The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some really good ideas.
Lead you down the garden path with that little paraprosdokian, didn’t I? I even managed to mislead spellcheck with that fancy pants word, paraprosdokian. It’s my new favorite word.
Lead you down the garden path with that little paraprosdokian, didn’t I? I even managed to mislead spellcheck with that fancy pants word, paraprosdokian. It’s my new favorite word.
Gives new meaning to keeping thing in perspective.
It is a lovely garden path, though, wouldn’t you agree. And I had an idea (I can hear those voices loud and clear) you might like to see the grounds surrounding one of Austria’s most important cultural monuments .
The garden path (which might look a little familiar, given it was part of my Year in Review Photo montage) is part of the grounds of Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna’s top tourist attraction with a mere 2.7 million people stopping by to visit throughout 2012 (actually that was 2011 figures, but who's really counting anyway).
Just a little summer home by monarchy standards.
Fortunately most of those visitors were home (or elsewhere) as Jimmy and I, along with friends Joan and Jerry, toured the grounds of Schonbrunn Palace. We could have used two days (preferably warm summer days rather than the cold, intermittently rainy November day we got) to do the place justice; we had two hours.
We had little chance of seeing all there was to offer: a zoo (the oldest in Europe), an orangery (yep, a nice warm spot for growing oranges), a butterfly house, a palm house, an English Garden, a French Garden, a botanical garden, a maze and labyrinth, the Great Parterre, the Gloriette , the Sun Fountain, the Obelisk Fountain, a public swimming pool and the Wagenberg Imperial Coach Collection; all of which is spread out over acres and acres (1 square mile) of a flood plain of the Wien river.
Least you think I’m exaggerating, here’s a view from the back balcony of the palace looking towards the Great Parterre and Neptune Fountain, with the Gloriette (a marble summerhouse topped by a stone canopy with the imperial eagle flying high at the center of it all) majestically
poised several football fields or so at the top of the hill. We never made it to the top of the hill. Initially I was on information overload, not sure which way to go; the maze of pathways and options didn’t necessarily help.
We had little chance of seeing all there was to offer: a zoo (the oldest in Europe), an orangery (yep, a nice warm spot for growing oranges), a butterfly house, a palm house, an English Garden, a French Garden, a botanical garden, a maze and labyrinth, the Great Parterre, the Gloriette , the Sun Fountain, the Obelisk Fountain, a public swimming pool and the Wagenberg Imperial Coach Collection; all of which is spread out over acres and acres (1 square mile) of a flood plain of the Wien river.
Least you think I’m exaggerating, here’s a view from the back balcony of the palace looking towards the Great Parterre and Neptune Fountain, with the Gloriette (a marble summerhouse topped by a stone canopy with the imperial eagle flying high at the center of it all) majestically
poised several football fields or so at the top of the hill. We never made it to the top of the hill. Initially I was on information overload, not sure which way to go; the maze of pathways and options didn’t necessarily help.
Did they play football in the back fields?
Eventually we made our way to the focal point of the garden, the Great Parterre. Lining the length of the Great Parterre was a collection of 32 statues depicting Greek mythological characters gracing Neptune’s Fountain and that killer view. Sure beats my neighbor's wooden fence I get to see every morning out my back window.
Is she missing a head, or is it my imagination again?
Radiating outward and diagonally on both sides of the Great Parterre were shaded promenades or hedges, part of the overall grid and star design of the garden.
This is one of those, 'how did they do that' when it comes to the trimming of those trees.
At the center of one star we stumbled on this marker;
It was all quite amazing!
at the center of another star, the Obelisk Fountain stood tall and proud, the visual emphasis at the end of the eastern diagonal avenue.
Take me to your leader.
With time running short, we continued making our way around the palace via the gardens, the maze of pathways and covered archways as plentiful as they were beautiful. I can only imagine what the gardens would look like in the spring and summer.
Ah, the tangled hedges we weave!
What impressed me the most about Schonbrunn Palace (aside from all the little nooks and crannies that were great for hiding out) when it was all said and done,
Where's the telephone in this booth?
was the fact that most of the credit for this Baroque masterpiece goes to Archduchess Maria Theresa of Habsburg family fame (see Artstetten Castle post, item #2 for background information about Maria Theresa). Her masterpiece was home to Napoleon between 1805-1809; Mozart played his first concern there at age 6 for Maria Therese; Kennedy and Khrushchev conducted their historic summit meeting there in 1961 (obviously Maria Theresa missed that historic event).
When she became Empress of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and inherited her father Leopold I’s grandiose ideas for a place to rival that of France’s Versaille, she finished what her father started with a flair only a woman can bring to the table, or should I say palace. Schonbrunn was a far cry from the hunting lodge constructed on the site in 1696 following acquisition of the land by Maximillian II in 1569.
Furthermore, Empress Maria gave birth to 16 children, 12 of whom were born during her 40-year reign as empress of Austria-Hungary. Several of those children went on to be emperors and empresses throughout Europe. This girl was a force to be reckoned with. She ruled from 1740-80, beginning at the ripe old age of 23. You go girl!
When she had the imperial summer palace done in her favorite color, “Maria Theresa ochre,” a warm, creamy yellow, it was a daring move considering the usual gray façades so typical of the times when it came to state residences and palaces for nobility. She was certainly Austria’s ‘golden’ girl!'
Which leaves me to wonder; were the garden variety public facilities her idea, too?
When she became Empress of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and inherited her father Leopold I’s grandiose ideas for a place to rival that of France’s Versaille, she finished what her father started with a flair only a woman can bring to the table, or should I say palace. Schonbrunn was a far cry from the hunting lodge constructed on the site in 1696 following acquisition of the land by Maximillian II in 1569.
Furthermore, Empress Maria gave birth to 16 children, 12 of whom were born during her 40-year reign as empress of Austria-Hungary. Several of those children went on to be emperors and empresses throughout Europe. This girl was a force to be reckoned with. She ruled from 1740-80, beginning at the ripe old age of 23. You go girl!
When she had the imperial summer palace done in her favorite color, “Maria Theresa ochre,” a warm, creamy yellow, it was a daring move considering the usual gray façades so typical of the times when it came to state residences and palaces for nobility. She was certainly Austria’s ‘golden’ girl!'
Which leaves me to wonder; were the garden variety public facilities her idea, too?
A secret garden, for sure.
The Bottom Line on Vienna's Schonbrunn Castle:
Verdict: PLAN ON SEEING Vienna's top tourist attraction. It's ah-maze-ing! I'd opt for a beautiful summer day next time.
Ideal For: Gardeners, botonists, tree lovers, children of all ages. No dogs allowed.
How to Get There: Head to Vienna's Ringstrasse. Follow signs for the city centre which will take you directly to Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse 47
Nearby Food: At the top of the hill, in the Glorietta and inside the palace cafe.
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