Euro-Itch Satiated!

I'm heading to Copenhagen, Denmark!

And just to confirm that I am not of a relaxing temperament when it comes to traveling abroad, I purposely chose an flight, which by default, has a 22 hour layover in…Madrid, Spain! In addition to these two countries, I am considering day tripping to Sweden. I've got lots to plan ahead of me and a lot on my vacation plate right now.

I am flying Iberia Airlines leaving Sunday evening, November 18, and returning on Sunday, November 25.

Why Copenhagen? Why not!? It's always been a city I've been interested in visiting. Plus, it fits in with my love of studying the 19th century royals. King Christian IX of Denmark is considered by many to be the "father-in-law of Europe". Currently, almost every head of a European royal house boasts direct lineage from he and his wife, Queen Louise. It probably doesn't come as a surprise then, that I'll be making the palace rounds. I hope to make a stop in the town of Ballerup to see a museum exhibit about Olga Alexandrovna too.

As for the excitement of Madrid? Well, I was never what you would call a "Spain person", so when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it. If only to get a little taste of the country.

The biggest plus is that I found a killer deal on both my flight and hotel. Orbitz had a $200 coupon off of the cost of international hotels, so my original cost plan went drastically down and I was able to add an extra day to my trip. For Madrid, I'm going the hostel route, and I managed to snag a 2 person room. Not bad. I can handle one brief night, and there will only be the possibility of one other stranger, the same gender, along side me.

I wish I was more proactive last year when I went abroad and posted frequently about my experiences. I could have focused on some of the little things that are burned in my mind, but not really worth striking up a conversation about. Not to mention, my thoughts about gushing have changed dramatically and have become more focused. That said, it's hard to know what kind of access to the Internet I will have to know if I can pull that kind of blogging off. Not to mention the time constraints. Still, looking back, had I found a more effective way to reflect back on what I had experienced, I would have some of the more intimate things to share. Anywho, it's too late for tears, right? Right.

I'm so full of excitement and I'm counting down the days in anticipation. I will give updates as I find things out, and post a loose itinerary when the time comes.

All Romanovs Accounted For!

Exciting news! Just this past week, the media was reporting of the possible discovery of the remains of the two missing children of the ill-fated last Emperor and Empress of Russia.

For those of us on the royalty forum, we were given a bit of a head's up ahead of time about a possible discovery. Despite the conclusive evidence of DNA testing, according to those "in the know", these are 100% the positive remains of the children.

Just today, after logging on to the forum I regularly visit, what should my wondrous eyes be greeted with? A positive confirmation that these remains are in fact those of Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria (or Anastasia if you follow the opinions of the US and British forensic teams).

It was 10th grade Social Studies when I first learned of the tragic story of the last Emperor and Empress of all of Russia, their children, and the horrible fate they faced at the hands of the Bolsheviks. The story struck a chord with me, probably due to the fact that at the time none of their remains had been discovered, and Russia (then the Soviet Union) was communist and completely closed off to the West. This mystery managed to seep into other facets, such as the story of Anna Anderson, who became famous (or rather infamous) through her claims that she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia. A fantastical fairy tale loaded with intrigues. It was from the Romanov's that I moved on to other European royal houses and settled into a most unusual hobby - studying the social aspects of pre-20th Century European royalty. Just my luck. I can't even get a job with that kind of useless ka-knowledge.

In 1991, shortly after communism fell and the Soviet Union reverted back to its original name of Russia, the news was full of reports about the discovery of the remains of the Imperial family in Yekaterinburg. For those who supported Anna Anderson, her case looked somewhat plausible when during the exhumation, only five members of the Romanov family were found. Two of the Imperial children turned up missing. It was years later when DNA testing became the norm that with the help of current members of the European royal families (Prince Philip of Edinburgh's being one of them), the Yekaterinburg remains were confirmed and Anna Anderson's claims were disputed. Her DNA did not prove to be a match against that of the Imperial family.

For years the question on every one's mind was, "Where are the remains of the other two children"? Confirmed missing were the Tsarevich Alexei and his sister Grand Duchess Maria or Anastasia.

And now. Today. Here we are. Using the original notes of Yakov Yurovsky, the man who carried out their murder, scientists were able to detect exactly where to find these babes. You may wonder why it took so long. Yurovsky wrote two sets of notes. The first set, written in the 1920's were very detailed. Realizing how much information he was giving away, Yurovsky re-wrote another set of notes somewhat disguising the places of burial. The original set sat in Soviet archives while the revised notes were released. Several teams have tried to find the remains of the children using Yurovsky's original notes (released in the 90's), but to no avail. This time, a team was able to locate them using "metal detectors and metal rods as probes, not by digging".

Just last September 2006, Nicholas II's mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, was brought from her native and country of exile, Denmark, to be re-buried. Laid to rest back in Russia next to her beloved husband "Sasha", Tsar Alexander III. This was in accordance to her wishes. Currently, there are two empty spaces waiting in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Now, there is a serious possibility that soon, the remains of the two Imperial children will be placed in their respective places among their family, and all will finally be allowed to rest together in eternity.