Decorative Arts – Page 5

ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, Shopping, TRAVEL

A Lazy Day Beside the Red Sea

February 21, 2018February 15, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A LITTLE RELAXATION & A FEAST

When my husband first mentioned spending several days at the beach with his family, I was worried. I don’t beach well. About 20 minutes is all I can stand and that’s only if the wind isn’t blowing sand all over me. I had visions of interminable days on end, chained to a chaise lounge, at the mercy of people who love the beach. In reality, by the time I finally got a day to visit the beach, I was ready to enjoy it.

POOL TIME

I may not see my grand nieces and nephews very often, but I’m no fool. I bribe them with gifts and always have a little something up my sleeve. This trip that something was my coloring equipment.

A few years ago a friend gave me everything I needed to get hooked on adult coloring. What she didn’t know was that I already loved to color, I just never seemed to have time for it. Now I have a coloring book, coloring cards, coloring pencils and a great eraser that come out whenever I travel. I like to color on the plane, but on this trip I also thought I could tempt the kids to color with me. BINGO!

The Sharm Marriott has a great pool and when the family joined us there, I was already busy coloring. Suddenly, I was the center of attention and they were eager to join me in a little coloring book action. As they shared my pencils, their mom and I had the opportunity to chat. It’s one of my favorite memories of the time in Egypt.

All good things must come to an end though and soon the nieces and nephews were on their way to Mirette’s house. It was a time for sisters and cousins, so Bill and I stayed behind to enjoy the water a little more. As I’d thought about our stay at the Marriott, one of things I’d looked forward to was a Margarita at the submerged pool bar, beneath a waterfall, but the bar didn’t open until late afternoon and I was never in the pool at that time, so I missed it.

BEACH TIME

Once the kids were gone, Bill wanted to move to the beach. I was perfectly content to hang out at the pool until the bar opened, but it was his vacation too, so out to the sandy, sweaty beach I went. After the allotted twenty minutes were over I begged to be released so I could wash my hair. Reluctantly he agreed to let me go.

Now if you are a beach person, the Marriott was great. Beautiful sand, gorgeous water, comfy lounges, rattan umbrellas, cabana boys delivering drinks – the whole nine yards. I left Bill laying in the sun and retreated to the room.

THE FEAST

We were invited to Mirette’s home for dinner. Her mother, Bill’s sister Mona, had been cooking all day. What an absolute delight! Mona is my favorite Egyptian chef. She probably doesn’t realize she could charge me for her amazing macaroni and bechamel or her goulash (a sort of savory baklava) or her kufta or… so let’s not tell her!

She beamed as I dug in for seconds. She’s well aware of the fact that I’m always counting my calories, so asking for seconds was a compliment of the highest order, but I supplemented the obvious with even more verbal exclamations of my complete bliss over her cooking.

Next was a little mid-night shopping trip, but you’ll have to come back next week for that.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

The Cathedral in Sharm el Shiek

February 14, 2018February 10, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: SOMETHING YOU WOULDN’T EXPECT

After our amazing day on the Red Sea, it was nap time – only instead of napping, I washed my hair. I had borrowed a towel from the room for our boat trip and the room steward (no maids) penalized me for it. We’d started the stay with an armload of fluffy towels, but when I got back from the day on the yacht, the towel nazi had only left me one bath towel to accompany the one (I guess) he thought I was trying to steal. It was funny how they all spoke such great English until that very moment. Suddenly, we couldn’t communicate at all. It was a small thing, but it left a distinctly bad taste in my mouth.

Out for the Evening

Niece Maggie and her family invited us out for dinner. They wanted to show us the hotel they’d stayed at during their honeymoon. They hadn’t booked an over-the-top suite, like Bassem and Mariam were enjoying at the Baron Resort, but Maggie and Shady wanted us to share their memories. Except for some security rigmarole going in and out of the hotels we really hadn’t had to deal with much in the way of security in Sharm. That changed on this evening.

