Schönbrunn

One of the last items on our Vienna itinerary was a trip to Schönbrunn, the imperial summer palace. This was a very loosely structured tour, with lots of time to explore the gardens, hedge mazes, zoo, and palace as people saw fit.

The first attraction for us were the roses outside the palace -- they were so impressive that even Dave was compelled to stop and smell them!

The palace itself, seen from the main courtyard. The day started out looking a bit stormy, but ended up clearing quite nicely, and we had great weather for exploring the palace grounds.

The Fountain of Neptune, which is a central part of the gardens behind the palace.


One of the parts of the garden that the kids (Willem and Tessa) were most excited about was the hedge maze. The adults figured that we could make our way quickly and efficiently to the raised platform at the centre of the maze, and then help the kids find their way. As you can see from the picture on the right, this didn't exactly work out as planned!


Sam trying out the chimes in one of the playgrounds near the hedge maze. Dave figured out how to play a song or two, but Sam was a bit less interested.

Sam practising walking along the garden path. He hasn't quite figured out how to maintain his balance, though, so this walk in the park was no walk in the park for him.

Our last stop in Schönbrunn was the Gloriette, which sits on top of a hill behind the palace, and contains a very nice cafe.

From the Gloriette, you can look out over the palace gardens, Schönbrunn, and the city of Vienna.

Up next: Leaving Vienna.