All we ever do during this pandemic is walking. I have upgraded to running though during the week, mostly because there is not enough time for a walk. And secondly, I can’t leave work until the early evening. So I am walking on the weekend, alone or with friends. By now we have spring, and my usual Saturday morning breakfast meeting has turned into a walk feast as well. So last weekend our outing took us to the Belvedere Palace.
The palace of course houses nowadays a museum, closed during the pandemic as everything else. But the gardens are open and these are extensive. No wonder, the palace complex was the summer residence of Prince Eugene from Savoy.
We entered the palace garden through the side gate on Rennweg, a rather nondescript entry at first glance (compared to what was to follow).
entrance to the Belvedere garden @Vienna
Of course once you pass through the gate the garden starts to look spectacular. As does the Upper Belvedere Palace.
Upper Belvedere Palace and garden @Vienna
Walking through the gate we stayed on the path to reach the upper palace. The air felt cool while passing the bare trees in the shade, but once we were out in the sun life felt remarkable good. After the trees, further up the path, a line of sphinxes accompanies the visitor, looking distinctly weird.
one of the many sphinxes in the park with the Upper Belvedere behind @Vienna
close-up of a a lying sphinx @Belvedere
When you turn around, on the halfway mark the Lower Belvedere already seems far away. Also the garden, this early in spring, needs more green. It appears almost devoid of color.
the garden and Lower Belvedere @Vienna
The whole complex, consisting of the Lower palace, the Upper palace, the Orangery, the palace stables, and the gardens is a Baroque jewel. Here is the Upper Belvedere palace in all its glory.
official entrance to the Upper Belvedere @Vienna
Upper Palace palace from the front @Vienna
Upper Palace palace from the back @Vienna
Really too bad that there was no water in the pools in the garden between the palaces. The view on the Lower Belvedere, which houses the art collection, would have profited from it.
missing water with the Lower Belvedere in the back @Vienna
But for a close-up there was no water needed. I love the conic shapes of the trees which line the middle path.
a close-up of the Lower Belvedere @Vienna
Even though the palaces kept their doors closed at the time of our visit, circling the gardens of the Belvedere palace is a pleasure. Both, the Upper and the Lower Palace are sights worth to behold, and taking the many joggers into account, so are the gardens. Yours, Pollybert
