Yesterday we decided to continue our theme of living like royalty. We took the subway out to Schonnbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs (and Napolean during the French occupation).
The palace is everything you would want from royalty: beautiful gardens, great fountains, the wow factor when you first see it, etc. The palace has 1400 rooms, 40 of which are open to the public. At one time it housed the entire royal family and up to 1000 servants. The place was gorgeous and in impeccable condition.
As if the palace weren't enough, there was a rose garden, greenhouses, a Marionette theatre (they scare me), a zoo, a maze and a grand public park. About a half mile or so behind the palace on a huge hill was the Gloriette, a great stone structure where the royal family ate their breakfast when the weather was nice. It was the original planned spot for the palace (to resemble Versaille) but royals wanted to save money (go figure) they chose a less auspicious location where the palace now sits.
The view from the Gloriette was phenominal. The bit of a hike up there was horrbile - direct sun, straight up hill, in about 90 degree weather. It was worth it when we got to the top though.
As suggested by all of the books we packed a picnic. We decided to eat it as dinner there between our sightseeing and the free symphony concert that was going to be later that night.
I had randomly come across info on the concert while surfing the web. I didn't realize just what a big deal it was. This was the fourth year that Vienna's Concert for America took place, averaging around 80,000 people each year. The entire back of the palace yard is covered with people - tourists and locals alike. The show is televised live all over Europe. The conductor this year was from Russia and the concert was presided over by the Austrian president.
