So my initial plan was to update my blog every few days, when I went to a new city. Well, it turns out that when you finally get a break while traveling for 29days straight, you don't want to spend a break on the computer. So needless to say, I will condense the rest of my trip.
After Berlin I went to Poland. Warsaw was very interesting. It is still a city recovering from Communism; the city was destroyed during the war and they are attempting to rebuild and restore what is important to the city's history. There was a great museum all about Warsaw's role in during the war and beautiful buildings within and around the city. The palace of art and science was very beautiful and had GREAT Christmas lights. From Warsaw, I continued south to Krakow where I felt like I was living a flash back.
Krakow has the commonly visited Wawel Hill, an area with a huge castle and chapel, that has been growing for hundreds of years with each new ruler. I stayed in a great hostel where I made friends with one of the young women working there; we headed out for drinks and some awesome bars...I felt like I was in a time warp to the 1970's! My trip on Krakow also included the revolting tour of Auschwitz-Brikinau. As disturbing as the sight was, I have a huge appreciation for life, diversity, and government!
With trains on strike in Hungary, I had an interesting journey getting to Budapest, but when I arrived, it was AMAZING! The city (which used to be 2 cities on opposite sides of the river, Buda and Pest) was so full of culture and life. I spent the first day with a woman I met on Couch Surfing and we had Hungarian fish soup for lunch and went to a really interesting museum. I Couch Surfed with a really nice woman and she took me to some of the funkiest bars...in caves, live jazz, Janis Joplin cover band. I explored the Buda Castle, underground caves, local markets, but the best part was the thermal pools. There were tons of pools, large and small, some with jets, some with currents, as hot at 105 and as cold as 52. Lots of saunas and a fun place to meet people. I could have spent the entire week there!
From Budapest I went to Vienna, where I spent Christmas. I Couch Surfed there with a really cool young woman and she had 2 other surfers at her place from Italy and Brazil; we had a great time wandering the city, cooking, and drinking together! I also joined her family for Christmas dinner...cheese, bread, veggies, fruit, wine. AMAZING! While I was in Vienna, I spent a day in Bratislava, Slovakia...what a dud of a trip. The city was closed for Christmas (they celebrate the day before Vienna so we didn't know it would be a ghost town!). I met some other travelers who were also greatly disappointed, we found the only open restaurant and tried all the different types of Absinthe...I guess it was still a good Eastern Europe experience!
From Vienna I took the night train to Rome to pick up my brother Dillon and continue on exploring Italy...
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
Berlin: Art, Architecture and Symbolism
I have spent the past few days in Berlin, a city of war and revolution. What I wasn't expecting Berlin was the best history course I have ever taken! I took a great free guided tour with a young woman who whirlwinded us around the city, pointing out all of the historical important sights, as well as a few of the funny ones! I didn't realize how much history Berlin holds until our "quick" history lesson to bring us up to date with the beginnings of WWII. Ten minutes we were getting the rundown on Paritsa Platz and were on with our day.
I saw so much that I could bore you with all the details and lose you in all the history, but I was really intrigued by three places.
One of my favorite places was the Reichstag: the government house. The history of this building is the roots to much of Berlin and Germany. The house of Parliament was here prior to the beginning of Hitler's reign; the night it was burned down, he acquired power. It was here that it became a place for German "government" but Hitler was doing all of his dictating from somewhere else. It was rebuilt after the fire but during the attacks on Berlin during WWII the dome was damaged and not rebuilt. It stood on the West side of the wall for years, home to the non-Communist government and when the Wall came down it became the symbol for how things were to be run: the dome was rebuilt and opened to all people. From the dome you look down to Parliament, on to the decision makers, above them. In perspective, the law makers look up to a mirrored form showing the people watching them, time 100 from the mirrors, reminding them who has the power and who they are representing. Pretty powerful stuff!
Another one of my favorite places was the Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe. This remarkable piece of art takes up hundreds of square feet with stone pillars of all heights. In perfect rows they are open for interpretation; none was given by the artist. Some say they are to represent the massive amounts of graves the Holocaust created, but many argue that it is symbolic in different ways. Possibly a 3D bar graph of the rise and fall of anti semitism, others say it is there to create just one particle of the uncomfort that Jews felt before they were murdered. You get to walk through the pillars and it is haunting; you don't know who is near you, around the corner, or where you are going. Very thought provoking, but even more so it where the memorial is. Just around the corner is the former site of Hitler's bunker. With only a simple sign explaining the logistics of the actual bunker, nothing else was put there. It is in the car park for apartments; oddly enough, these apartments have menorahs and the star of David in some of the windows!
The most interesting place I thought was the Bebelplatz sight of the Book Burning. On May 10 1933 Humbolt University's library, just across the street, was emptied of all "controversial" books; books, journals, and reports written by Jews, about Gypsies, or anything else that Hitler didn't like. Although this wasn't the largest book burning, it has become the most famous because Hitler was there. I think that the memorial is very powerful: a room in the ground with 4 walls of empty bookshelves. There is no door; we can replace books but we can not go back in time and replace the quote by poet Heinrich Heine (in German translated to) "where books are burned, in the end people will burn." His quote is from 1820!
