Vienna Part Two

Out first stop of the day was to Schönbrunn Palace, one of the most visited and famous palaces in Austria, and was previously the home of Maria Theresa, perhaps the most famous of the Habsburg rulers. The palace is beautiful, and don't be fooled by its slightly austere looking outside. I'd love to show you photos of the inside, but no pictures are allowed to be taken of the interiors. Its a little bit of a shoe horning exercise, you sort of get pushed through from room to room, but make sure you stand to the side and enjoy yourself as best as you can. Tickets for the Palace start at 38 euros, but be sure to book early, all the tickets are for booked timeslots. 

We then had a wander round the gardens, and I loved the stillness of the water in this fountain, which made it feel like you were looking at the sky as you gazed into the water.

And this fantastic part was right up my alley. Aptly named "Roman Ruins", it's a testament to the fact that sometimes ruins are more beautiful than the original building. I loved this feeling of opulence combined with decay, the grasses growing up, partially blocking view of the statues, further adding to that feeling that you've just stumbled upon this, and they haven't noticed you stood there yet. A surprising mix of stillness and activity.

We then headed over to the zoo. Who doesn't love a good visit to the zoo? Vienna zoo, or to use it full name Schönbrunn Tiergarten, is a wonderful zoo, with a really intimate and up close feel to it. There was a great selection of animals there, which isn't surprising considering its the worlds oldest zoo. Founded in 1752, its spread among the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace.

James especially had an amazing time there, he loves going to the zoo, so for him it was the perfect day out. Tickets for the zoo started at 27 euro's, and you got a good amount for your money. There was plenty of little booths selling food & souvenirs, so there's plenty of opportunity to grab yourself a little keepsake. And no, you don't get to take any of the animals home with you! (Unfortunatly)

Up close and personal with the flamingos! There was a fantastic window you can look into and it felt like you were the centre of the flock.

And this is something I've never seen before, a glow in the dark scorpion! (Plus James's trainers lit up in the ultraviolet light!)

There was this fun walk through bird enclosure too, although most of the birds gave us a wide birth for some reason. But I loved the fun ruined building vibe that was going on.

As we headed out at closing time, I took a quick detour round to the palace again, to try and get a photo that wasn't full of tourists, only to discover that the Christmas tree was being put up! Never mind!

And finally, we had a quick look around St Peters Catholic church in the city centre. It was crammed full of Baroque & Rococo art and sculpture, with a theme of more is more. Hard to focus on your prayers in such an opulent environment, no?

Building work started in 1701, and was the first domed church in Vienna, its almost hidden away and can be a little tricky to find, but its well worth searching for. Keep an eye out for the pedestrianized section of road, it will lead you to it. Entrance is free, but pop a donation in one of the boxes to keep this beautiful building going for years to come.