The Belvedere

Entrance to the Belvedere, Vienna, Austria

The Upper Belvedere

 The Belvedere was constructed in the late 1600s as a summer home for Prince Eugene of Savoy. It was built as a gift for leading and winning the fight against the Ottoman Empire.   This massive complex is composed of two Baroque palaces - the upper and lower Belvedere - with an expansive and ornate garden.  Both the upper and lower Belvedere complexes are now art museums.

The Lower Belvedere

Upper Belvedere (taken in front of lower Belvedere so you can see how the two
buildings are separated by the garden/park)

Upper Belvedere
The scale of everything in Vienna is just grand.  It kind of smacks you in the face with it's over-the-topness.  (Yes, I
made up that word)

Upper Belvedere

Looking toward the Lower Belvedere with Karlskirche to the far left and Stephansdom in the middle

Cool pebble drainage system

Perfect place to sit and read

Inside Upper Belvedere looking to Lower Belvedere

Beautiful gardens.  When we walked through them, I remember thinking they didn't look so great, but
from a few floors up, they look spectacular!  Just as planned.

Inside Upper Belvedere - main staircase

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt
One of the famous pieces on display here.  What an incredible piece of artwork.  The detail is incredible,
and my photo doesn't do it justice, clearly.

The coffee room inside the Upper Belvedere.  I could get used to having coffee here!

Coffee room ceiling