< PreviousPhoto by by John Petschinger 70 THE JOURNEY71 72 AROUND AUSTRIA IN EMPRESS SISI'S FOOTSTEPS The global Netflix hit series The Empress has rekindled interest in Empress Elisabeth of Austria and her tumultuous life. Now that Season Two is on its way, let us take you on a journey throughout Austria in the footsteps of the empress and queen. 78 A TRUE TASTE OF KUALA LUMPUR Kuala Lumpur, a multi-cultural hub which intertwines modern flair and Malaysia, is undoubtedly growing to become one of the most vibrant cities of South-East Asia THE JOURNEYAROUND AUSTRIA IN EMPRESS SISI'S FOOTSTEPS 72 THE JOURNEY THE GLOBAL NETFLIX HIT SERIES THE EMPRESS HAS REKINDLED INTEREST IN EMPRESS ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA AND HER TUMULTUOUS LIFE. NOW THAT SEASON TWO IS ON ITS WAY, LET US TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY THROUGHOUT AUSTRIA IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE EMPRESS AND QUEEN. Text by Somkamol Mukdamanee and Austrian National Tourist Office Photos by Austrian National Tourist Office73 Austria, a small country with a population of nine million, lies in the Eastern Alps and shares its borders with eight countries. Despite its size it offers historic cities, the birthplace of Mozart, countless recreation activities both outdoor amidst scenic Alpine landscape and indoor, and culinary delights. Although the Habsburg monarchy was disassembled in 1918 all the mystery, glamour and power associated with it continues to fascinate people to this day. Empress Elizabeth was born a duchess of Bavaria in 1837 and came to be known as Empress Sisi. She was a stunning beauty and married Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1854, upon which she also became a queen of Hungary. The trappings of palace life were undoubtedly of wealth and privilege but her personal life was tumultuous and dotted with tragedy, ending with her assassination by an anarchist in Geneva in 1898. Recognised as an active woman who loved nature and travelling, she was also known as one of the most beautiful and stylish women of 19th century Europe. Most of the residences that Empress Sisi frequented have been preserved and are open to the public today. The prominent ones are mentioned in this story. THE IMPERIAL VILLA, BAD ISCHL This is where the fairytale story began, when Emperor Franz Joseph set eyes on his 15-year- old cousin Duchess Sisi and fell in love at first sight. She accepted the betrothal bouquet only with great reluctance, as it was her older sister who was supposed to be his bride. The emperor had made his choice, however, and a year later their wedding celebration took place in Vienna. Among the wedding presents was the Kaiservilla, or Imperial Villa, in the idyllic countryside of Bad Ischl. It was a rather modest building for an Imperial couple and its furnishings in Biedermeier style unspectacular. For Empress Sisi, however, the villa was the perfect refuge from the rigid protocol of the capital, and she came here regularly for her summer retreats. Emperor Franz Joseph also enjoyed Bad Ischl and after his wife’s assassination, increasingly retreated to his “dear Ischl.” Today, the private rooms can be visited during the summer months. The exterior structure of the villa has not changed either, still forming the letter “E” for Elisabeth when seen from above. Everything inside is still in place the way it was, even the study where Emperor Franz Joseph sat at his desk and went about the business of government, including signing the declaration of war against Serbia in 1914 which ultimately led to World War I. Photo by Willfried Gredler Oxenbauer Photo by Wolfgang Spekner74 LEOPOLDSKRON PALACE, SALZBURG After a tearful farewell to her family in the summer of 1853, the teenage Duchess Sisi set off on her journey to Salzburg where the young Emperor Franz Joseph received and then escorted her to Vienna. Her cousin King Ludwig II of Bavaria hosted a lavish engagement party for them at Schloss Leopoldskron (palace), a swan-white rococo palace with a majestic mountain backdrop near Salzburg's old town, and thereafter Queen Sisi returned to Salzburg many times to accompany her husband for official meetings, but much preferred her private visits to see her cousin. The Imperial couple were bound by a close friendship from their mutual feeling of constraint by rigid palace protocol and their THE JOURNEY penchant for art, culture and the eccentric, and Leopoldskron Palace was always a haven. Today, it remains a national historic monument that has also become a privately-owned hotel. Visitors may take a guided tour of the palace to learn more of its history and the people who lived and worked there, and those who would like to spend a night at Schloss Leopoldskron may book one of the elegant suites. Photo by Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron Photo by Gerhard Trumler. Photo by Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron Photo by Guenter Breitegger75 