Month of May(hem)

What a month!

Because it has been so long, I have two full trips to upload, plus the end of our semester here in Prague!

Yes, you read that correctly. School has officially ended, and I finally have the time to sit down and finish with some posts to update on the last month, and what a crazy month it has been! In the next few posts, I will update on: our trip to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges; our trip to Zagreb (Croatia), Plitvice Lakes (Croatia), and Ljubljana (Slovenia); my parents coming in to visit; packing; and finally, a glimpse to what this weekend has in store for us. Hope you enjoy reading, because there is sure to be a lot of material in these next few posts!

I tried to post these in order, so read the bottom (Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges) first. Then Zagreb, Plitvice, and Ljubljana. Finally, Family in Prague!

Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges

Leaving Prague at 8:30 AM, our train headed north to Dresden. From Dresden, we headed southwest to Frankfurt airport. The airport may have been our favorite train station because we were able to get some dinner there. Hillary and I both grabbed some pasta and meatballs from a gourmet gas station, where we heated our meals and headed back to the platform for our connection. While there (about an hour and a half), we got wi-fi to Skype Hillary's mom, I got a Vanilla Coke (my first of the trip!), and Hillary got some Jelly Belly's (her favorite). Overall, this leg of the trip was fairly easy.

Next was the connection to Amsterdam. About an hour in to the trip, we got kicked off the train (with everyone else) to switch trains at Koln. We only had to wait about 10 minutes, but because we did not speak the language, we were VERY confused! Getting in around 10 PM, we walked the pretty short walk to our hostel.

Located very close to the red light district, our hostel was attached to a bar/club. Being a Thursday night, the place was packed and very very loud. After dropping our things, we took a quick 20 minute walk around the area. Our walk ended quickly as we could not stomach the sight of the prostitutes accompanied with the very strong scent of marijuana coming from just about every direction. Exhausted, we got ready for bed and passed out.

The next morning, I had registration for my SENIOR fall semester... Talk about time flying! Even though I was supposed to register at 5:45 AM (8:45 PM in California), I was not able to get wifi until close to 10 AM after an unsuccessful attempt at Starbucks. Luckily, I got into all the classes I needed, and decided to take an extra one to make the spring a little easier.

The Starbucks that we visited was the largest one in Europe and advertised their entirely green store, which really was very neat. We grabbed some breakfast and did some sightseeing. The oudekirke, neuekirke, red light district, opera house, and Margere Bruge (Skinny Bridge), Anne Frank House, and some other really neat sights. Hillary and I both decided that we enjoyed the city much better in the day time, but we could not find enough to do to keep us occupied. At around 1 PM we headed back to our hostel (to pick up our bags) and go to lunch. We found a cool Asian place called Wok to Walk, and tried some really funky combinations of noodles, meat, and sauce.

Our train to Brussels took about two hours and put us in around 4 PM. After getting lost and ending up in the main square, we found some wifi and got directions to our hostel. We managed to hike to the hostel (about 3.5 kilometers away) after making our way past the EU building (headquartered in Brussels), the Royal Palace, and some other cool monuments to important Belgians. Once at the hostel we laid down for a rest before trying to find dinner. Dinner was at a famous place called Maison Antoinette. Known for their French Fries (Pommes Frites), Hillary ordered some stew and frites, and I got a huge meatball with frites. We carried our food back to the hostel and devoured it before finding a recap of the NFL draft on ESPN and eventually calling it a night.

The next morning, we planned out a quick walking tour of the city. From our hostel, we walked to the Military History Museum, which had some beautiful gardens. From there, we wandered through the EU complex and headed to Mary's Chocolate. Mary's, known for being approved by Belgian royalty was a beautiful chocolate shop, and with our purchases, we got sample truffles. The big cathedral in Brussels was a nice sight, but nothing compares to St. Vitus in Prague.

Next on our list of sights was old town square, where we visited another chocolate shop (Neuhaus). Getting a bit lost, we eventually found the street leading to the famous Peeing Boy Statue (Manneken Pis). The Peeing Boy is a traditional site in Belgium, and is often dressed up in odd costumes. The day we visited, he was wearing a military outfit, and the statue was packed with tourists. Near the statue, we visited our last chocolate store (Leonidas) and got some Belgian waffles. Mine had nutella, banana, and whipped cream. Hillary's had fresh strawberries and whipped cream. The strawberries were super fresh and reminded me of going to the strawberry market in California with my mom.

Making our way up the main street, we were accosted by the sounds of a motorcycle parade with more motorcycles than I have seen in my life. Obnoxiously loud, and disobeying every traffic law, the parade passed us as we passed the Bourse and the Opera House. Across the street, we found another famous church and a portion of the medieval wall that had protected Belgium. Walking back toward the city center, we decided we had seen the city, stopping at a McDonald's for my mom's placemat.

