Part Four: Paris, Update One!

Hello all. I'm sitting next to a window with a view of the Eiffel tower. There are wine glasses and crumbs of bread left on the table. Someone is playing the violin one floor away. That's right; I'm in Paris! I arrived here on Thursday evening and it has been going really well so far! It is just so exciting for me to be going to all these new places. This marks my fourth major European city in, believe it or not, just over three weeks. I can't believe how fast it has gone already.

So, Paris. Leaving Berlin and getting here was not as easy as I would have liked to be. I flew out of Berlin's Schonefeld airport which is just about the most miserable airport I've ever been in. Getting through security and everything was pretty easy and then came the wait. I am holding stronger than ever to my belief that they just wanna lock you in there two hours early. Problem with the Berlin airport: there isn't even anywhere good to try and spend money! I was hoping for a bookstore because I just finished up my book, but alas, the only one they had sold novels along the lines of Twilight and some cheap, sappy romance novels. Oh well. I'll have to find a book in Paris. Shakespeare & Co. here I come.

Anyway, I waited a while... then some more... then the flight was delayed. So I waited again and they finally put the little number up on the screen, though they did not announce it which was slightly annoying. I found my way to the gate, well close to the gate, where I was met by a huge line. I entertained myself by reading the unmentionable text messages the guy in front of me was typing and by listening to a little girl who was singing, as far as a I can tell, "Oh Christmas Tree" and "The Alphabet Song" in Italian, Much to the dismay of her older brother who shushed her many times. She was not discouraged though and put her hand right up in his face, made some grunting noise, and continued to sing her heart out.

Things were going well until I gave my ticket and was waiting in the little room that they hold you in before boarding. I had just gotten in and the airline woman announced that she would be opening the doors for the pre-boarding and handicapped people. Something about this did not agree with one particular customer and he shouted something, though it was in a language I did not understand. I can only assume that this was the last in a long string of things he had done because the airline woman quickly shouted at him, "Sir, you can't just stay here if you like!" to which he yelled something else, and soon enough the woman was going off on him. "Sir, your luggage is being removed from the plane. Come over here and give me your boarding pass!" (Strange grunt from the man) "Sir! Your boarding pass." (Another strange grunt). He finally went over, started yelling, and put his hands on the woman which was his biggest mistake. She called the security and two guys showed up. Unfortunately, I had to leave this little debacle to get on the plane (FINALLY), I did see a disgruntled airline worker pulling a bag from beneath the plane and flopping it onto the hood of the car. The passenger was not seen on the plane. Guess his delay was even longer. I don't think there were anymore flights to Paris that day. Woops.

So that was something. But atleast I was on the plane. I managed to get myself a window seat and a young French couple sat down next to me and proceeded to kiss and make out the whole plane ride which was, well, I dunno. Weird? I guess that is the best way to describe how I felt sitting next to them. Plane ride was short. Getting my luggage was easy. The only complicated factor was that I arrived on the day of a transit strike. My bad. All the trains into the city were shut down and just as I got there the woman at the information booth decided to join the strike herself. She yelled at everyone in line, closed her window, and put out some maps and flyers. I tried to ask her for help which elicited a curt response that did not really give me any helpful directions or anything.

Alas, I assumed what I have found is the most helpful state in this situation. I grab a map. Put on my most puzzled look. And wander back and forth. There are two possible outcomes to this: 1. I will figure it out on my own after consulting the map for a bit. 2. Someone will spot me, notice I look lost, and offer help. Hooray for number two! I think maybe it is a thing with Germans (recall the lady at the bus stop from Berlin Day One) because this very nice German lady who had been on the plane came and asked if I knew how to get into the city. I responded that I had no idea and she pointed me in the direction of a bus. The bus was 6.30 euros! Clearly, they had marked it up because of the strike; there were printed out signs taped on it with the very high price. I got on this very crowded bus and headed into Paris.

I'm not sure where it dropped us off but I wandered a bit with the German woman, her brother (who assumed the role of the leader of the group. "Just follow my brother," she said, "he knows."), and some of their friends until we found a metro stop. Because of the strike, they had taped the gate open and I got on for free. A slight consolation after my very expensive bus ride. I boarded my train, got off at a transfer stop where I bid farewell to my German friends, and took one more train until I arrived at my destination.

In Paris, I am staying with my friend Hannah, from Trinity, and her roommate Rebecca (also from Trinity but I did not really know her until I got here). They are both studying here. Somehow, they managed to get this awesome apartment. It is huge (two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen) but by far the best part is that from the windows of the kitchen, the bathroom, and the living room, you have a view of the Eiffel tower which stands about a block away. It is pretty incredible. So many thanks to them for letting me stay here. It has a courtyard entrance, a fun crazy little elevator, and the view from the rooms on the backside is into another courtyard. Not bad, I say, not bad.

