Our final destination during the Vienna trip - Schloss Schonbrunn, a former imperial Rococo summer residence - and also a historical location, since it illustrates the interests, aspirations and lifestyles of monarchs during the Habsburg period. The Schloss Schonbrunn has been converted into a tourist attraction since the 1960s, and has also been used as a site for filming of various shows and documentaries.
We visited the Schloss Schonbrunn on a foggy winter's day...and there were lots of people visiting too. The grounds of the Schloss Schonbrunn was massive - to walk through this area took about 10-15 minutes (excluding pausing for photo-taking of course)...and to tour the whole Schloss Schonbrunn's interior took about 90+ minutes. Photos weren't allowed inside the building, but the interior was absolutely impressive...
There was a Christmas market right in front of the main facade of Schloss Schonbrunn! Which explained why it was so crowded. People were enjoying the food (mainly Viennese food and Gluhwein) and also enjoying each others' company. This Christmas market also had shelters - which we dubbed "mushrooms", with electric heaters to keep us warm!
I didn't take pics of the Christmas market stalls previously, so this time I took the opportunity to do so! I really love being in the Christmas atmosphere in Vienna - people are so cheerful and friendly, and we got to enjoy the company of locals. We met a group of high school students who were hanging out in the Christmas market with non-alcoholic Gluhwein (specially made for those under 18), and also met a couple from Dijon, France! When I told them I was making a trip to Dijon for a conference, they immediately recommended Dijon Mustard! I should try it when I go to Dijon in May!
Anyway - here're some pics of the cosy interior of the Christmas market stalls. The stalls were mostly identical, and really neat.
In these Christmas markets - when buying drinks, you pay about 3 Euros for the drink and 2 Euros for the cup (as a deposit). If you return the cup, you get your 2 Euros back. But if you keep the cup, you forfeit the deposit. Many people usually forfeit their deposits, and keep the cups that they've used. Best part - you can trade in your dirty cup for a fresh clean cup if you're too lazy to wash the cup...and still have it for yourself!
And that was what I did too. I collected a cup from the Schloss Schonbrunn Christmas market, as well as another cup from another Christmas market (I think it was the Munich one - the cup was shaped like a shoe!).
Time to walk around the Schloss Schonbrunn! Behind the building itself was a giant garden - beautifully designed and laid out. It was one of the main attractions of the Schloss Schonbrunn compound. The garden itself contained a maze, a zoo, a Gloriette (which we saw and took pics of) and many other beautiful artefacts and attractions. We didn't get to the maze and zoo because of the fog, but we did explore the main garden.
We had to turn a corner to get to the main garden. But before we reached the main garden, we had to pass through another smaller garden - at the back of Schloss Schonbrunn.
This smaller garden was gorgeous! Beautiful decorations, sculptures, and well-trimmed hedges. Of course the hedges were all bare because of the winter, but this brought out a really unique effect to the gardens. Here I am - just as I turned the corner to enter the smaller garden.
Went absolutely nuts trying to take as many pictures of the beautiful garden itself. These are by far my favourite pics of this area. Fortunately the fog was still pretty light, and there weren't many people around.
Check out all the well-trimmed trees and hedges! The trees were trimmed such that they gave an illusion of a perfect straight line, when looking straight down the path. They were trimmed so neatly and symmetrically, and it's just so impressive!
The fog was beginning to set in, but we were determined to explore the main gardens! Like the smaller garden I mentioned earlier - these gardens were also impeccably landscaped - with the trees trimmed strategically to give illusions of straight lines and neverending paths. In actual fact - each lane led to another part of the gardens, and it was impossible to finish touring the whole garden in one day.
This area is known as the Grand Parterre of Schonbrunn - and it contained 32 sculptures. Some of the Greek dieties included Dionysus (God of Wine), Apollo (symbol of moral excellence), Hygieia (Goddess of Health and Cleanliness), Mercury (God of Eloquent Speech), Janus (God of Doorways) and Asclepius (God of Healing). Some other sculptures were of powerful figures from ancient Greece, and characters often featured in ancient Greek and other legends. I had a really nice time exploring and admiring the beautiful sculptures - the details on them were just amazing.
These sculptures were created by several sculptors, under the direction of Johann Wilheim Beyer - a German artist and garden designer. These were created between 1773 and 1780.
A sculpture I featured on my Instagram account - The Abduction of Helena by Johann Wilheim Beyer. This sculpture was constructed based on the story of the Trojan War, where Paris (of Greece) fell in love with, and then eloped with Helen (of Troy) - but unfortunately Helen was already married to King Menalaus of Sparta. This was believed to spark off the Trojan War.
Another feature of this massive compound - the Neptune fountain. The Neptune fountain is situated just in front of the hill which housed the Gloriette (more to that later on in this post!).
We decided to climb the hill to walk to the Gloriette...but before that, check out the fog! It was starting to thicken, but we really wanted to see the Gloriette!
Oh yes - that's the beautiful Gloriette in the fog. The Gloriette was designed to represent the power of the Habsburg. It has been on top of the hill since 1775. Today, it houses a quaint cafe, and provides us with excellent views of the palace and the city.
After lots of huffing and puffing (some of the climbs were quite steep!), we reached the Gloriette! Up close and personal! The word "gloriette" (derivative of the French word "gloire" or "little room") describes a building situated on an elevated site within a garden - and there we go - this Gloriette fulfills all of these!
The Gloriette in Schloss Schonbrunn was used by Emperor Franz Joseph I as a breakfast room, and was also used as a dining hall. It was designed by Austrian imperial architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg. It suffered some damage in the Second World War but has since been restored. The sculptures on the Gloriette were designed by Johann Baptist von Hagenauer - a famous Austrian sculptor.
We had some time to explore the Gloriette - so I took as many pics of the details as I could!
Front facade of the Gloriette - featuring the quaint little cafe. The inscription on the top of the Gloriette translates to "erected under the reign of Emperor Joseph II and Empress Maria Theresa, 1775". The Gloriette is absolutely beautiful! I hope to come back to Schloss Schonbrunn someday - hopefully in either spring or autumn...just to take more pics of this area!
Just before we headed back to the main entrance - I took a pic of Schloss Schonbrunn from where we were standing. Check out how small it looks from afar! In actual fact it is colossal...and so impressive.
Last look at the palace grounds and the Christmas markets just as we headed off. The fog was still there of course...but I was so glad it didn't hamper our efforts in photo-taking. In fact, I felt that the fog actually enhanced some of the pics!
And that's it for the Austria adventure! I shall be posting pics from Australia and Singapore soon! And of course, more adventures coming up in May - with my conference trip to France! Let's see - Avenues des Champs-Elysses, Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur etc etc etc...I really can't wait!