Summer Palace #TWRP Summer Treats & Reads #BlogHop

The Wild Rose Press Authors have joined together to bring you the Summer Treats & Reads Blog Hop! From July 22-30, check out a variety of blogs for summer-themed posts and great prizes! And don't forget to enter the Grand Prize - 
a Kindle Fire donated by The Wild Rose Press! 

For many people, summer is a time for travel! Exotic locations, historical destinations, a relaxing getaway... Summer vacations can be taken anywhere. As for vacation destinations, I highly recommend Europe! Years ago, my husband and I visited friends living in Germany where we spent two wonderful weeks touring the town and countryside. My favorites places were, of course, the castles and palaces!

For this Summer Treat post, let me show you the Summer Home of the Bamberg Prince-Bishops...

Located in Memmelsdorf, the Schloss Seehof was built in 1687 as a hunting lodge and summer residence for Prince-Bishop Marquard Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg.

The palace gate.

Beside the Seehof Palace gate is the area which housed the guard's men and stables. It's now converted into a restaurant. My husband and I ate breakfast here. I was grateful for all those German language lessons I took in high school assisting me with ordering our Fruhstuck! 

The Seehof Palace is an enclosed four-wing structure with corner towers giving the impression of a fortress. It's also known as "Marquandsburg" or Marquand's Fortress. 

Perhaps what's best known about this palace is the fountains. 

It's an interesting feature that attracts many visitors.

The baroque-styled water garden fountains are a splendid sight!

The first day we arrived at Seehof Palace, the place was closed to tourists, so we spent some time simply wandering about the area, absorbing the atmosphere and history. We sat on a bench in the inner garden, wondering what life was like living here in a palace that served as a Summer Home.

The next day when we returned, we had the opportunity to take a tour. The guide began the tour speaking German (as expected!) and we were quite happy to listen to as much as we could understand. At the time, I knew more German than my husband, so I tried to translate as much as I could, but back then I was still just a beginner. Just viewing the magnificent beauty of the rooms was enough to leave us in awe. We would've been content with just that much.

However, there was an elderly German couple on the tour along with us and when they heard me whispering my horribly rough translations, they were so generous to ask the tour guide if she could speak English for the rest of the tour. We were so surprised and incredibly grateful, thanking them numerous times for their kindness. The couple explained that they've been on this same tour around five times and it would be nice to brush up on their English. So, the tour was given by both the tour guide and the elderly couple who added exceptional knowledge of the palace's history.

They told us that Schloss Seehof served as the childhood summer vacation home for Marie Antoinette and her family. There's a family portrait of her and her siblings in one of the ornately decorated rooms. As well as portraits of her mother, Marie Theresa of Habsburg, and her father, the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I. 

  
Along with the tour of the palace and a view of the fountains, we also walked along the walking trails and shrubbery mazes. There were dozens of stone figures to admire and benches placed strategically to relax. 

The extensive grounds are incredibly beautiful. We met many people taking their daily strolls along the paths. And there was much wildlife in the fish ponds along the walking trails.

No flash photography was allowed inside the palace when we visited, so I couldn't take any photos of the inside, but I did find a site where you can go on a virtual tour of the palace so you can experience the incredible beauty of the artwork and architecture. I do remember in the "White Hall" we had to wear slippers so as not to damage the floor with our shoes. The ceiling was breathtakingly gorgeous!

I hope you enjoyed learning about a unique Summer Vacation Home! Now, it's time for the prizes! :)

For this blog hop, I'm giving away a copy of The Witch's Thief. Although the majority of the book takes place in England, the first chapter is set in Bavaria, Germany, so I thought it was an appropriate choice for a prize! :)
 

To save her sister's life, Julia Grey seeks a spell hidden somewhere within Merriweather Manor. Her position as a lady's companion affords her the freedom to search the house. But time is running out. The necromancer she's bargained with is growing impatient. And an unexpected appearance of a man from her past makes matters worse in an already complicated situation.

Basil Merriweather returns to England after ten years abroad to discover his childhood sweetheart living in his home. But, he's no longer the carefree man of his youth and she's hiding something--deadly secrets Basil vows to uncover even as he hides a dark secret of his own.

While neither Basil nor Julia will trust in the other, their hearts speak a truer language. In a grand attempt to save Julia's sister and Basil's life, the two must finally confess sinister truths. Will their admissions help or hinder any future they may have together? Or will the necromancer destroy all in a vile attempt at revenge?

Read more about my paranormal books. 

Read about my upcoming historical romance, The Pirate's Lady.

For all of my Wild Rose Press books 

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