Palmenhaus Schoenbrunn

Plants often get overlooked in favour of animals, and indeed, I have definitely been guilty of this in the past. But perhaps helped by spending two weeks in the mountains with multiple botanists, or perhaps just because of the slightly greater patience that comes with age, I'm definitely starting to appreciate the incredible world of plants more than I used to. The best thing about plants is that a lot of them are just so absolutely alien-seeming, even some that are relatively common. Others are just beautiful, and of course there are the beautiful alien plants too. And then there are those that are just a bit scary...

The Palmenhaus is situated in the grounds of the Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna. It is an absolutely gorgeous building, a large greenhouse complex whose wrought iron bulk looks both elegant and strange situated within the manicured gardens off to one side of the Palace itself. Until recently I had never visited it, because I was always at Schoenbrunn for some other reason, and there never seemed to be the time.

This winter though, on one of my many brief trips back to Vienna, I finally got to check it out. Inside is even more impressive than outside, the high ceilings and complex detail of the ironwork combine with towering palm trees and strange, spiky undergrowth to create a mysterious atmosphere that would almost be cathedral-like if it weren't for the recorded tropical birdsong and the warm humid air. In the main part, big iron spiral staircases decked in vegetation rise upwards. Here and there throughout are inviting white-painted iron chairs and benches, and it certainly seems that some people get a season ticket and a book and use this place as a way to escape the harsh realities of winter!

The Palmenhaus is divided into three parts, cool, warm, and hot. Big tip for winter visitors, DON'T start cool and work up, you'll feel it when you leave :-) Regardless, though there are weird and wonderful plants in all three sections, the hottest is probably the highlight. The vegetation is very dense and the air very humid, the yellow light from the lamps reflecting everywhere off dark green, rubbery leaves and big spreading palm fronds. It is here that some of the best aliens, monsters and beauties can be found, chief amongst them the orchids, several of which found their way among the photos I am showcasing here.

In addition to the Palmenhaus the neighbouring Wuestenhaus (desert house) is absolutely worth a visit, with unbelievable cacti, tortoises, and a whole menagerie of different bird species and even a whole naked mole rat colony with tranparent pipes! Sadly I don't have pictures of that so you will just have to go yourself. However, my pictures of one afternoon's journey to the jungle can be perused by following the appropriately greenish link.

Bis bald,

der Tom.


PS there was a special Poinsettia exhibition on when these photos were taken, so good times for all you Poinsettia fans!

 

Boxing Day +1 again

At Christmas time lots of people come home, so it's a perfect time to meet up with old friends. But there are a lot of different places everyone has to be at once... Our solution this past few years has been to have a standing date, the 27th of December (or more catchily, 'Boxing Day +1'). On this day, we always plan (maybe plan is too strong a word) to have a hike combined with a pub visit, where all of us local friends can meet up while doing what we like to do best.

  This year was no different. Seeing as it was a pretty last-minute arrangement, we opted to do a walk we had done on two previous occasions. The day started out cold, and there was frost on the ground as I walked down from the village to meet my fellow hikers. But the sky was almost completely clear, and the bright sun was quickly melting the frost and led to a pretty pleasant walking temperature. Still, the ground stayed cold enough and the weather had been dry enough that we didn't have to contend with too much of the thick slippery mud that can often be an issue in the good old Chiltern hills.

The landscape of the Chilterns is very familiar to all of us former (and some still current) scouts, but it is still always nice to be reminded of the beauty that lurks behind the hedges we all too often find ourselves behind, speeding along in our cars from one urban centre to the next. Up on the hilltops the views open out over the broad chalk valleys, and towards the northwest where the chalk runs out, Aylesbury Vale can be spotted low in the distance.

 We stopped at the pub, stocking up on proper British food and ale, for me an unusual luxury, for others an everyday occurrence. As usual running just a tiny bit behind schedule, we piled out of the pub and made a slightly fuller, more stately beeline for home. As the day went on, clouds started to form out over the plain, but up on the high ground visibility remained good, although the clouds did close in and cause us to pick up our step as the early winter dark crept in.

All in all a great day, unremarkable in that it happens every year but also remarkable for that very same reason! And some great weather too, which should never be sniffed at, though I feel that we have had generally good luck for most of the last few years. My extended set of photos from the hike is accessible at this link. Here's to more hikes in 2017!

Bis bald,

der Tom