After I arrived, we hung out here a bit, got caught up and then went out. Nothing too special, just a bar with a bunch of other Trin kids in it, though it was nice to see some more familiar faces. We navigated our way home and I got caught up on some sleep. Hannah and Rebecca had early classes so I slept in. I woke up at 10:30 to the cleaning lady. I must say, at first I didn't quite believe she was a cleaning lady. She was dressed in quite fashionalbe clothes, she was tall, and she was quite beautiful. But, once she started scrubbing the bathroom I had to be sure she was, indeed, a cleaning lady. I think the funniest part of her being here was when she assumed possibly the most cliche French image I have seen. Picture this: a tall, stylish, beautiful French woman, standing in an open window (it is sort of like a balcony but not really, but the window is tall enough to stand in), with her foot up on the window sill, smoking a cigarette with the Eiffel tower behind her. I had to laugh to myself a bit and then give myself a reality check and try and believe I am actually here.

So, I set out for my first exploration. The weather yesterday was beautiful. Though a bit chilly in the wind or shade, the endless sunshine really made up for it. I walked along the Seine for a while just admiring the city. It is really beautiful. Then I walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg which was so nice. It is a really beautiful park and there were tons of people sitting out just reading or hanging out. Much more life than the parks in Berlin; probably due to the weather. I would love to go spend some more time there. I wandered the streets after that. I had a really fun time looking in the windows of all the bakeries, chocolate shops, and butcher's shops. It is so nice to see those things. I've become to used to only seeing bakeries with the sign "Panera" above them or butcher's shops that say "Stop & Shop" on the outside. I got myself a delicious ham and cheese crepe to eat as I wandered. Sorry other countries so far but this one little crepe was better than most of the food here. Eventually, I made my way back to Hannah's apartment, walking in the shadow of the Eiffel tower, still sort of in awe of where I was. We spent a lot of time in the aparment which was nice. Drinking wine, eating cheese and bread, it all felt very French to me. Atleast as far as I can tell.

Today we have bigger plans! I think we are going to go to some museums and then, if all goes as planned, Hannah and I will be out to dinner with the parents Manevitz. I am not sure how this was orchestrated, but my friend Alex's parents are in Paris right now and apparently they have offered to take us out to dinner. Sounds great to me! Thanks Alex! That should be fun, and then we will probably find some fun place to go out afterwards. Hopefully not so expensive, though that seems sort of tough here. Then tomorrow it is markets! I love markets. Maybe I can get some good food and cook dinner in the apartment. Mmm, that would be fun. We shall see. It is all very exciting right now!

So, wow, two updates in two days! Don't forget to read them both! Or none at all, whichever you prefer. I am very excited for the rest of my time here. Should be super fun.

Hope everything is going along just fine out there.

Part Three: Berlin, Update Three!

Hello all. I write you now from Paris, but first I must wrap up my coverage of my time in Berlin. For some reason, I feel the need to keep this blog very organized so I do not want to mix Paris in with Berlin too much. Don't ask me why. Anyway, the last few days in Berlin were great. I did a whole bunch of things and I must say that Berlin was a fantastic place to sort of get my footing on traveling alone and build my confidence a little more.

I guess I'll start with a funny anecdote that picks up from where my last blog entry left off. Last Monday was Australia day, a phenomenon that I was unaware of until, strangely enough, visiting Berlin. I don't know much about the day, save for what I learned in the hostel that night. From that I can deduce that it consists of: 1. Wearing clothes that do not fit the weather. It was probably in the 20s or low 30s that night in Berlin but many people were in bathing suits or shorts. I guess it reminded them of the weather in Australia or something. 2. Wearing the flag. Many people draped themselves in the Australian flag. Cowboy straw hat sort of things were also big. Preferably with the Fosters brand name on them (which, the people I met, assure me no one drinks in Australia). 3. Excessive, excessive drinking. That one doesn't need too much explanation. 4. Not being Australian. I think I may have met about one or two people that night who were Australian. One of whom said she never celebrates it when she is at home. But that didn't stop people from chanting, "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!" to which the crowd responded, "Oi, Oi, Oi!" So that was my little lesson in Australia day. I think I will start celebrating it every year. January 26th. Mark your calendars.

So, now, on to the last two days in Berlin. Lets see. On Monday, I met up with Heddy again (see previous post for an explanation of who she is) and we went to the German History Museum. To our great surprise admission was free that day! We spent a few minutes in the lobby area because Heddy had been talking up this map they have there. I am not certain now whether it was the map itself or just the mesmorizing effect it had on her. But it was pretty cool. It was a big map of Europe and showed the changing sizes of empires starting really early on up until the present.