They let us into the hotel with relative ease, but then we wanted to go take a look at the pools – yes I said pools, as in plural. For some reason this was a problem. Maybe they thought we were going to try to swim. Maybe they thought we were trying to gain access to guestrooms. I don’t know, but they certainly didn’t want us to visit the pool. Bill and I weren’t all that worried about it. A hotel pool is a hotel pool – am I right?

However, it was obvious Maggie and Shady were really disappointed, so Mr. Bill went into action. He strolled over to the desk and gave them a piece of his mind. He told them the honeymoon story. He told them we were Americans (as if that wasn’t obvious). Then he resorted to pressure. He pointed out that we were guests at their sister hotel just down the street. He mentioned Ayman’s name. He told them I was a travel blogger. I’m not sure what changed their mind, but Bill had to turn his room key or something like that over to them while we were poolside.

I will admit the pools were beautiful. Deep navy tile with white trim. We’re still not sure exactly what they were trying to protect when they wanted to prevent our visit. We had some dinner, which was delicious, but then they gave us the run around on paying the tab. We had to go to the front desk to pay and then the tip couldn’t be charged on the card. Weird.

A Real Treat

Next Niece Mirette came to take us to the Sharm Cathedral. An exterior view is above, but it does nothing to prepare you for the gorgeous interior. I could wax eloquent about all the details, but I will let the cathedral speak for itself. As amazing as the visit was from an architectural and religious standpoint, what was most apparent to me was the love the people of the cathedral have for my niece. They opened up late in the evening just so they could show us. Everyone onsite knew my niece. They were obviously and ostentatiously fond of her. I was so proud of her for this. Enjoy the beautiful cathedral, then come back next week for our final day in Sharm.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

I’ll Take a Pool With My Suite

January 24, 2018January 15, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: HONEYMOON LUXURY

Day Two in Sharm el Sheik was pool day, but we didn’t just wander out to the pool at the Marriott. It was a nice pool with a waterfall and a swim-up bar, but something even better was waiting for us. The honeymooners had invited us to their suite at The Baron Resort and it had its own pool. The suite, not the resort.

Meet in the Lobby

Eleven thirty was the call time for Day Two. I was up plenty early and hit the gym for an hour on their stationary bike. Bill joined me for the usual breakfast buffet, which took a little longer than I realized it would. For once I was not ready at the appointed time and Mr. Bill showed signs of anxiety. I sent him to the lobby and told him to make sure no one left without me. HA! I’ve been spending time around these guys for a long time. There was no way they were going to be ready to leave at the appointed time. I mean really! Did you read about the wedding reception? I was in the lobby within five minutes of Bill’s frustrated departure from our room – just in time for an hour of waiting for our transportation to show up. It was a good hour though. I inspected the boat someone bought for my tiny grand-nephew at the mall the evening before. I had some lovely time to visit with my older grand-nephews who caught me up with their high-school/college-focused lives. I also had a great conversation with my niece Maggie. So, I didn’t sweat the wait.

The Baron Hotel

When our vehicle arrived, we piled in and headed back in the direction of the airport. Taking a turn, we went down a long drive with desert on both sides and eventually entered an area under development. I say that loosely. It looked as if someone had started a luxury condo/townhouse complex at some point and then changed their mind. As we drove along seeing building after building after building of abandoned construction I thought of the abandoned corniche (boardwalk) and wished better for Egypt and Sharm el Sheik. We passed so many empty buildings in the almost derelict construction sites that I became concerned we weren’t headed in the right direction, but finally The Baron was in sight.

As soon as we drove up we knew it had been worth the drive. We followed our newlywed groom up the elevator and through the halls to what seemed like the back of beyond. He opened the double doors on an amazing suite and then stood back to get our reaction. There wasn’t one for awhile, because we were stunned! And so let the fun begin!

It was a marvelous day made a little extra special by the taste of luxury – but the day wasn’t over! Ayman had scheduled a Bedouin Dinner for our evening activity. Come back next week and we’ll head out into the desert.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

The Marvelous Mena House

November 8, 2017October 5, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: AN AMAZING HOTEL

I was predisposed to love the Mena House. I’d been hearing about it for years and it sounded like my kind of place. It had historical significance and it was a luxury hotel Bill’s place of birth would make affordable. Let me tell you about it.

