A Picture Blog on Vienna

This past Thursday-Friday, I went to Vienna with my parents. Here are some of my favorite pictures:

The Entrance to the Hapsburgs' Schönbrunn Palace

In the back of the palace

Statue of Mozart

Other highlights of Vienna:

- Trip to the Sound Museum and to Mozart's House

- Seeing Die Fledermaus (a Strauss Operetta) at the Volksoper

- A walk around the entire main ring of the city, observing the Viennese architecture and grandiose buildings and churches

- Delicious Viennese pastries and Schnitzel, of course!

And last, but not least... 

- Getting to spend some quality time with my parents!

FALL BREAK

I'm back from my fantastic trip to Belgium and the Netherlands, and rather than rehash everything I did (there's absolutely no way), I'll try to give some highlights instead. I will say that on my trip I:

-Ate more frites, waffles, and chocolate than I thought humanly possible

-Learned that I am not and never will be Flemish (thanks to a long conversation - we're talking 3 hours - with a Flemish man at a pub in Brugge)

-Climbed 2 church towers and a giant atom for a total of 3 panoramic city views

-Discovered that there can be a language barrier abroad

-Almost got run over by approximately 300 bicycles

-Found a vast array of ethnic diversity in places that I wouldn't have expected

-Was on more trains than I can count (and got to where I was going without any problem!)

-Saw original Picasso, Monet, Manet, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Rembrant, Dali, and modern art pieces, just to name a few

-Found that Amsterdam consists of much more than its Red Light District

-Developed a deeper understanding of Dutch and Belgian culture.... and, subsequently, formulated many new reflections on Czech culture, as well.

...... and that's the trip in a nutshell!

BRUGGE

Brugge is my new favorite city. In the world. It is also, by far, the most beautiful city I've ever been to in my life. Brugge is considered to be the best-preserved medieval town in the world, which really is also reflected in its character. The people are lovely and speak English very well, in addition to their native Flemish. We really felt at home in Brugge and also had a bit of time to wander, relax, and take in the beautiful surroundings. Our first day, that's about all we did, and it still seemed like we saw so much! Other things we did in Brugge:

-Climbed to the top of the bell tower

-Ate our first Frites (with Andalouse sauce, a mix of ketchup, mayo, and spices), waffles, chocolate, and mussels

-Took a boat along the many canals of Bruges (the tour was in at least 3-4 languages, led by one person!)

-Saw the Basilica of the Holy Blood, which contains a relic, purportedly of Jesus's actual blood

-Went to the Chocolate Museum - yum!

-Met some locals at a few pubs (all were so nice and welcomed us warmly to their city)

-Saw Michelangelo's "Madonna and Child" in the Church of Our Lady, my new favorite church

-Checked out a few other churches and castles

-Shopped at an awesome market we found along a canal

BRUSSELS

Brussels' reputation preceded it as a city whose beauty...... leaves much to be desired, shall we say. The people speak French, which was a bit difficult, as none of the 4 of us spoke a word, and many of the people in restaurants, etc. didn't speak much English. That being said, Brussels definitely grew on me, and we saw a lot of cool stuff there. Although their parks aren't very well-kept and it seems as though the whole city may be under construction, there was still a lot that we were able to do and see there, including:

-A trip to the GIANT Atomium, Brussels' most famous landmark and the site of the 1956 World's Fair. We also went inside to check it out and see a view of the city from atop!

-The Manneken Pis, Brussels' teeny, but famous statue of a little boy relieving himself

-Seeing many palaces and government buildings of Belgium and the European Union

-Brussels' impressive triumphal arch

-The most bizarre flea market I have ever been to. Ever.

-Brussels' Auto museum, a huge collection of cars dating back to the 1800s and up to the present day

-A late night trip to the restroom..... on the side of a church? Brussels has many urinals located on the sides of impressive cathedrals. God only knows why.

ROTTERDAM

Rotterdam's beauty comes from a different place than Brugge's does, as the city was completely destroyed in WWII. Therefore, Rotterdam (in The Netherlands) is a haven for modern architecture, featuring many impressive skyscrapers and a sleek, white bridge. Rotterdam's maritime importance also plays a big part in its culture, as it is the world's 2nd largest port. I was able to meet my friend Melissa (from LHS!!!) in Rotterdam, as she is studying abroad there this semester. It's awesome how two people from the same town (virtually) can meet up completely across the world in Europe! Melissa was an awesome host and told us a lot about the city..... AND introduced us to kapsalon, one of my new favorite foods, derived from The Netherlands' large Turkish population. It is a recipe for a heart attack, and is made up of french fried, meat, melted cheese, salad, garlic sauce, and hot sauce!!! But trust me, it's delicious! Other adventures in Rotterdam:

-Running around in the POURING rain ALL DAY! This really put a damper on things, but didn't stop us from walking all around the very large and UN-walkable city

-Visiting the Blaak Markt, where we got some fried fish and stroopwafels (another Dutch favorite)

-A self-guided walking tour of the city's modern buildings and shipyards

-A rainy, miserable, horrible (get the picture?) walk across the Erasmus Bridge (above)

-The Nederlands Photo Museum in Rotterdam, which featured a brilliant exhibit of Martien Coppens' work

-The Bojmans museum of modern art.... not my thing, but still very interesting

-Some Dutch croquettes to finish off that leg of our trip!

AMSTERDAM

As a college student, I have heard quite a bit about Amsterdam...... much of which is true. However, Amsterdam is also a beautiful city with an interesting history and a cultural richness, as well. Yes, prostitution is legal and marijuana is not punishable - owing to a pretty interesting nightlife scene - but the city itself exudes a really great energy that has a lot to do with things other than sex and drugs. I found that, of all the places I've visited so far (including Prague and perhaps excluding Dublin), I think I could see myself living in Amsterdam the most. As another city built on a system of canals, Amsterdam was an interesting fusion between classic beauty - a la Brugge - and a consumerist, commercial attitude, which almost reminded me of New York. We spent 2 full days in Amsterdam, going all around the city and doing a lot of really interesting things, including:

-A 3 hour walking tour, which was a great introduction to Dutch and Amsterdam history, architecture, culture, and attitudes

-A visit to the Anne Frank house, where she stayed for 2 years and wrote her diary

-The Van Gogh museum, which (I believe) houses the largest collection of the artist's work

-A taste of Indonesian food, which that region is known for

-A walk through Vondelpark, Amsterdam's most famous (and beautiful) park

-The Sex Museum, one of the best in the world, apparently

-Some of the best goat cheese I've ever eaten in my life, served on bread with honey and roasted red pepper

-A trip through the Red Light District...... quite an interesting experience, as I'm sure you might expect!

-Definitely took advantage of Amsterdam's vibrant nightlife..... but didn't go overboard (don't worry, Mom and Dad!!!)

DELFT

My mother visited Delft a looooooooooooong time ago, when she was backpacking through Europe and urged me to do the same, as it's a beautiful place that evokes a lot of what you might expect from a small Dutch town. A few of us decided to go for a few hours on our last day. And while it was rainy the whole time, we still enjoyed seeing a lot of Delft's beautiful old churches and meandering streets along its canals. We were able to go inside the New Church, where William of Orange is buried, and climb up its bell tower to get an impressive view of the town and its surrounding countryside. We finished up our trip with a quick walk around town, popping into the Old (Oude) Church and getting one final frites and mayonnaise. A fantastic ending to a wonderful, memorable trip.

And tomorrow, my parents arrive here in Prague! Looking forward to seeing them and traveling to Vienna with them, too. And by the next time I write, we'll know who our next president will be, as well. It should be quite an exciting week! As always, you can look at my Picasa for all my pictures (and there are a lot of them this time!). They should hopefully be up by Monday or Tuesday.

Na Shledanou, Praha!

It has certainly been a busy week or so, and I apologize for the glaring lack of updates. Midterms here at NYU in Prague have made me realize that - yes, indeed - I do still go to school, and unfortunately have work to do. Classes here are definitely a bit easier and less work-intensive than in New York, but come midterms, all bets are off. It was kind of strange seeing everyone in my dorm studying! But thankfully, I am all finished with my tests (they went fine, Mom and Dad) and am officially on my fall break!