Then we went to my favorite part of the museum. They had this exhibit on the German language that I thought was super cool. It traced the language from its beginnings, but the more interesting part was the way in which it has changed in more modern times due to increased slang, electronic communication, all that stuff. I must say, this exhibit would not have been as good without Heddy, who was able to translate everything for me and add in her own little antropoligical analyses. One of my favorite parts was a map (that is a theme here, huh?) that showed different German words that had been taken up in other languages based on the region. Doppleganger, Burger, Kindergarden give some good examples of one that have taken hold in America.

We then set out to find a cafe. Heddy took me to this little place that was very relaxed and cool and apparently went by a name that, when translated literally, meant, "the cute little liquor collective." While I didn't share in the liqour, it sure was cute. A quick bit to eat at a local burger place (the Kruezburger, a not so clever pun on Kruezberg, the area we were in) and we said goodbye, goodluck, and went out separate ways. It was really fun to see her, though who knows when it will happen again.

That night, I went out for a bit with this guy Neco. He is a musician from Argentina who I met at the hostel. He was super nice and extroverted and promises that he will "make me an asada (barbecue)" when I arrive in Argentina in March. If that promise is anything like the one he made the night we went out, it may take a little while and a bit of confusion. You see, he had promised that he would take me to a jazz club he heard about. He also promised that he knew where it was. Turns out he wasn't quite sure. But that would not keep the fearless composer from hearing music. He had a funny way of trying to get directions. He would pick a restaurant, preferably a spanish restaurant but Italian was o.k. too. He figured since they were that type of cuisine there must be someone there who he could speak spanish or his broken Italian to. A few failed attempts and he found a Spanish guy. But he sent us in absolutely the wrong direction. Finally, he asked some girls on the street who told us the correct location. The music at the club turned out to be fantastic. It was just a guy on the little Kenny G saxophone, (forgive me for not knowing the correct name) who was way better than Kenny G, and a pianist. They played some of the quickest music I've ever heard but they were both super talented.

Tuesday, I decided to take a train out to Sachsenhausen, a former concentration camp turn Soviet prisoner of war camp for five years after the war . It was a very intense and terrifying experience. I'm not sure what else to say about it. I don't think I will say much.

So now I am in Paris! Woo! Looking back on it, Berlin was really great. While I arrived a little intimidated and overhwelmed, I managed to get comfortable, meet some super cool people, and see some really awesome things. I have much to say about Paris and I really look forward to exploring the city. I also have to say that this is the first place I am really excited for in terms of food. So, all that and more in my next post which should happen fairly soon.

Best wishes!

Part Three: Berlin, Update Two!

Greetings everyone! Commence Berlin update number two:

So, I've been in Berlin now for about five days and it has been really fun. It has been really nice to have so much time to explore and wander and see all the different parts of the city, all of which seem to sort of have their own personalities. Let me start by saying today was super exciting... the snorer moved out! I am so thankful. He had woken me up multiple times every night. He was part of this group of people whose schedule seemed to consist of the following: wake up at around 3 in the afternoon, head down to the hostel bar around 4, start drinking, go out, return back at 5 a.m, snore, snore, and snore some more! Ugh. So glad they are gone.

Since I last updated, I have done a bunch of different things. On Saturday, I set out for a walk that turned out to be far longer than I could have ever anticipated. The start of it looked promising and I found a little market with some cool stuff in it. I had my first taste of Currywurst, which is basically sausage covered with ketchup and curry powder. It was pretty good, though I'm not sure how it became such a big thing here.

I continued my walk in what I thought was the right direction but, somehow, at one of the confusing Berlin intersections, I got a bit turned around and walked pretty much in the wrong direction for a good amount of time before I realized it. It was a little frustrating as the part of the city I ended up in was more of a ritzy shopping district (gucci and prada and other fancy stores) and that sort of thing is less than exciting for me. But I finally figured it out and turned myself around.

Eventually, I ended up at the Jewish Museum which was really interesting and of course, intense at parts. The architectural elements of the building were really fascinating and it was cool to see how the design matched up with the different themes of the museum. I spent a lot of time there. I've really been soaking up the history here. I hadn't realized how little I know of the long and tumultuous history of Germany, in particular Berlin.

After my museum excursion I came back to the hostel, relaxed a bit, and then met up with some people to head out. We went to this really cool wine bar sort of place. It was very unassuming, not even a sign with a name on it. The inside sort of felt like someone's house party and the basement area was decorated with all sorts of stuff that must have come from the flea markets. The atmosphere was really cool. My favorite part was how it worked: You pay one euro for a glass and they have open bottles of wine on a bar sort of thing (monitored by a guy whose only job is to open the bottles) and you just go up and pour a glass, as many glasses as you want. Whenever you have decided you've had your fill, you simply return your glass, pay what you think you should, and be on your way. I really love that idea! We had some good glasses of wine and some good conversation and then returned back to the hostel.