Being fairly early in the afternoon, Hillary and I decided we had nothing to lose by trying to travel toward the coast and to Bruges. The hour train ride passed quickly, but the rain put a little damper on our adventurous spirits. Once off the train in Bruges, it began pouring, so we donned rain jackets and began our quick tour of the city... without a map.

A glance at the map, I noticed some windmills on the outskirts that I thought would be fun to see. Before I knew it, we were distracted by the quaint ivy covered brick walls. Just like an ivy league school, the architecture distracted us, carrying us away from things we may have wanted to see toward some gorgeous buildings. We eventually found an amazing store: To Be in Brugge. Here, they sell every Belgian beer imaginable, which fills more shelves than I knew possible. I carefully selected one with a re-sealable lid, and Hillary found some really neat cups.

Making our way to the edge of the city to try and find the windmills, it became a torrential downpour. Walking under the cover of some trees in a little park, we looked for the windmills, finding none. Feeling a bit lost, we spotted a huge ferris wheel near the train station. Making our way between the buildings, we finally made it back. Feeling demoralized by the rain and our utter confusion at the lay out of the city, we hopped on a train back to Brussels. Bruges was hands-down my favorite surprise of the trip. I had expected very little, but was blown away by how beautiful and quiet the city was.

That night, battling the imminent downpour in Brussels, we headed back to the same restaurant for more pommes frites.

Sunday morning, we packed up, and hiked back to the train station for our long return journey. With the tightest train connection of the trip (3 minutes) we managed to make it back to Frankfurt, then to Dresden, then Prague by 11.23 PM.

The next day at 6 PM, we had to do a presentation. We hadn't started. After a grueling six hours straight of work, we finished, presented, and did a great job! The teacher (a university of Michigan graduate) stopped us after class and thanked us for taking on the project with a different mindset than most students. If only he knew that we had done the project that day...

Zagreb, Croatia, the Plitvice Lakes, and Ljubljana, Slovenia

The last trip of the semester, but what a trip it was.

Tuesday, May 8 is a national holiday in the Czech Republic. This means no school. Taking advantage of our extra two days of weekend (we had one day of classes that week), we decided to head out on an extended trip to the South.

Heading from Prague via Vienna, our 12 hour train ride brought us into Zagreb around 10.30 PM. Our hostel was quite a walk from the city center (and train station), but we managed to find it fairly easily. Checking in, we put away our bags and fell asleep on the very used, but comfortable mattresses.

Wednesday morning, the heat was apparent before we even left the hostel. Finally wearing shorts and t-shirts, before noon, the temperature was over 90 degrees, and we were dying. Our tour of the city led us back to the city center. Walking past the botanical gardens, we used a handy tourism book to guide us through the city. We visited the Opera House which was oddly surrounded by groups of teenagers at 10 AM. Our next stop was the main square of Zagreb, which led us up a hill toward their big Cathedral. Full of history, we walked around the church before heading further north, up hills, toward a big park. The park led us to a main street with a lot of little shops and outdoor restaurants. Heading inside a small monastery, we observed some beautiful architecture with royal blue ceilings with gold decoration. Up some more hills, we passed through the Stone Gate, which is actually a chapel inside of a tunnel. At the top of a hill overlooking the city, we found the Priest's Tower and a gorgeous view of the city. Hot and tired, we headed down the hill and got lunch: the biggest and best slices of pizza ever. For 10 Kuna each, I had to have two slices as we wandered through more green space in the middle of the city. Taking a break on a park bench, we just watched people and enjoyed the shade (some brief respite from the extreme heat). Taking pictures along the way, rain started to fall, so we ducked inside a sweets store and bought some gelato. As the rain passed, we walked back to the hostel to relax.

By dinner time, were ready to go again, heading back to old town square for dinner. Finding nothing very appealing, I found a McDonald's to get my mom a placemat, and we went back to the pizza place for more slices. That night was uneventful as we packed up to head to the lakes the next morning.

Making our way to the main bus terminal, we bought our tickets to the lakes and hopped on our bus. A two and a half hour ride on the bus was highlighted by beautiful green country side and lots and lots of trees. We departed the bus at our stop (Mukinje) and walked up some deserted streets (like Abilene) to our hostel- inside a random apartment complex in the middle of the national forest.

For dinner, we visited the local (and only) tiny grocery store to get some pasta, sauce and meat for spaghetti. We passed the time by streaming the San Francisco Giants game, and some TV shows on the computer as we cooked.

