Denmark to Central Europe
13 October – 14 October
“Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen”
Not
sure where the song came from, but the 'Wonderful Wonderful
Copenhagen' theme rolled through our heads as we walked all day
through this beautiful city. We have been here before, but perhaps
the weather wasn't as nice and so the impressions may have been
muted. We arrived early as mentioned in the previous entry and were
greeted with bright sunshine. Our second day was a little overcast
but bright enough to appreciate the grandeur of this, the largest
city in Scandinavia. Amazingly for a city of around 1.5 million,
there is very little traffic congestion and driving around the centre
of the city is no problem at all.
We
walked the city all day doing, we think, about 15 – 20 klms, poking
our noses into private courtyards and side alleys. Hidden away in
these nooks are some quiet corners of what remains of old Copenhagen.
You can bet the locals know about them, but you won't find them in
the guide books. Half-timbered houses in shades of ochre, some over
grown with brambles, took our fancy particularly. Sure we also saw
the most over-rated attraction in Europe, the “Little Mermaid”
and a few palaces, churches and grand gardens, but it is the little
treasures you find wandering about the back streets (sometimes lost?)
that are most memorable. We knocked on the door of the Amalienborg
palace, but Fred
Heading
off today, we had one of the nicest days, weather-wise, so far, so
warm that we were down to T-shirts. It took us most of the day to do
the 300 odd klms from Copenhagen to our new 'digs' just outside
Kolding (close to Middelfart – which took Paul's fancy) in Jutland.
Autumn is further behind again. Trees are half green and half gold,
still waiting to break out into the riot of colours we saw further
north. We have a full week here in a small Danish village. A bit of a
rest will be good but, given our usual frantic pace, we doubt that we
will stay put. After all, we can do day trips to most of Denmark from
here and probably a fair whack of northern Germany as well! So why
sit about?
15 October – 16 October
Self-effacing Danes
Gorm
the Old, the father of Harald I the Bluetooth, is buried (at least
part of him is) under the floor of the 11th Century church at Jelling
in Jutland. Gorm the Old died sometime in the first part of the 10th
Century.
The
zenith of Viking plundering had long passed by this stage of history.
The hapless inhabitants of Britain banded together to fight off the
Norse raiders, so sources of easy loot had become rare. So Gorm and
his subjects had become farmers, although they still fought amongst
themselves just to keep in 'trim'.
After
his father's death, Gorm's son, good old Bluetooth, who had recently
'seen the light' and become a Christian, moved the grave of his
heathen father from the Viking burial mound, which remains outside
the church, to consecrated ground at the (then) new church in 950 AD.
The important part of all this is that, using modern DNA techniques,
the couple of bones, excavated from beneath the church in modern
times, that were thought to belong to Gorm, were confirmed as being
those of an ancestor of the current Danish Royal Family. So, in 2000,
with much pomp and ceremony, the Danish Royal Family, re-buried the
bone (s)? of their ancestor under the floor of the old Jelling
church.
Bet
none of you have ever heard this fantastic story? The reason probably
is that the Danes are so “self-effacing”. They are said to
totally under-rate themselves. Believe it, they do! Can you believe
that, in the centre of Copenhagen, a billboard extolling the virtues
of the local beer, Carlsberg, reads: “Carlsberg, probably the best
beer in town.” How's that for a 'hard sell'? There are many
examples of this sort of stuff. One of the guide books describes
Kolding Castle in Jutland as .. “almost awe inspiring”.
In
the past two days we have started our in-depth study of Denmark.
Sadly, the weather has been less than perfect, but we have seen some
extremely interesting little towns like Christiansfeld, (a Moravian
town famous for its honey cakes, as well as for having the largest
church room without supporting columns in Denmark – bet you didn't
know that either – self-effacement at its best!!) Sonderborg and of
course Ribe. Aside from the rain, we have seen some interesting
sights like the Viking Museum (Ribe), the very interesting Sonderborg
Slot (castle) and, naturally, the 'Bog Woman' (450 BC) in the church
at Vejle. Scoff if you will at the Bog People, but we are off to see
more of them tomorrow, when we hope to see the head of the Tollund.
Man; that's all that's left of the poor old fella as his body
decomposed once it was dug up; as well as Grauballe Man – yep, all
of him.