Arriving in Style

I will admit there is something posh about being delivered to your hotel by a private driver and car. We pulled up to the security gate to be sniffed by dogs, checked by metal detectors and generally gone over with a fine tooth comb, but our driver handled it all while Bill and I marveled at the Pyramids looming over us. I thought we’d have a view of them. I didn’t realize we’d be next door.

The lobby was opulent and we were treated like dignitaries. Being treated like dignitaries takes a little longer than just being tourists, but it was kind of fun. We were whisked to our room on a golf cart by a servile employee of the hotel and escorted around our new digs as if they rooms of the old palace, instead of the very comfortable modern room we’d reserved.

A Delicious Meal

Our next stop was lunch. We wandered across the grounds and found a nice patio restaurant which served food all day long. The prices were reasonable, the service was attentive and the food was amazing. The travel gods were shining on us.

A Free Historical Tour

As we lazed about enjoying the view our nephew Steven and his friend John arrived. They’d fallen for the 8:30 sight-seeing tour I’d rejected. While they regretted waking up early, they were very happy with their day. We decided to meet up again soon and see the free historical tour of the hotel I’d seen advertised in the lobby. The parade of celebrities who have stayed at the Mena House is pretty interesting, but not anything compared to the amount of history that has occurred since it was built in the 1800’s as a lodge for royalty.

The Rest of the Stay

The only problem we had with our stay at the Mena House is that it was too short. We loved hanging out in our room and enjoying the patio with the great view of the pyramids. We loved wandering around the hotel and grounds, photographing all the beauty both natural and man-planned. The service was amazing. The food was great – whether we were enjoying the free breakfast buffet, having lunch with a view or enjoying a Middle Eastern feast at the Khan il Khalili restaurant (named after the famous Cairo bazaar).

I have a fantasy of returning to Giza some day to see the wonderful museum being built to replace the Cairo Museum and the Mena House would be the perfect place to stay – but I doubt I could ever get Mr. Bill back to Egypt. The place he has fond memories of growing up in doesn’t exist anymore.

If you’re still hungry for more about the Mena House, watch this video. If you want to know about visiting the Pyramids, then come back next week.

Architecture, ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Wedding Day in Cairo Egypt

September 27, 2017August 26, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF CEREMONY

So far, Bassem and Miriam’s wedding day has been pretty mundane, if you don’t count the machine guns on our bus. Once the church doors opened, everything changed. We were at a Coptic Wedding.

Saint Mark Coptic Church

When the huge doors opened, the scent of incense wafted out into the waiting crowd and I was awestruck. The church was gorgeous, obviously very, very old, but beautiful. You got the impression God had been hanging out here for a very long time.

It was not a particularly large church, but it was grandly decorated with beautiful paintings and an amazing amount of gold. There was no formal seating going on. Everyone just wandered in and took a seat. There was no his side and her side, just folks wandering into a pew as they entered. The family was sort of huddled over to one side. We had some front row seats, but they certainly were not particularly advantageous.

One of the church’s towers

Waiting to enter the church

The smaller guests

A cross atop the church

The bride’s father greets guests

A handsome couple

The interior of the church

The interior dome

Shady reads the Scripture

The Altar

Even the groom gets an outfit!

The Resurrected Christ

Photographers everywhere

EVery couple is treated like a King and Queen

Daniel takes a nap

Forget What You Know About Weddings

Throw out preconceptions, because this had nothing in common with your basic American wedding. The bride and groom were seated in thrones at the front of the church. The photographers and videographers considered themselves very much part of the ceremony and spread themselves out across the front of the church. Joining them on the stage were a group of priests in decidedly Coptic garb.

Now I’ve been to weddings where there were more than one officiant. Sometimes it’s because each family wants to be represented or there are several members of the clergy in the family. This wedding had an entire crowd of priests. They’re the guys wearing the black turbans, but these four in the picture are only a sample.

