Jaunted

Museums

See Sisi in Vienna

May 4, 2007 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

There are some standard Vienna sightseeing haunts: anything to do with Mozart or any high culture like an art gallery or two. And then you have to remember that Empress Elisabeth once graced these cobbled streets.

Better known as the beloved Sisi, the nineteenth century pin-up princess graces many of Vienna's hotspots, and the best place to get to know her better is at the Kaiserappartements and Sisi Museum. Take the free audio guide and wander through the overindulgent rooms where Sisi lived, check out her silver collection (she definitely didn't shop for cutlery at IKEA) and follow her life story and tragic assassination in the museum exhibits. A recent bonus: the empress's bathroom is now open to visitors, but only to look, not to use.

[Photo: denkrahm]

Related Stories:
· Messing With Mozart [Jaunted]
· A House Amok at MUMOK[Jaunted]

Tourism Boards

Why Prince Charles Is the Key to World Tourism

November 7, 2006 at 9:13 AM | 0 Comments

So Britain wants to attract more visitors and they've set up British Tourism Week (starting next year) to do so. Fair enough. But is choosing flappy-eared Prince Charles as the patron of BTW really the smartest move? The VisitBritain boss reckons that the support of Charlie is "evidence of the critical importance ... of our royal heritage to the tourism industry." So if your idea of a good time in England is buying dinner plates with long outdated pictures of the royal family on them, then you're the target group.

But all this at the same time as Charles starts building a castle in Romania? Reports this week also tell that the would-be-King has purchased property in Transylvania, and the stories vary from a desire to promote sustainable tourism to the rumor that he's already busy building a palace there. Of course, we know better, because there's plenty to attract you in Romania: sex, drugs and pretty women to start with. Go for it, Charlie.

[Photo: mansonxu]

Related Stories:
· Prince Charles in Transylvania [This is London]
· Romania's Humping Hill [Jaunted]
· Romania's Page 5 Girls [Jaunted]

royalty

The Mother of All Birthdays

August 14, 2006 at 9:10 AM | 0 Comments

Oops. Did anybody else remember to drink a toast to Queen Sirikit of Thailand on Saturday? August 12 was her majesty's 74th birthday and a national holiday in Thailand (although in our experience every day is like a holiday in Thailand: How could you work with all those beautiful beaches?

If you were lucky enough to chance across a birthday ceremony--held simultaneously in all corners of Thailand--you would've seen massive candle-lighting ceremonies and fireworks displays in honor of "the mother of all Thais".

Now we've heard of the mother of all sausage eaters, the mother of all waterfalls, and the mother of all bananas, but the mother of all Thais? That's one spicy babe. Happy birthday, Sirikit.

[Image via jowdi/Flickr]

Related stories:
Thais Celebrate National Mother [ETNA]

Adventure Travel

Prince Albert on Ice

April 17, 2006 at 5:49 AM | 1 Comment

Prince Albert II, Grace Kelly's son, had evidently tired of the race cars, casinos, and rich old people cluttering up his native Monaco. His Serene Highness has just finished a successful trip to the North Pole, setting out from a camp about 60 miles away. It's a safe bet he didn't plan the trip using reviews on the Thorn Tree. The prince took along frozen meals made in superchef Alain Ducasse's kitchen, which sure beats reindeer jerky.

On the other hand, he was no stranger to this cold-weather thing -- he represented Monaco on the Bobsleigh team at the past five Winter Olympics. Albert planned the trip to raise awareness of the dangers of global warming. And also the danger of polar bears eating European royalty.

Related Stories:
·   Prince of Monaco swaps Med for North Pole [Yahoo]
·   Monaco Prince Takes Pole Position [Travel Rants]
·   Monaco Albert's North Pole trek [BBC]