Foreign policy while the sun comes up

A quick update to keep you up to speed on things, although there's nothing terribly exciting to report.... it's been a relatively normal week here in the Czech Republic. For two of my classes we went to Prague Castle (two days in a row!). It's really amazing how there's SO much to see up there and so many angles to study it from. The first class we were studying the religious evolution in Prague  and how it is reflected in the complex (from pre-christian settlements to monastic catholicism to more modern catholicism). And the next day we went as part of my architecture class. It really makes it better every time I go there to know how the cultural, religious, and historical contexts interact with one another.... it makes it really exciting to see the final product and understand why it is how it is, as well as how it got to that point. The 2nd day, we were finally able to visit the interior of St. Vitus Cathedral, which is one of the best examples of Czech Gothic architecture, not to mention the most famous and grandiose cathedral here in Prague. 

On Thursday night I was treated to a performance of Smetana's opera "The Bartered Bride" at the National Theater. For those of you who have been reading pretty consistently, you might remember that I was pretty underwhelmed with Turandot at the State Theater. Well, this was a complete turnaround from that experience. Smetana is considered the "grandfather" of Czech music, and The Bartered Bride is a classic example of Czech opera (to give you an idea, the 2nd act opens in a beer hall with the entire chorus singing praises to the beverage!). Not only was the opera itself surprisingly a fantastic, fun work (my familiarity with Czech music leaves much to be desired), but the singers and the production itself were really top notch. I intend to go back the National Theater more often!

In other news, NYU took us on a trip to Kutna Hora yesterday. Kutna Hora is (believe it or not) a well-known Czech city famous both for its churches and architecture and also for its legacy as a silver-mining town. We were able to learn all about Kutna Hora's silver minting, dating back to the 14th century and even went way down into a silver mine to walk through the very narrow corridors dripping with slimy limestone! Of course, we went to St. Barbara's Cathedral, the most famous church in Kutna Hora, as well as Kutna Hora's well-known bone church. Yes, a church adorned entirely with human bones! It was actually pretty creepy, if you ask me, but nonetheless a cool thing to see. To the left, you can see the bone chandelier, comprised of at least one of each type of bone from the human body. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera to Kutna Hora, so I had to steal this picture from a friend!

Last night, a bunch of my friends and I decided to watch the first Presidential debate, which wouldn't be a problem, save for the fact that it aired at 3am Prague time and didn't end until 4:30 or so! So we all had an early morning pow-wow in the common room of Osadni (my dorm). It's been really interesting to follow the election abroad, really having to go entirely from the online news, and also talking with some Europeans about our current politics. Every local person I've come into contact with here in Prague (and a lady we talked to on the train coming back from Berlin) suggested that the overwhelming majority of people here in Europe  support Sen. Obama and really have trouble wrapping their heads around how Americans could choose otherwise. Of course, they find the Bush regime totally out of line.... as they see it, electing McCain would really be an affront to the rest of the world.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and greetings from home! If you've been reading, let me know..... sometimes it can feel like I'm just writing into cyberspace! (Don't worry, Asher. I know you're reading!) Feel free to email, skype, or comment on my posts here by clicking the blue link below each posting.

Na Shledanou for now!

BERLIN!!

I have returned from Berlin, and do I ever have a blog entry for you guys! We hopped on our train at about 8:30 Friday morning, and after about 2 hours noticed a marked difference.... as soon as we crossed the Czech-German border, not only did the architecture drastically change from the train window into beautiful German houses, but so did the announcements on the train - we were unmistakably in Deutscheland! I have to admit that when we arrived at Hauptbahnhof (the central train station), the three of us were a little overwhelmed... but after getting our Bahn passes and getting settled into our hostel, we finally made it out into the city and were ready to go!