I was made to understand the number of priests reflected the status of the people getting married and no one could remember a wedding where they’d seen more priests. Most gratifying was the priest who had come all the way from Sharm El Sheik because of my niece, who holds such a special place in their congregation. Each of the priests participated in one way or another. Some doing ceremonial duty and others delivering pithy little sermonettes to the bride and groom. (None of which I could understand, of course, because they were in either Coptic or Arabic.)

All the while, the church was a beehive of activity. Along with all the priests were acolytes and altar boys wandering around doing a variety of tasks, from swinging incense burners to lighting candles. At one point my nephew Shady went up to read the Bible. Also any time a priest wasn’t involved in the ceremony, they were kept busy blessing whoever came up to the stage, bowed before them and kissed their hands.

Folks seeking blessings weren’t the only ones who came up to the stage. As if the photography and videography crew of about six people weren’t enough, no one hesitated to pop right up out of their seat and head up to the front to get a picture – and if the best angle was between the priest and the wedding couple, then so be it.

Behind their back, their very expensive decorations are already coming down

I was gob-smacked. I couldn’t believe it. The bride and groom were almost an after-thought in all the frenetic activity. Suddenly it was all over. The bride and groom stood. A few pictures were taken and we all filed out of the church.

Let the Turnover Begin

I was still trying to process what I had seen, when I realized that as soon as the bride and groom had their back towards the stage, folks started tearing down the decorations so they could get set for the next wedding.

An American church might have 2 or three weddings on a given day, but Coptic churches schedule about an hour per wedding and stack them all day long, from early in the morning until late in the evening – especially on holidays like the day after Easter. If they get behind, which apparently they always do, then they just hurry you up a little more.

Once we were outside, you could see they had already redecorated the entry to the church and on a corner near the church were the floral remains of several different ceremonies. Egyptians do have a receiving line, but it’s held on the porch of the church, rather than at the reception. As the wedding party assembled into the obligatory formation, a limo pulled up in front of the church. I will never forget seeing the bride get out of the limo, go through the security routine we had and then climb up the stairs to the sanctuary. It was one of those odd scenes that you can’t erase.

Then it was back in the bus and back to the Fairmont.

ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Birmingham Museum of Art

March 8, 2017March 5, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE JEWEL OF BIRMINGHAM

When the possibility of visiting Birmingham first came up, I checked out the city online. The city seemed to be a foodie haven with a great art museum and a nice botanical garden, but comparing their hours to our flight schedule and the hours of the thing I can’t tell you about, I wasn’t going to have time to do anything about any of that. So, I dutifully went about my business. Still, something in my subconscious kept clanging. I couldn’t exactly recall why, but I knew I really wanted to see the museum.

Perhaps, Maybe, Possibly

One day at lunch, before we took off on the Birmingham adventure, I mentioned to Hannah Beth that I regretted we weren’t going to have time to do the touristy thing. She assured me the museum was well worth seeing and mentioned a couple of possibilities we might have for seeing it. I assured her I had checked for evening hours, so that wouldn’t work, but skipping the final session – that would do.

I just happen to be one of those people who believe God is personally involved in my life. I also believe that if I’m willing to put Him first, He does everything he can to fulfill Psalms 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desire of your heart.” In fact, He’s proved it to me too many time to deny it.

So, while we were keeping an ear to the ground to find out how significant the final session would be, God was arranging to keep things ahead of schedule so that we could get out in plenty of time to make it to the museum. You may call that a coincidence. I don’t believe in coincidences.

An Embarrassment of Wedgwood

If you’ve been hanging around this blog for very long, then you know the Decorative Arts Wing of any museum is my prime objective when I make a visit. I love Decorative Arts better than anything else produced from the artistic mind. I can spend an entire day in a Porcelain gallery – a passion I learned from my mother.

What’s more, Wedgwood,especially their Jasperware, (matte porcelain with relief decorations) is among my most favorite porcelains. Don’t believe me? Take a gander at the photo of the fireplace my husband and I designed for our home. You don’t have one of these unless you love Wedgwood. It was inspired by two I’d seen in Mount Vernon.

