Posted on by Edward

Day 13 – Belvedere Palace & Cafe Central

This was our final open day before the start of the Convention so we decided to visit a couple of historic sites in the downtown area of Vienna. We started at Belvedere Palace which has lovely gardens and some art exhibits. It was built in the early eighteenth century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt to be used as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736).

Here is the garden and fountain area as you approach the palace. Note the implementation of editing and transition skills in this montage thanks to iMovie. Spielberg better watch out!

The appropriately named: “Hall of Marble”
A view along the entire gardens.
This immense foyer had about a 50 foot high ceiling.
Looking up at the art in the ceiling.
Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s work “The Kiss” is on display.
Also on display is Jacques Louis David’s iconic “Napoleon at the Great St. Bernhard Pass”
At the ornate gates to the palace grounds.
Appreciating historical sites and works of art always makes us hungry so it was time to visit Cafe Central, established in 1876, whose past regular customers include Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud.
Studying the menu and appreciating the interior decor.
The showcase in the front has all of the dessert options on display; just remember the number of your selection to give to your waiter later.
But first, it was time to have the renowned Austrian dish of Wiener Schnitzel. Simple and delicious.
An “Iced Chocolate” from the menu; a scoop of vanilla ice cream in chocolate milk with whipped cream.
All over the downtown area, our brothers (both local and international delegates) are using carts to invite the public to our Convention.