Schonbrunn Palace Tour and Tirolean Lunch in the Woods

Woke up late again today, having lain awake all night unable to sleep. My body is not adjusting to this time zone at all well this trip!  Karen and I went to the Schonbrunn Palace, which is the summer home of the Habsburg family emporers and empresses.  Very elegant and ornate.  We took the "Grand Tour" which takes you through 40 of the 1400 rooms in the palace.  The palace was absolutely packed with tourists so we had to go with the flow of the mob.  It was fascinating to learn of the history of the Habgurg empire and the various personalities who ruled Austria during its golden imperial era.  The rococo style of the rooms, the furnishings, the wood, the gold leaf on everything and the beautiful artwork and furniture was pretty impressive.  After the tour we walked out to the large expansive grounds, which in the summer is a beautiful array of gardens.  We walked up to the Neptune fountain and then beyond to a large stone gazebo where the royal family used to entertain guests in summer.  The gazebo is now a cafe.  The view from up top is expansive out over all Vienna.  Unfortunately it was very cloudy and overcast today so a lot was obscured.  We then walked through the woods surrounding the palace and stopped for a late lunch at a little cafe/restaurant tucked back in the woods that looks like something you'd find in the Swiss Alps.  I had goulash with wieners and bread and Karen had a soup with dumplings.  It was cold today, so we wanted warm food before venturing out in the damp cold evening air.  It gets dark very early here right now, so by the time we left is was almost completely dark, so we had to return to the palace grounds rather than continue walking in the woods.  We might still be wandering had we continued on as there are no lights at all on the wooded paths.  We went back through the New Year's market, stopping for our daily dose of Gluwein.  We also stocked up on goodies, including Christmas cookies and Mozart Kugelein chocolates, some with alcohol and some without,  They are delicious and go well with tea, coffee or Gluwein.  No dearth of good things to eat here!  Tomorrow we will see the winter home of the Habsburgs which is in the center of the city.  Karen's apartment is right across from the summer palace, which is why we started there today given our late start to the day.  I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll be able to wake up earlier and get more time in during the day.  With the very early sunset the sightseeing day is pretty short!  I've included some pics of the outside of the palace and our quaint little lunch spot in the woods.  Pictures were not allowed inside so nothing I can share of that experience!

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