For
the un-informed, a bog person has been preserved by the action of tar
that forms naturally in 'bogs'. Many have been thrown into the bog as
sacrifices. What do they look like? Imagine a cadaver modelled out of
dried licorice!
17 October – 18 October
The spirit of Canute
Days
seem to alternate between perfectly sunny and purely miserable in
Denmark this time of the year. Yesterday we drove over to Odense on
Funen, the central island of Denmark. It was a shocker - glum and
grey at the best, pelting rain at the worst. A perfect day, however,
to visit the mortal remains of that great Dane, King Canute, 'Knud'
to the locals. On a day, probably much like we experienced yesterday,
the Great King was murdered, along with his brother, (so legend has
it) while kneeling at the altar of a nearby church. You can see
Canute and his brother, Benedikt, in open coffins in the crypt of the
Cathedral.
Now
you might think that we are a little morbid? Well you might be right.
Nothing interests us more than a good shriveled-up 2000 year old bog
man or the odd set of skeletal remains. We once drove miles out of
our way in Italy to see a skeleton dressed in a nun's habit! But
there's nothing strange about us!!!?
As
proof, we also visited Hans Christian Anderson's house, a remarkable
museum dedicated to the man and his life and times. Despite the fact
that Hans high-tailed it out of there when he was 14 and later denied
that he had been born in a corner of this very house, as is claimed,
the people of Odense celebrate him in many ways, one of which is to
make the traffic walk and don't walk signs representations of the
man, complete with cane. It seems that Hans was a bit of dandy and
quite vain about his appearance.
Revisiting
Odense and environs today was a totally different story. The sun was
out most of the day. Not abandoning our search for more grave sites,
despite the beautiful day, we visited the Viking Ship grave “
Ladbyskibet”, just outside the small village of Ladby. The site is
unique in Scandinavia (or as the self-effacing Danes might say,
'almost' unique). Vikings either burnt their dead leaders on ships at
sea or buried them, ship and all! Nothing remains of the chief or
prince who was buried in this ship, as grave robbers took the body
and most of the artifacts buried with the chief. They did, however,
leave the bones of nine horses and four dogs for us to see today!
What is special about the Ladby site is that the ship's impression is
still in the ground, buried under a funeral mound. You enter a
specially constructed cave around the impression to view it
'in-situ'. The timber has long since disintegrated, leaving only the
mould, nails, anchor and, of course, the bones of the animals. A
farmer discovered the remains of the ship in 1934 and the decision
was made to leave it in place.
Later
in the day we returned to Odense for another walk around the city.
It's amazing how different a place can look in good weather!
Driving
through the Danish countryside, one cannot fail to notice the
hundreds, possibly thousands, of huge, white, wind generators. Some
people see these generators as visual pollution. We don't mind them
at all. They, in fact, have a strange fascination for us. We can't
help but imagine them as the 'Martian Machines' that featured in
Orson Welles' War
of the Worlds.
We
leave Denmark in a couple of days. Tomorrow we plan to catch a movie,
clean up and re-pack, ready for the next phase of our trip. We pick
up our camper-van in Amsterdam on 22 October.
Our
stay here has been less hectic than has been the case in many of our
travels. We have had time to 'potter' about some small cities and
towns that we would otherwise have 'flown' through on a motorway.
Denmark is a very small country with less than 6 million people. You
can drive across it before morning tea and traverse the total length
before lunch, but it is a lively place with obvious wealth and an
enviable life style, if not climate! What has probably surprised us
most is the rich history of Denmark from the Vikings to periods of
almost great power status in the 15th
and 16th centuries. They even took the Germans on over territorial
disputes in the 1840s and again in the 1860s. They lost on both
occasions of course, but you have to admire their spirit!
A
closing comment on Scandinavia as a whole. It is just amazing how
much 'stuff' is made locally. We went through the kitchen utilities
drawer in our rented house. Vegetable peelers, knives, plastic spoons
- all made in Scandinavia. Mostly in Denmark. Haven't these people
heard of China? Given the cost of things here, probably not. On the
other hand, you have to admire their, 'buy local' mentality. One has
to wonder though, how long can it last? With a combined population
which is less than Australia's, they are up against it competitively,
unless they heavily protect local industry.
