Mein erster Ausflug: Wanderungen in Griechenland

A youthful archduke embarks on his first grand tour of Greece, and his notebook captures the voyage with the candor of an 18‑year‑old explorer. Written just after his studies, the diary reads like a series of lively postcard sketches, each entry marked by the excitement of new horizons and the companionship of fellow nobles, officers, and a painter who records the scenery as they travel by steamship from Trieste.

The pages glide from the sun‑kissed cliffs of the Athenian outskirts to the bustling bazaars of Smyrna, where spice‑laden alleys, a Turkish bath, and a slave market reveal a world both exotic and familiar. He notes the rhythm of daily life, the scent of incense in a mosque, and the awe of ancient ruins, all filtered through his growing love of the sea and his habit of collecting curiosities from every port.

Presented in an intimate, reflective tone, the journal invites listeners to wander alongside a historic figure before his later political destiny, offering a vivid snapshot of mid‑nineteenth‑century Mediterranean culture and the restless curiosity of youth.