Frankenstein Published 200 Years Ago

200th Anniversary of a Gothic Masterwork

Its first appearance was hardly a monster, though it still remains one of the most famous works of fiction ever published. “Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus” made its first appearance January 1, 1818. The book was published by the London firm of Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor and & Jones. Five hundred copies had been printed and the book issue had been supported by advertisements in the London broadsheets. The first printing was in three volumes. It did not sell as hoped and was soon offered with a discount and much of the printing run remained unsold. 

The book was published anonymously but rumor had it that it was by Percy Bysshe Shelley, though many in the literary community were aware or had suspicion that it was a work by his wife, Mary Shelley.

The book did not sell as hoped. Critical reaction was mixed. Mary Shelley had received no advance for the book, and was to receive a share of the profits after the deduction of expenses. There was a dispute with Lackington over the amount of advertising for the release. Shelley blamed the poor sales on the advertisements appearing too late to support the publication date. Lackington agreed to re-launch the book in three months, with sufficient time for the advertising. The relaunch would be on March 11, 2018, the day before Percy and Mary Shelley would leave England for Italy, Percy would never return.

The author’s name as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley would not appear on the cover until 1823, on the single volume edition, published by G. and W. B. Whittaker. Mary’s authorship was well known by this time as the story had achieved a great notoriety, mostly through the story performed as an unauthorized stage play which was hugely popular. The first printed edition of the book to recognize Mary Shelley as the author would be on a French translation, as simply “Mme. Shelley” in 1821. Today, 200 years later, the reviewers are forgotten and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley is one of the best known names in literature.

See Secret Memoirs of Mary Shelley

Luxury Golf and Gourmet Tour of Ireland

Flying into Ireland it should not be a surprise that one of the first sightings of Ireland’s verdant green, are the greens of a golf course. Ireland actually has over 440 courses, from championship courses of challenging sea coast links to hidden gems across the Irish landscape.

I was recently asked about some ideas for a luxury golfers’ tour of some of Ireland’s best golf courses with an activity for a family, so what about a Golf and Gourmet Cooking Course tour. This would include the most beautiful and or challenging championship golf courses Ireland has to offer paired with luxury idyllic hotel stays and gourmet cooking classes or craft and foodie experiences for the non-golfers. While the clubs crowd is slipping the little dimpled ball on the links the non-golf fans can enjoy the emerald isles bourgeoning gourmet cooking scene, while all can enjoy the local cultural experiences that make Ireland one of the most fascinating and enjoyable of vacation destinations. You can present these ideas to your travel agent or provider, or work them out for yourself. There are a few tour operators that specialize in golf tours that can arrange this as well. I’ll include them later, but here are an abundance of suggestions by area.

You could pick one local area to spend your time renting out a private castle and exploring the regions, or move about the country from North to South east and west. It’s all up to your tastes, the accommodations suggested here are 5 and 4 star luxury hotels and castle hotels, but nearby substitutes can easily be found for the more budget conscious.

Near Dublin

The Royal Dublin Club Golf Club is just three miles from Dublin where golfing legends have played for over 100 years. 

Overlooking Dublin Bay, the Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links is one of Ireland’s most challenging and historic courses, with it stunning 18 hole Bernhard Langer designed course.

Cooking Schools in the area include Kitchen in the Castle at Howth Castle on the grounds of the Deer Park Hotel and Golf Resort and near the shops of quaint Howth Village and in downtown Dublin is the Dublin Cookery School.

For a luxury castle hotel stay convenient to the courses the Clontarf Castle Hotel offers a respite in the suburbs, or The Shelbourne in Downtown Dublin. Activities in Dublin include the Jameson Whiskey Tour for Irish whisky knowledge and tasting and the ever popular Guiness Storehouse.

County Meath

Just short distance from Dublin in an area of cultural history and heritage Knightsbrook Hotel, Spa & Golf near the activity sites of Trim Castle, Hill of Tara, Newgrange  Archeological Site, Battle of Boyne Battlefield Site

Northern Ireland

Fermanaugh

Fermanagh County in Northern Ireland, several courses lie around the waters of Ireland largest inland lake, Lough Erne. The Lough Erne Golf Resort is a purpose built chateau that has hosted Presidents and world leaders.

