Ida Laura Pfeiffer (14 October 1797, Vienna – 27 October 1858, Vienna), was an Austrian traveler and travel book author. She was one of the first female explorers, whose popular books were translated into seven languages.
The extremely unfavourable reports I heard from Palestine caused me to defer my departure from day to day. When I applied to my consul for a “firmann” (Turkish passport), I was strongly advised not to travel to the Holy Land. The disturbances on Mount Lebanon and the plague were, they assured me, enemies too powerful to be encountered except in cases of urgent necessity. (More…)
On the very first day of my arrival at Jerusalem I had made some observations, during a visit to the church of St. Francis, which gave me any thing but a high opinion of the behaviour of the Catholics here. (More…)
During my residence in Constantinople I had the good fortune to be present at some very entertaining festivities. The most magnificent of these took place on the 23d of April, the anniversary of Mahomet’s death. (More…)