Tea at Trianon: Baur du Lac

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, September 4, 2020

Baur du Lac

From Salon Privé Magazine:

Considered one of the best hotels in Europe, the five-pearl Baur au Lac is a 170-year-old property set in beautiful gardens on the edge of Lake Zürich, just off Zürich’s famous luxury shopping street, Bahnhofstrasse. The luxurious Baur au Lac dates back to 1844 when it was opened by Johannes Baur. Since then, six generations of the same family have owned and run this landmark Zürich hotel.
The atmosphere here is one of imposing elegance and exclusivity. The hotel’s luxurious atmosphere and vast gardens on the edge of Lake Zürich make this a popular venue for weddings and various events as well. Baur au Lac attracts a well-heeled clientele of vacationing couples and business travellers seeking a luxurious experience with a touch of escapism. (Read more.)