Along with representative Wedgwood pieces gracing the mantle piece, there are various Wedgwood and Jasperware pieces spread throughout the house. For good measure, my everyday china is Wedgwood. Not Jasperware but Wedgwood. So imagine my delight when I glanced over the map of the Birmingham Museum and saw three galleries designated by the word “Wedgwood”.

The Dwight and Lucille Beeson Wedgwood Collection

If you love Wedgwood the way I love Wedgwood, then go ahead and book the flight. I’ve been in a lot of museums and so far, I’ve never seen one with so much Wedgwood. I haven’t been to The Wedgwood Museum at Stokes-on-Trent yet, but that’s only because it didn’t exist decades ago when I visited the city. I can assure you, this is the most Wedgwood you are going to see anywhere outside of Britain.

The galleries contain mostly Jasperware in a rainbow of hues, but they have samples of other forms of Wedgwood collected by the couple. I swear I could have visited the museum every day for a week and been perfectly happy studying the exhibits in the three galleries. Here are some samples.

That blue and yellow vase on the jade pedestal would be great in my yellow and blue French decor but the dark blue wine cooler with the white flowers must be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’d leave it in the museum for others to share.

Giving the Rest of the Art Its Due

Even if you don’t like Wedgwood, the Birmingham Museum of Art is still a good thing to see. Porcelains from other places are prevalent throughout the museum, but there are also paintings and statues and other things to enjoy. I did run through the balance of the galleries at a high speed and then rushed back to gander at the Wedgwood a little more. However, I did get these two postcards to prove the museum has variety.

Buying the Book

In this digital age, when you can find almost any piece of art you’d like to see by searching it online, art books might not seem a good investment to some people. Maybe other people spend their time cruising museums online, but I’ll confess, I want to be there and see it in person. Seeing it online is better than not seeing it at all, but it’s not even on the same continent as first hand observation.

By the same token, while I have broken my habit of buying a book in every museum I go to, sometimes I just have to take a catalog home. This was one of those times. In fact, I anticipated facing down the fury of my husband if the only thing available was some $160 hardback number.

I guess God was doing me another favor, because there was a reasonably priced soft cover edition of the catalog – only it had a large sticker designating it as the display copy. I chatted up the clerk, who was a volunteer. She looked in the stockroom – nothing. She offered to have someone take a gander in the warehouse in the next day or so and call me if they had anymore. I just stood there clasping the display edition as if my life depended on it. “I’m leaving town this afternoon,” I all but wailed. “Oh we can ship it to you,” she assured me.

I put off replying to her suggestion by telling her about my fireplace. Then I mused as to what in the world I would do if there were no more of the books in the warehouse. She decided to sell me the display copy at a discounted price. BINGO! I’m getting a whole lot better at this negotiating thing than I used to be. I’d have paid full price just to have it, but I’m sure the fireplace story did the trick!

The flight home was not as trouble free as my flight to Birmingham. The flight was delayed for hours and as a result I know more about the food vendors at the Birmingham airport than I should. I’d been on a diet, which had been seriously threatened by the fast food offerings served to us at that thing I can’t tell you about, but what damage had not already been done got done. So much for dieting. And so much for Birmingham. Come back next week and see what I’m up to.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, Museums, TRAVEL

Cruise Afterglow

December 28, 2016December 28, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: VIKING’S DANUBE WALTZ – WHAT A TRIP!

As I sit in my office on an October Saturday afternoon in Heath TX, listening to the fountain that dances in my pond and writing a post you will read in December, I have nothing but kudos for my April cruise on Viking Cruise Lines. My travel agent, Sandra Rubio at CTC set up everything perfectly for us and Viking Cruise Lines is amazing – simply amazing!