Nearby is the Belle Isle Castle Cooking School

Activities in the area in Fishing on Lough Erne, Marble Arch Caves Geopark, Castle Coole & Florence Court Manor

Antrim Coast

Drive the stunning Antrim Coast just across the channel from Scotland with the beatutiful landscapes features in Game of Thrones. Royal Portrush Golf in Dunluce offers magnificent coastal landscape views, first opened in 1888, not far from the famed Giant’s Causeway.

Nearby is the old world Irish country style Bushmills Inn Hotel and offers the possibility to tour Old Bushmills Irish Whisky and visit Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle

County Down

Montalto Estate is a private estate for an extended family stay

Activities include the St Patrick's Trail and Armagh Library

Belfast

The Royal Belfast Golf is the oldest golf course in Ireland.

For a luxury hotel visit and a chauffered Rolls Royce trip to the links stay at the iconic Merchant Hotel in Belfast  

Activities in Belfast include Titanic Experience Exhibit and the Drydock, Black Cab Tour, Belfast Castle Cat Gardens, Entertainment at the Waterfront Center and Transportation & Folk Museum.

East Ireland

Kilkenny

About forty minutes to the south of Dublin is the countryside of Kilkenny, Mount Juliet Hotel & Golf is a manor house stay with its own course and Equestrian Center.

The Truffle Fairy in Thomastown is a boutique chocolate maker where you can take instruction in chocolate making, and beer tasting and education at Smithwick’s Brewery Tour.

Activities include the Kilkenny Craft Trail, Kilkenny Castle and Jerpoint Abbey.

Wicklow

The Brooklodge Hotel Golf & MacCreddin Village is Ireland’s Bio Concious Gourmet Hotel with a Wildfoods Master Cooking Class and tours of the local sourcing. The MacCreddin Market is a foodie’s delight and the property also has an Equestrian Center. Druids Glen Hotel & Golf is a stunning landscape course and luxury hotel property that has been called the Augusta of Europe.

The nearby Ballyknocken Cookery School is reputed as one of Ireland’s premier cooking schools.

Activities nearby include the Glendalough Celtic Site and Avoca Weaving Mill

Waterford

Popular courses from Waterford to Cork include Dungarvin Golf and Youghhal Golf, and The Old Head Golf Links course is one of the most dramatic you’ll ever encounter, jutting two miles into the Atlantic ocean with half its holes played along the sea.

TV Chef Paul Flynn whose Tannery Restaurant is regarded as one of the best in Ireland offers gourmet cooking classes at his The Tannery Cookery School in Dungarvan.

Top class luxury accommodations in the area include the Cliff House Hotel with its gourmet chef and guests take away their own Cliff House Cookbook, the Monart Spa offers Asian themed spa treatments and nude spa experience. The Lismore Castle & Gardens is available for private rental for a more exclusive experience.

Activities in the area between Wexford, Waterford and Cork include tours of Waterford Crystal, the Wexford Opera, Dunbrody Famine Ship, Blarney Castle Cork, St Declans Well, and Moby Dick Pub in Youghal where the original Moby Dick movie was filmed.

West Ireland

Kerry

The area of Kerry in the southeast corner of Ireland is famed for its Ring of Kerry scenic drive landscape. Ballybunion Golf is said to be one of Tom Watson’s favorite courses and the Parksanilla Hotel & Golf Resort is a premier luxury golf resort property with easy reach to the Ring of Kerry drive and walks.

Galway

Glenlo Abbey Hotel and Golf is an former great estate on the Galway Coast with its own golf course at the gateway to the Connemara peninsula landscapes.

The Oyster Festival in Galway every fall is famous around the world.

County Clare, Kerry & Limerick

The Burren

Gregans Castle Hotel is a boutique, secluded manor inn style of hotel in the heart of the stunning Burren region of rugged rocky landscapes. Dromoland Castle Hotel & Golf  is the ancestral home of Ireland’s O’Brien clan with its own private course on the former grounds of the ancient manor land.

