As I mentioned earlier, the best companion in Vienna is the multi-day transportation pass. Because with it, you can pop up in a zillion places via subway, train, bus, or tram relatively efficiently (and I love how varied each stop is)…

and save lots of transit time and energy so that you could do the real walking upon reaching your destination. Today, our destination is Schönbrunn (which means beautiful spring if I’m not mistaken) Palace, a former summer residence for the Habsburgs. It is an understatement to say that the palace grounds are enormous.

The next set of photos marks the order in which I tour the grounds, which is in no particular order because it is impossible to follow any guide map when there are so many lovely gardens, fountains, mazes (and even a zoo!) and buildings to see:

Did I just lose you in all those photos? Anyway, one of the best stops is here, on top of this hill, at the Gloriette…

which now houses a café and provides one of the best panoramic views to the city below:

Here’s another shot of the Gloriette from the opposite end of the grounds:

Remember when I said this place is enormous? It’s actually colossal. You can tell how big everything is just from the perspective of this photo taken at one of its fabulous fountains. I want to say Vegas the whole time I’m here, but wow, there’s no casino in sight and this was not built in a year by someone named Steve Wynn!

Speaking of fountains, one of the most beloved tourist spots is right here, behind the fountain where you can get a fantastic framed shot with water running down from the fall:

Yes, it takes a while to jockey for position with so many tourists angling for their own shots, but keep waiting for your moment because this is your reward:

Anyway, it’s a good long walk to cover most of the grounds, and I have to confess I really, really wish I had been able to do it on horseback. The sloping landscape and endless stretches of shaded trees make me yearn for a leisurely ride…

But the only horses I see today are those chained to the plethora of carriages all around the palace…

Here they are again at the front gate as I make my exit…sure am glad I’m not still in line waiting to get in. It’s a mile long under a bright sunny sky. I think this is the very day I finally get my tan.