I had hardly read about the lakes, but was trusting Hillary and her mom's judgement, I was pretty excited for the next day's adventure. Another classmate had been to the lakes and said he needed about 5 hours to see everything. While the idea of hiking for 5 hours did not excite me, Hillary and I carefully measured back 6 hours (to be on the safe side) from when the last bus left the lakes back to Zagreb so we could catch our train to Ljubljana.

Words cannot describe the beauty of the lakes. I constantly make fun of my dad for how he says "Man, isn't this beautiful" at anything in nature. At the lakes, I felt like my dad, as every other word out of my mouth was "wow" or "amazing." I think UNESCO finally got one right by making this one of their national heritage sights. Hillary and I got up early and hit the lakes, traveling to the upper lakes first.

The lakes, the waterfalls, the forests, even the rock formations were all just gorgeous. Time passed quickly as we made our way up and around the big lakes and down toward the lower lakes. On the way, we got some of the most amazing pictures and views I have ever seen. We even managed to photograph a lizard and lots of fish in the incredibly clear water.

The lower lakes were even more gorgeous than the upper ones, with more greenery, cooler rock formations (lots of caves), and really fun wooden walkways. Unfortunately, at this point, we got stuck behind a huge tour group of very old people, who did not handle the stairs very well. After what felt like a lifetime of being stuck behind them, we managed to get around and made our way to the ferry that crosses the biggest lake. Once on the other side, we hiked to the biggest waterfall in the park, which offered some amazing views over the whole area, which was like the Grand Canyon. Not quite as big, the scenery was incredibly green, and simply breathtaking. Our hike from there led us to a really cool cave-like structure. Inside the cave was another cave. This smaller cave was dark and scary, so I tried to head inside. Without a flashlight, it was not easy to find my way. Guided by the flash from Hillary's camera, I made it about 15 feet in before deciding that it was not worth it to push any further.

The walk back was almost bittersweet. Munching on ham and cheese sandwiches, we took a bus back to the Entrance 2 (where we had entered the park) and grabbed our belongings. About 30 minutes early to the bus stop, we sat and waited. Within a few minutes, a taxi driver had gathered a group of 8-primarily english speaking tourists all heading to Zagreb. Offering to get us back in an hour and a half (instead of two and a half hours) at the same price as the bus, we all piled in to his bus and headed out.

I fell asleep in the back seat next to a couple from Switzerland, originally from Poland. Hillary occupied her time in the front seat talking to a really nice couple from Australia, who asked our guidance on how/what to see in Vienna and discussed the odd selection of American songs playing on the cab driver's CD.

Back about two hours before we had anticipated, Hillary and I bought some cheap and quick dinner to take on the train with us (using the last of our Croatian money). We bought 3 calzones. A coke, a fanta, a water, and a powerade, and two ice cream bars...

Well fed, and hydrated, our train got to Ljubljana around 9 PM and we found our hostel with ease. An original villa with over 140 years of history. That night was a total crash. The second I laid down, I was out.

Friday morning, Hillary and I took a unique approach to the city. Armed with our maps, we decided that we would only pull them out if absolutely necessary, opting to take an aimless stroll through the streets of the city, we found Ljubljana's castle and the funicular to the top of the hill. For only 5 euros, the trip to the castle was well worth it. We spent a good number of hours exploring each exhibit, though my favorite was a virtual history of the castle, from nearly prehistoric times to its current use as the city's way to bring culture together. The remodeling inside the castle was a really interesting fusion of modern and industrial architecture with the medieval appearance of a castle. Heading to the top of the tower, we got a 360 degree glimpse of the city, which helped us plan our trip around the city.

Descending the hill, we entered the big basilica. The most notable feature of the church were the metal doors with scenes inscribed on them. From here, we wandered a Farmer's market to the main square and to lunch: McDonald's. From McDonald's we finally pulled out a map. After lunch, we walked up a street known for its Art Nouveau architecture, followed by a misguided trip to the dragon bridge, which we finally found. Feeling the afternoon heat, we bought some ice cream and sat inside the publicly provided covered benches overlooking the river running through the center of the city.

Having seen everything there was to see by about 2 PM, Hillary and I headed back to the hostel to work on our next presentation. For a few hours, we worked hard, and took a dinner break at Da Bu Da for some asian fusion- I got Pad Thai (my new favorite). After dinner, was time for some more project research and packing.

Sunday morning, we headed out. Just as the rain started to fall, we made our way to the train station. Our train to Salzburg was a bit late, and an hour in to the ride, everyone was removed and put on a single bus to another no-name Slovenian train station. Scared that we would not make our tight connection at Salzburg, Hillary and I were a little worried. At one point, we were thirty minutes behind schedule.

Arriving at Salzburg, we were about one minute ahead of schedule and made our connection to Linz easily. At Linz, we found our train to Prague and were home by 8.40 PM!

