I visited Vienna at the end of February, and one of the attractions that I went to was the famous emperor's palace at Schonbrunn. The palace is set amongst many acres of gardens and park land, and there are a couple of garden houses to visit: the dessert house and the palm house. The gardens themselves come to life in the spring and summer, but they are hibernating in the February. However, it is a good month to visit the palace and avoid the crowds.
I could imagine how beautiful the grounds look in the summer when the grass is green and when the flowers and other plants are out in bloom.
On a cold February day, even the ice had settled in the fountains.
I first decided to explore the palm house, and this contained different temperature and humidity-controlled rooms. There were a lot of plants out in full bloom in the palm house and som rooms with goldfish, butterflies, and small birds.
The flowers were beautiful and offered much-needed colour for this time of the year.
Inside the palm house, there were a few different species of plant in bloom.
After exploring the palm house, I went across the way to the dessert house, which contained a collection of plants for the dry, hot climate and some species of animals as well. There were some birds, a couple of large tortoises, and reptitles.
The tortoises had a large area to roam around in.
The gardens also have a maze, but this is closed until the spring months. I hope to return to Vienna in the spring so that I can see what the gardens look like in their prime.
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