Travelsmartplanet

In Europe the Smart Car is thought of as a vehicle that fits 2 persons and a case of beer.

The Smart car idea started with Nicolas Hayek, the SMH CEO of the Swatch watch company. He saw the potential for an “ultra-urban” car, a small and stylish city car; it became known as the “Swatchmobile“.

First there was some backing by Volkswagon, but the first model was produced by Daimler-Benz (Mercedes) in October 1998, calling the original model “Fortwo” – love that name!

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Tags: auto, Budapest, car, city, Cosmos, Daimler-Benz, Mercedes, Nicholas Hayek, October, Prague, Smart, SMH, swatch, swatchmobile, Vienna, watch

Just as we have our beloved famous Disney princesses, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had theirs – but she was for real. They call her by her nickname Sisi, and she was their Empress for 44 years.

Their have been numerous movies, plays, operas, ballets, books and music about her in the German speaking world. It is probably the trilogy of romantic films about her life which starred a young Romy Schneider which made her a household name. She is so popular that  the 3 movies are shown every Christmas on Austrian, German, Dutch, and French television.

Though her husband Emperor Franz Josef  adored her, she felt stifled by Habsburg  court life and traveled extensively whenever and wherever she could. She loved learning and spoke English, French, modern Greek and Hungarian. Her domineering mother-in-law made her life miserable and even took away her children to raise. Her first daughter died as a toddler and her beloved son Crown Prince Rudolph, heir to the throne, committed suicide along with his lover, and she never fully recovered from that loss.

Empress Elisabeth was vain and did not sit for any portraits after she was 32  and would not allow any more photographs, so that her public image would always remain of her youthful self.  She was tall, and compulsively maintained the same low weight all through her life thru exercise (horsemanship, fencing, hiking) and fasting.

Her interest in politics had developed as she matured. She felt an intense emotional alliance with Hungary, and worked toward it gaining an equal footing with Austria. Elisabeth was an ideal mediator between the Magyars and the Emperor. She was a personal advocate for Hungarian Count Gyula Andrássy (he was a lifelong friend, and possibly her lover).

Finally, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 created the double monarchy of Austro–Hungary. Andrássy was made the first Hungarian prime minister, and in return he saw that Franz Josef and Elisabeth were officially crowned King and Queen of Hungary.

Sisi was assassinated “by accident” in 1898 by Luigi Lucheni, who had planned to kill the Duke of Orleans, Pretender to France’s throne, but the Duke had left town. Despite warnings of possible assassination attempts Elisabeth, now age 60, traveled incognito to Geneva. She eschewed the protection which the Swiss government had offered and only promenaded with her lady-in-waiting.

You can visit many of her residences: her apartments in the Hofburg and the Schönbrunn Palaces in Vienna, the imperial villa in Ischl, the Achilleion in Corfu, and her summer residence in Gödöllő, Hungary.

These plaques, mounted in Vienna, tell some of her story:

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It was surprising to find out that 92% of the population of the Czech Republic are atheists. However they still enjoy the traditions of  Christmas.

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Tags: atheist, Budapest, Christmas, Cosmos, Czech Republic, Prague, religion, tour, tradition, Vienna

Oktoberfest began as a wedding party.

On October 12, 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig, who later became King Ludwig I, married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen,  all the citizens of Munich were invited to the wedding!

The festivities were held in the fields in front of the city gates. The fields were named Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s meadow”) in honor of the Crown Princess, and have kept that name ever since. Locals have since abbreviated the name simply to  “Wiesn” which is what locals call the festival.

Oktoberfest is not a German national event. It is a local Bavarian festival, held in Munich.

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

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The Wittelsbach dynasty ruled the German territories of Bavaria from 1180 to 1918 – that’s 738 years,  pretty impressive.  Munich Residenz,  their former royal palace, is  located right in the center of Munich and very much open to the public. After 4 centuries of building it, the giant palace is made up of  many styles: late Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classicism.

Though spartan on the outside, it is very opulent inside. You can tour it for its architecture, over-the-top room decor (130 rooms), and displays from the former royal collections. After WWII, the Cuvilliés Theatre was built into the Festsaalbau wing. You can also catch the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Hercules Hall. In his time, Mozart performed in this palace.

The Treasury houses the jewels of the Wittelsbach dynasty and spans 1,000 years, from the early Middle Ages to Neo-classicism, and includes: crowns, swords, golden objects, rock crystal, ivory, goblets, icons, tableware and toiletries.

The palace suffered huge damages during WWII, but the curators managed to store furnishings, art and  details of its architecture in mines. When you are wandering around the 10 courtyards, see if you can find this fountain with statues of  fire, water, earth and air on its corners.

The Wittelsbach family’s head, since 1996, is Franz, Duke of Bavaria, and he still hangs out in Munich. During WWII, the Wittelsbachs were anti-Nazi and were arrested when Franz was 11. He spent time in several Nazi concentration camps. After the war, he studied at the University of Munich and became a collector of modern art. Some of his collection is on loan to the Pinakothek der Moderne Museum (see other post).

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

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If you’ve ever wondered what the letters BMW mean it’s for Bavarian Motor Works. You can get your fill of everything BMW by touring the BMW museum, located  just outside of Munich.

The blue and white colors and pattern on the car’s emblem are taken right from the Bavarian flag.

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

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The first included meal in the Cosmos: Prague Vienna Budapest tour was an entree into the hearty meals to come. It started off with a beef broth with thin noodles and small tidbits of beef.

The main course was roasted pork  in a flavorful beer gravy with a side of  red cabbage and bread “dumplings”. These were new to most of the travelers. Rather than a round doughy ball which we expected, these were more like slices of rye bread sitting in the gravy – so easy to lap it up.

Dessert was a light tiramisu served in a tumbler. Good start!

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Hitler lived in Nuremburg at the Deutscher Hof Hotel. The Cosmos tour passes right by his windows. Look for the arched windows in the center of the front facade.

The city was famous for Nazi Party rallies held here every September from 1933 to 1938.  These were  huge week-long gatherings that brought hundreds of thousands of people to this city to view the nationalistic and militaristic extravaganza.

It’s one of the reasons the city was destroyed.

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The Hapsburgs ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire for 630 years.

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Tags: Austro-Hungarian, Budapest, Cosmos, Hapsburg, Prague, tour, Vienna

Budapest has the third largest Parliament in the world. The biggest is in Buenos Aires and the 2nd largest is London.  www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

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