Northern and Central Europe
20 October - 24 October
Amsterdam Again!
The
Netherlands has a population a little less than Australia's, crammed
into an area less than the size of Tasmania. It is a wealthy and
enterprising nation. Just try to get a bargain out of a Dutchman!
Most
Australians would be highly envious of the infrastructure that The
Netherlands possesses. Fantastic road networks that look like
lace-work on a map, modern rail and bus networks within and between
cities, landscape dotted with glasshouses, cows, windmills and
picturesque houses in picturesque settings – it's all almost
postcard perfect. It's a shame that Amsterdam doesn't measure up.
Maybe we've just been unlucky, but they always seem to be digging up
the roads, there's always someone doing a drug deal just off the road
or laneway you're on and they don't seem to have the “Don't litter”
mentality that has become part of our life in Australia.
Amsterdam
has the worst aspects of many big cities in abundance. Dirty, crowded
and increasingly charmless, as modern developments crowd out and
overshadow the once attractive parts of the city. Liberal drug laws
have attracted 'kids' from around the world. The city is probably
still relatively safe. However, it just doesn't feel so?
For
such a crowded nation, The Netherlands does have a fair amount of
farmland. Increasingly though, it is rows of factories, rather than
glasshouses that line the highways.
We
dropped off our leased car on the 22nd,
after leaving our luggage at our B&B. WELL, the Barangay B&B
is a story in itself. It is run by two guys (look at the name of the
place) and their “houseboy” -Ron- from the Philippines - who
welcomed us beautifully. For those of you who know “The Birdcage”
movie with Robin Williams, think Agador. The place was wonderful,
very well set up, with everything a boy could possibly want.
After
a couple of days in and around Amsterdam, we took ourselves off
towards Aachen in our newly- acquired campervan. Our 'escape' from
Amsterdam was less that graceful. 'Nav-girl' (our sat-nav) has great
difficulty with inner-city streets and as a result of her
incompetence, we saw far more of central Amsterdam than we had
planned. After a cruise up the Damrak, and a number of lesser side
streets, we sailed past Centraal Station, the Mint Tower and Singel
Canal. None of this was planned, but what the...!
Next
it was off into 'Motorway World' Dutch style. Disaster! Five hours on
the road for much less than 200kms. Hours in traffic snags that
stretched for 10s of klms. To solve the problem, the
ever-enterprising Dutch are building more and more motorways, up and
over, under and beside existing clogged arteries. As quickly as they
are built, they become parking lots. Is this the right solution?
Tonight
is our first night 'free-camping'. Last night we stayed at Camping
Zeeburg in Amsterdam. A reasonable site, but located in an extremely
ugly part of the city. Our view tonight is one that is familiar to us
after two previous campervan trips to Europe. Motorways and Trucks.
We will get used to the noise after a few nights, but the roar
outside now doesn't bode well for a good night's sleep!
25 October
'On the Road Again'
We
taught our grand-daughter Abby to sing “On the Road Again” (Willy
Nelson) when she went on a long road trip with Ben & Jen a couple
of months back. Paul also drilled her on what to say when bored in
the car. “Are we there yet?”
Now
it's our turn to hit the road.
Back
in the van mode of travel after a gap of 7 years, we have slotted
back into the routine like the pros we probably are by now. (By the
end of trip we will have spent almost 12 months travelling this way)
Despite our concerns about adjusting to motorway noise, we had a
reasonable sleep last night. The usual hassles about van travel,
water, gas and dumping waste are still there to challenge us, but we
are a lot more experienced and able to deal with them than we were
over 20 years ago when we first travelled in Europe this way. Our van
is 'ok' and only ok. It's old but, so far, everything works.
Given
the number of people in Europe, and the number of people travelling
at any given time, accessing simple things like fresh water and
places to dump rubbish and waste, can be a problem. At home, the
nearest toilet 'dump site' is only a stroll away in the bush with a
shovel and the nearest fresh water is at the local service station.
Here, doing both will probably cost you money and require a Google
search to find!. Not a lot of money, granted, but it rubs a bit to
pay for things that we consider to be free. Paying for the use of a
toilet is something that is not new in our European travels, but
still irks. The female member of our party delights in paying these
“tolls” in the smallest denomination coins she can find as
“payback” for the fact that she has to pay to use a toilet!
