Schonbrunn

Attempted a symmetrical and centered composition here to render this flat and horizontal scene as interesting as possible. Didn't deem it interesting enough though so turned the photo into black and white to accentuate the sky and make it more dramatic. Big fan of the statues in the bottom corners which are cut. I'm enjoying the challenges of the fixed 28mm lens.

Walking through the gardens of Schonbrunn Palace, I could have sworn I was in a 1700s French palace... Apparently the Austro-Hungarian empire were pretty keen on having what can be deemed a close sibling of Versailles as their summer palace. The interiors are luxuriously decorated, its opulent, extravagant and excessive. But makes for quite a visit. The Gloriette in the garden is a highlight, overlooking the palace and the city. That's where I took the photo from.

Earlier in the day, we went to visit the Hofburg, the also-luxurious castle in the middle of town. I'm learning some german here it seems. Burg means castle. That's not too hard, just like straße (street), platz (square) and garten (garden). No but seriously, its quite fun to learn some new words, whether they're easy or not.

In the afternoon, we went to check out the Hundertwasser houses and village, basically the local Gaudi. Then in the evening, we got dinner in town and walked around some more. Still lots to discover in the streets of Vienna! And its a lot more lively now!

peace