What I Liked Best

Wonderful new friends! Deb & Mike Radcliffe and Gwenne & John Penkert were the best cruise buddies you can imagine – and they live in Oregon, which gives me an excuse to return to one of my favorite places.
The inadequately named “Silver Collection,” a part of the Imperial Apartment Museum in the Hofburg in Vienna. Decorative Arts overload! I will never forget it.
Pretty much everything I ate and drank on the Viking Tor, but especially the bottomless wine glass at dinner.
Budapest – yep, the whole thing. Can’t wait to go back someday. And Rick Steve’s is right about the Baths.
Lunch in Cesky Krumlov
A sunny afternoon stroll in Passau

What I Liked Least

The Faux Castle

The non-stop Lufthansa flight from DFW to Frankfurt. Worst flight EVER!!
Not having more time in Budapest.
Bratislava, Slovakia – didn’t feel good, didn’t get the shore excursion I wanted, the guide was iffy. Other than that it was a great stop (tee hee.)
Being in Vienna in the rain on a Monday, which is when the Lipizzaners don’t perform and some of the museums are closed. Loved Vienna, but after three visits there, I have yet to see the Lippizzaners and I could have done without the rain.
Anything to do with Empress Elizabeth, otherwise known as Sissie.
The guide in Passau.

On Our Way Home

Viking got us home as smoothly as they did everything else. While we were at breakfast, our bags were whisked away. We boarded a bus and after a pleasant drive were at the Munich airport.

While not awful enough to include in my “least liked” list, German airports didn’t rate very highly with me. They get high marks for cleanliness, but they were confusing. We roamed in befuddled circles in Frankfurt and repeated the exercise in Munich.

Security was on high alert, because we got there just as some international dignitaries were strutting through the airport. I think there had been some sort conference, but the airport was full of people who looked as if they were used to getting preferential treatment and security was tight.

Thankfully, the Delta flight to Chicago was much more pleasant than the Lufthansa non-stop torture chamber. However, because customs dumped us outside the secured area, we had to go back through the TSA screening and that was a nightmare. They were so backed-up, we had pity on some people who were about to miss their flight and gave them our spot. What else were we going to do with our time? Go shopping?

Finally, Dallas! As much as I love traveling, I do love getting home. As if to welcome us home, a full moon hung low in the sky over our pond. It was the first trip I’d returned from without having my beloved Shih Tzu, Precious, to greet me. I miss that white ball of fur.

I’ll give you one more look at our overview video and then I hope you’ll come back next week to see what else I’ve been up to.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Pretty Little Passau

December 7, 2016October 15, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE FINAL SHORE EXCURSION

Waking up in Passau was bittersweet. During the night we’d passed from Austria into Germany and docked at Passau, but my research had not mined up any nuggets for my “must-see” list, in this town at the confluence of three rivers. The overwhelming emotion was regret. I was going to have to leave this cozy boat where they took me from destination to destination, fulfilling my every need and desire along the way.

The Morning Rush Hour

In Viking River Cruise land, mornings were busy. We had to get up and get breakfast before the tour started. There were no lazy days at sea. It might have been nice to intersperse all these activities with some down time, but Mr. Bill is not a two week vacation kind of guy and on an 8 day river cruise you are engaged every single day, all day long.

Passau was no different. The walking tour began at nine. After a delicious breakfast we disembarked and found our guide. We did not get the pick of the litter.

The Walking Torture

He was a Frenchman, resettled into Germany and I’ll just say it, he was rude. He was quite knowledgeable, but so unpleasant. He was obviously unaware that we were on a walking tour, not taking an oral exam for a PhD. He’d pepper us with questions and then ridicule our answers. If we dared ask him a question, he’d belittle us. I’m not exactly ignorant of history, but the one question I asked him about a date painted on a castle, resulted in my most uncomfortable moment of the cruise.

We put up with him for a while, but it was finally so unpleasant that we wandered off and found our own way back to the boat. However, Passau is a lovely little town, in spite of the rude guide, so I’ll show you some of it.

Pretty Little Passau

If you’ve been following me along on this cruise, then you know the operative word for the predominant architectural style along the Danube is Baroque. We got a taste of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Cesky Krumlov, but pretty much everything else has been Baroque-on-steroids. Passau was no different. The architectural highlights are the Prelate’s Palace and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, but the whole town is lovely. For some reason, the Rathaus has murals painted all over it which are reminiscent of the Middle Ages, but they are merely modern interpretations of that era. Architecture aside, the three rivers are the real stars of the show.