The Berry Lodge Cookery School is in the Burren-Kerry region not far from the famous Cliffs of Moher.

Activities for families in the region include Bunratty Castle, Rock of Cashel, Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, and King John’s Castle

Tour companies that specialize in golf tours include in Irish Links, Absolutely Golf & Travel, Celtic Golf and Erin Golf Tours

Frankenstein: Creation of Darkness - Geneva Anniversary

Ever since the publishing of the 1831 edition of Mary Shelley’s masterwork “Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus”, Geneva, Switzerland has been the touchstone of lore surround the creation of the most famous work of Gothic literature, with the story of the competition between the romantics gathered on a dark and stormy night when Mary Shelley had a nightmare, waking dream, where she got the idea for a creature brought to life by a student of science.

While a number of myths and suppositions about the summer of 1816 have arisen in the 200 years since that time, an exhibit at the Martin Bodmer Foundation Library, just a short walk from the Villa Diodati, rented by Lord Gordon Byron for that summer and the nearby house rented by the Shelleys on the shores of Lake Geneva, has opened to celebrate the creation of the monster of id, of Shelley’s novel.

In the lower exhibit floor of foundation library, a row of glass cases hold 15 hand-written note pages of the first from draft version of the classic story beginning "I beheld the wretch—the miserable monster whom I had created; he held up the curtain, and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me."

The Villa Diodati is now converted to private residence apartments, the gardens of the villa over-looking the lake where then Mary Godwin (she wouldn’t marry Shelley until that December) and the pregnant Claire Clairmont might have strolled while Byron and Shelley were out exploring the lake, will be open for guided tours to the public during the length of the exhibit until October 9.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel was first published anonymously in 1818, and one of the editions found in the exhibit is inscribed to "To Lord Byron from the Author". (See Did Mary Shelley Lie about the origin of Frankenstein?)

Mary also wrote of the gloominess of the weather that summer and the exhibit features a weather report for June remarking on the late leafing of the trees. The weather has since been attributed to a volcanic eruption Mt. Tambora in Indonesia which created havoc with the climate across the globe that year.

While in Geneva other Shelley sites that can be visited including the statue of the “creature” named "Frankie" on the Plainpalais where the murder of the Frankenstein's son took place in the novel, the Hotel d’Angleterre (not the actual one the Shelleys stayed at but a block from the spot, the birth house of Jean Jacques Rousseau whose writing ignited the romantic literature movement and drew the English romantics to Switzerland, and spots around the lake (see Lake Geneva Cruises) visited by Bryon and Shelley, from the Chateau Chillon  castle which inspired the Prisoner of Chillon for Byron, and the Hotel de l'Ancre in Lausanne where he began to write the work for which he abandoned his original idea of a vampire from legends he had heard in Turkey that he turned over to Polidori.

Creation of Darkness May 14-Oct 9 Martin Bodmer Foundation

Zurich to Berlin or Rome?

Getting from Zurich to Berlin with Scenic Activities or Maybe to Rome

I was recently asked about my thoughts of a self-guided tour route for a couple starting in Zurich and making a journey to either Berlin or Rome and what sights might be explored along these routes. Let’s start with Zurich to Berlin, with opportunities for interesting stop-overs, either by train or by car. While possibilities are varied with a mix of small country roads and high speed autobahn there are two basic routes which offer the most iconic of sights, one via Basel, up the Rhine River to central Germany via Frankfurt, then across the north to Berlin. Or to the east through Munich then north via Nuremburg, or the Romantic Road if one has the time. Up the Rhine route offers the wine vineyards of Alsace and Black Forest, perhaps at stop at the fairy tale castle of Konigsburg in Alsace, then the Middle Rhine with its castles between Bingen and Koblenz. The quaint villages are a short ride, accessible by the Rhine Train which travels along the river side at that point. This is also the wine growing region. A stop in Stuttgart offers the automotive fan the marvelous Mercedes Museum and Porsche Museum. Or you could stay in Heidelberg, one of the most popular of romantic cites with architecture and history. If traveling with kids, from there they might like the amazing technical museums at Sinsheim or Speyer about a 30 minute train excursion from Heidelberg.