At night, we did massive loads of laundry and prepared for our next week of school.

Family in Prague!

Thursday, May 17th was jointly one of the saddest and one of the happiest days of my life. It was sad because it marked the end of our three month period of being able to use our unlimited Eurail passes. It was incredibly happy because my parents were finally here to see MY city!

After a pretty tough week of school, capped of with a final in my class on investments and finance, I was ready for a relaxed weekend in the city. Around 5 on Thursday, Hillary and I headed to my parent's hotel near the castle. After retrieving them, exchanging important presents (all of the placemats (more than 15!)), and having them finally meet Hillary in person, we decided on a quick walk.

That night we spent up near the castle, vowing to return as we strolled down through Mala Strana past our school and across the Charles Bridge. By 8, we were ready for dinner and sat down at a place near Malostranske Namesti for goulash and beer.

We parted ways around 10 and Hillary and I headed back to her place to watch the Giants game.

Friday, we met in Old Town, walked around a bit before trying to go the castle. Unfortunately, it closed at 4, and we got there at 3.45. So we made our way to the Old Jewish Cemetery. From the cemetery, we headed to Karlovo Namesti (Charles Square) to see Frank Gehry's The Dancing House (Fred and Ginger). To kill more time, we caught the tram to my apartment. My parents were somewhat impressed before dinner at Las Adelitas, an amazing Mexican food restaurant a short walk from my place. After dinner, we said our goodbyes and I headed to Hillary's to bake some cookies and watch another Giants game.

Saturday, may parents visited Dresden, so Hillary and I spent all day working on a presentation and paper. The paper ended up being 61 pages! The project was supposed to be a 5 member presentation. Our group failed to contribute in a helpful manner, so Hillary and I put the entire thing together with a lot of stress along the way.

Sunday was a sad day because it was my parents last night in Prague. We started at the castle, spending time seeing the inside of St. Vitus, the Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, and the Golden Lane. From the castle, we went to our favorite grocery store for my parents to stock up on snacks and ended up at Modry Zub, my favorite restaurant in the city (Thai food). Taking my parents to the train station was sad, but I know that they had a lot of really cool things to see in Krakow (their next destination).

Monday, we spent all day studying for our Operations Management final at 6.30.

Tuesday, we finished our presentation, gave our presentation, and began packing to leave. It is scary how quickly time flies.

Wednesday, I spent all day at Hillary's house trying to even out the weight of our bags (23 kgs max) so we could take them home. At 5 PM, we had to leave the premises. Carrying my camping backpack with 40 lbs on my back, Hillary's school backpack with 20 lbs on my chest, and my protective bag with odds and ends (60 lbs) on two trams, Hillary and I struggled to make our way to our hostel. Hillary was stuck with her camping backpack, while wheeling two huge suitcases full of stuff and extra bags of food we plan to eat before leaving.

After some confusion with finding the hostel, we checked in, relaxed, and headed back to Los Adelitas for Mexican food. (try the nachos).

Today, Thursday, May 24, we headed out early in the morning on some errands.

WOW! What a relief it is to actually be able to be like a tourist in such an amazing city. With no stress to worry about, Hillary and I went about our errands while being able to really enjoy the city and a leisurely pace. Having lived somewhere for four months with your nose to the grindstone, you rarely get time to really notice all of the little things. Souvenir shopping for Hillary's siblings and our old roommate, we visited the big touristy areas, but were able to see them as tourists, which is an amazing feeling. Forced inside by 2 because of the heat, I am excited to finally have the time to catch up on my blog, and start reading a book my mom brought to me.

Tonight, we are walking to Modry Zub for a Thai dinner, and have no plans. Such a relief.

Before we leave, we hope to get to the church at Vysehrad, the Zoo, and Letna Park. Saturday, we arranged a taxi trip to our last hostel (at the airport) so we won't have to worry about hassling with our bags on public transportation anymore.

More updates to come, with a reflection on the semester once I am home on Sunday, May 27!

Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Sweden

Leaving at 8.30 AM and arriving at 10.30 PM is something you cannot prepare for enough. Despite the number of layovers or their length, traveling for that long takes its toll.

We rode the train to Usti (Czech Republic), where we learned that the tracks were undergoing construction and we needed a bus to get to Dresden. An hour bus ride and we were in Dresden with enough time to board the train headed for Berlin. Our final German destination was Hamburg, and after some asking and research, we found that our train went straight to Hamburg. An hour in Hamburg and we boarded for Copenhagen. Two hours into the ride to Copenhagen and we were asked to disembark (we were on a massive ferry). Forty-five very cold minutes on the ferry to Denmark, and we re-boarded the train. Another two hours and it was 10 PM and we had arrived in Copenhagen.