Sunday is flea market day in Berlin and there was no way I was going to miss it. Charlie and I decided to head out in the morning. The first place we went was Mauerpark. The place is huge. It was filled with everything from jewelry to clothing, to war memorbilia, to bottles, kitchenware. Everything, including the kitchen sink. It is really interesting to see just what people will sell at the stands. There were a couple that were filled with loads of junk, none of which had prices on it. Most of them were patrolled by grumpy old men who, while I don't know German, seemed unwilling to sell for any price less than they had had in their heads for about the past 40 years. I couldn't help but think of how much I would surely get ripped off if I tried to buy something because I would pay the first price given to me out of fear that the old man might hit me or yell some more. But it as a cool place! I'd have to say the highlight was this guy who was dressed in a full on rubber suit that must have come from some sort of military supply store. The suit went over his head and he had some thick glasses with big silver frames and a rubber strap to keep them on. He was just wandering around with a beer in one rubber hand and a cigarette in the other. Which reminds me, there is no policy on having open bottles in public here. It makes for very funny sightings of people just wandering down the streets, beer in hand.

We hit another market and then headed home. That night (last night) I met up with a girl named Heddy who lived in D.C. for a little while with Gwen. She just moved back to Berlin a few days ago so it was really exciting that the time I am here overlapped with her return. It was really fun to see her and see the city a little from the perspective of someone who has lived in it before. Not to mention the fact that she speaks German was very helpful. We got some dinner, where she was infuriated because the waitress ripped us off a bit. Heddy seemed to think it was because she heard us speaking English and thought she could do it. Oh well. It was actually sort of strange; the two places we went, our servers spoke in German, Heddy responded in German, but once they figured out that I spoke English they tried to speak to us in English the whole time even though Heddy is fluent in german and the waitstaff's English was not very good. Oh well, it was really fun anyway and good to see her. We plan to meet up again tomorrow and see the German history museum.

Today was a museum day for me. Berlin has this really cool place known as the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) that has a bunch of different museums on it. I bought a day pass and managed to go to three: the Altes (classical antiquities and Egyptian antiquities and heirglyphics), the Pergamon (more antiquities, reconstructions, Islamic Art), and the Bode Museum (scupltures, Byzantine Art). They were all really impressive and cool to see. Sort of mindblowing to see the reconstructions and to read the age of the different works.

So that has been the past few days! I'll be here two more days and then I set off to Paris! Woo! I'll end with this: Apparently today is Australia day? I know nothing about it but the Hostel is going wild for it. There are people all over with cowboy has and australian flags draped around them. It seems sort of funny for people to come to Germany and celebrate Australia Day. Oh well, should be interesting to watch.

Goodbye for now! More soon. Hope all is well.

Part Three: Berlin, Update One!

Greetings! Since my last post about Prague was so long I decided that it might be best to try and break them up a bit. Thus, I am writing a few days into my visit to Berlin where I arrived two days ago. Berlin has been really great so far!

I departed Prague via train on Wednesday. After Oz accompanied me to the station I paced the platform for a while nervously anticipating my first long European train ride. My travel anxiety had me fearing that I would somehow get on the wrong train and wind up out in the middle of some desolate, cold country. But alas, I boarded the correct train. I really liked the rid; I have always thoroughly enjoyed train rides save for the times Amtrak has failed miserably and left me arriving to my destination hours after the scheduled time. The train car was nice. I liked the little rooms with several seats. Unfortunately, when I got on, there was a woman sitting not only in my assigned cabin but in my very seat! Of course, it was the seat right next to the window with the forward facing view. It turned out not to be a very big deal and she got off about an hour later.

The train ride took about an four and a half hours. The scenery was beautiful and there was a light snow most of the ride which only added to my enjoyment. I arrived in Berlin at around 3:30 at the Hauptbahnhof station which has to be just about the craziest train station I've ever set foot in. First of all, it is huge. There are several floors lined with stores and eateries. The outside structure itself is really cool. It is all glass with sort of arched wings off of a central point.

In order to get to the hostel, I had to board a bus which was way easier thanks to a very nice woman who spotted me standing outside standing at my map and looking quite puzzled. She walked right up and asked if I needed help. Turned out that the bus I needed was the same one she was boarding! It was quite a stroke of luck. A few minutes later and I arrived at my hostel which is conveniently located about two minutes from the stop. The hostel is in the Mitte District right off of the Rosa-Luxemburg Platz. It is really conveniently located (as far as I can tell) and was quite a deal. It only cost 9 euros per night, with linens, breakfast, and wireless internet included. It has a fun bar and cheap, not bad food. More on the hostel in a bit.