The route via Munich and Nuremburg. Munich has its baroque churches and beer gardens, and royal palace of Nymphenburg or the Residence, while Schleissheim has its royal palaces and the holocaust museum at Dachau. Nuremburg has its medieval walls and WWII history, but is a charming for one of the larger cities. While, or a little bit off the main route zip over to Regensburg another popular medieval town, and then Dresden, with stunning Baroque architecture and treasures, and the music city of Leipzig with the Bach Museum and Mendelssohn House.

Be aware of the hefty drop-off charge for renting a car in one country and dropping off in another. Either train in one country and car in another. Or drive in Switzerland, drop the car near the border, train to an Italian city and rent a car for Italy. You could probably do this with a one week rental in each country.

From Zurich to Rome

There are three passes to cross, near Martigny across the French Alps at Chamonix Mont Blanc, then to Torino, down to Genoa and along the coast to Piza and Rome, or via Andermatt, Bellinzona, Lugano to Milan, then either the coast route from Genoa, or the Emilia Romagna from  Parma and Modena  to Bologna, then over the Appenines. Or third, via St Moritz over the Bernina Pass (the highest pass) to Tirano, through the Dolomites to Trento/Rovereto along the wine routes of the Dolomites, to Verona, Brescia to Bologna (this last is the route of the Mille Miglia). There are tons of “not to miss” on any of these.  They keep roads are pretty much open in May, unless a big storm hits and then it might be a day to clear.

Stops along the way, Route 1 takes you through Lucerne, Interlaken (Jungfrau), Gruyeres is a quaint town with the Gruyere Castle, the Gruyere Cheese Experience, the Chocolate Factory of Callier, Giger Alien Bar, by the eastern Lake Geneva is Montreux with the romantic Castle Chillon, the wine vineyards of the Chateau Aigle, St Maurice is worth a stop at the little known martyr site celebrating 1500 year anniversary, and Chamonix-Mont Blanc with spectacular aerial cable to the Aigille du Midi of Mont Blanc. Route two, Lucerne, Locarno, Lago Maggiore or Como, you could stop at Zermatt for the Matterhorn with scenic train to the Gornergrat or aerial cable to the highest observation point in Europe at the Klein Matterhorn. Route 3, you could go by Liechtenstein, Sargans, Bad Ragaz, St Moritz, if you dropped the car there, take the Bernina Express to Tirano, but driving the pass is beautiful. From Trento or Rovereto drive through the wine vineyards of Trentino to the western shore of Lago di Gardi (used for a chase scene in a Bond Film) to then some Balsamic Vinegar and Parmesan Cheese tasting between Parma and Modena. Florence is of course a definite stop, though maybe stay in an agritourismo in the Tuscan hills, between Florence, Siena and Porto Ercole on the coast, then on to Rome.

Swiss Scenic Trains

One of the best ways to enjoy the amazing landscape wonders of Switzerland is from the seat of the Swiss scenic trains. The Swiss have built a rail system unequaled to take them over and through their mountains, with specialized engines of rack gears for steep climbs and panoramic windows for taking in the breathtaking alpine views. Some of these routes have been developed into themed rail lines especially for tourist visitors.

Panoramic Scenic Trains of Switzerland

The Glacier Express is the oldest and best known panoramic theme train of Switzerland and runs from Zermatt at the base of the majestic Matterhorn,  through the Rhone and Rhine valleys to St Moritz. The Glacier Express experience includes a lunch served at your window seat on a day long (nearly 8 hours) journey over mountain passes and over UNESCO World Heritage stone bridge viaducts and tunnels. At Zermatt, the Gornergrat-Matterhorn rack mountain railway makes an excursion to the higher peaks and glaciers, and views of Switzerland’s most famous mountain peak.

The Bernina Express travels from Chur via St Morritz, over the Bernina Pass to Tirano in Italy, sharing some of the same World Heritage route as the Glacier Express. While less famous, the Bernina packs more of the scenery into a shorter route than the Glacier train. A meal is not served on the Bernina, but snack carts roll through the cars, but you’re probably too busy rubbernecking out the windows. Unless you plan to continue in Italy, the Bernina train is usually taken as a round trip.