Temperatures were in the low 50s, though they felt colder, and a slight drizzle was falling. We walked three kilometers on dark streets and found our hostel in the inner courtyard of a graffiti defaced building. The hostel itself was immaculate. Brand new, and the cheapest in the city by a long shot, I felt like I was entering an IKEA showroom. Everything was very clean, and very small. Our room for the next three nights was a two bunk-bed set up with barely enough space to fit in between and very little room for luggage storage. That night, I was asleep in no time.

The next morning, we set out with no map, looking to explore the city as we saw it. After some delicious breakfast pastries, we wandered into old town and found the Round Tower. We paid the $5 entrance fee and climbed the spiral ramp to the top. The round tower is the oldest observatory in Denmark, and was used in its heyday by Astronomer Tycho Brahe! Attached to the tower was a very neat art exhibition with some very interesting art, art that I actually liked!

Wandering the main arteries of the city, we purchased some candy at the Candy Megastore and snacked our way past the Rathaus and past Tivoli Gardens toward the train station. Tivoli was a 20 dollar entrance fee, plus a fee for riding rides, so we opted for an external tour of the grounds, admiring the several entrance gates. Armed with our Eurail passes, we boarded a train to Sweden (only 30 minutes). After a very brief stint at the airport for Starbucks, we ended up in Malmo, a small city just across the border. Wandering the three squares of the city, there was not much to see, so we snapped a few pictures to prove our presence, and meandered back for the most exciting part of our entire trip. Two stops down, we disembarked (still in Sweden) at the Hyllie stop. Walking along what may or may not have been considered side-walks, we made our way past a sketchy neighborhood to the parking lot of a real life Swedish IKEA.

Walking through what looked the same as a typical American IKEA, we began to feel hunger pangs. Luckily, IKEA has a cafeteria and to top off the irony, we each ordered Swedish meatballs. Got all that? In an IKEA in Sweden eating Swedish meatballs. What is more Scandinavian than that?

On the train, we picked up some maps and headed back to our hostel to plan our attack on Copenhagen. From Rosenberg Palace toward the Nyhavn Canal, we made our way up the river through pouring rain and plenty of fog. The Opera House was an impressive modern building on the river directly across from Amalie Park and the Amalienborg Palace. Walking through the courtyard of the Palace, we found all the tourists hiding under umbrellas taking pictures of the Palace guards. We then found our way to the Frederikskierk, or Marble Church only to find it closed and under construction. As we walked north, we made our way through the Kastellet (the oldest fortifications in Denmark), which was somewhat structured like Fort McHenry in the states. As we exited the Northern Gates, we made a short walk to the Little Mermaid Statue. Nothing impressive, the statue was situated on some rocks about five feet into the river and was crawling with tourists. The only real significance of the statue is to commemorate Danish author Hans Christian Anderson’s book that was adopted by Disney.

Our walk back South through the city put us back near the main arteries where we grabbed a quick dinner and rested for a bit.

The trip was a blur. Two hours into the trip, we were back on the ferry. Two hours later we were in Hamburg. Another hour and we were on the train to Berlin. Two hours and we were headed back to Prague. Exhausted, we arrived around midnight and my mind was already spinning on trying to plan our next trip to Amsterdam and Brussels. 

Paris, France

Thursday was a LONG day of travel, to put things mildly. With our reserved seats on the night train, we hopped on the train to Munich for a six-hour layover. Having just been in Munich, we felt comfortable with the city and simply meandered the rainy streets, ducking in for lunch at Pizza Hut and some lackluster shopping in the German equivalent of FAO Schwatrz. Needless to say, I was in Playmobil heaven! There were so many cool toys that we ended up spending over an hour perusing the model cars, board games, trains, and toys.

By 10 PM, we were ready to board the train and I was ready for some sleep. We found our compartment and seats on the train with relative ease. Sitting in a 6-person compartment that was nearly full and trying to sleep is really not very easy. The seats do not recline, everyone has luggage, so space is cramped. Foreigners smell bad and do not understand the concept of the “personal bubble.” After a couple of half hour naps, I was tired of being on the train. Too bad it was only 2 AM.

One of the things that I missed on my first tour of Paris was the confusing maze of underground tunnels that makes up the transportation system of the city. Consulting several maps, we finally found the stop nearest our hostel and made it there after two changes on the metro. Dropping off our bags and grabbing some actual maps (we had been using the ones on our phones), we headed off to explore.

First on the list was the enormous and serene (for an urban location) was the Montmarte Cemetery and the Basilica of Sacre Couer (Sacred Heart). Unfortunately, the Basilica was PACKED, it was Good Friday, after all. The rest of the day was spent wandering the city, checking off major sites until we made our way to the Louvre for free admission and extended hours.

