Visiting Schonbrunn in Vienna, Austria

The first part of our trip took us to Vienna, Austria. Our hotel is just a stone's throw away from the Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens so that it was our first stop. It was named as Schonbrunn after the "beautiful spring" that is found nearby.

The facade of the palace and it's formal garden.

It was MAGNIFICENT with its symmetrical Baroque architecture, formal gardens, and neat lawns and used to be the summer residence of the imperial family. The castle is painted in a special shade of yellow and became popularly known as Schonbrunn yellow.

Behind us is the Palm House, which contained an interesting collection of exotic plants.

Housed within the palace grounds are the tropical Palm House, a small zoo, a butterfly house, an orangery and the Gloriette where a restaurant/coffee shop can be found.

One of the many statues that lined the palace grounds.

At the Gloriette. It was quite an uphill climb, considering that we have a baby stroller to push as we made our way up the hill, but it was well worth it!

The Gloriette, farther ahead, is a large neoclassical arcade crowning the hill behind the palace. A panoramic view of the palace and Vienna can be seen from here.

The next day took us on a tour around the city center of Vienna and it's important sights. But that is another story.