Frederick the Great

Once upon a time there was a land called Prussia. Whilst trying to battle the rest of world and manage a burgeoning kingdom the Prussian royal family managed to build three monumental palaces in one large park in what is now Potsdam, Germany. I think each new generation of Prussian royals were just trying to outdo the previous generations. If you have one gigantic castle I'm not sure why you would need another one 100 hundred metres down the road. The three castles are ridiculous in size and extravagance. Everywhere you look there is the glimmer of gold and silver, not to mention the thousands of statues of semi-naked beauties. 

The most interesting of all the Prussian royals was Frederick the Great. His architectural masterpiece, Neues Palais (New Palace) has now been transformed and restored into an exhibition of his life and times. Yesterday, whilst strolling through the grand hallways I learnt some interesting facts:

•  Frederick the Great had one teaspoon of mustard powder in his coffee every morning. Well it wouldn't really have been coffee then would it! More of a hot mustard broth with subtle coffee aromas... Apparently mustard was taken as a preventative measure against strokes.
•  Frederick wanted to be known as the philosopher king. No matter how good your PR department is you're not fooling anyone if you drink mustard broth for breakfast to prevent having a stroke.
•  But nevertheless, Frederick was good friends with Voltaire, the most renowned intellectual of his time.
• Frederick was a dilettante and purveyor of the arts. 
• Frederick played the (jazz) flute. He liked to improvise - euphemism for show off - as a soloist. 
• Frederick rarely sat for painters but thousands of his portraits exist. The portraits lead you to believe he could have quit his day job and taken up a career as a male model. He had perfect features and an astonishing nose.
• Frederick disliked the company of women and in a Game of Thrones like twist he married to keep up appearances and only ever saw his so-called wife at public events. She wasn't even permitted to stay in either of his palaces.
•  Sometimes Frederick enjoyed the company of "younger men" in his private quarters. 
•  Frederick was kind of a big deal... his palaces had many leather-bound books and I'm pretty sure they smelt of rich mahogany. 
• Frederick died sad and alone and his death mask proves that he actually had a rather large and crooked nose.

One of the castles!