With all that said, I went to all the famous sights of Berlin:
~Brandenburg Tor...and the plaza
~Rathhaus Berlin...and the Christmas market
~Berliner Dom
~Berlin Wall...and the Topographies of Terror Memorial
~Check Point Charlie...over rated but there for visitors
~Reichstag...great views from the dom
~TV Tower...a modern built icon but a bit silly
~Schloss Charlottenburg...old Prussian palace
My photos will have little bits of history about all the places I visited and random things that I saw! That's all for now!
I saw so much that I could bore you with all the details and lose you in all the history, but I was really intrigued by three places.
One of my favorite places was the Reichstag: the government house. The history of this building is the roots to much of Berlin and Germany. The house of Parliament was here prior to the beginning of Hitler's reign; the night it was burned down, he acquired power. It was here that it became a place for German "government" but Hitler was doing all of his dictating from somewhere else. It was rebuilt after the fire but during the attacks on Berlin during WWII the dome was damaged and not rebuilt. It stood on the West side of the wall for years, home to the non-Communist government and when the Wall came down it became the symbol for how things were to be run: the dome was rebuilt and opened to all people. From the dome you look down to Parliament, on to the decision makers, above them. In perspective, the law makers look up to a mirrored form showing the people watching them, time 100 from the mirrors, reminding them who has the power and who they are representing. Pretty powerful stuff!
Another one of my favorite places was the Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe. This remarkable piece of art takes up hundreds of square feet with stone pillars of all heights. In perfect rows they are open for interpretation; none was given by the artist. Some say they are to represent the massive amounts of graves the Holocaust created, but many argue that it is symbolic in different ways. Possibly a 3D bar graph of the rise and fall of anti semitism, others say it is there to create just one particle of the uncomfort that Jews felt before they were murdered. You get to walk through the pillars and it is haunting; you don't know who is near you, around the corner, or where you are going. Very thought provoking, but even more so it where the memorial is. Just around the corner is the former site of Hitler's bunker. With only a simple sign explaining the logistics of the actual bunker, nothing else was put there. It is in the car park for apartments; oddly enough, these apartments have menorahs and the star of David in some of the windows!
The most interesting place I thought was the Bebelplatz sight of the Book Burning. On May 10 1933 Humbolt University's library, just across the street, was emptied of all "controversial" books; books, journals, and reports written by Jews, about Gypsies, or anything else that Hitler didn't like. Although this wasn't the largest book burning, it has become the most famous because Hitler was there. I think that the memorial is very powerful: a room in the ground with 4 walls of empty bookshelves. There is no door; we can replace books but we can not go back in time and replace the quote by poet Heinrich Heine (in German translated to) "where books are burned, in the end people will burn." His quote is from 1820!
With all that said, I went to all the famous sights of Berlin:
~Brandenburg Tor...and the plaza
~Rathhaus Berlin...and the Christmas market
~Berliner Dom
~Berlin Wall...and the Topographies of Terror Memorial
~Check Point Charlie...over rated but there for visitors
~Reichstag...great views from the dom
~TV Tower...a modern built icon but a bit silly
~Schloss Charlottenburg...old Prussian palace
My photos will have little bits of history about all the places I visited and random things that I saw! That's all for now!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Cheese, Chocolate and the Czech Republic
Every fall the schools get a break for a week and a half. This year Barbara, the girls and I went to the Fribourg region of Switzerland for a few days. We stayed in the very little town of Schwartzee where the hiking was plentiful. We spent one day hiking and another day in the town of Gruyere…yes, like the cheese. We toured the Cailler chocolate factory, with an amazing tasting room! Then we were off to the Gruyere cheese factory. We began with lunch…all cheese dishes and then did a “tour” where we learned how cheese was made, why Gruyere cheese is unique and then watched them put the cooked cheese curd into the molds…35kilos each! We also got to view the aging room with the machine that flips every mold of cheese regularly. After the cheese factory we went to the Gruyere Castle, the main attraction of Gruyere. It was unlike any of the castles I have seen. It was fully furnished and landscaped. There was information everywhere explaining each room and everything in it. It also had SPECTACULAR views of the mountains. The third day of the trip we went to Murten, an original walled medieval city. We did a scavenger hunt with Clara that lead us all over: on the walls, into the towers, to a cannon! It was a great town, very beautiful and full of interesting history. We then headed home with a stop at the butterfly pavilion near Bern.