LAXENBURG CASTLE PARK, LOWER AUSTRIA Schlosspark Laxenburg is a vast castle park with a substantial pond and former Imperial residences. Empress Sisi had imagined her honeymoon in one of them, the lovely Baroque- style Blauer Hof, somewhat differently. Emperor Franz Jospeh, still inexperienced in the business of government, spent most of his time away and she found comfort in the natural beauty of the castle park with extended walks throughout the extensive gardens with meadows, old trees and the substantial pond SCHÖNBRUNN PALACE, VIENNA Empress Sisi’s beauty was legendary throughout the Empire and she appeared to live a worry-free life filled with adventurous travel, an extensive wardrobe and a focus on exotic beauty treatments. Her glamour and dazzling personality can still be felt today at Schloss Schönbrunn, the main summer residence in Vienna: the wallpaper is a vibrant violet, her favourite colour, and the furniture is upholstered in the finest, richly embroidered silk fabrics. Her private chamber is exactly the way it was when she was still alive, allowing visitors to easily visualise her sitting there, applying cream to her face, and brushing her ankle-long tresses. Enter the Staircase Cabinet and you’ll discover another side of her life: it served as her writing room and it was here where she retreated to read and reflect, write diaries and letters, and compose her numerous poems. Another highlight is the Imperial bedroom that was furnished for the wedding in 1854. Today, it is the symbol of an Imperial marriage that, at least for Empress Sisi, was primarily associated with duty. She was expected to give birth to healthy male offspring as quickly as possible and, during their first years of marriage, this pressure weighed heavily on her. Finally, their first son and heir to the throne, Rudolf, was born in 1858. with Franzensburg Castle, a faithful replica of a knight's fortress, standing on a small island in it. She stayed here many times, even to give birth to two of her children including Crown Prince Rudolf. The English-style park, designed by Peter Joseph Lenné and still the largest in Austria, was considered impressive back then and today remains one of the most beautiful landscaped gardens in Europe. Austrians enjoy coming here to hike and take romantic boat trips. Photo by OEW Cross Media Redaktion Photo by Peter Burgstaller Photo by John Petschinger76 THE JOURNEY IMPERIAL PALACE, INNSBRUCK Built during the rule of Emperor Maximilian I, painted by Albrecht Dürer and inhabited for centuries by the emperors of the Habsburg monarchy, the Kaiserliche Hofburg, or Imperial Palace in Innsbruck, is located in the historic city centre. It is one of the most important buildings commemorating the Austro-Hungarian Empire and where, during IMPERIAL PALACE, VIENNA Children’s shoes, curious beauty recipes, umbrellas and fans, clothes and a private first- aid kit: at the Sisi Museum within the Hofburg, or principal Imperial Palace and winter residence situated in Vienna, it's the little things that reveal a lot about the Empress's everyday life. Strolling through the rooms, it quickly becomes clear how much of a royal celebrity she was during her lifetime and also the flipside, that is, a woman who felt trapped by the constraints of royal protocol and responsibilities and who’s life was plagued by tragedy including the deaths of two of her children. In the Imperial Apartments right next to the Sisi Museum, everything feels as if Empress Sisi had only just gone away on a trip. She is said to have spent three hours a day combing her magnificent ankle-length hair, and her hairbrushes lie on the dressing table, ready for use. She placed high importance on keeping her figure and strengthening her back for the rigours of horse riding, which was contrary to court etiquette but in which she was considered to be the best female rider of her time, and in her bedroom are wall bars and gymnastic rings with which she exercised with iron discipline, and the rather modest folding iron bed which she took with her on travels whenever possible. "Lay Me at Your Majesty's Feet" is a special guided tour here. A highly knowledgeable museum guide playing the role of Empress Sisi’s valet de chambre will lead visitors through the Imperial Apartments and relate stories as the person who had the closest proximity to the empress than almost anyone else and who would see practically everything. his long reign, Emperor Franz Joseph spent much of his time. Empress Sisi preferred to stay away from the confines of palace life and only passed through when she was in transit to Merano. Today, above all it is the home of a permanent exhibition on Emperor Maximilian I, one of the most remarkable rulers of the Renaissance era, and of the original state rooms of Maria Theresa. Photo by Christof Lackner Photo by G-Owesny77 EMPRESS SISI'S FAVOURITE THINGS TO EAT Empress Sisi pursued her ideals of beauty with a strict diet and regime of sports. She wanted