Its luck of the draw with the training schedule and training groups but we are some of the lucky ones again being able to train with our same crew from London - Aussie, USA, Canada. All friends on and off the water. I make a point of this as there are a few people/cultures you do not want to get in the way of. And as you can imagine with unpredictable white water, boats, paddles, 30+ people on 300m stretch of river run ins are inevitable. Despite many a close call I am happy to say that bar some bruised ribs neither me nor my boat have ever come to much harm from a collision (touch wood).
Following one of our earlier training sessions Els and I locked in a visit to the Schoenbrunn Palace as recommended by Allmi.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words so feel free to scroll past my dribble to see all the palace glory below.
What you wont see in the pictures is any of the interior of the palace as none were allowed. I can attest to the beauty and ornate detailing of the lavish rooms of the Hapsburgs. Bear in mind we only saw 44 out of the extensive 1,441 rooms. All tied in with the History of Austria, Maria Theresa and her 16 children and the influence of their politically prosperous marriages throughout Europe.
Following the audio guided tour through the rooms we ventured around the expansive gardens. The Palace looks over a beautifully manicured park which extends to a magnificent fountain featuring Neptune god of the sea. Further behind this is the Gloriette perched on the top of the hill built to glorify the Habsburgs power. From up there you see panoramic views of the city of Vienna.
The extraordinarily well maintained gardens also included an Orangery, Palmery, Dessert house, Rosarium, a maze and numerous fountains not to mention a zoo. You had to pay extra to access some parts of the park so we managed to sneak some views of the animals through the fence.
Front of house
Neptune Fountain (this does not do its size justice)
Seeing the Palace through the back of the fountain
The gloriette
The Palmery - I am obsessed with this greenhouse!
Today (Thursday), after a much needed sleep in, I ventured to the Albertina museum. While wandering the streets the other day we passed a phenomenal amount of exhibitions and museums (all housed in beautiful historic buildings) so I asked our host Peter for some recommendations. I had seen the Albertina on our walk and the glimpses of Monet advertisements had caught my eye (reminding me of a very memorable Monet exhibition in Paris on one of my very first trips to Europe with Mum). I managed to convince the ticket seller I was 25 and didn’t carry ID to get myself a bargain entry.
The walls displayed a stunning collection of Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Cezzane, Klimt and others. With two other areas featuring the more modern Herman Nitsch and Sean Scully.
As it turns out I don’t actually know that much about art given my knowledge is drawn from third form art classes but thankfully the set up was very informative. Quite complex and extremely interesting, I’ve made many mental notes to continue my art education.
Famous pieces such as Monet's Water Lily Pond, Renoir's Portrait of a Young Girl and Picasso's Woman with Green Hat were too on display.
The Albertina also expanded my history knowledge on the Habsburgs as this I explored some of the lavish state rooms of the Duchess and Duke of Teschen also known as Maria Christina (the 5th child of Maria Theresa and the only one allowed to marry for love over political position) and her husband Prince Albert of Saxony.
After training this afternoon there is only one session on the course to go! I usually spend this last 30min session doing short courses to feel speedy and smooth. Today’s session was a bit of an uphill battle so hopefully tomorrow goes to plan!
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