Last weekend NYU organized a trip to Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp and prison during the holocaust. Terezin is interesting, as it was utilized as a transit camp (many prisoners eventually ended up in Auschwitz) and also heavily as a propaganda tool for the Nazis. As a result, the town is not full of gas chambers and barracks as you might expect; instead, much of Terezin eerily looks like a regular, small Czech town, which it actually does function as today, despite its history. Of course, there are still many remnants from the atrocities committed there, and although it was not a death camp, per se, hundreds of thousands of prisoners (Jews and others) still died there due to the deplorable conditions, illness, starvation, and Nazi cruelty. It certainly is one thing to study the holocaust in a book and another to be on the almost sacred ground in which it took place. Although the ghetto does not look as ominous as one might think, it was definitely a spiritual experience being there. Furthermore, some of you might remember that, back when I was in the boychoir, there was a song cycle we performed, entitled "I Never Saw Another another Butterfly." The work was based on children's poems and

drawings from the Terezin concentration camp - art that they were permitted to create, due to Terezin's propagandized nature. Being in the spot where many of these same poems were written and actually seeing many of the original manuscripts and drawings (including the butterfly drawing) in the museums on site was another experience, which really hit home and made it personal for me. To the right is a picture of a memorial they have on site. Terezin really can be a beautiful place, in spite of its history.

So now I'm gearing up for my fall break! I leave tomorrow a little after 8am, so i'll be waking up early, but today is going to be a long day of packing, getting things together, and planning! I'll be traveling all throughout Belgium and the Netherlands for 10 days, making stops in Bruges, Brussels, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. I'm sure I'll have many interesting stories to tell when I get back!

Palin Power?

For those of you who are interested in politics and took note of my brief musings on the election from a European perspective, this article does a really good job of clarifying some of my observations:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/16/europe.palin.oakley/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

A quote: "Spain's left wing El Pais described Palin as 'a figure who comes from the America that is farthest removed from and incomprehensible to the European spectator.'"

I know that this is not a political blog, but I've found the political climate here to be particularly interesting, especially at such a crucial point in American politics. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.... in fact, my very Republican roommate and I have had a host of very interesting discussions on the matter. (Yes, I do sleep with a McCain/Palin bumper sticker on my bunk bed.....)

A Giant Purple Bunny in the Vltava River?

This past weekend, I decided to stay in Prague. Let me say, it was one of the best weekends I've had here so far. It provided some great moments to take in the city that I'm living in.... oh yeah, and relax! Believe it or not, going to school and planning trips has taken a significant amount of time and energy. It was really nice to have nothing to worry about for a good four days. And to top it off, most of my friends here in Osadni (my dorm) decided to stay for the weekend, as well. To celebrate, on thursday night, we (about 50 NYU students!!) ventured to Karlovy Lazne, said to be Europe's largest club! With 5 floors playing 5 different types of music, it certainly lived up to its reputation. We had a really awesome time and didn't get home until the wee hours of the morning!

A few of my friends and I decided to go paddle-boating on the Vltava Saturday afternoon. I've been paddle-boating before, but never in a setting like this! We were able to go all up and down the river, seeing many of Prague's great buildings (Vysehrad, the National Theater, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, etc.). And as we were finishing up, the sun was setting, providing a beautiful backdrop. Having been in Prague for a while, it can be easy to get a bit jaded from seeing such beautiful architecture 24/7. Put going on the boat really reminded me why I'm here and how special of an opportunity this really is. Not to mention, 1 hour on the boats costs only 80 crowns, or about $5.... now that's what I call a bargain!

One of the great things about studying abroad here in the Czech Republic is that I'm able to see a country that I otherwise would have never explored, let alone visited. On Sunday, a few friends and I went to Karlstejn, a small town about 20km outside of Prague, boasting one of the Czech Republic's most famous Gothic castles. We went on somewhat of a whim, but the Czech public transportation system made it fast, easy, and cheap to pick up and go at a moment's notice! Once we got off the train, we walked through the tiny town, which is dotted with restaurants and a bunch of tourist shops, and then walked up a steep hill to the castle. The area surrounding Karlstejn is absolutely beautiful countryside, especially during the fall season. All the leaves are changing, giving the Czech landscape a burnt orange color, perfectly complementing the orange roofs and the natural, earthy color of many of the houses and buildings. Needless to say, the walk up the hill was very pretty, and once we got to the top and came into view of the castle, it was pretty impressive. At this point in our trip, we're all getting a bit tired of guided tours and Czech history, so we opted not to take the guided castle tour, but instead walked around the grounds and still got a feel for the area. And on our way back down to the town, we stopped for a traditional Czech lunch (meat and dumplings with beer, of course!) and then said goodbye to Karlstejn!