to remain slim, contrary to the fashion of the time, and on some days she is said to have eaten no more than two oranges and a portion of violet ice cream which was ordered from Demel, the confectioner to the palace in Vienna (and where, today, violet ice cream made according to the traditional recipe can still be tasted in a dignified ambience). Empress Sisi also visited Café Sacher in the heart of Vienna's old town and sampled its famous Sacher Cake (the original bill is proof of the royal visit) and the traditional Viennese coffeehouse still operates today. Anyone spending a summer holiday in Bad Ischl, as the empress was fond of doing, should stop by Café Zauner and order violet pastilles with chocolate icing. This former confectioner to the palace continues to make the empress’s favourite treat today, just as it did during the heyday of the Habsburg Empire. Last but not least … EMPRESS ELISABETH MEMORIAL AT THE VOLKSGARTEN, VIENNA The memorial, finished in 1907 by Hans Bitterlich, features a seated white marble statue of Empress Sisi overlooking flower beds, water features and a tree-lined avenue. The Empress sits with her hands resting in her lap, and a simple inscription reads: “Elisabeth. Kaiserin von Österreich” (Elisabeth. Empress of Austria). Photo by Harald-Eisenberger Photo by Harald-Eisenberger Photo by OEW Cross Media RedaktionTHE JOURNEY OF KUALA LUMPUR KUALA LUMPUR, A MULTI- CULTURAL HUB WHICH INTERTWINES MODERN FLAIR AND MALAYSIA, IS UNDOUBTEDLY GROWING TO BECOME ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT CITIES OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA. Text and Photos by Urasa Chittamvanich The tagline “Malaysia truly Asia” echoed in my ears throughout my seamless two- hour flight from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur on recently-launched MYAirline. In our first hour in the city, I saw how it’s developing with cutting-edge architecture and technology, while charming Neo-Moor buildings remain loved and preserved. The contrast between olde-worlde and new-world is seen throughout Kuala Lumpur, especially with the addition of Merdeka 118 to the city skyline. Merdeka 118 is the second-tallest building in the world, behind Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and the tallest in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Expected to open in late 2023, the complex is a mix of office space, hotel, retail outlets and an observatory floor which will be the highest observation deck in Southeast Asia. Seeing its massive exterior from the street, I am pretty certain that it will be a strong rival for Petronas Twin Towers and I admit I can’t wait to return to explore it. To enjoy Kuala Lumpur to the fullest, one needs to follow in the footsteps of a local or our guide below. A TRUE TASTE79 KL TOWER The world’s seventh-tallest freestanding tower, KL Tower attracts many visitors to its observation deck, which offers a breathtaking view of the metropolis skyline. In the recently- added two transparent Sky Boxes, visitors can stand or sit on the glass platform and pretend they are happily floating 421 metres above ground level! Another adrenaline-booster is the Tower Walk 100 located 30 metres (100 feet) above the ground – the height at which people often start to feel fear. Do not panic, as you will be fitted with safety gear before you take a step onto the narrow path that winds around the tower. Some parts of the path have side trails while some don’t, and some feature a glass surface with crackling sound and visuals as a special effect! ALI, MUTHU & AH HOCK An eatery that presents the three main ethnicities of Malaysia; Malaysian, Chinese and Indian. The menu thus features a wide diversity from Nasi Lemak to Goreng-Goreng, Noodle Soup, Hainanese Chicken Rice, a variety of Roti, and local coffee and tea. My favourites were Roti Bakar Kaya (MYR 3.80) and Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng (MYR 15.90) with a glass of The Nanas (MYR 3.90). It’s a casual place with open-air seating that will give you a taste of bygone days. CHINATOWN CENDOL Tucked away in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, Chinatown Cendol especially attracts lovers of durian with its D24 Durian Cendol (MYR 25), and their recommended Musang King Durian Cendol (MYR 40). Both are really good and come in big portions along with condiments, so I recommend sharing with a friend. On the cendol menu are also versions with taro, the first one of its kind in Malaysia, with a choice of Taro & Rice Ball Cendol (MYR 13.9) and Grass Jelly & Taro Cendol (MYR 15.9). The shop does not have a lot of seating thus expect to order take-away. HOUSE OF PATIN DI KL A local eatery that specialises in fish dishes such as Pain Gulai Tempoyak (which is fish in a creamy durian curry), Talapia Goreng, and Kelah Goreng. This is quite a casual restaurant where most of the locals will eat with their fingers. There’s also a private room that seats around 20 people.Next >