I went to Turkey.
Actual update soon.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Europe vs. the Volcano
I spent the past weekend in Amsterdam. Due to a certain minor volcanic eruption, I could have been spending a lot longer in Amsterdam. I probably should've stayed considering how unproductive I've been since returning to Prague but hey, whatever.
I paid $39 for a train ticket to Amsterdam so I braced myself for a 16-hour ride of joy and comfort. Some lessons were learned:
1. Never get onto a long-haul train thinking there will be a food cart just because the Hogwarts Express has one.
2. Don't assume that just because your compartment is empty for five and a half hours that it'll stay empty once you hit Berlin.
3. Don't ever, ever, ever get onto a train without food.
Okay. So. Sixteen hours and one frozen neck later, I arrive in Amsterdam. It's GORGEOUS and sunny and the best weather I've seen all semester. As a city Amsterdam reminds me of Copenhagen, only not shitty, pretentious, or full of douchebags. But anyway.
After settling in and blowing off a CNN report on a volcanic eruption in Iceland, I attempted to find my way to the Central Station to meet up for a free walking tour of the city. Ended up bonding with Lia, a girl from Canada traveling after her semester abroad. I wound up hanging out with her for the rest of the day, alternately dragging each other in bookstores and coffee shops and just kind of wandering. We wound up in the red light district at night and I can safely say that I've never felt that uncomfortable in my life; I don't care if the women working there are cool with it, I've just never felt so awkward before.
Day two was a bit more productive. Started figuring out that my flight from Brussels probably wasn't going to happen so I booked a $160 train ticket back across the continent to Prague. I really wanted to give up my $20, one-hour flight from Belgium, I can assure you. At one point there was a three-hour-long wait to talk to the international ticketing people in the station; the police were guarding the entrance and weren't letting anyone else in. Cool, volcano.
I started the morning at the Anne Frank House, and it was probably my favorite part of Amsterdam. It's one thing to read the diary and then it's another to actually walk the stairs, see the bookcase, be in their rooms-- it was really affecting and emotional. Normally historical sites don't really do it for me (case in point: Auschwitz) but there was something about being in the annex that got to me.
Visited the Dutch Resistance Museum and then kind of bummed around Rembrandtsplein before going to the Jewish History Museum and then to see Chloe (by the way? SUCKED). The Jewish History Museum had a painting by Marc Chagall, one of my favorite painters ever, and I didn't expect to just kind of stumble upon it so it was a really, really nice surprise.
Went to the Van Gogh Museum at night for their extended hours; they had a DJ and a bartender and it was a grand ol' party for everyone there except for the humorless Japanese tourists. The museum was really cool but none of my favorite paintings were there so I found it a little hard to get excited about "Sunflowers". Met up with Kim and two other Praguers afterward, booked the train ticket home.
I was supposed to go to The Hague on Saturday and continue on to Brussels but plans change, volcanoes erupt, the usual. Wound up going to the Rijksmuseum and then kind of bumming around. I bought a tourist card so I had a free canal cruise that I promptly fell asleep on because I hadn't had time to get coffee so COOL. I was pretty disappointing to not be going to The Hague because I just wanted to see the International Court of Justice and "Girl With A Pearl Earring" but I suppose both will always be around. Played with three different dogs in the English-language bookstore! I love Amsterdam and could definitely see myself living there in the future because God knows my path does not involve any more South Florida than is absolutely necessary.
The train ride home mildly blew. The compartment was completely packed but at least I slept, I think, for most of the ride. A ton of people are still stuck in various places around the continent so I'm just really happy to be home. I probably should have done the irresponsible thing by staying in Amsterdam but whatever.
So, fun things in Prague:
1. Everyone in my study abroad program got a notice from the Czech foreign police saying that our American health insurance was no longer good and if we didn't buy Czech-certified insurance within five days they'd start the deportation process. We all got the insurance but it's been a bit of a hilarious mess.
2. The volcano erupted and now our flight to Istanbul on Thursday is in doubt. THANKS, Eyjafjallajökull.
3. Both beds in my room have bedbugs. I slept on the floor of another room with my snuggie and a towel-as-pillow. NOTHING IS REAL.