The Golden Pass route from Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva to Interlaken and on to Lucerne, while not reachiing the altitudes  is the most diverse of the scenic routes, passing through Alpine meadows between the peaks, and along lake shores. The Golden Pass also shares some of its route with the Chocolate Train from Montreux to Gruyeres for a day trip to the Gruyere Cheese Dairy factory, Nestle-Cailler Chocolate factory and Gruyeres Castle. The Golden Pass can be partially traveled in historic Wagons-Lit reail cars from days past or in modern panoramic version. At Interlaken the Golden Pass route connects with the trains of the Jungfrau Region, through the Eiger mountain tunnels to the highest rail station at Jungfraujoch, or the rack rail and aerial cable via the mountainside village of Murren to the Schilthorn-Piz Gloria with some of the best pure Alps peak views.

The Wilhelm Tell Express is a bit of a misnomer, because a principal feature is a decidedly non-express journey by historic paddle-steamer ship traveling the length of Lake Lucerne and Lake Uri to connect with the train portion traversing from German speaking Switzerland to Italian Switzerland through the Gotthard Tunnel the shores of Lake Lugano and Lago Maggiore. A lunch meal is served on the steamer in first class, surrounded by wooden cherubs of the ornate décor, while the beauty of one of the most stunning lakes passes by.

The Mont-Blanc Express is a somewhat shorter trip which travels from Martigny in the Rhone Valley, where Napoleon encamped after his march over the Alps at St Bernard Pass, at the eastern end of Lake Geneva over the mountain pass to Chamonix-Mont Blanc in France at the foot of the Alps highest mountain, Mont Blanc.

Castle Hotels – Luxury and History

A trip to Europe is not complete without a stay in one of the many castle hotels. It is at a castle where the images of a medieval past, or the life of lords and ladies comes to mind, the days of Victorian elegance, or romance of a golden age of the Grand Tour envelopes the senses. Many castle hotels are not really in once standing castle, but built to incorporate into the property, in a reconstructed former mews or garage, expanded to tenant rooms, or in some cases reimaging a former residence of noble glory. Many castle hotels are more in the style of grand manors, and mostly now in the luxury category of hotel property, managed by hotel groups and marketing associations: Paramount, Carnation, Culture & Castles, Relais & Chateau, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World, among others.

Switzerland is not especially known for its castles and much of its tourism base developed in the late 19th Century after the days of defensive fortresses, but still offers some chateau style accommodation, the Chateau d’Ouchy on the shores of Lake Geneva in Lausanne and the Hotel Les Armures in Geneva come to mind. The Grand Hotel of Giessbach above Lake Brienz is like a location lost in time.

England is certainly known for its castles and many have been converted to hotels. The Grove Estate just outside London is a manor house turned to a luxury stay accommodation with its own golf course, Castle Lumley and Castle Langley in Yorkshire are keeps from the Norman era converted to hotel accommodation, Redworth Hall in Durham is near the eastern coast of Yorkshire, while Ruthin Castle in the north of Wales has hosted the Prince of Wales.

Germany has a plethora of castle ruins, many of them now hotels, either in the luxury category, but many of them modestly priced and in historic locals. The Rhine River offers the former knights castles of Shönburg and Gutenfels. The Schloss Elmau in the Alps recently gained notoriety for the meeting between American President Obama and German Chancellor Merkel, but has long been a getaway for the Alpine gentry.  The Wald Schloss Hotel of Friedrichsruhe and the Jagdschloss Kranichstein are former hunting lodge palaces converted to countryside accommodation. Many of the castle hotels in Germany have gourmet restaurants of Michelin star chefs competing for awards.