Enjoy this gallery of shots from our walking torture. I can’t tell you much more about them, because the only way I was able to avoid killing my guide was to ignore him. We finally abandoned him and made our own way back to the boat. Come back next week and I’ll tell you about the rest of the day, which was a lot more fun.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

A Quick Stroll through Cesky Krumlov Castle

November 9, 2016October 8, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: TAKE MORE TIME HERE THAN WE DID

Cesky Krumlov Castle is a treasure trove of history, architecture and decorative arts. Let’s start with the history.

The Medieval Lords of Krumlov

There’s not much left from the Middle Ages, but this has been a castle since the 13th century. The one remaining tidbit is the castle tower, left over from the days when the castle’s first job was defense. According to Rick Steves, if you go up its 162 steps you’ll get a find view of the Czech countryside, but I wouldn’t know.

Moving on to the Renaissance

While the tower is Medieval, it’s decoration is not. That’s all Renaissance, so let’s move up a few years. When the Krumlovs died out, their cousins, the Rozmberks, moved in. (Rozmberk is often rendered as Rosenberg, but let’s be Czech about this.)

The Krumlovs had been your basic local gentry, but their cousins were a whole different animal. The Rosmberks went on a serious building campaign, but don’t let the pictures fool you. Those walls in the courtyard are just plaster. All the fancy stonework is merely painted on. They weren’t being cheap, it was just the style. In fact, they probably could have gotten the stonework cheaper than the painting, but they were all about the show.

Everything had to look modern and up-to-date for the Rozmberks. They turned that practical, defensive tower into a folly of astrological signs and symbols. I’m not sure who came up with the idea of a pastel yellow and baby pink as an acceptable color combination, but I would like to complain about it. Pink and beige were often used together throughout this region, too. Both color themes make me a little nauseous, but they were all the rage apparently, based on the frequency of their use.

While I didn’t approve of their color schemes, I have to admit they did do a great job out in the gardens. The glorious Renaissance gardens in the French style, with a magnificent central fountain, were something to see. It was a little early in the season for floral displays.

They symbol of the Rosenberg family can be found all over the castle. — They symbol of the Rozmberk family can be found all over the castle.

Visions of Grandeur

It wasn’t enough for the Rozmberks to have the best castle around, they wanted to climb even higher on the social ladder. So they decided they wanted to be kin to the the Orsinis, who were ruling the roost over in Italy.

Now there are a number of stories about their claim to Orsinism. Some say they just added a fake limb to their family tree and were powerful enough to pull it off with aplomb. Others claim they actually did have a legitimate claim. My favorite story is they expressed their desire to be Orsinis to that family and for X amount of money, the Orsini’s adopted them. That sounds about right from what I know of the Orsinis.

The Crest of the Orsini-Rosenbergs — The Crest of the Orsini-Rozmberks

Whichever story is true, the Rozmberks celebrated their promotion in a couple of ways. They altered their family crest and added a bear to their moat, because as we all know, Orsini comes from the Italian word for bear.

When I titled this post as “a quick stroll” I’m referring to the way I saw the castle – almost at a dead run! We were in and out of the castle environs almost before I could get out the camera for a few photos. (Confession, we did not take the bear picture. It’s off the Viking memory stick we purchased. The bear hid from us during our quick stroll.)

What’s more, the tour was only outside and we didn’t get so much as a peek inside. Museum Girl was about to have a fit. Here she had a well-furnished Czech palace to check out and we’re ripping through the courtyards at a fast pace. One of the reasons the castle is well-furnished is because once a Hapsburg-related family gained control of the place it fell out of favor and became a sort of over-sized attic.

Another reason you can enjoy the castle in its former furnished glory is because Czech curators share better than Americans. They actually try to get the various bits and pieces they find to the appropriate castles. Because Cesky Krumlov Castle spent so many years as a warehouse of out-of-fashion and damaged furnishings, there are still huge areas of the castle that are still cleaned out and cataloged. When they find a piece that seems to belong to another castle, they send it along with their regards and curators at other castles do the same. American curators seem to share a penchant for hoarding. The bowels of their institutions hold tons of items the public never gets to see, because the museums hold on to every bit they get for dear life. I liked the Czechs even better for this little tid-bit.