So, when I arrived Wednesday, it was already getting dark and I was a bit tired from a late last night in Prague and the usual travel fatigue. I decided to set my stuff in my room and take a little time to relax. I went out for a walk about an hour later to clear my head and just wandered the streets a bit. It was a little disorienting to be exploring at night for the first time. I have a hard time remembering street names since I can't quite pronounce them very well. Also, the names seem to change whenever a big intersection occurs which can be a little confusing. Atleast for me. A little while later I returned to the hostel and decided to turn in early in order to go at the city early next morning (and not miss breakfast!)

Sleeping was a bit rough. There is this one man in the dorm of about 10 people who has a snore that sort of makes me worry about his health but mostly just annoys me. I guess the beefit will be that by the end of hosteling around I will be able to sleep through just about anything. The next day I decided to just wander around and see the sights. I have found that it is best for me to get comfortabe in a new city by just walking around and trying to figure out where I am ever once in a while. Luckily, the weather was beautiful and it stayed sunny the entire day! More sun that I have seen since my trip started. I walked across to the museum island, where I hope to go later in my stay, and towards the Brandenburg gate.

After that, I walked past the Reichstagg and then spent a lot of time wandering around the Tiergarten which is a very large park. There are a bunch of different statues and monuments which were fun to see. I walked to the Siegessaule, a tall tower, monument at an interesction in the park. In order to get to it, you have to walk through tunnels under the road. I had intended on just looking and going on my way; it costs 2 euro to go to the top. But, then I realized that if I bought a ticket I could go all the way to the top not just to the little deck which was only about 10 feet off the ground! I really couldn't pass it up no matter how touristy people may consider it. In the bottom there was sort of a lame museum about monuments throughout Europe so I went straight up. Around the bottom part there was a really beautiful mosaic. Then, I continued up... and up... and up! Roughly 280 steps later I reached the top. The view was gorgeous and I was glad I decided to do it despite the fact that I had the same feeling I do everytime I climb anything like that: I remember that I am pretty afraid of heights.

I returned to the bottom and walked through the park some more until I emerged back near the Brandenburg gate. After that I went over to the Holocaust memorial. Beneath the memorial they have a museum (I dont think that is quite the appropriate word but I don't know what else to call it). It had diary accounts and family and personal stories. It was really intense and really powerful. I continued my walking and wandered a bit (I'm not quite sure where) until I found the river again and then walked along it and looked at the boats as the sun set. Quite nice.

(Sidenote: I think I may have a problem. Writing during the visit might not mean shorter entries but rather ones of the same length that just have more details. Oh well, feel free to stop anytime!)

At dusk I came back to the hostel to regroup. I had been a little worried about the size of the hostel (it is quite large) and the possibility of meeting people in it. Despite the fact that people call this the "slow season" the hostel is packed. It has he usual crowds of very loud, very drunk young people but also a good mix of others. My fears were quickly dismissed when I met my first fellow traveler! I was so excited, you have no idea. I had made it a goal to try and meet people along the way but was worried about how to go about it and how it might happen. But, now I am feeling much better about it.

The first person I met was Charlie. He is from London, where he is taking a year off from University and working a bit and taking trips when he has the money. We met for a beer in the bar and then played a few games of pool. Pool was quite funny. One game we played against these two people, a man and a woman, from Amsterdam. They were very funny and traveling with another man, which made the relationship between the three of them a little hard to figure out and quite curious. The pool was a little tough, Charlie and I won, due to the fact that the pool cue was missing the tip. As one of the men from Amsterdam said, "It is imposhible to play pool with no tip on your schtick" (That is my best aproximation of how his accent sounded. Use your imagination).

A bit later, I was taking the elevator up to put a few things in my room and I met another person! Her name is Annabelle and she is here for a few days traveling with her boyfriend Courtney. She is from Paris and he from Melbourne, and they both sudy in London. She asked me if I would like to join the two of them for a drink out at a bar later on. Of course I did! I invited Charlie along. On the street this guy stopped us and asked if we spoke English. He then asked if he could tag along with us. He also turned out to be from London. His name was Michael. We had a good talk with him at this funky little bar. I know these details may be mundane but it was super exciting to be meeting travelers. Though, I must say, it was a bit harsh being the only American. We talked politics a bit, and though I agreed with a lot fo what they said, thr attitude was a little negative. Courtney even said, with full confidence, that he believes that, "every problem Americans think they have is in their heads." Not sure I fuly agree with that.

We turned in for the night and then met u at brekfast after which we set off to check out the East Berlin Gallery, a long section of the Berlin wall covered in graffitti and paintings. We split up after that and I headed off on my own to explore East Berlin a bit. I had a great time just looking at the graffitti on and paintings on the buildings. I also spent some time in this large park called Volkspark Friedrichschain. It was very large with some hills in it that overlooked the city. But, it was getting cloudy and cold so I headed back to write a bit and relax.