In Ireland the concept of converting ancient castles and manors to luxury accommodation has become a passion. Since the Earls left, the great houses of Ireland have survived conflict and social changes to glorious places for visitors to soak up the Irish spirit. In Dublin itself Clontarf Castle has a history tracing back to the battles of Brian Boru and the Vikings. Dromoland Castle near Shannon has an ancient history as well of the early Irish clans  Gregans Castle Hotel in the Burren near the Cliffs of Moher is more a Victorian era manor house, than castle, but in a gorgeous setting. Glenlo Abbey Hotel in Galway is also a former manor house with its own golf course, while Lough Erne in the Northern Ireland lake lands, which also hosted a president is a purpose built modern chateau golf destination, offering a style reminiscent of a lordly past.

What to Do in Heidelberg

Romantic Summer Destination of Germany

The picturesque town of Heidelberg stretches along the Neckar River, with its intricate tangle of streets bedecked with twinkling lights below the famous castle ruin in red, cloaked in thick green forest. This vision of one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany was described by Mark Twain, when a second European trip brought him here for a three month stay in 1879 adding a little Mark Twain Mystery to Heidelberg. The American author and raconteur fell in love with the charm of the old town, describing his encounters with dueling students at the Hirschgasse and the arrival of a European potentate, viewed from his hotel window.

Heidelberg retains the same irresistible enchantment which intrigued Twain. The beautiful old town of Heidelberg draws millions of visitors every year and the balmy days of spring and summer the town takes on a magical air. Enjoy traditional food and drink at historic inns which trace back hundreds of years like the Red Oxen Inn, visited by Twain, or the knights hotel, the Ritter St Georg with one of the most photographed facades in Germany. So much of Heidelberg’s history is tied to its university, with visits to the Student Prison of the Old University nearly mandatory and a taste of the tantalizing romantic chocolates of the Heidelberg Student Kiss. Romance is also on view on the Nepomuk Terrace near the Old Bridge, where the famous Heidelberger Liebesstein (Lover’s Stone) is found where love besotted couples attach their ‘love padlocks’ as a symbol of endless devotion. From the terrace they can stroll across the river to the Philosopher’s Walk, where students of the past found a front-row seat to contemplate nature and a breathtaking view of the town, surrounded by exotic plants of Japanese loquat and American cypress, Portuguese cherries, lemons, palms and pomegranates.

Stroll the pedestrian zone shopping streets of the Old Town, and in the town square explore the stunning gothic Heiliggeist Church where the Prince Elector Ruprecht II is laid romantically side by side with his wife , then a visit to the amazing Castle of Heidelberg called the “Beautiful Ruin”. In July the castle illumination fireworks light up the river, but year round a visit highlight is the Pharmacy Museum with a look into the alchemy ideas of ancient medicine and of course, the best known feature of the Heidelberg Giant Wine Barrel, where you’ll discover the legend of Perkeo, the jester master of the wine.

Any visit to Heidelberg should include a bit of the Neckar River Valley. It is just beyond the town where the River Neckar passes through the series of locks as it winds through a narrow valley lined with the romantic ruins of other castles on what is called the German Castle Road, where river cruise boats ply the waters in a journey along the banks thick with vineyards and dense broadleaf woods.

Heidleberg Marketing offers special tour and stay packages. The “Three for two” isthe special deal on offer for city breaks during the summer, while “Heidelberg mit Herz” (Heidelberg with heart) is a short break offer for the opportunity to find out more about the eventful history of the town and relive olden days with a tour of the winding alleyways of the romantic town and a boat trip on the solar-powered “Neckarsonne".

FRANKENSTEIN ROMANTICS TOUR OF SWITZERLAND

Following Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron Swiss Travels

Need a travel guide for Switzerland? Follow the footsteps of the Romantics, the authors of the late 18th and early 19th Century who came to Switzerland to discover its still pristine wonders. Many people are familiar a bit with the story of the inspiration of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel of Frankenstein, related in an introduction to the book of the summer of 1816, when Mary Godwin, Percy Byssche Shelley, and Lord Byron, along with travelling companions John Polidri and Claire Clairmont gathered on the shores of Lake Geneva at a villa rented by Byron, and the contest to tell a scare story.