Once we’d checked out the bear pits we had a choice to make. We could either head to the ticket office and go on one of the interior castle tours or we could head out to the picturesque town. The town is charming and I had a wonderful time with our cruise buddies, but Museum Girl was about to go into melt-down.

I’ll share a treat with you. While I didn’t go through the castle, someone on the Viking crew did and they got some marvelous pictures, which I’ll include at the end along with more of my pictures of the exterior, but there’s one more bit of history you need to know about Cesky Krumlov.

The Baroque Theater

I chose to get a degree in Performance instead of Literature and I’m glad, because to get the degree you have to have a smattering of all the arts, including the performance arts. One of my classes was the history of theater and I thoroughly enjoyed it. (The professor was somewhat of a kook, but welcome to the university!)

We studied all the old playwrights and reviewed the various venues. I reveled in the Renaissance era when cathedrals used to fly children through the air on wires as cherubs. (No child labor laws to contend with.) However, the Baroque period was also something. Every castle worth its appellation had its own theater and each theater proprietor tried to outdo the other on special effects – only there was no digital CGI. They used actual flames and fireworks to get their effects. And that’s exactly why there are only two of them left in the world. Cesky Krumlov is one of them!

It killed me to forego the pleasure of touring the theater. If I ever get back to the Czech Republic, wild horses won’t keep me away from taking every tour offered in Cesky Krumlov. Now enjoy the pictures and come back next week for a tour of the town.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Going to the Chapel (and the Buffet)

October 12, 2016October 13, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE CHAPEL AT MELK ABBEY

Pretty amazing, huh? Last week I told you about my recent visit to Melk Abbey and compared it to a unique experience I’d enjoyed during a previous visit. While the rest of the abbey suffered from the absence of my original guide, you really don’t need a guide in the chapel. Anywhere your eye lands is remarkable.

The Chapel of Baroqueness

Though I’d spent much of the previous day gawking at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, when it comes to over-the-top Baroqueness, the palace didn’t hold a candle to the Melk Abbey Chapel. I could wax eloquent over the charms of the chapel, but I’ll just let a few photographs do the talking.

Back to the Boat

With all of our senses beaten to a bloody pulp of Baroque over-stimulation, we had a choice to make when we left the chapel. We could either grab a bus back to the boat or stroll to the dock through the small town of Melk. For once, Mr. Bill was the more adventurous. I still hadn’t thawed out from our wait in the courtyard, so subjecting myself to more punishment seemed foolish. I hot-footed it to the buses with the other elderly and handicapped people, because I was feeling very elderly and quite handicapped.

The first order of business was a very long, very hot shower. Cocktail hour was approaching. Bill strolled in just about the moment I was strolling out. The cocktail hour was preceded by a presentation about other Viking cruises available. Bill had no desire to be enticed into booking our next cruise, so I went and wished on my own.

A Taste of Austria

As far as the crew was concerned, this was a big night. Instead of our usual leisurely dinner, we were having an enormous buffet of Austrian treats. Each table was tricked out with checkered tablecloths and racks of huge pretzels. The chic sophistication of the dining room was subjected to an oom-pah-pah polka band, while our wait staff donned dirndls and lederhosen.

I can’t say I was a fan. While most of the food was good, the pretzels were a disappointment (much too tough by my American standards) and brats are not my favorite things. However, what they missed in culinary quality they made up in gourmand quantity. I will give them these accolades, the effort at entertainment was remarkable and the local wines they served were outstanding.

Time for Bed

After dinner we were offered a dose of Mozart in the lounge, but the foodfest was such an ordeal that I can’t even remember whether we made it to the presentation or not. If we did, I didn’t gain any new insights into the eccentric genius. I do remember crawling into bed in utter exhaustion.

I’ll leave you with a summary video of our day in the Wachau Valley. Come back next week and we’ll visit our next stop along the Danube.

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this: