. I used to be good at it and I think if we encouraged the children of this generation and beyond that math is important and worthy, maybe they’d be better at it overall. I recently picked up an “Algebra I and II for Dummies” book trying to refresh my memory; I thought it would make for a good mental exercise. Turns out I’m not even smart enough for the “Dummies” line of books. I need “Algebra I and II for the Completely Clueless, Arrogantly Cocky, and Foolishly Delusional.”
Again, I was told there would be no math….