Geneva should surely be a stop on a visit to Switzerland, following the steps of the Romantics. The founders of the Romanticism movement in English literature were inspired by Genevan author Jean-Jacques Rousseau whose “Julie, or The New Heloise” based on a then “modern” retelling of the French legend of Abelard and Heloise, which Rousseau sets in scenes around Lake Geneva, attracted the likes of Byron and the Shelleys.

The Villa Diodati in the upscale Cologny suburb of Geneva where Byron stayed and the ghost story contest legend originated is not open to tourists, but is a private residence. But nearby is the Martin Bodmer Foundation Library, with a collection of rare books and manuscripts, which would have fascinated the Shelleys. Byron and Percy Shelley sailed a boat around the lake, visiting the castle of the Chateau Chillon and sites around Montreux (which they called Clarens) and Vevey. Just as they did, you can visit the most famous castle in Switzerland and taste the wines of the 500 year old vineyards of the Lavaux Region. They stopped at Ouchy in Lausanne where the Lake Cruise boats depart for cruises of beautiful Lake Geneva. The Shelleys stayed at the Hotel d'Angleterre in Geneva before meeting up with Byron. The original is gone, but an historic luxury hotel of the same name, for its English tourist visitors on the Grand Tour, stands about a block from where the original one stood.

Geneva is only a possible beginning of a tour, while less known, is the journey Mary Godwin and Percy Shelley made in 1814 when they eloped from London, when Mary was only 16, and ran away to Paris with Mary’s step-sister Claire Clairmont, then traveled across France to Switzerland, then up the Rhine River. This journey of the romantic tour of Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley is told in a new book The Frankenstein Diaries: The Secret Memoirs of Mary Shelley.

The threesome entered Switzerland from France and crossed the Jura mountains to Neuchatel, where they visited the Old Church and Castle of Neuchatel, and attended a private party at the Chateau Peyrou, once owned by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s publisher. It is now an event location, remaining much as it was. They stayed at a hotel in approximately the location of the Beau Rivage Neuchatel with the same lake views.

Railways did not exist in 1814 and 1816, so rather than tour Switzerland by foot, cart, and post coach, today it’s easy to visit these sites by rail with a Swiss Pass Rail Pass. From Geneva, Neuchatel is a quick trip. Cruise the three lakes of Neuchatel, and visit the watch-making district of Chaux-de-Fonds in the Jura. From Neuchatel, their path took them to Lucerne, passing through Solothurn, for a look at the cathedral. It was new at the time and they found the then fairly new Baroque architecture, with its crisp white marble, a bit unappealing. From Lucerne they took a boat to Brunnen where Lake Lucerne meets Lake Uri. They were fascinated by the story of William Tell, and today you can take the Wilhelm Tell Express cruise and train route. The house where they stayed is long gone, but Brunnen, or just down the shore, Weggis, offer a wonderful place to stop and explore the Swiss Riviera, with the walking trails of Lake Lucerne region and the historic mountain train to Mt Rigi. When their money ran out, they took a boat back to Lucerne, admiring the chapel bridge and staying at a hotel, possibly the Wilden Mann which still exists. Then by boat they followed the Reuss River to the Rhine, crossing the falls and on to Basel. Explore the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen, and explore the very historic city of Basel, before getting on a plane or train back to France or continue to Germany.