It
was Saturday today, so the trucks weren't on the motorways (must be
an overtime thing?). For this in our slow old van, this was a
blessing. After a hectic day yesterday in traffic jams and narrow
medieval streets, it was fairly easy going today. We visited two
great little cities on the Dutch-German border. Maastricht and
Aachen. Both were great. Easy to access and full of interesting old
cobbled streets, neither of which we had to actually drive through,
as we often do when lost!
One
of the things most people tire of in visiting European cities is
Cathedrals. Yes, after months of one “Dom Kirke” after another,
one can be just about 'kirked-out'. But this early on we were happy
to join the Autumn throng of tourists wandering open-mouthed around
the medieval cathedrals and city squares of Maastricht and Aachen.
Tonight
is a relatively new vanning experience for us. We are using what the
French call an Aire de Service. It's something between a camping
ground and a highway rest stop. You can pay up to around $50 to camp
in a camping ground. A motorway stop costs nothing, but it generally
has no power, no water, showers or other conveniences. The Aire can
be anything from simply a relatively safe site, to a full-on camp
site with power, water toilets etc. And they cost from nothing to
about $30. This one is in Koln (Cologne to us). It is packed with
German Campervanners! They are well into all the tricks of the trade.
There must be 50 vans packed into this small site beside the Rhine.
We were late in this afternoon, so we don't have a powered spot or a
view of the river. Never mind, we have 24 hours of parking for $15
and a safe location, close to the centre of the city. We went for a
walk around the site this afternoon and saw an amazing variety of
campers, from basic ones like ours to huge RV's. Bottom line is,
we're in the same place. And the question must be asked - How's the
serenity?
28 October
Ludwig the Leaper
Following
in the footsteps of Napoleon and Hitler, we are moving ever eastward.
Our target, however, is not Moscow. Not this time. We saw what
happened to Napoleon and Hitler! No, we are heading to Dresden and
then into the old eastern bloc. At this stage, we aren't sure how far
east we'll go, but given that we drove all the way East to the
Europe-Asia frontier (the Bosporus) last trip, and were robbed along
the way, we might just head for Prague and Budapest?
Although
we have a broad plan, deciding day to day what to do is what
travelling like this is all about. If the weather turns bad or other
things attract us, we can drift off wherever we like. As an example,
we once drove more that 700 klms across France to Switzerland, just
because we hadn't seen snow and it WAS December!
Our
progress to date has been more like the celebrated retreat (s) from
Moscow, rather than an advance. Getting a van set up to a good
travelling mode takes longer than it would at home. Finding the
German equivalent of Bunnings to buy bits and pieces to make life
more comfortable, has taken us the better part of a couple of days,
with only a couple of hundred kilometers 'under the belt'.. Along the
way, we have managed to see Cologne Cathedral. Truly awe inspiring!
We could see it well out from the city on our way in, but when we got
off the train in the centre of town, it was looming above us. We
wandered about for an hour or so, stunned!
Leaving
Cologne and pressing further East, the weather turned foul, but the
scenery was still visible through the rain and haze. Rolling hills,
with small towns nestled into valleys, slipped by us for hours.
Germany, particularly the old East Germany, has a lot of open space
and forest.
Autumn
is in full 'swing' in eastern Germany. The golds and russets, mixed
with the green of the pines paint the hills. Maybe the mist is part
of it all? - “Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness... etc”.
On
our way to visit Wartburg Castle, the forest floor was covered in a
carpet of autumn colour. It's something we miss in Brisbane...
autumn. Wartburg was famous for two reasons:firstly it was built by
Ludwig der Springer (the Leaper) and secondly, Martin Luther hid here
for a year or so once he had upset the Pope with his 94 Treaties.
Our
main reason for paying the extra to take the guided tour of Wartburg,
was that we desperately wanted to know why Ludwig was known as 'the
Leaper'. You can probably guess how disappointed we were when we had
to take the German language tour! In absolute frustration, we
squeezed the answer out of the guide (who thought he spoke poor
English, but it sounded perfect to us) And the answer is? Ludwig was
imprisoned at one stage of his life and escaped by jumping 30m into
the moat of the prison. Knowing that made enduring an hour of
incomprehensible German description of the wonders of Wartburg well
worth the entrance fee! The answers to our lesser questions as to why
there was a Frederick the Bearded and a Nicholas the Nosey, not to
mention Albrecht the Decadent, suddenly became irrelevant.
