Sunday 30 August 2009

Breakfast For The Emperor


Griaß enk!
Welcome!
A welcome in Tyrolean dialect
at the entrance of the beautiful Gastgarten
of the Restaurant Tirolerhof

Red flowers
in a window box

Carved wood porch column
at the outdoor stair landing.

I love how
these blossoms
caress the wood just so.

And this is the view,
from the porch of the restaurant,
built in Tyrolean farmhouse style,
looking down to the 1722 farmhouse
located right in the gardens of
Schönbrunn Palace!

Right here, at this table,
did I savour a perfect Mother's Day breakfast,
accompanied by the cock-a-doodle-doo of
the resident rooster at the farmhouse below
and the finest chorus of birds imaginable!
Particularly enjoyable was the friendly service
all around, and for this alone would I encourage you
to have a meal there.

The Tirolerhof's bucolic setting,
amidst a forest-like area of the palace gardens,
the outdoor dining terrace under tall leafy trees,
and the great food, prepared from
local and even organic ingredients where possible,
make it a really enjoyable Gasthaus experience.

The Tirolerhof entrance to
the famous Schönbrunner Zoo is only steps
away from this Country Inn in the City,
offering you a golden opportunity to work off
the Schnitzel and Apfelstrudel right there!

Or you decide to walk straight ahead,
in south-easterly direction,
where you will see this side-façade rise in front of you:

Schönbrunn's Gloriette!
Standing high on the hill behind Schönbrunn Palace,
the Gloriette with its large high-ceilinged center hall
and arcaded wings, this graceful folly in all
its splendid non-usefulness,
is in my opinion one of the most romantic places
in all of Vienna.

"Built in 1775
as the last building constructed in the garden
according to the plans of Austrian imperial architect
Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg
as a 'temple of renown' to serve as both a focal point
and a lookout point for the garden,
it was used as a dining hall and festival hall
as well as a breakfast room for emperor Franz Joseph I
." *)

Where once the Emperor
used to entertain his dinnerguests
or have breakfast in solitude -
lost in thought, following a mallard duck
swimming in the reflection pool, perchance,
or gazing down onto the summer palace and its gardens
and the city beyond -
nowadays we commoners can do the same,
while drinking a cup of coffee or tea,
and eating a slice of apfelstrudel
if we so chose, all in imperial surroundings.



Click on the image
for more views of the city
from the Gloriette!

And so the answer
to the question in my Sunday post
- Where in the City? -
has become clear:
Schönbrunn Palace's Garden
is the location of both the 1722 Tyrolean farmhouse
and the building where emperor Franz Joseph I,
the last ruler of a long line of Habsburg owners,
used to have his solitary breakfast
(see also Morning in the City).

A view of Schönbrunn Palace
and gardens from the Gloriette


Photographs and Text
May 2009
© by Merisi


gloriette.
Eye-catcher, or pavilion in a garden from which views may be enjoyed, e.g. Hohenburg's Gloriette at Schönbrunn, Vienna (1775).
JAMES STEVENS CURL. "gloriette." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Oxford University Press. 2000.
(Retrieved May 12, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com)


Hohenberg, Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von
(1732–1816).
Architect of the arcaded Gloriette, the celebrated eye-catcher in the park at Schönbrunn, Vienna (1773–5), an early revival of the Cinquecento style, as well as the ‘Roman Ruin’ (1778), inspired by Piranesi. He redesigned (1772) the landscape garden at Schönbrunn, and is credited with the interior of the theatre at Schönbrunn Palace.
JAMES STEVENS CURL. "Hohenberg, Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Oxford University Press. 2000. (Retrieved May 12, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com)

*) Text in cursive, between quotation marks, quoted from Wikipedia.org!

For a map of Schönbrunn, click here, please.

29 comments:

  1. The imperial farmhouse makes me think of Marie Antoinette's Le Hameau -- one of the most idyllic little getaways imaginable.

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  2. What a beautiful place. Thanks for the post.

    An Arkies Musings

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  3. Glorious surroundings indeed. How lucky for the citizens.

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  4. Could I have waffles for breakfast?

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  5. Beautiful Merisi! My apologies for being a bad blog friend lately...