It is simple to get lost on the stairways, wings, and limited exhibitions of the museum. We managed to get lost at least once on the way to find the bulletproofed Mona Lisa. Two hours into our visit, we were tired, loopy and ready for a break, but did not want to waste our time in the museum. To combat the fatigue, we invented a game: Caption the art. Filling the rest of our time with jokes about art, we finally found our way out around closing time ready for a good night of rest.

Saturday morning, we walked up to Sacre Coure past Monet’s home, buying a delicious nutella and banana crepe. This time, we managed to walk through the Basilica, despite the area still being incredibly crowded. The rest of the day was filled with delicious baguette sandwiches, the Eiffel Tower, the State Opera House (Phantom of the Opera), some brief shopping.

Sunday was more of the same hallmark Paris sightseeing. From the Champs-de-Elysses, the Arc de Triomphe, the Trocadero Square, the Eiffel Tower, Hotel d’Invalides, the Tuilerie Gardens. While the sights were impressive, I enjoyed simply walking the city away from the sites more than seeing the sights themselves. The city has the typical hustle and bustle of a big city with the feel of a European city. While the residents are cold and a bit rude, they are generally helpful.

Monday (we didn’t have school), we took our time getting out to Versailles. Arriving, we found the lines filling the square in front of the palace, with estimated time of entrance being about four hours from the time we got there… just in time for closing. Disappointed, but not too sad, we explored the rest of the neighborhood and called it a day, heading back to Paris for our night train home via Berlin.

On the night train home, we were in a similar situation as the train there with a cramped compartment (though not nearly as bad). Tired from the walking and sightseeing of the week, I fell asleep almost immediately. Our arrival in Berlin brought me some relief, knowing that I was almost home.

I have found that travel is more work than school. Going to school three days per week is not that difficult, no matter what classes you take. Trying to plan a vacation around train schedules; hostel availability, location and prices; sites to see; and imbibing the culture is not very easy. After our ten-day spring break and this five-day trip to France, I am thoroughly exhausted. The Tuesday after we arrived back in Prague, it was time for a break. Instead of pushing to go somewhere big, we opted to stay in Prague and plan our trip to Denmark. Laying in bed and getting ahead on projects, I am starting to get homesick.

Being in Prague the last two and a half months has been amazing, but I am mentally preparing for the transition back to the states. I miss the dollar, American coins, driving, Mexican food, video games, being able to exercise (other than massive amounts of walking), normal weather, no trains, and food that I recognize.

Paris was an amazing city, and I am so thankful that I was able to re-visit so many great sites. While the city was very tourist oriented, I felt more comfortable in a city that big, with so many things to fill our days. We had (at this point) three more weekend trips before we hunker down for finals. I am excited for our new destinations, but ready to be home, too.

Only a few more weeks until my parents get here, which should be a welcome break from the monotony of the three-day school week. 

Vienna, Austria

Nearly home.

After some deliberation about directions, we managed to find our hostel just as rain started to pour from the skies. After getting settled and deciding a plan of action, we headed to McDonald's for our Austrian placemat. Over dinner, we planned our attack on the city...

We walked out of McDonald's full of energy only to find it pouring. Down pouring. So in a moment of decision, we jogged back to the hostel to use the internet and really plan out everything we could. That night of relaxation was much needed and made us all feel refreshed for our last day of travel before the break was over.

The next morning, we figured out the public transportation system which dropped us off near old town. As we walked past some impressive and ornate buildings, I began to realize how much I missed Prague.

I think at this point, the most exciting part of spring break happened as we made our way toward the Rathaus and found the Red Bull Big Air Bike Competition going on! There were a few dirt ramps, some free give aways, and lots of bikes! Molly was in heaven and we spent over an hour wandering the booths collecting freebies and even ride what Molly called "freak bikes."

We wandered through Museums Quarter and the Hofburg Palace before finding the Sacher Deli, home of the famous Sacher Tort (really rich chocolate cake). We bought two types to be eaten later and continued exploring. Walking through the big cathedral was awkward because it was the middle of a church service on Sunday morning, but luckily it did not really compare with St. Vitus in Prague. From the Cathedral, we boarded the metro to head out to see the Wiener Reisenrad. This giant ferris wheel has been the trademark of Vienna for quite some time, and has even been included in some of the greatest movies ever (James Bond's The Living Daylights).

From the amusement park, we made our way back to the city. Meandering south, we found some lunch and a Starbucks (for Hillary). Trying to find some memorable places, we walked past the Opera house (not impressive) to some churches (not too impressive) to the rundown Schwarzenburg Palace (really eerie). Boarding the metro again, we rode out to the major tourist trap of Schloss Schonbrunn (think mini-Versailles). Overrun with tourists, we decided it was not worth trying to fight the crowds.