Tonight
we are parked in another Services, with a few companionable
truckies. We had to take a “small” road into Erfurt to try to
find a supermarket to stock up on the necessaries. There's always
something that you need that's not in the van – especially when
free-camping is on your agenda. Today we picked up a hose and some
actual glass, wine glasses – so tired of the plastic stuff we
bought in Scandinavia! Alle ist gut! Eastern Germany has certainly
come a long way since we were last here in 2000 – not to mention
when we were here in 1987!!!
29 October
Where are the Trevants?
Dresden
is probably more famous for what it is now than what it was. The
beautiful old city centre was obliterated in 1945 by one of the most
intensive fire bombings of the war. Last time we were here, 2000, the
city was still rebuilding, more than 50 years after its destruction.
Even then, it was spectacular! We are looking forward to a possible
turn visit tomorrow, because the rebuilding of the centre of the
city, as it was pre-war, is now complete. This includes the
rebuilding, from scratch, of the 12th Century Cathedral!
Since
our first visit to the old East Germany, in 1987, before the Wall
came down, many things have changed. The roads are now up to Autobahn
standard, the cities and towns have all been re-built. The cheap,
mass-produced Trevants and Lada cars of the Communist era, have all
disappeared - except for one lone relic we saw puttering over a
motorway bridge as we, and thousands of cars and trucks, thundered on
below. As campervanners, we know the shame of having everything on
wheels – even Smart cars, pass us, so we felt a certain degree of
sympathy for that lone Lada .
Today,
a casual observer would probably notice nothing to identify the old
East and West divide. The differences are still there, though.
English is rarely spoken in the East, particularly by anybody over
30. We suspect that Russian would still be the predominant second
language of older citizens of the former East Germany – and that
may not be a bad thing. The new 'Russian invasion' seems to be
tourism. The 'Russkies' are everywhere. Much like the Japanese, they
seem to prefer organised tours. You run into masses of them in many
of the popular tourist venues. Dresden, today, was full of them.
Their attitude smacks of superiority, at least in their eyes. Are
they the new 'Ugly Americans' of Europe?
In
some ways, the incorporation of the old “Iron Curtain” countries
into the European Union is a little sad. The 'Big Mac' sameness of
the world has quickly pervaded cultures that, to some extent, had
been frozen in the 1930's. Horse-drawn ploughs and carts were common
in eastern Europe when we last visited. Villages in Romania and
Bulgaria had just got electricity.
We
would never begrudge the good citizens of the 'east' their improved
lifestyles, but..... does everything have to look like 'Small-town
USA'?
There
are exceptions though! Meissen for example. About 30 kms from
Dresden, it escaped the attention of Allied bombers. The town, its
cathedral and castle stand today, much as they did in the 16th
century. Yes, there is a Maccas and all the other 'sameness stuff',
but they all seem to exist in a far better balance than many other
places. We hope there are still many 'Meissens” left!
31 October – 1 November
What the Russkies left behind
During
our previous visit to Eastern Europe (2000-2001) we were regularly
taken aback by the attitudes of the custodians of the 'kassa” - the
ticket booths. In countries that are a little more tourist savvy, the
first face you see at any attraction is young, multi-lingual, helpful
and sometimes even friendly. The 'New Europe” will soon adjust to
this, but for now we must accept brusqueness and that officious
attitude that the old Communist world seemed to create! Uniformly,
one is met by the Fraus that the Russians left behind! Just past
middle-age, mostly 'imposing' in body mass, these less than jolly
souls “hrumph”, mumble and stamp you into most museums, art
galleries and churches – and demand entrance money for toilets! Oh
yes, the joys of paying to visit a loo are not to be missed,
especially in Czech loos where the loo paper is OUTSIDE the cubicle
and you must select before you enter. Just how many squares do you
think you will need?
To
get away from these basics, Prague, over the past couple of days,
was not in any way spoilt by these relics of the old Eastern Europe.