I had heard from my roommates, who went to Berlin the weekend before, about a free tour of the city, so we decided to go.... and it was such a great idea. It was a 3.5 hour tour and really showed us all the major sites in Berlin, from the Brandenburg Gate to Museum Island. The tour really highlighted the history of Germany, particularly in the 1900s. Obviously, Germany and Berlin in particular are not proud of much of their history in that time period, but instead of hiding it or brushing it under the rug, they really make a point of putting it out in the open, apologizing, and moving forward with their very vibrant history that they are building today. For example,the new Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is placed in a heavily-trafficked area so that Berlin residents and tourists alike are unable to miss commemorating a part of history that was so grim for the German people (picture on right). I do have to admit

that it was pretty chilling to be standing over the bunker where Hitler killed himself, and being at the Berlin Wall really took on an added significance. It's one thing to study history and another thing to be in the place where history happened. Other notable sites on the tour included Checkpoint Charlie (left), the former SS headquarters (which 

surprisingly never was destroyed in WWII), and Babelplatz (the site of the infamous Nazi book burning). Our first day ended with some typical German food - Bratwurst and Potatoes, of course - and a walk around the city by night. Berlin is so neat to see all lit up, and we really enjoyed

 getting lost and blindly wondering around the city on a Friday night. (Left - TV tower at night)

The next day, we were up bright and early so that we could go around and see the rest of the city - it's pretty hard to try to get a feel for an entire city in just one weekend! Our first stop was the Reichstag, the German parliamentary building, which has a really cool dome that you can climb to see panoramic views of the city of Berlin. We waited for about an hour, but it was really cool to finally climb the dome and see the entire city with its older and new sections, representing before and after WWII (a recurring theme in Berlin history). Next, it was off to Potsdamerplatz, Berlin's answer to Times Square and home of the Sony Center, a HUGE dome in the middle of the square. By the way, we eventually became pros at the U-Bahn and S-Bahn, Berlin's public transportation..... there are about 30 lines that go everywhere in the city, which is HUGE! It was really fun (albeit a bit tiresome) to navigate the complicated trains, but we didn't make one mistake!

The next stop was one of the highlights of the trip, for sure. The Eastern Gallery is the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall (about 1 mile), which has all sorts of graffiti and commissioned artwork along the length of it. As I mentioned before, it was really amazing to read some of the messages written and drawn on the wall and see how they really had added significance because of the location. It's mind-blowing to realize that people were separated from their family, friends, and loved ones for 30 YEARS, being in the same city the whole time, all because of an oppressive government. Berlin's culture today seems to me to be a rebuttal to those times, emphasizing freedom of speech and expression and embracing its cosmopolitan nature, which is symbolic of the freedom to experience the world - something that was obviously missing during the times of the split. And surprisingly, East and West Berlin today have almost no distinction. They are very much the same city, unified together. 

Before heading back to the city center, we had to get some more German food, this time opting for Currywurst, a local favorite. Imagine a sausage chopped up, drenched with ketchup, and sprinkled with curry powder. Strange, but delicious - especially in Germany! (right) After a stop at the Pergaman Museum to see their exhibit on Ancient Babylon (very cool!), it was finally time to experience Berlin nightlife. Suffice to say, we had a good time (I'm trying to keep my blog relatively tame) and were definitely exhausted by the end of the night.

I didn't mention one part of Saturday, because - for me - it's a grand finale of sorts. After our trip to the museum, we actually decided to check out the State Opera on a whim to see if anything decent was playing that evening. Unfortunately, nothing caught our fancy, but as I was flipping through the season brochure, something did catch my eye. I noticed that one of my favorite baritones, Thomas Quasthoff (a Berliner), was going to be at the State Opera in concert sometime in September. After looking a little closer, I realized that he would be there on Sunday - the day we had to leave Berlin. Of course I was pretty upset, figuring I was going to be missing him by a mere few hours.... until I realized he was performing an 11am concert that lasted for 65 minutes and our train wasn't until 12:45pm. Long story short, we were able to get some cheap, last minute seats and I was able to see one of my musical inspirations in concert in Berlin. It was really an amazing moment for me.... something I hope that I'll always remember. needless to say, we RAN out of the concert hall to make our train, but caught it with 5 minutes to spare!

There's so much more that I could say about the city of Berlin and my experiences there that are really difficult to write out. Of course, you can always take a look at my full gallery of pictures via Picasa or get on Skype and call me! It's amazing that I am able to talk with my parents and friends halfway across the world. I apologize that these posts probably get less coherent as they go along..... it's already about 12:30am here - I tend to get around to doing them late and lose my attention span. With a 9:00am class tomorrow, I think it's time to get to bed!