Woops. Looks like this turned out pretty long after all. But I have so much to say! Berlin is so exciting so far! I feel good about how positively my first solo experience in going! I look forward to hopefully going out a bit tonight and meeting even more people. And I am very excited for more walking and exploring and checking out some museums. I hope to go to some markets tomorrow.

Hello and best wishes to everyone!

Part Two: Prague!

Greetings! I have just finished the second part of my trip, Prague. I write to you now from Berlin! I arrived here about an hour and I am taking some time to relax after a few hours of traveling. I figured there was no better time than now to write about Prague.

So, Prague was fantastic! The city was beautiful, despite the fact that I think I saw about 2 hours of sun in the 5 days I was there. Clouds have been a theme of this trip so far. I have never been in a city with so much beautiful architecture. The churches were absolutely amazing and the city abounds with tons of statues and carvings, all of which are interesting and beautiful.

I left London very early Wednesday morning, as I had to catch a 2:50 a.m. bus in order to make it to the train which took me to the airport. The two busses and an express train later, I arrived at London's Gatwick airport. Slightly delirious, I made my way to through the terminal and got on my flight at 7 a.m. The flight was relatively painless. I took Easy Jet which is a service that offers flights within Europe for very cheap. The flight had first come, first serve seating but I still managed to get a window next to an empty seat. 

A little less than two hours later I landed in Prague where I was met by two of my favorite gentlemen, Mr. Osman Nemli and Sir Vincent Moore. My friend Oz currently resides in Prague when not at school at Trinity and Vince was there visiting him (They make up two of my three roommates from this past semester!). We took a quick ride into the city to Oz's  apartment and where I dropped off my stuff and said hello to his family. 

Determined not to let my lack of sleep drag me down, we set off to what would be the first of many great bar/restaurant experiences of the trip. It was great to see Oz and Vince and they handled my travel delirium and sleep deprivation very well. We attended a small brewery where I filled my stomach up with some goulash and czech dumplings. It was there that I was acquainted with a theme in Czech food: gravy. There were about four or five stewing sized chunks of beef with about a gallon of quite rich gravy. Let's just say it was impossible to finish the entire bowl of gravy, though the meal was delicious. The dumplings, as they called them in Prague, were very different from any I'd had before. They were more like slices of very doughy bread with anything from raisins to bacon folded in. I enjoyed them, but like much of the food they were very heavy.

Since I do not usually remember things chronologically, I am going to try and organize this post thematically. In keeping with the previous paragraph, I will continue on with food and drink. I'd have to say the best meal I had here was at a place called the Cafe Louvre (named for the Museum in Paris. Don't ask me why). I really enjoyed the place. It has been a gathering place in Prague for some time and was frequented by such important people as Albert Einstein when he taught in Prague for a year and Franz Kafka (add this to the list of English major excitements!). As with most places in Prague, the food was cheap and delicious as was the beer. I enjoyed a dinner of roast beef with, to no one's surprise, a large amount of gravy (though it was a little better here than the restaurant of the first day). They had delicious desserts: one day I had a blueberry pie and the next a homemade ice cream rolled in hazelnuts. As an added bonus they had pool tables and one night Oz and I played a few rounds; sadly, I lost most of the games. 

A note on Prague: they still allow smoking everywhere, and everyone seems to smoke. I found this slightly unfortunate. I had forgotten how nice it is to have a clean, crisp, smoke free environment to enjoy food in. Many of my clothes have been left smelling of smoke, though thankfully I was able to do some laundry at Oz's house.

Other foods I enjoyed included a smoked pork knee at one restaurant. Apparently the knee of pork and lamb is a traditional cut in Prague. It is quite a fatty piece of are of the animal but the smoke flavor was great and the portion was overwhelmingly large. It was great with the mustard and horseradish served alongside of it. I also had a type of dessert served at a street vendor called , which consisted of dough wrapped around a tube and cooked over heat source. It was sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and was quite good. Let me just mention that I also enjoyed a few meals at Oz's house which were quite delicious as well.

The beer here was fantastic. I had a bunch of different major brands: Pilsner (of course), Gambrinas, Staroprammen, and Kozul to name a few. I can't say there was a single one that was not great. The dark beers here were particularly good, not as heavy as most. Apparently the Czech Republic has the highest per capita beer consumption in the world. 157.9 Liters a year, per person. Wow. The prices were really good. It was about 30 of 40 Czeck Korunas per .5 liter which equals about $1.40-$2.00 in American Dollars. Way better than anywhere I've seen in the U.S. We visited some great bars, some sketchy ones. A lot of the ones on the main street have a connection with the strip clubs and we were offered more than once to go, though each time we declined. The men on the street are very persistent and one even followed me into a bathroom trying to sell me a ticket. Stand out bars included this place called Chapeaux Rouge. Thought smoky and quite large it had great personality and lots of fun people (We met Ed there, more on Ed later.) Oz and I also found this little place on the last day, though I am not sure what the name was (will consult my journal). It was tiny but really well decorated and very cozy. An ideal sort of bar. 