The sun was out again! Prague is a beautiful city, even more so in
good weather. It might sound silly from us who live in the
sub-tropics, but, between 8 to 14C creates an ideal temperature for
walking about in the late autumn sun – that is when you are
prepared with a couple of layers that you wouldn't even dream of
wearing in Brisvegas.
We
mostly wandered about the older parts of the city for the past two
days. One highlight was the Museum of Communism - situated above a
McDonalds. How fitting? This small museum and the larger city museum,
taught us a lot about Czech history. Walking up and down Wenceslas
“Square”, really a boulevard, we felt the history of the many
events that occurred here. It was here that the 'Velvet Revolution'
of 1989 played out as, in the November chill, day after day of
massed, 'people power' overwhelmed the old Communist state. Here,
too, in the 1960s, young Czech patriots burnt themselves to death in
protest against the Russian domination of their country. Before that,
the hectic events of the Nazi invasion of 1939 and the breakup of the
old Austro-Hungarian Empire were all played out here.
And
how could we forget the beauty of Charles Bridge and Prague Castle?
Just magical when they first come into view! And then, there are so
many angles to capture them from – especially with the perfect
weather over the past two days. The Old Town Square today was great –
sitting in a cafe with our coffees, watching the square fill with
people, listening to the jangling bells of Tyn Church as a groom and
his groomsmen had a lot of fun with the bells, calling the bride and
the congregation to church.
Our
camping ground is only a few klms from the city and close to a tram
line, an ideal location to explore a city like Prague. We have free
broadband internet and all the 'mod-cons' of modern European camping
grounds (especially free showers. Oh, how the female of this party
hates being stuck with the time limitations of the jeton-token for
her shower!)
2 November
A different world
Travelling
from a motorway stop (free-camp) to Brno in the Czech Republic on to
Vienna, we were looking for a place to park and see the wonders of
this city. Sadly, Brno was a little too crowded for us to find a
parking area, so we just did our shopping before pressing on to the
far more expensive Austria.
One
of the great things about Campervan travel is the opportunity to meet
fellow travellers from all over the world. On previous trips, we had
many a night comparing travel experiences with people we met at the
washing-up sinks, 'campers' kitchen' or waiting for a bus or tram.
Tonight, in Vienna, we know that 1500 people in Brisbane lost power a
few hours ago in a thunder storm. We know the best bets for
tomorrow's Melbourne Cup and we can listen to the same radio stations
that we hear at home every morning and, with the internet, we can see
what the weather will be and, consequently, what we should wear. Not
only that – we can look up the bus timetable and see what time the
buses run from our camping area to town.
This
camping ground is packed, but there is nowhere for people to meet and
chat. There is no opportunity for interaction, unless we happen to
meet by chance in the shower or toilet. A bit sad!
We
have often wondered why much of Europe closes down for tourists in
September. Today we wondered again, as temperatures pushed 20C and
the sun belted down.
The
'global village' is truly with us. Yesterday morning, we used Google
Earth to check out the motorway stop we slept in last night. After a
couple of days' 'down time' (we had no Eastern European maps) our
sat-nav “Navgirl” woke up within metres of crossing the Austrian
border and directed us to our camping area in Vienna. In a way, we
have become so dependent on technology that we simply don't seek or
need the human interaction that was such a big part of travels in the
past!
3 November
Demise of an Empire
Austria
became a republic after the First World War. The assassination of the
Archduke Ferdinand is popularly seen as starting that war. The
republic saw out one of the most powerful dynasties in European
history, the Hapsburgs. At its zenith, the power of this family
spanned most of Europe and even extended, for a short while, to
Mexico.
Vienna
was the capital of the Hapsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire and, even
today, the evidence of their great power is evidenced by the grand
palaces and state buildings that grace central Vienna.
A
few characters featured in our visits to the monuments to this grand
dynasty. Foremost was Elisabeth (Sisi), Kaiserin (Empress) of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire until her assassination in1898. By all
accounts, Sisi was a beautiful woman, but a little high-maintenance.
Each day, it took two hours to “dress” her hair. Washing it was a
full day exercise – it did reach her ankles!. At the age of 40, she
decided that nobody should see her as she aged, so she refused all
photographs and portraits. She was rarely seen in public and even
then, always heavily veiled or hidden by an umbrella.
