Schönbrunn Palace

     

While fowl hunting in the Katterburg estate of Austria, Emperor Matthias, third son of archduke Maximilian, discovered a "fair-spring" or Schön-Brunn in the middle of a forest which led to its present-day name. Schönbrunn Palace is one of the main attractions in Vienna, luring scores of tourists from all corners of the world. Blended in its architectural magnificence is the brilliance and foresight of a powerful woman, the heiress to Emperor Charles VI, Maria Theresa.

Maria Theresa was the daughter of Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine. They were the ruler of the Habsburg empire in Austria. Having lost all hopes of bearing a son,  Emperor Charles and his wife decided to find a suitable match for Maria Theresa, who could rule on her behalf. She was then married off to Franz Stephan of Lorraine. 

Although deeply in love with Franz Stephen, Maria Theresa disregarded her father's idea behind this marriage. Rather she took full charge of the monarchy and led from the front, defending the Habsburgs against several invasions (Silesian war). In total, Franz and Maria had sixteen children. While being a fiery figure in front of adversities, she was also a strict mother to her children, imposing a proper catholic upbringing. The Schönbrunn Palace was the summer house of the Habsburgs.

Traveling to Austria reminded me of the movie Before Sunrise. It would be a huge miss not to visit some of the iconic filming locations like  Kleines Café and Zollamssteg Bridge. After an elegant breakfast at the Amedia-Inn, I set out for Schönbrunn Palace first. The weather was perfect. Clear blue sky with just enough chill, something that I deeply missed since moving to Poland. 

 

As my uber made its way through the cobblestone path, I got lost in the beautiful baroque-style

building on both sides of the street. Imagine shrinking to a very small size inside an art gallery of the 17th century. Walking past canvases would give the same feeling as looking through the window of a car. In about 20 minutes, I reached the palace grounds. The Schönbrunn Palace dazzled brilliantly against the sun. Its vastness was barely fitting in my 123-degree wide-angle phone camera.

I had booked a guided tour of the palace from Good Vienna Tours. It's recommended if anyone is interested in the history of Habsburg and the story behind the palace. I was amazed to learn that the original plan for the palace was even grander. What we see is a tiny version spanning only 400 acres! The trees in Schönbrunn's garden look like light rays radiating away towards the hill when viewed aerially. This clever trick allowed Maria Theresa to keep an eye on her children from her bedroom window.

Inside the palace compound, there is a small hill, on which a Gloriette is constructed. It is an emblem of the victory of the Habsburg and the settlement of peace. From here, a complete panoramic view of Vienna can be seen. One can pay a little extra to go to the top of this structure and capture the view. If you are lucky as well as rich (which I am neither), you can get a window seat inside the Café Gloriette, whilst enjoying Vienna's famous apple strudel and coffee.  There is also a nice little zoo along the foothill but the entry fee is quite high. 

Few tips: 

• Don't carry handbags or bigger luggage. They are not allowed inside the main palace building. The same applies to plastic water bottles. You will definitely feel thirsty so either buy from some shops like the one near the zoo gate or just drink from the water spring behind the Gloriette.
• The entire compound will easily take two days to see. So plan accordingly if you want to see literally everything.
• If you don't have a mobile network, there is open Wi-Fi on the right side of the main entrance gate.
• Visit during September/October. It will be mildly cool at the same time being sunny.

Walfischgasse & Kleins Cafe :

After spending almost four hours at Schönbrunn Palace, I was feeling hungry to the point that another hour and I would faint. A double-decker tourist bus was waiting at the front gate and I quickly boarded it. Of course, I had a city tour ticket which the usher validated on the bus. I got off at Walfischgasse street which was supposedly the central market square or city center in Vienna. Just opposite the bus stop was the Anker bakery shop and I finally had the opportunity to try strudels. 

However, the strudels were not the highlight of my lunch at Anker. As I was ordering, I looked at the shopkeeper and had a feeling that he was an Indian. No, wait! I then noticed his name tag. It was a typical Bengali name! (which I will not mention here). I must break the ice. I have to ask him about his background.  But he spoke first. "Where are you from ?" India, I said. Then I went, I am sorry I couldn't help but notice your name,  are you a Bengali? He replied in pure Bengali "Hae" (yes). "Which part of India are you from?" I said Kolkata, and you? "Kolkata, but I left 23 years ago".  At this point, I was already overjoyed by the fact that a randomly chosen shop in a country far away from my homeland, I met someone from my city. I was not prepared for what followed. He insisted, "Where in Kolkata ?". Long story short, both of us hailed not just from the same town, but from the same locality as well. We chatted for thirty-forty minutes over coffee and chicken patties, about his kith and kins in our town and his journey to Austria. I had to politely decline his invitation for tea at his house because there were few more places left to see. 

I checked google maps, and Kleins Cafe was half a kilometer walk from Anker along Kärntner street. Both sides of the street were flanked by posh stores and casinos embedded into Baroque-style buildings. 

As dusk fell, lights came on the street looked very beautiful and lively. 

"...Don't forget..you are stardust..."