Disneyland and the Mafia.... an unusual pairing

Well, it seems as though the dust is beginning to settle a bit here in Prague. What that means is that I've finally established somewhat of a routine and am getting used to the ins and outs of daily life here (I still do have a ways to go in that department, though..... it took me about 20 minutes to unsuccessfully look for chicken stock in the supermarket the other day!). While in my first few weeks, I was really trying hard to blend into my surroundings as much as possible, one thing I have definitely learned is that sometimes it really is ok to admit defeat and speak to a store clerk in English, get a little homesick and go to Starbucks, or - screw it - have a conversation with a friend on the otherwise silent metro. I think that in Prague, people don't mind foreigners and tourists at all, just so long as you stay respectful of their culture, their language (which can easily become the butt of many, many jokes), and their history.

This week, my classes have ben particularly interesting. For my Cultural History of the City class, we went to Vysehrad, one of 2 major Hill Forts from the middle ages (the other being Prague Castle). And although it would have been really cool to go up there otherwise, it made it that much more special to really understand the history and cultural context of Vysehrad as it has evolved to the present day. (To the left is my professor lecturing in front of the hill fortification). Vysehrad was rebuilt in the Baroque period as an homage of sorts to Prague's history and its notable public figures. It is now adorned with many sculptures, symbolic artwork, and a cemetery, where Czech "celebrities" have been buried, including the well-known composer Bedrich Smetana. It was really interesting to see how the functional fort has evolved into what my professor calls "Nationalist Disneyland." 

For my advertising class, we went to 2 shopping malls. I know what you're thinking..... what a ridiculous class! But before you judge, know that the first mall was built in the 70s by the Communist party as a way of curbing consumerism. The theory was that citizens were not actually envious of the west's freedom of choice, but rather their ability to consume. As a result, Kotva (the mall) was filled with "things," which most people unfortunately didn't want. When juxtaposed with Palladium, a brand new, sparkling mall rivaling the nicest I've seen in the States, it is easy to see why Kotva failed, although it still is in business today (our professor advised against going to the top floor, the mall's administrative offices, as the mafia has a rather large presence there). 

Tomorrow I am heading to Berlin for the weekend!!! I'll be sure to update and let you know all about my German adventures! Until then, Na Shledanou!

Church of Our Lady of the Snows, which we visited for my Czech Architecture class.

Zmrzlina and Stalagtites

This weekend, I went with a group of about 20 to the towns of Telc and Brno in Southern Moravia. This was a trip planned and paid for by NYU and turned out to be a really wonderful weekend in the Czech Republic. 

After meeting at Namesti Miru in Prague at 7:30 (!!!), we first headed by bus to the tiny town of Telc. The trip was supposed to take roughly 2.5 hours, but instead took an extra hour, since our bus driver got very, very lost! In any event, it was a good chance to see the "real Czech Republic" via a few typical towns we found ourselves in on our detour. The hour delay caused us to miss our tour at Telc castle, so instead we were able to walk around a bit and grab lunch or zmrzlina (ice cream) before the next scheduled tour. Telc is a beautiful town, consisting pretty much of one large square comprised of small shops and restaurants. The town is so picturesque and quaint that fairy tales are filmed there quite frequently! In any event, a few 

friends and I  decided to go to a pizzeria (it was early and one of the few restaurants open). When we saw the pizzas on the menu, all of them contained "ketchup," which we assumed to be an incorrect translation of "tomato sauce." Wrong assumption. After eating our mushroom/ketchup or ham/ketchup pizzas (not quite as gross as they sound, but still pretty gross), we continued on to Telc Castle, a wonderfully European medieval castle that was every bit as lavish as you would expect!

Next, we boarded the bus for our main destination, Brno. Brno is the 2nd largest city in the Czech Republic, though much of it was bombed in the war, making it much less picturesque than Prague. Brno and Moravia are known for their Burcak, or "young wine," and it just happens to now be prime Burcak season. Once we got to Brno, we immediately saw many Burcak stands set up in the street and got to taste the sweet juice-like drink (which can sneak up on you if you're not careful!). In Brno, we also toured the Spilberk Castle, a prison/fortification at the top of the hill. That evening, we were treated to dinner at what our guides called the "Czech version of Applebee's" - we call it Czechlebee's. At Czechlebee's they have an odd assortment of Americanized food (think buffalo wings and burgers) alongside traditional Czech cuisine (goulash and pork neck). Of course, Czechlebee's is actually a chain restaurant owned by Staropramen, a beer company popular in the Czech Republic!