4. I need to start the visa extension process because I desperately want to say this summer. C'est la vie.
Song of the weekend:
I paid $39 for a train ticket to Amsterdam so I braced myself for a 16-hour ride of joy and comfort. Some lessons were learned:
1. Never get onto a long-haul train thinking there will be a food cart just because the Hogwarts Express has one.
2. Don't assume that just because your compartment is empty for five and a half hours that it'll stay empty once you hit Berlin.
3. Don't ever, ever, ever get onto a train without food.
Okay. So. Sixteen hours and one frozen neck later, I arrive in Amsterdam. It's GORGEOUS and sunny and the best weather I've seen all semester. As a city Amsterdam reminds me of Copenhagen, only not shitty, pretentious, or full of douchebags. But anyway.
After settling in and blowing off a CNN report on a volcanic eruption in Iceland, I attempted to find my way to the Central Station to meet up for a free walking tour of the city. Ended up bonding with Lia, a girl from Canada traveling after her semester abroad. I wound up hanging out with her for the rest of the day, alternately dragging each other in bookstores and coffee shops and just kind of wandering. We wound up in the red light district at night and I can safely say that I've never felt that uncomfortable in my life; I don't care if the women working there are cool with it, I've just never felt so awkward before.
Day two was a bit more productive. Started figuring out that my flight from Brussels probably wasn't going to happen so I booked a $160 train ticket back across the continent to Prague. I really wanted to give up my $20, one-hour flight from Belgium, I can assure you. At one point there was a three-hour-long wait to talk to the international ticketing people in the station; the police were guarding the entrance and weren't letting anyone else in. Cool, volcano.
I started the morning at the Anne Frank House, and it was probably my favorite part of Amsterdam. It's one thing to read the diary and then it's another to actually walk the stairs, see the bookcase, be in their rooms-- it was really affecting and emotional. Normally historical sites don't really do it for me (case in point: Auschwitz) but there was something about being in the annex that got to me.
Visited the Dutch Resistance Museum and then kind of bummed around Rembrandtsplein before going to the Jewish History Museum and then to see Chloe (by the way? SUCKED). The Jewish History Museum had a painting by Marc Chagall, one of my favorite painters ever, and I didn't expect to just kind of stumble upon it so it was a really, really nice surprise.
Went to the Van Gogh Museum at night for their extended hours; they had a DJ and a bartender and it was a grand ol' party for everyone there except for the humorless Japanese tourists. The museum was really cool but none of my favorite paintings were there so I found it a little hard to get excited about "Sunflowers". Met up with Kim and two other Praguers afterward, booked the train ticket home.
I was supposed to go to The Hague on Saturday and continue on to Brussels but plans change, volcanoes erupt, the usual. Wound up going to the Rijksmuseum and then kind of bumming around. I bought a tourist card so I had a free canal cruise that I promptly fell asleep on because I hadn't had time to get coffee so COOL. I was pretty disappointing to not be going to The Hague because I just wanted to see the International Court of Justice and "Girl With A Pearl Earring" but I suppose both will always be around. Played with three different dogs in the English-language bookstore! I love Amsterdam and could definitely see myself living there in the future because God knows my path does not involve any more South Florida than is absolutely necessary.
The train ride home mildly blew. The compartment was completely packed but at least I slept, I think, for most of the ride. A ton of people are still stuck in various places around the continent so I'm just really happy to be home. I probably should have done the irresponsible thing by staying in Amsterdam but whatever.
So, fun things in Prague:
1. Everyone in my study abroad program got a notice from the Czech foreign police saying that our American health insurance was no longer good and if we didn't buy Czech-certified insurance within five days they'd start the deportation process. We all got the insurance but it's been a bit of a hilarious mess.
2. The volcano erupted and now our flight to Istanbul on Thursday is in doubt. THANKS, Eyjafjallajökull.
3. Both beds in my room have bedbugs. I slept on the floor of another room with my snuggie and a towel-as-pillow. NOTHING IS REAL.