We spent a good amount of time in museums and stuff. In the center of the city is a gorgeous natural history museum. It is quite old. I must say I have never seen so many rocks. The geography section was huge. While it was interesting, we helped pass the time by making a endless geography puns. Vince and Oz are two very funny men. They also had a history exhibit on the Czech Republic which was very interesting. In addition, we went to a modern art museum. It had a large collection, a ton of Czech artists. The contemporary stuff there is a little wild; it reminds me of a lot of stuff I have seen in the DEA museum in Beacon, New York. I also saw a Mucha exhibit which was really cool (see the absinthe poster on the wall of every freshman dorm room for an example of his work).

One of the largest places I went was the Prague Castle. Oz and I went after Vince had gone home because Vince had seen it earlier in the week. It was a really impressive grouping of buildings. The chapel was purely amazing. It was a great example of all the great architecture in the city all wrapped into one. Other great sites included the Charles Bridge which was adorned with a ton of sculptures and offered great views along the way. I also enjoyed this one famous church which has a clock tower on it. The clock represents a bunch of different astronomical times and has figures around it which appear and move around every hour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Astronomical_Clock). It was really cool. Supposedly, the clock maker's eyes were gouged out after he made it so that he couldn't ever replicate it anywhere else. Eek!

This was truly a great city for just wandering and finding little bars, restaurants, cafes, bookstores, and all that. The price was great and I sort of felt like I was in a novel the whole time. I guess fog, snow, all the architecture and even the trolley cars can do that. The city was very English friendly and Oz was a great tour guide; I hope he didn't resent that role too much. 

A sort of related side note: Hooray for the inauguration! Oz and I watched it from this bar which seemed a little more catered to people from the U.K. and America. We figured that would be an easy place to ask to see it. It was very exciting to see the immense crowds (shout out to all of you who braved the cold to watch. I can only imagine what it was like). It was quite surreal to watch it from another country but it felt really good. I guess I sort of expected a little more excitement but the people in the bar were more interested in switching the t.v. back to the rugby game. Oh well. We did meet a guy named Ed from Los Angeles at a bar later on and he was very excited about it so that sort of made up for it. 

Well, this is getting quite long. I plan to update again soon and I am sure I have forgotten some stuff so as I consult my journal and remember more things I will add them in. Thanks so much to the Nemlis for the hospitality! It was so great. And Oz was fantastic, many thanks to him. It was also so fun to have Vince there for part of the time. All in all, a very very fun visit. I loved it!

I look forward to Berlin! I am slightly overwhelmed at the moment. This is the first solo part of my traveling experience and I have to admit I am a bit intimidated. But, I am confident that a little rest will restore me and I will go at the city in the morning full force! More updates and maybe even pictures soon!

Hope all is well with everyone, everywhere.

Part One: London!

I figured that since I have finished the first part of my journey, which from now on I will refer to as my "bounce around the world tour 2009," it was time to post something. For those of you who do not know, I am spending this semester taking some time off to travel around Europe and South America a bit. This is all very new and exciting for me as I have never done any travel outside of the United States save for Canada where the biggest culture change I experienced was the fact that they called hot dogs "tube steaks".

So, after many hours in JFK that convinced me that the whole thing about getting there three hours early is some sort of scam to make people spend more money once locked in the terminal, I boarded my plane. The pilot predicted turbulence which made me excited. Yes, excited. I think I am about the only person in the world who actually enjoys turbulence. Something about it makes it feel more like an actual ride, a roller coaster or something. Anyway, I sat next to this very old Irish lady whose family referred to her only as Nana. She slept most of the time; most of which she spent leaning on me in a very awkward position. But who could possibly wake up an old lady called Nana? Not me.

I had a brief layover in the Dublin airport and then it was on to Heathrow in London. After about 45 minutes of circling over the London fog, which has been a staple of my five day stay here, we we finally got the o.k. to land. Tired and confusedly hungry (the airplane's beef ravioli left my stomach confused), I collected my luggage and wandered through the airport. As I left the gate I was met by my friend Jordyn from Trinity! It was very nice to see a familiar face after the several hours of travel. She knew the subway system quite well and we were quickly on a train back to Queen Mary, University of London, where she is studying for the semester.