On day 2 of our Southern Bohemia adventure, we were treated to a tour of Villa Tugendhat, the first house employing modern architectural techniques, most notably functionalism. Built in 1930, the house employs simplistic use of lines and curves. Everything in Villa Tugendhat has a use (nothing was built for aesthetic purposes) - it is also the first house to utilize air conditioning! Tugendhat is a stark contrast from the beautiful architecture we've been seeing in Prague, but it was really cool to see some modern history for a change! In my opinion, Villa Tugendhat has a fantastic aesthetic in its own right. Another interesting fact - Villa Tugendhat is where the document separating Czechoslovakia was signed.

Our final stop was a visit to the Macocha abyss and Punkva caves. I don't recall having ever stood at the top of an abyss before, but it was really awesome (not to mention a bit frightening) to look so far down! After viewing the abyss, we took a cable car down to the cave entrance, where we, along with a group of older Polish tourists (an interesting combo) walked through the caves and eventually boarded a boat - yes, a boat IN the cave! Many in our group likened the boat ride to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney, but MUCH more awesome! It was truly spectacular to be surrounded by such awesome natural wonders and a great way to end the trip.

Our trip was on Friday-Saturday, and today (Sunday) I was able to go to the world-famous Prague zoo! Not as impressive as I was hoping, but I still got to see some pretty cool animals - polar bears, tigers, giraffes, giselles, and more! The porcupine, of course, made me think of my brother Josh. For those of you who don't know the story - when Josh was little and people used to ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would always say "a porcupine!" Now that I've thoroughly embarrassed him, I think it's time for me to get to sleep.... sometimes I forget that I'm actually in school and have classes to attend!

Just a reminder -

If you want to see more pictures from my trip, I'm uploading ALL of my pictures as I take them. The link is located on the right side of this page - click on "My Photo Gallery."

Guten Tag.....?

So. Before you all chastise me for not updating my blog as regularly as I should, perhaps it might comfort you to know that I've been so busy having the time of my life that it just happened to slip through my fingers. Sincere apologies.

Quite a bit has happened since the last update. Orientation week is now officially over, and I have finished my first week of classes - luckily, I only have class on Monday-Wednesday, which allows me to either travel over my very long weekend or else to catch up on some much-needed sleep. A rundown of the classes I'm taking in Prague:

- Elementary German I (Sehr gut!)

- The Cultural History of the City in Central Europe: Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Berlin (try to say that 3 times fast!)

- Advertising and Society (where we'll look at advertising as it specifically relates to the Czech culture - I'm very excited about this one!)

- History of Czech Architecture (no slideshows in this class.... only field trips)

I'm very excited that, through these classes I'll be able to revisit some of the sites that we went to on our cultural tours during orientation. Such excursions included Prague Castle - not actually one castle, but an entire castle grounds containing cathedrals, palaces, and other buildings, including St. Vitus Cathedral (right). Of course, we were able to walk across the beautiful Vltava River on the famous Charles Bridge, 

built in 1357. The river really is gorgeous (though apparently not so nice to swim in), and many of Prague's major buildings, such as the national theater, are built alongside its banks. Speaking of the theater, I mentioned in my last post that I was going to be able to see Turandot at the State Theater. Indeed, I did, but unfortunately it was a horrible production! Terrible singing, a 

mediocre set, etc. etc. I have since heard that the State Theater is not known for its quality, but rather the National Theater is the best place to go see great opera. So, inevitably, I will be making a pilgrimage at some point to resurrect my hope for fantastic Czech music. Although the opera was 

 disappointing, the opera house was quite picturesque, and I enjoyed getting a taste for a real Central European night involving the arts! By the way.... notice that I refer to the Czech Republic as Central Europe. Here, they do not consider themselves Eastern European - in fact, to do so would be quite an insult to the Czech people. 

In other news, I have started to become acclimated to the Czech people and culture little by little. The hardest part is always going to the supermarket, as nothing is in English and store employees generally only speak Czech, as well. A trip that would normally take me 30 minutes at home takes me about an hour here! Of course, I've also enjoyed the nightlife of the city, which is quite vibrant, and still can't seem to get over the beauty of the city.