Heading back to the hostel, I was sad that Spring Break was ending so soon, but ready for a good night of sleep in my own bed. After a restful night, Monday was a busy day, full of planning our trip to Paris for the next weekend!

Salzburg, Austria: The Hills are Alive... With Tourists

Knowing that the Sound of Music was my mom's favorite movie made me tolerate the tourist trap nature of Salzburg. While nothing was too overt about the fact that the city was famous (or infamous) for being the home to Hollywood's retelling of the von Trapp story, the connections to the film were very clear if you looked in the right places.

Our first night in Salzburg was cold and rainy. Luckily, we made our way to the highly recommended Augustiner Brewer- in an old monastery. The aura of the beer hall was intoxicating and the food was delicious! Thanks to Molly, I found some cheese filled sausages, of which I ate two to go along with our beer. After eating and chatting, we decided it was time to finish our preliminary sightseeing in the city.

As we were leaving the hall, we saw groups of men in matching lederhosen. I joked around calling them "drinking gangs" like in the movie Gangs of New York. After asking around, we found out that I was not far from the truth. The groups were called the "shooters" and were part of some club that gathered once a year in the brewery to celebrate and drink together. Letting the image of these silly-dressed men slip into the past, we found our way outside. As we began walking down the hill, some movement caught my eye.

We looked to the top of the hill where twenty of "the shooters" were gathered with some antique shotguns. Waiting for a signal from inside the hall, they all shot their guns in succession to signify the event. Excitedly, we snapped photos and made videos of the event feeling proud to have stumbled upon something so rare.

After the shock wore off, Hillary, Molly, and I walked through some of the city seeing some of the famous buildings from the movie. Feeling tired, we headed back to the hostel for some shut eye before the tour the next morning.

Bright and early, we suffered through the hostel's breakfast before being carted off to the Sound of Music Tour. Led by a clearly washed up actor who never knows when to stop, our tour led us through the city and out to some of the lesser seen sets of the film. From the front of the von Trapp mansion to the back (two different homes), the gazebo (location of all the love scenes, relocated since the film), and out to the church where they are married. It was really enlightening to see how Holly wood embellished the story to make it more profitable, but after about two hours of music and annoying tour leader's voice, I was ready to be done. The highlight of the tour was our hour long lunch break when the three of us got a chance to try apple strudel with warm vanilla sauce. SO GOOD!

We got back to the city around one and meandered for a bit before high tailing it to the hostel in order to catch the train to Vienna.

Salzburg was a nice city, not at all what I had expected, but a good transition from the small Swiss cities to the big city that was to come.


On a side note: we tried the "Mozart balls"- apparently a delicacy- pistachio flavor centered chocolate balls that taste like cigarette smoke. To me- just another reason not to trust everything you read.

Spring Break: Munich, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria

For those of you that are not up to speed, this last week was my Spring Break. To me, this means two things. First, I get to travel for a whole week without worrying about school. Secondly, my big sister is going to be in town!

Heading out on Friday, Hillary and I decided that we wanted to see Munich before meeting Molly in Switzerland on Monday morning. This post will serve as a guide to our Spring Break Itinerary:

Friday, March 23: Arrive in Munich, explore the city.
Saturday, March 24: Explore Munich
Sunday, March 25: Leave Munich for Zurich, Switzerland. See Zurich. Travel to Lausanne.
Monday, March 26: Travel to Geneva. Meet up with Molly! Travel back to Lausanne, explore.
Tuesday, March 27: Travel to Montreux. Golden Pass Panoramic Train to Interlaken. Travel to Bern.                     _                               Travel back to Interlaken.
Wednesday, March 28: Explore Interlaken. Travel to Lauterbrunnen and back.
Thursday, March 29: Travel to Luzern, explore.
Friday, March 30: Travel to Salzburg via Zurich, Innsbruck, and Liechtenstein. Explore Salzburg.
Saturday, March 31: Sound of Music Tour, Travel to Vienna
Sunday, April 1: Explore Vienna, Leave for Prague!

It was an amazing week of travel, but quite exhausting. Getting home at 9 PM on Sunday, I was ready to sleep for twelve hours before my class on Monday morning.

Luzern, Switzerland: Swiss Finale

What a surprise Luzern was! After the last few days of packed action and exploration, another Swiss city was really the last thing that I wanted to deal with. Surprisingly, Luzern was my favorite city of the entire trip (excluding Munich). Our hostel was a bit of a hike away from the station and a little difficult to find, but we managed to make it and lock up our luggage before hitting the town.

