Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace

 On our last full day in Vienna Scott and I decided to visit Schonbrunn Palace. The palace itself has 1441 rooms and was used by various members of the Habsburg family as their imperial summer residence. We took a short taxi ride to
reach the Palace and grounds and enjoyed an audio tour of some of the rooms inside this massive structure. The Palace was quite impressive on it's own, but the gardens include a Desert House, a Palm House, and even a zoo! After spending an hour or so touring the Palace we set off through the gardens to see the rest.

We were in the midst of a cold downpour, so we gratefully ducked inside the Palm House first thing.

The Palm House

Inside The Palm House we found lots of beautiful flowers and plants. While we thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful flowering plants, the palm trees made us wistful for the warm tropical breezes of Hawaii.

The rain had let up a bit by the time we finished the Desert House and the Palm House, so we decided to head for the zoo. Mind, we are still on the grounds of the Schonbrunn Palace! Right away I spotted the house for the panda bears and we did manage to see them, sort of. They were all curled up in a ball snoozing away in the trees! It seemed as if several different species of animals had been moved to somewhere warmer for the winter, but we did find lots of creatures like these beautiful animals.

Within the zoo compound we came across an exhibit that included fish, turtles, snakes, and lizards. We were quite chilled from the cold misty rain so we were happy to spend some time in here warming up and checking out the exhibit.

We found these guys outside the exhibit. I've always associated flamingoes with warmth and sunshine,
but these guys didn't seem to mind the cold rain a bit.

Sadly, it was time to return to England where the weather was warmer, although definitely no drier. We will always remember the Christmas we spent in Austria. The warmth of the people, the food, the lights, and the breathtaking Alps will be a memory we treasure always.