We arrived at her campus in Mile End, in the East end of London, where I dropped my stuff and went in search of food. At a small cafe type place I got what I thought would be grilled cheese with tomato but turned out to be toast with unmelted cheese and a nice cold tomato. Oh well, it was still pretty good. Then I proceeded to nap for a while and try to catch up on sleep (a truly exciting arrival, huh?).

When I awoke, Jordyn and I set out for my first sights of the city. I can't quite remember the areas we walked around but we wandered for a bit and then found a pub to get some dinner at. Fittingly, I had some fish and chips (which slightly redeemed the London food scene from the fake grilled cheese debacle). We then left and attended another pub with Jordyn's friend Jill who is doing the same program as her.

The next day brought some very cold, foggy weather. We attended the Globe theater, which I will count as the first dorky English major thing I did on this trip, and then went over to the Tate Modern museum which was really cool though quite the strange building. By Sunday, the cold weather had passed (but not the fog and clouds) and we went to a bunch of different markets. The first was called Brick Lane and the second Old Spitalfields, a name that I find quite gross. The places were filled with more clothes than I have ever seen and lots of painfully hip vintage things.

Monday, I had my first day of exploring the city myself. For the most part, it went really well. I have to admit, I did some of those shamelessly touristy things. But hey, I've never visited London before and I really wanted to see the sights a bit. I took the "tube" (not to be confused with the aforementioned Canadian hot dog) to Hyde Park corner where I walked through some parks down to Buckingham Palace. I then continued on through St. James park (I've been really impressed with the amount of parks in London) to Westminster Abbey and the Embankment, Houses of Parliament, all that stuff. Then I hopped on the tube again and went up to this funky part of the city called Camden Town. It was filled with all sorts of shops and markets and fun stuff. My personal favorite was in this tunnel, known as the horses tunnel because it used to be stables, where they have kept the stables and instead of real horses now have big horse statues. Very interesting.

Day four, Tuesday. I went about the city alone again. A little bit of a late start as I haven't quite been able to adjust to the whole time change thing. I went on quite the long walk from Mile End down to the Tower of London (marking about the fourth historical place I didn't go in because it was absurdly expensive). On the way, I walked through some more really interesting shops and and markets. Got to see some gambling on the streets; a version of what I think is kind of like three card monte? I'm not sure. You know, the one where the guy has three things, in this case little black disks, and you have to guess which one it is. If I wasn't so timid I think I could have won a bit of money. He wasn't very good and most of my guesses, which I kept to myself, were right.

So, I walked around the tower of London a bit and then across the Tower bridge which I found out was not the actual London bridge, more on that in a second. I walked up the the bank of the Thames and then back across the actual London Bridge which, despite the fact that it has its own song, is not as impressive as the Tower Bridge. A long walk home found me back at Queen Mary.

For my last day, Jordyn joined me in my wanderings. We sort of went at it aimlessly and just walked around, allowing me to take lots of fun pictures. I'm really into jut wandering around. I'd have to say it is my preferred way of travel. I must say, for me, the highlight of the day was the run down sort of graveyard we stumbled upon. Turns out, it is the burial place of Daniel Defoe and William Blake! (Dorky English major sight number two).

Now I am back in the dorm where I await my bus! Today, well this morning, well whatever it is (it is currently 1:30 a.m. here) I leave for Prague! The unfortunate part is that the cheap flight was at 7 a.m. meaning that in order to buy into that scam of getting there very early (thanks travel anxiety), I have to board a bus slightly before three a.m., transfer to another bus, then board a train out to the airport. Shouldn't be too bad provided these buses do actually run on time which Jordyn assures me they do.

So yeah, the trip is going very well so far! London has been great and I have seen a lot of great stuff and my share of weird things, most of which occurred on public transportation. A brief sidenote, on my train in from the airport a woman boarded the train with her seeing eye-dog prompting another woman to ask her if she was blind. Needless to say, this prompted a very angry response of, "Of course I'm blind! What kind of a stupid question is that? What do you think the dog is for?" The other strange instance happened on a bus when a woman asked an elderly lady if she could have the empty seat next to her which the elderly woman stubbornly refused to give up. This prompted about a ten minute verbal battle about respect, disrespect, the elderly, the young, and who "owned the bus." All very weird. But London was a super starting place and it was so fun to see Jordyn! Many thanks to her for the hospitality and lovely place on the floor.

I am very excited to go to Prague where I will be staying with my friend Oz from Trinity whose family lives there. As an added bonus, my good friend Vince, also from Trinity, is there visiting and we will overlap for a few days. I can't wait to see Prague; I've heard many great things about it.

So, for those of you who may be reading this thing, I will try and update as often as possible. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or anything at all. And thank you so much to all of you who sent me travel advice and offered places to stay. Much appreciated!

Hope all is well with everyone!