Mozart and Beethoven - Death Mystery - Following the Great Composers

Recently there was an auction held at Sotheby’s auction house in London for lockets of hair clipped from the heads of two of the world’s greatest classical composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig Von Beethoven, both of whom died in curious circumstances, never fully satisfactorily explained. Mozart died in Vienna in 1791 at the early age of 35 and his demise has long been surrounded by gossip and controversy, with more than one conspiracy theory, made most famous by the modern play and movie about his a rivalry with the Vienna royal court chorale master, Antonio Salieri. But Salieri was not the only suspect. Mozart returned to Vienna from Prague where he had introduced a new opera, taken suddenly ill. His condition worsened while he worked on a “Requiem” commissioned of him. He began to speak incessantly about his own death, and claimed he was writing the Requiem for himself with the words, “I am sure I have been poisoned." He died on December 5, 1791 after a horrific bout of swelling and vomiting. He was buried in a pauper’s grave outside the city walls of Vienna. Salieri came under almost immediate suspicion, but may have been a rumour spread by other culprits. Mozart had revealed some of the secrets of Freemasonry in his operas and that secret organization may have taken offense, and one theory suggested his death may have been the result of a romantic adventure with the wife of a member. Mozart lived in Vienna across from the Freemason Hall and owed much of his gambling debts to Masons. Though, the other more probable cause may have been medical malpractice. Mozart was taking heavy doses of a patent medicinal cure for his bowel difficulties, which may have been the real poison. Ludwig Von Beethoven’s end was dramatic in a different way, but offering its own mysteries. Beethoven died on March 26, 1827, also in Vienna, at the age of 56. He had been ill for some time, and his autopsy revealed he suffered from liver damage from heavy drinking. Perhaps for a composer famous for his deafness and known for thunderous symphonies he thematically died during lightning storm, with roiling peals of thunder. It has been also suggested that Beethoven died from poisoning from the medicinal cures he was taking. Buying a lock of hair at an auction may be out of your grasp, but there are a number of places to visit to follow the story of the greatest composers of the age. In Vienna, you can sit at Beethoven’s favorite corner table at the Zum Schwarzen Kameel, or visit his gravesite in the Zentralfriedhof Cemetery or take in Mozart Concerts at the Vienna Opera House. In the city of Salzburg most associated with Mozart, you’ll find Mozart’s Birthhouse and Residence Museums. Mozart’s grave is lost to history, but the gravesite of his wife Constanze and his father is found at the Mozart Graves in the St Sebastien Cemetery, or have a coffee at Mozart’s favorite hangout the Café Tomaselli. In Salzburg, you can even attend a performance of a Mozart Opera performed by Marionettes.

Middle Rhine Trip by Car

UNESCO MIDDLE RHINE Traveling along the Riverside

The Rhine River has its origin high in the Alps, and flows to the North Sea, the longest river in Europe, but for tourists it is the section where the famed waterway winds between Mainz and Cologne through a gorge of steep hillsides covered with wine vineyards and dotted by castles the draws the most interests. Here it is known as the Middle Rhine, where the legend of the beautiful maiden, Loreley would sing her siren song and lure sailors to their doom crash on the rocks and the specter of ancient ruins of castles inspired romantic poets and for which the Middle Rhine has been named a UNESCO World Heritage area.

There are a variety of ways to see the section of the Rhine, from the comfort of a river cruise line boat, virtually a floating hotel, which docks for several nights at ports along the river, by hired car, traveling along the river road on either side of the river, crossing by ferry, or by rail. If traveling by car, the options are many. The entire distance of the heritage part of the Rhine can be driven in under two hours. If carless, it is left to train schedules and the on-off Rhine River cruise lines, like the KDR.

The German Rail Lines run regular service through the Rhine Valley, with main line passenger service along the west bank of the river, while freight mostly runs on the east bank. Regional and Intercity trains make only limited stops along this section of the river at the main towns of Bingen, St Goar, Oberwesel, Boppard, Koblenz, and Bonn. There is local rail service on both sides of the river, but the Middle Rhine Train - MittlerheinBahn (MRB) is the local train dedicated to all the stops along the river between Mainz and Cologne. For a travel tour through the heritage section of the river, a combination of these might make for the fullest experience, for example leave a car at a hotel, take a river day cruise in one direction along the river, to visit the medieval towns, and castles, and explore the wine tasting, then take to the train back to continue your journey.

Rüdesheim on the Rhine is the largest of the tourism towns along the east bank of the river known for its wine museum and Rüdesheimer coffee, while Bacharach, wine tasting at Oberwesel, St Goar, Boppard are on the west side. There are a few castle hotels along the river at Castle Reichenstein near Bingen (open with reservations), Castle Schonburg at Oberwesel, and Castle Rheinfels Hotel at St Goar, while a selection of other accommodations are available with classic inn style lodgings with room and dining, like the Weinhaus Weiler, or Hotel Krone in Assmannhausen, even with a special heritage themed traditional menus for the full Rhineland experience.

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