Vienna, Austria - Upper Belvedere Palace

My walk continued up a slight grade as Schwartenbergplatz changed to Prinz Eugen-Strasse. I entered the palace grounds and found my way to the ticket office.  I purchased a ticket for the Upper Belvedere gallery to see the Gustav Klimt works and the Lower Belvedere gallery to see "The Women of Klimt, Schiele, and Kokoschka" exhibit.  Circle to the other side of the larger building (past the not-yet-open Belvedere Christmas Market...did not come back to see it).

 There are large gardens between the Upper and Lower Belvedere buildings.

 The Upper Belvedere Palace was built in the Baroque style and was a summer palace for Prince Eugene of Savoy. Construction was completed in 1723.

 Looking through the fog at the gardens between the Upper and Lower Belvedere.

 And a snowman...This marble sculpture is by Manfred Erjahtz, is named Gefungen in der Gegenwart (Trapped in the Present), and explores a wintery subject: the snowman.  The Belvedere website explains that this represents "not only a particular season but also memories and the complexity of transience." You can also buy cups and saucers for 70 euro with the snowman on it.

In case you were wondering, here is a photo of the cup and saucer for 70 euro.  (80 ish US dollars).  This is not my photo and credit goes to the Belvedere website. I did not buy one.

This is the "Belvedere Christmas Tree 2015".  The name of this is "Under the Weight of Light" by Manfred Erjahtz. It compliments the space in the lobby "High Baroque Sala Terrane".

 I started my tour with an older period and was enjoying myself taking photographs because I did not see a "no photo" sign.  This is the Marble Hall with the ceiling painted by Carlo Carlone.  Carlo was an Italian painter and engraver active in Germany.  He studied in Venice and Rome but when he visited Germany he left works at Ludwigsburg, Passau, Linz, Breslau, Prague and Vienna.

 That photo joy ended when a guard told me that no photos were allowed.  I considered discussing the need for a sign if the rules were such but actually did not know the German words to voice my opinion. And good thing because as soon as I walked back to the lobby I saw the very big and very clear "no Photos please" sign.  How did I miss that?

I was delighted to view the Klimt exhibit.  "The Kiss" was the big named piece.  You couldn't take photos obviously but it was a very good idea to have a separate room where you could "selfie" in front of a large print. (This is not my selfie!!)

 I enjoyed a break from touring with a snack (see my snack here:
http://ladeetravels.blogspot.com/2015/12/vienna-austria-daily-overview.html)

and then began my walk from the Upper Belvedere to the Lower Belvedere through the Belvedere Gardens.

Reference for details on the Belvedere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvedere,_Vienna