After we returned to Basel, I flew to Prague with my friend Amelia. We stayed with HS friends Lizzy and Allison. The first day, with the plan to go to Cesky Krumlov, bus tickets were sold out so we went to Plzen. Turned out to be a great idea! It was icky weather so we spent the day at a beer museum learning all about the history of beer and how it was and is made. We then proceeded to lunch at the museum, getting a free beer. Then off we went to the Pilsner Urquell brewery, one of the oldest breweries in the world! We got to see how it is made and packaged, tried the raw materials and of course had beer tasting. It wasn’t just any beer either; it was the unpasturized, unfiltered beer. Very good but very filling! Once we were all beered out, we headed back to Prague where we spend the night dancing with Lizzy and Allison.
Cesky Krumlov was awe-inspiring. A small town in the mountains, it is home to the 3rd largest castle in CZ and is a World Heritage area. With sunny skies and the colors changing, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful place. Huge gardens to walk through and beautiful architecture, it was a great place to wander. We enjoyed lunch near the river, a very delicious lunch of pizza and eidam cheese (as if I hadn’t eaten enough cheese before!) The town was small, we wandered for a while, enjoyed sun on our faces and headed back to Prague. Once again we had a fun night out with Lizzy, new bars and dance clubs, and the Czech specialty, Absinth!
Adventuring around Prague was the best way to rejuvenate ourselves after a late night out. A beautiful walk through the park lead us right from Lizzy’s to the Prague Castle, the largest castle in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately it was Sunday therefore very crowded, but we still enjoyed the beautiful courtyards, unbelievable buildings and immaculate gardens. From the castle we walked down to the Charles Bridge. Famous for it’s statues, there was preservation work on many of them, but it didn’t keep us, or the crowds, away. With artists and performers on each end, it was a very fun way across the Vltava River. From there we headed in to Old Town Square. Beautiful churches and buildings surround the square full of people. Tourists and locals photographing, picnicking, and meeting friends everywhere; quite a place! After walking so much, we headed back home for an early evening.
Kutna Hora was the last stop of the “Czech Tour” I found myself on. Unfortunately Amelia had to leave early to catch her plane, I was able to go to the Sedlec Kostnice, also known as the Bone Church. Bones of over 40,000 people were arranged in pyramids, coat-of-arms, and chandelier. They were found when the church was built on what was a mass burial ground from the plague. A bit grotesque but quite the sight. I also met very interesting people on the way there and back…one of the best parts of traveling! Now that I’m back, all I need is a bit of recovery time…I wear myself out! I can’t wait to travel over Christmas!
After we returned to Basel, I flew to Prague with my friend Amelia. We stayed with HS friends Lizzy and Allison. The first day, with the plan to go to Cesky Krumlov, bus tickets were sold out so we went to Plzen. Turned out to be a great idea! It was icky weather so we spent the day at a beer museum learning all about the history of beer and how it was and is made. We then proceeded to lunch at the museum, getting a free beer. Then off we went to the Pilsner Urquell brewery, one of the oldest breweries in the world! We got to see how it is made and packaged, tried the raw materials and of course had beer tasting. It wasn’t just any beer either; it was the unpasturized, unfiltered beer. Very good but very filling! Once we were all beered out, we headed back to Prague where we spend the night dancing with Lizzy and Allison.
Cesky Krumlov was awe-inspiring. A small town in the mountains, it is home to the 3rd largest castle in CZ and is a World Heritage area. With sunny skies and the colors changing, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful place. Huge gardens to walk through and beautiful architecture, it was a great place to wander. We enjoyed lunch near the river, a very delicious lunch of pizza and eidam cheese (as if I hadn’t eaten enough cheese before!) The town was small, we wandered for a while, enjoyed sun on our faces and headed back to Prague. Once again we had a fun night out with Lizzy, new bars and dance clubs, and the Czech specialty, Absinth!
Adventuring around Prague was the best way to rejuvenate ourselves after a late night out. A beautiful walk through the park lead us right from Lizzy’s to the Prague Castle, the largest castle in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately it was Sunday therefore very crowded, but we still enjoyed the beautiful courtyards, unbelievable buildings and immaculate gardens. From the castle we walked down to the Charles Bridge. Famous for it’s statues, there was preservation work on many of them, but it didn’t keep us, or the crowds, away. With artists and performers on each end, it was a very fun way across the Vltava River. From there we headed in to Old Town Square. Beautiful churches and buildings surround the square full of people. Tourists and locals photographing, picnicking, and meeting friends everywhere; quite a place! After walking so much, we headed back home for an early evening.
Kutna Hora was the last stop of the “Czech Tour” I found myself on. Unfortunately Amelia had to leave early to catch her plane, I was able to go to the Sedlec Kostnice, also known as the Bone Church. Bones of over 40,000 people were arranged in pyramids, coat-of-arms, and chandelier. They were found when the church was built on what was a mass burial ground from the plague. A bit grotesque but quite the sight. I also met very interesting people on the way there and back…one of the best parts of traveling! Now that I’m back, all I need is a bit of recovery time…I wear myself out! I can’t wait to travel over Christmas!
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