Never
really happy in her role as Empress, she sank into depression, more
so after the suicide of her only son, Rudolf. Through all this
though, Sisi was a great traveller. Sadly, on a trip to Geneva she
was assassinated by an Italian anarchist.
Rudolf
himself was the second interesting character to emerge from our
wanders through the palaces of the Hapsburgs. “Rudy' was a bit of a
philanderer and as so an obvious subject for Hollywood. Omar Sharif
immortalized Rudolf in the highly romanticized 1970s movie
“Mayerling”. Seems that the true story of Rudolf is a little less
romantic. His many 'dalliances' resulted in his contracting a nasty
disease which he passed on to his wife. As things got worse for Rudy
(and here the plot becomes foggy) he turned his pistol on his
mistress and then on himself.
The
last 'hapless Hapsburg” - yes it had to be said, was Maximilian,
the younger brother of Franz Joseph. As a younger brother, Max was
looking for an empire of his very own. Mexico came up and he took it,
partly as a result of the urgings of his ambitious wife. (Say no
more!). It was bad timing for Max. Mexican rebels overthrew his
government and poor Max was executed.
Today
the centuries' old rule of the Hapsburgs could be just a glorious
memory for the Viennese and other Austrians, but for the well
preserved buildings and artifacts that remain to remind us of the
glories of past empires.
And
let's not forget that symbol of Vienna - St Stephen's Cathedral -
always recognisable and always stunning. Today we went up the tower
in the circular lift to the open walkway. AMAZING! Paul commented on
the link between church and state - unusual anywhere – obvious with
the eagle emblem on the roof.
5 November 2008
(Note:This blog was republished in 2019)
Turning Points in History
On
the day we visited the Grand Audience Hall in Schonbruun Palace in
Vienna, Barack Obama was elected as the first African American
President of the USA.
What
is the connection, you might ask? In the early 60s (?) a Summit
Meeting between Kennedy and Khrushchev was held in that very room.
Kennedy's presidency marked a turning point in US and world politics
and it seems Obama's may well do the same.
The
intricacies of international politics are nothing new to Vienna. The
Congress of Europe was held here after The 30 Years War, to carve up
Europe, thus setting new borders and imperial influences. Count
Metternich dominated this process, re-defining political intrigue
throughout this conference and the years that followed.
The
political power and influence of Austria and the Hapsburgs, has long
since faded, although, it should be noted that the last of the
Hapsburg dynasty, Empress Zeta, only died in 1989. What remains
though, are the magnificent buildings, culture and parks of Vienna
that will continue to provide some sense of the grandeur of the Old
Empire and 'Old Europe”.
Leaving
Vienna today in bright sunshine and an unbelievable 24C, we
travelled south into Hungary and what is now seen as 'New Europe'.
Last time we were in Hungary (2000), horses and carts were common on
country roads. Horse-drawn ploughs worked the fields and the
'Travant*' was king. What a difference in eight short years! Good
roads, no horse carts. Instead, supermarkets, shopping malls and all
the trappings of a modern European state. The good news is, prices
have still not adjusted up to Western European levels – or indeed
to the sky-high Scandinavian price-pinnacle!
Our
first stop today (5/11) was Sopron, a great town with a centre that
has remained much as it was in the 17th
century. Parking places, however, were obviously not important in
that time, as we had a great deal of difficulty finding somewhere to
slot our 5M van amongst Smart Cars and compact Skodas. The hunt for a
spot was worthwhile though. Parking was cheap and safe and we were
able to wander around a town centre that was peaceful and attractive
on this extremely warm and sunny autumn day. To top it off, a
sandwich on the town square was about a $!
Tonight
we are free-camping in a motorway stop, parked outside McDonalds,
with free wireless internet. You've gotta love the New Europe! We
might even have a coffee at McD's tomorrow – Cheapest in Europe? We
had planned to “do” Slovakia, but a check via the Web showed us
that there were no campgrounds open, nor “Aire- de - Service”
places available, so, reluctantly, Slovakia is no longer on our
itinerary. Gotta love www!
*
Mass produced East German car.
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