Your Palace Awaits

We arrived in Vienna on June 30.  The travel here was a blur of airports, Houston, Frankfurt and Vienna.  Then 5 large suitcases, 1 golf club travel bag, 3 rolling carry-ons, 3 backpacks and 3 weary travelers barely stuffed into a "dinky" station wagon cab to our apartment on Reisnerstrasse.  Our palace in Vienna is a lovely apartment within walking distance of the City Centre and adjacent to StadPark.  First order of business for Jake and Mike was kicking the soccer ball in StadPark and then again in the park adjacent to the Hofburg.  For me, it was a snooze on a park bench.  Jet lag.

On our first full day in Vienna, Jake and I uncovered the treasure that is Belvedere Palace.  Upper and Lower Belvedere were completed in the 18th Century (1723) as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736).  It is a baroque lovers dream come true and just a 5 minute walk from our apartment.  First, we wandered through the University of Vienna Botanical Garden and spied a taste of Tucson.

Then a taste of China.

Then we turned the corner and went for baroque.

The Upper Belvedere houses a collection of art from Medieval to Modern, including masterworks from Klimt, Monet, Renoir, Munch, and Mamet.  The upper and lower palaces are connected by pristine paths, gardens, fountains and a spectacular view of Vienna.  Just remember, don't drink the fountain water.

There was so much to enjoy, we visited again to tour the Lower Belvedere Gallery and Prince Eugene's private gardens.  This is one neighbor we will drop in to visit again and again.