4. I need to start the visa extension process because I desperately want to say this summer. C'est la vie.
Song of the weekend:
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Austria: Shots were ripped
This past weekend was the long-awaited Classroom Europe trip to Salzburg and Vienna. First stop after our trek through the surprisingly pretty southern Bohemian region was Český Krumlov, a very tiny town that no one knew why we were stopping in until we got there. IT'S BEAUTIFUL and medieval with a castle and little cobblestone, twisting streets and I really can't stress enough how happy I was that we stopped there. We ate at a fairly legitimate vegetarian restaurant right on the river so despite the hypothermia that ensued we had a fairly solid evening.
Next stop (after three hours of driving) was Salzburg. Austria has the prettiest countryside I've ever seen (ride to Neuschwanstein excluded because no place will ever top that). It's hilly and green and there are little rivers running through it and random castles just stuck on the sides of mountains and it's incredible. Salzburg was really, really beautiful; it's completely surrounded by mountains and of course The Sound of Music was filmed in the area so there were plenty of sites to dork out over.
The biggest dork moment came from visiting Mozart's former home. Amadeus is one of my favorite plays and movies and I just love his music, so seeing the room he was born in and then things like his violin and wallet and even a lock of his hair was just incredible, and it really humanized him, I think.
Ambassador Holub led us up the hill to the fortress overlooking the entire city. I hate to say it but I'm completely out of shape and I can't keep doing these uphill climbs. It's a little sad how winded I keep getting every time I have to do one of these walks. Pathetic.
ANYWAY. Four hours and one viewing of Amadeus later, we're in Vienna. It's pretty dark and we don't see very much going into the city center, but it's clean and that's lovely. Ambassador Holub, the fountain of all knowledge, leads us on a little tour to the very center and then leaves us to our own devices. Overpriced alcohol is consumed and Amanda and I wander home.
Saturday is the day of Jiří leading us around Vienna. We ask him how many times he's been to Vienna: "twenty years, a hundred times maybe." How many languages does he speak? He won't even tell us, but he teaches in five. That he knows my name is an a huge point of pride; that he remembers my interests and calls me aside to tell me about something that might interest me is an honor above all else.
At the OSCE--
Ambassador Holub: You should get a picture with the flags. I take it.
Me: Oh no, it's okay.
Ambassador Holub: No. You go, ja?
Me: Sure.
That actually happened.
Anyway. We saw the Museum of Fine Arts, and while I wasn't a huge fan of the paintings exhibited there, the Egyptian and Greco-Roman collections were incredible, and it's worth a visit if only for the building itself because it is GORGEOUS. Went to Cafe Central, which, according to Wikipedia, is kind of a big deal: "Key regulars included: Peter Altenberg, Theodor Herzl, Alfred Adler, Egon Friedell, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Anton Kuh, Adolf Loos, Leo Perutz, Alfred Polgar and Leon Trotsky. In January 1913 alone, Josip Broz Tito, Sigmund Freud, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trotsky (the latter two being regulars) were patrons of the establishment." So, you know, I'm glad I could keep the tradition alive.
Went to Hundertwasser afterward and got caught up in the kitsch, and then a small group of us went to Grinzing, a vineyard within the city limits. Wine was consumed and that's all I have to say on the matter. Ambassador Holub bought us cheese. Every time I think he can't get any more adorable, he just destroys that notion. Afterward was an AMAZING dinner at my new favorite restaurant, Vapiano (Samantha, if you're reading this, THANK YOU). Jitka, the ECES director, bought us wine. Jitka also threw back shots like a pro this weekend.
Sunday wasn't particularly eventful save for the trip to Schönbrunn Palace, which might be my favorite now. It's really, really, really pretty and not as oppressive or overwhelming as Versailles, and it's definitely prettier than Kronborg.
I think I might like Salzburg more than Vienna, but Vienna's still really beautiful. Berlin might be my favorite city thus far for inexplicable reason, and I think if nothing else materializes for this summer (and by nothing else, I mean the BBC calling and begging me to come work for the news bureau) I might stay in Prague and take classes. Who would have thought? Parents (father, really), if you're reading this, let's talk about money soon.
Oh, and apparently I'll be deported in five days if I don't get Czech-certified health insurance.