A bit about my travels - I have booked flights for the beginning of October to Dublin and for Fall Break to Brussels - the plan is to start in Brussels and work our way around Belgium, the Netherlands, and possibly a few places in Germany. This is all very exciting to me! Tomorrow (Friday), I an going with NYU to Brno in Southern Moravia to look at the quaint town and also at some of the Southern Moravian caves! Should be quite an exciting adventure, and I will try harder to keep you all updated.

Until then, I'll be here in Prague enjoying every bit of it!

Picture of the city of Prague, taken from the Prague Castle grounds

Mám se fantasticky!

I do have to admit that the Prague picture from my first post was, regrettably, found on good ol' Google. Now, however, I am finally able to submit my own version. I promise that the rest of the pictures on my blog from now on will be taken by me, unless otherwise noted!

The past few days here have been very hectic - unpacking, getting settled into a new environment, language, culture, food, transit system, etc... And the NYU staff has done a fantastic job of getting us acclimated to our surroundings. To the left, you can see the NYU in Prague center, located in Male Namesti, just a few feet away from Old Town Square! Monday, we began our intensive Czech class, which meets for 2.5 hours each day and is meant to be a crash course to teach us useful phrases and words for getting around in the city. In addition, Petra (my teacher) has been really great about answering any questions we may have about Czech culture. A few things I've learned from her, from other staff members, and from observation:

1. Czechs count on their hands beginning with their thumbs. So if you ask for "jedno pivo" - one beer - you can give a "thumbs up sign" to indicate the number "one."

2. When in any kind of building, including apartment buildings and stores, the first floor, or ground floor is actually designated as "floor 0." Any kind of floors under that would be the -1, -2, etc. floor. Tesco, the most comprehensive store known to my knowledge (think of it as a Wal Mart, but even better!) is no exception. The Tesco supermarket is located on floor -1 and has delicious treats such as kiwi juice and bacon-flavored potato chips!

3. The transit system here is extremely efficient and clean..... like, spotless. There are trams, 3 metro lines, and busses, all of which come about once every 3 minutes or so. While riding the transit system, Czechs tend to be very quiet, owing to their reserved public nature. They, however, do not hesitate to make pretty unmistakable eye contact with strangers.... I still haven't quite figured that out. Oh yeah, and trams ALWAYS have the right of way on the street!

4. Beer is, unmistakably, a very important aspect of Czech culture. From my apartment, which is in a largely residential neighborhood, there are probably at least 10 bars within a 5 minute walk. Every restaurant has beer taps, and Czechs drink beer throughout the day, even though it is stronger here than in the US. It is common to see a bar getting decent business at 12pm or earlier. Pivo (the word for beer) typically costs in the 25 koruna range, which is the equivalent of about $1.50..... for a half liter measured meticulously to the line, the rest with foam! Beer here really does taste much better - it's more mild and goes really well with any meal, including the rabbit and dumplings I was able to sample at a traditional Czech restaurant last night with some of my friends and members of the NYU staff!

Aside from intensive Czech, I've gotten a chance to go on a few tours, arranged through NYU. One took us through the Jewish quarter, where we were able to see a few synagogues (including the oldest operating synagogue in the world), the famous Jewish cemetery, and other remnants of the Jewish community in Prague, including many relics from the time when Prague was under Nazi control. A trip to Terezin concentration camp is in the works, probably in October. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed at almost every point on that tour.

Today, I was also able to go on a tour of Old Town. This includes the astronomical clock (left), Cathedral, Theater where Mozart premiered "Don Giovanni" (which hit home for me!) and other major landmarks in the center of the city. It was a great way to understand even more about the history of the city that I will be living in for the next few months.... not to mention a wonderful chance to be a tourist for a bit in the place I hope to eventually call my temporary home.

On tap for the rest of the week (was that a beer allusion?): more Czech class, a tour of Prague Castle tomorrow, a trip to the opera to see Turandot on Friday night, food shopping (sure to be an interesting experience), and who knows what else? Until then, I look forward to hearing from you via email, skype, or comments on my blog... dobrou noc (good night)!