In other news:

- I finally received my absentee ballot, after much agony over whether or not I would... it can be a guessing game with the postal service here and also with the State government. Luckily, my vote should get cast in time for the election.

- Last night, NYU sponsored a "language forum" in which we were able to mingle with some Czech university students, who were interested in meeting and talking with Americans. It was a fun night and provided some good insights on the Czech student perspective. There should be more similar events throughout the semester, so perhaps I'll write more in the near future.

- Apparently someone does read my blog! I've been quoted in NYU in Prague's e-zine, The Prague Wanderer. Check it out at http://thepraguewanderer.com. My quote's in the featured article about Czech perceptions of this year's American election.

So that's all for now! I hope everyone back at home is staying well, studying not-too-hard for midterms (if you're an NYU or other college reader), and enjoying the changing season. Keep in touch!

Karlstejn Castle and the surrounding Autumn foliage

P.S. - If you're curious about the title of this post, you'll have to check out the picture gallery from my paddle-boat adventure!

Pictures!

Just a heads up - I was a bit slow in uploading my Dublin pictures to Picasa, but for those of you who have been looking at my albums, they're now up..... enjoy!

Cheers to the Irish!

This past weekend I took a pilgrimage to olde Erin to see the sights, visit some friends, and - to be perfectly honest - take a break from my Central (read: Eastern) European cultural immersion. Mike, one of my good friends, is studying this semester in Dublin at NYU's film program set up there - so I was able to see a great city and hang out with a great friend all at the same time... it's really cool to know people in different parts of the world, and I'm looking forward to hosting some visitors to Prague later in the semester, as well!

My first impression upon stepping onto the streets of Dublin was "why the hell are all the cars driving on the wrong side of the road?" But once I jumped over that hurdle and got to O'Connell Street in the city centre, I then found my way to Temple Bar, the main stretch in Dublin (OK, I got lost and was rescued by my friend). And before I was even able to put my belongings down - we're approaching 11:30 at night - I was immediately summoned to my first Irish bar and treated to a Guinness with black currant (a local favorite).

The next day, I was able to do all of my sightseeing with the help of my friend Mark, a Dubliner and Irish native, who I know through one of my friends at home. Let me say that seeing a city through the eyes of a native really is the best way to do it, and we had a great time walking around the city. I was really taken with how small Dublin actually is - it reminded me more of a very large version of Princeton, actually, as Trinity College gives the Temple Bar area quite the "collegiate" feel. In fact, when I walked around Trinity, they happened to be having a club fair that day - I was mistaken for a Trinity student many times!

After walking around and seeing Christ Church, Dublin Castle (above), The Chester Beatty Library, and City Hall, I made my way over to the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells, a bible transcribed by Celtic Monks around the year 800, is housed in the library of Trinity College and is said to be one of the most beautifully-penned books ever written. It certainly was gorgeous and lived up to the hype. Afterwards, I met up with Mark and we headed over to an Irish must: the Guinness factory!! It was really

 cool to see the process by which they cultivate, brew, distribute, and advertise their beer, a product which the Irish are so proud of. The tour of the museum ended with free pints that we got to pour on our own and take up to the "gravity bar," which

overlooks the entire city of Dublin. The day ended with a long walk around town, making stops at St. Stephen's Green and Dublin's shopping district on Grafton Street (left). Other highlights of the weekend included a visit to the famous Phoenix Park, where we saw the president of Ireland's house, a few chances to take advantage of Dublin's vibrant nightlife, walks along the River Liffey, and my first encounter with "real" fish & chips, possibly the greasiest mountain of food I've ever come across in my entire life (but absolutely delicious!).

I mentioned it before, but this weekend really was a good chance to get away from the sometimes-overbearing experience of living in a completely foreign place, having to adapt to a new culture and language. Although Ireland certainly is culturally rich (and there's even somewhat of a language barrier!), there's no doubt that it's closer in its ways of doing things to the US than the Czech Republic. I think that going to Dublin gave me a taste of how different Prague really is from a western city. I have to admit that, leaving Ireland and arriving back here in Prague, I did feel a little bit of longing for the stuff I've left behind, especially some simple things that I wouldn't have necessarily expected to miss. In any event, now it's back to the daily grind.... and time to keep pushing forward, learning, adapting, and enjoying my time here!

As they say in Dublin - Cheers!