Another Day Another Palace

Tuesday started a little bit slower for us. We had some sites that I was in charge of planning again, but we had plenty of time so we took the morning to test a bit. We have found that it can get pretty easy to feel a little travel fatigue the more cities that we visit. That may sound dumb as we are visiting such incredible places, but the go go go can take its toll. The extra sleep did us well. 

Another thing taking its toll both mentally and in our waisltines (and my chin lines?) is the food. It has all been great but we needed a break. Luckily there was a juice bar next to our AirBnB so we were able to have that for breakfast. With juice in hand we walked to the U4 and road out to Schonburn Palace. The more north we get the more palaces exist. Schonburn is the other Hapsberg property in town and it dwarfs the insanely large Belvedere. At one time there were over 1,000 people working solely at this residence. JFK and Kruschev meet here and it also served as the birthplace of Marie Antionette (I believe that's what the audio guide said) so there's that too. Some solid takeaways from the tour, huh?

This palace was beyond magnificent.  Large rooms with incredible detail. Each room taking its own personality independent of the one before. The tour was quick and the crowds were thick so we're very happy to explore the gardens once it came to an end. 

An attempt to describe the sheer size of these gardens is impossible. We took a picture in an attempt to portray scale, but it is most likely lost. Needless to say it was beautiful and the walk up the "hill" provided a solid view over the city.  

After strolling back down the hill we continued to explore the gardens and Ashley even found squirrel that would eat from her hand. 

That was when we decided it was time to leave the fairytale and head back to Karlsplatz for lunch. We went back to the same Wiener stand but there was no sharing. 

Fully stuffed we walked around the former greenhouse to get the the Imperial Treasury. This was high on my list of things to see as it dated back over a thousand years and included all types of treasures. With my new expertise in planning you would never believe that the museum is closed on Tuesdays. The only good thing was that it wasn't something I wanted to see so Ashley didn't really care that it was closed. Phew. 

As we count continued our stroll the travel fatigue caught us bad so we sat and listened to Rick Steves while parked on a bench on the Graben (main road in the Ringstrasse). After 20 minutes we headed back to the apt to rest before dinner. 

We decided to try a place called Burgring and it didn't disappoint. I went with the Tafelspitz, boiled meat. I know that sounds gross but it was close to prime rib(ish) and Ina recommended it. Definitely enjoyed every bite. 

We headed home to pack as we were off to Salzburg in the morning.