Next stop (after three hours of driving) was Salzburg. Austria has the prettiest countryside I've ever seen (ride to Neuschwanstein excluded because no place will ever top that). It's hilly and green and there are little rivers running through it and random castles just stuck on the sides of mountains and it's incredible. Salzburg was really, really beautiful; it's completely surrounded by mountains and of course The Sound of Music was filmed in the area so there were plenty of sites to dork out over.
The biggest dork moment came from visiting Mozart's former home. Amadeus is one of my favorite plays and movies and I just love his music, so seeing the room he was born in and then things like his violin and wallet and even a lock of his hair was just incredible, and it really humanized him, I think.
Ambassador Holub led us up the hill to the fortress overlooking the entire city. I hate to say it but I'm completely out of shape and I can't keep doing these uphill climbs. It's a little sad how winded I keep getting every time I have to do one of these walks. Pathetic.
ANYWAY. Four hours and one viewing of Amadeus later, we're in Vienna. It's pretty dark and we don't see very much going into the city center, but it's clean and that's lovely. Ambassador Holub, the fountain of all knowledge, leads us on a little tour to the very center and then leaves us to our own devices. Overpriced alcohol is consumed and Amanda and I wander home.
Saturday is the day of Jiří leading us around Vienna. We ask him how many times he's been to Vienna: "twenty years, a hundred times maybe." How many languages does he speak? He won't even tell us, but he teaches in five. That he knows my name is an a huge point of pride; that he remembers my interests and calls me aside to tell me about something that might interest me is an honor above all else.
At the OSCE--
Ambassador Holub: You should get a picture with the flags. I take it.
Me: Oh no, it's okay.
Ambassador Holub: No. You go, ja?
Me: Sure.
That actually happened.
Anyway. We saw the Museum of Fine Arts, and while I wasn't a huge fan of the paintings exhibited there, the Egyptian and Greco-Roman collections were incredible, and it's worth a visit if only for the building itself because it is GORGEOUS. Went to Cafe Central, which, according to Wikipedia, is kind of a big deal: "Key regulars included: Peter Altenberg, Theodor Herzl, Alfred Adler, Egon Friedell, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Anton Kuh, Adolf Loos, Leo Perutz, Alfred Polgar and Leon Trotsky. In January 1913 alone, Josip Broz Tito, Sigmund Freud, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trotsky (the latter two being regulars) were patrons of the establishment." So, you know, I'm glad I could keep the tradition alive.
Went to Hundertwasser afterward and got caught up in the kitsch, and then a small group of us went to Grinzing, a vineyard within the city limits. Wine was consumed and that's all I have to say on the matter. Ambassador Holub bought us cheese. Every time I think he can't get any more adorable, he just destroys that notion. Afterward was an AMAZING dinner at my new favorite restaurant, Vapiano (Samantha, if you're reading this, THANK YOU). Jitka, the ECES director, bought us wine. Jitka also threw back shots like a pro this weekend.
Sunday wasn't particularly eventful save for the trip to Schönbrunn Palace, which might be my favorite now. It's really, really, really pretty and not as oppressive or overwhelming as Versailles, and it's definitely prettier than Kronborg.
I think I might like Salzburg more than Vienna, but Vienna's still really beautiful. Berlin might be my favorite city thus far for inexplicable reason, and I think if nothing else materializes for this summer (and by nothing else, I mean the BBC calling and begging me to come work for the news bureau) I might stay in Prague and take classes. Who would have thought? Parents (father, really), if you're reading this, let's talk about money soon.
Oh, and apparently I'll be deported in five days if I don't get Czech-certified health insurance.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Obamania
So Presidents Obama and Medvedev are gracing Prague with their presence to sign a treaty today, and security has increased a thousand-fold. Can't move anywhere between my tram stop and basically the river, but it's cool. In playing motorcade bingo, I've now seen the Czech president's and Russian president's motorcades, and was almost mowed down by the latter.
While I'm sad that I can't stalk my commander in chief, I'm really not that bummed because he's not doing any public appearances while here... and honestly, I'll never get closer to the man than I was when this picture was taken:
While I'm sad that I can't stalk my commander in chief, I'm really not that bummed because he's not doing any public appearances while here... and honestly, I'll never get closer to the man than I was when this picture was taken:
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
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