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  6. i took a look at that first photo and immediately thought, 'oooooh, i've been there!!'. Schonbrunn was a definite highlight of my visit to Vienna a month ago. cheers for the lovely reminder!

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  7. Such a nice place for one person to live and have breakfast. It is really stunning and your photography and words are elegant beyond compare.

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  8. Merisi....as alway a delightful visit to a beautiful place! :)

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  9. What a wonderful post, merisi, and entirely deserving of David's Post of the Day. Your photographs are breathtaking, as ever, and the commentary made them come alive!

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  10. Every one of your posts deserve POTD for their beautiful clarity and composition, but I musn't be greedy.
    Congratulations, Merisi.

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  11. Breathtaking photography. Stunning imagery.

    Thank you. And congratulations on your POTD honor from David McMahon.

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  12. These photos are absolutely beautiful! For sure a place I would love to visit! Congrats on the Post of the Day Award! Very well-deserved!

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  13. oh wow. you have such an eye. thanks for taking us on this wonderful walk...gorgeous. congrats on the POTD as well.

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  14. I wonder, is the sun always shining in Wien? :-)

    I never found that first restaurant. I'll have to come back!

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  15. Wow, Merisi, this was an entire banquet of information and gorgeous pictures. I love the shadow play and the flowers in the first ones. Always a pleasure visiting.

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  16. Hi Merisi, an amazing post with the most fabulous photographs. What a beautiful place you live in. Congratulations on POTD.

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  17. Stunning!
    I've now firmly put Vienna high on my list of place I want to visit.
    Congrats on David's POTD- you're a worthy winner.

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  18. Beautiful pictues Merisi, especially the porch column and the reflections.

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  19. Just popped over from Barbara's place, sure glad I did. I have loved photography for years and got the pics to prove it, but nothing like this. This must be the most beautiful place on earth. I have never been to Europe and too old to probably get there now. Come by for a visit in my simple neck of the woods some time. Congrats on POTD, well deserved.
    QMM

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  20. Vicki Lane,
    I remember reading somewhere that Marie Antoinette found particular solace in Le Hameau beause it reminded her of the relatively simple life back home where she grew up.

    richies,
    thank you! :-)

    lakeviewer,
    lucky indeed, especially since the entrance to the palace ground is free!
    Glorious surroundings indeed.

    david mcmahon,
    I am sure they would make them for you! :-)

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  21. K. ,
    no worry, K.,
    I know how difficult it is at times to find even the time to post regularly.

    Robin,
    thank you!
    Your Vienna posts are an absolute joy to behold, I invite all readers to visit your blog!

    Abraham Lincoln,
    Schönbrunn is definitely fit for an Emperor!
    Thank you for your kind words. :-)

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  22. Carol @ TheWritersPorch,
    you are welcome - always so nice to see you! :-)

    Shrinky,
    thank you,
    congratulations to you too!

    Moannie,
    thank you - I appreciate your sentiments! :-)

    Alix ,
    thank you!

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  23. Cheffie-Mom,
    thank you! I hope you come and see for yourself one day!


    Brian Miller
    ,
    thank you, thank you! :-)

    Britt-Arnhild,
    I firmly believe that the sun shines every day here! :-)

    Schönbrunn is full of surprises, and the Tirolerhof's kitchen has recently acquired a fantastic team and well worth to be visited also for the food!

    photowannabe ,
    you are welcome! :-)
    I had fun sharing these little bits of information,
    wished I had more often time for posts like these.
    There are so many stories to tell about so any places here! ;-)

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  24. Denise,
    thank you! :-)

    Mimi,
    thank you,
    I hope you can come for a visit soon!

    Barbara,
    thank you! I love visiting England with you, you are doing such a fantastic job with your excursions around the great sights there!

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  25. Queenmothermamaw,
    thank you and welcome to my blog!
    Vienna is a place that offers pleasures for all ages!
    Looking forward to pop over to your place.

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  26. Beautiful photos as always, Merisi. I went to the Tirolerhof almost 10 years ago - thank you for reminding me of it!

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  27. The Tiroler farmhouse is so peaceful - what a contrast with th Schonbrun Palace!

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  28. And in the distance the glorious Rusolfsheim Funfhaus church...

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  29. You know how much I admire your photos and these are no exceptions. I love the traditional Tyrolean farmhouse.

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