Vienna and Paris Gardens

 Do you like to tour gardens as much as I do? Join me today as I give you a glimpse of the beautiful Schönbrunn Palace Gardens as well as several famous Paris gardens.

 My husband and I enjoyed the Viking Danube River Cruise this spring and visited Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens just outside Vienna as an optional tour.  

Only Schönbrunn Palace rivals Versailles. The summer residence of the Hapsburgs it is large! It has 1,441 rooms but only 40 are shown to the public. We were not allowed to take pictures inside. It took us 3 hours to complete the tour with only a small time allotted for the gardens. Many pictures of the interior rooms are on the internet but most have copyright clauses. I have pinned many beautiful pictures of Schönbrunn Gardens on my Pinterest Board," Gardens", since I did not get to view all the gardens on our tour. 

The history of Austria is rich and complicated and made my head spin. One fact I did retain, Maria Theresa( read for more in-depth information) reigned for 40 years, and was the only woman to rule Austria and she gave birth to 16 children. She is famous for her youngest daughter, Marie Antoinette who at a young age (age 14) married the Dauphin of France who was to become Louis XVI. 

Kammergarten Pavillion

This large archway of wisteria was impressive on the side garden.

The fragrance was lovely.

A beautiful old movie,"A Breath of Scandal" was shot at Schönbrunn Palace starring Sophia Loren, Maurice Chevalier, John Gavin and Angela Lansbury. You can watch it now on Amazon.

Such a beautiful elaborate urn!

Flower markets on the street along the Ringstrasse in Vienna. This was my first time to visit Vienna and it did not disappoint.

Aren't the flowers gorgeous!

 Although our time in Vienna was limited and this post is about gardens I can't resist two items unrelated to gardening. We were able to enjoy a piece of the famous Sacher-Torte!

And..... We enjoyed a fabulous Mozart and Strauss Concert!

And now onto Paris..... Tuileries Garden. The Tuileries Garden was laid out in 1664. There are around 100 statues in the gardens.

The allium was particularly beautiful on a fine spring day.

View from Jardin Des Tuileries to the Arc De Triomphe. From "The Secrets of Paris" Michael Kerrigan states that these gardens weren't designed to be walked in but to be viewed from the windows of the Tuileries Palace. Despite the statues, fountains, and lines of trees, its open ways gave a clear run to the angry mob that in 1792 rushed the royal palace forcing Louis XVI and his terrified family to flee.

  Video of Tuileries Gardens~ Paris. Paris weather is typically cloudy and this day was no exception. This was in early May and we wore jackets, but the next day we were wearing short sleeves. We always enjoy a stroll through this garden each time we visit Paris and marvel at the design of the gardens that have delighted visitors for 300 years.  The formal design of the gardens was created by Andre le Notre, who was the gardener to King Louis XIV and who was also the landscape architect for the gardens at Versailles. Other Paris posts that include Jardin des Tuileries, Jardin Palais Royal, Jardin de Luxembourg can be viewed here and here. I love the children sailing the small boats on the pond. It's a thrill to watch them sail the boats. It's also fun to see the same gardens in different seasons of the year. This post was May but the others are September.  Have a great week, friends. Happy gardening!🦋🐝👒🐞

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