Our first stop was the Lion Monument, a giant lion etched into the side of the mountain (think Stone Mountain). The Lion was etched in memory of the Swiss Mercenaries that fought in the French Revolution. For lunch we got some meat, cheese, and bread from the supermarket. Finding a place in the park near the lake we people watched for half an hour.

The city was overrun with Asian tourists! It was insane. They were everywhere snapping pictures and throwing up peace signs like they were going out of style. The massive hordes of tour groups clung to the edges of the lake and their ridiculous tour boats. My favorite incident was when one of the men from one of the groups detached himself and stood a full foot in the crosswalk in the road completely oblivious to the fact that a car could have killed him at any moment. He reminded me of the man who stood in front of the tank in Tianenmen Square.

From the monument, we managed to find the old city wall with its 9 towers. Each tower was unique, though the wall was nothing special. We picked our way through some major shopping areas in Old town and found the river that runs into the lake. we crossed a wooden covered bridge and snapped some photos of the tightly placed city, the lake, and the Alps. After walking along the river for a bit, we ended at the oldest covered bridge in Europe (though much of it burned and was rebuilt in 1993). The bridge spanned the river and led us back into old town.

Finding a spot near the lake to sit and observe, we waited about 10 minutes for Molly's train to get in. Meeting her on the bridge, we went back to the hostel to check in. Heading out, we toured the city again, allowing Molly to take some pictures. For dinner, we all agreed to do cheese fondue (apparently something the Swiss are known for). We picked up a DIY packet from the grocery store along with some bread and sausage to dip in the cheese.

The fondue was horrendous, but the bread and sausage saved the meal. That night, we researched Austria, planning our attack on the cities of Salzburg and Vienna.

Interlaken, Switzerland: Tourist Trap Central

It costs nearly 200 CHF to get to the top of Jungfraujoch which is not even the highest mountain in the Alps or even Switzerland alone. And it does not even get you to the top of the mountain (Jungfrau) but to a train station near the peak. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage sight because it is beautiful, but I guess UNESCO never paid any attention to the cost of seeing their sites.

While Molly and Hillary seemed to enjoy Interlaken, I place it just slightly above Lausanne as third from the bottom.

Our train from Lausanne got to Montreux and we had about 30 minutes to board the Golden Pass Panoramic Train to Interlaken. The views from the train were surreal as we climbed through the Alps along several lakes and incredible valleys. The ride took nearly three hours and a good portion of the memory card of my camera.

We arrived in Interlaken and after some debate as to whether Interlaken West or Interlaken Ost was the right station, we walked to our hostel, which was not close to the station at all. We dropped our stuff and checked in, heading back to the other Interlaken station to catch the 40 minute train to Bern.

Separate post for Bern.

We got back from Bern and decided to cook our dinner (Pasta with some canned sauce with hot dogs) before making plans for the morning.

The next morning, Hillary and I headed up to Lauterbrunnen (cost only 8 CHF). The valley was gorgeous. Waterfalls were plentiful as the ice from the mountains was melting and running down through the valley. Along our 45 minute walk away from the city, I got the feeling of being in Abilene, Texas. We were between fields and completely alone in the middle of what felt like nowhere. The scenery was a little different (more green and more snow) though, and changed again as we turned to head 45 minutes back to the station.

Lauterbrunnen was a nice distraction from Interlaken, though we were back by 2 PM to try to watch Molly come in from her hang gliding adventure. Unfortunately, she did not land in the same place as the paragliders, so we headed back to the hostel after absorbing some of the perfect sunny weather. After meeting up, we explored the town, buying a huge pizza and a local beer to try for dinner.

That night, we watched American TV at the hostel (the first I have seen since January!) and prepared to head to Lucerne!

Geneva, Switzerland: Maybe the banks are nice

Geneva easily makes its way to the bottom of the list of cities we saw this break. Only a 40 minute train ride from Lausanne, we met up with Molly near a McDonalds in the city. From there, we walked through a park, saw some famous wall honoring Luther and Zwingli (Protestant Reformers). We then climbed the hill to find the St. Pierre Cathedral. From the cathedral, we descended and saw the famous fountain (Jet D'Eau) in the marina. A brief walk through Mont Blanc Square and we were back at the train station on our way to Lausanne.

In hindsight, the city was nothing special. To me, Geneva is known for its banks. So for Geneva's sake I hope that at least they are capable of redeeming the city.

Lausanne, Germany: Head of the Olympic Committee

Getting into Lausanne after dark, we dropped our stuff at the hostel and headed to grab some food.

I dislike Switzerland for a number of reasons (sorry, Grampa Amann) the most important of which was the fact that a simple McDonalds cheeseburger was 2.50 CHF. Which, converted to US Dollars is somewhere in the ball park of $2.80. For a cheeseburger at McDonalds. Ridiculous.

Luckily the walk to Old Town was straight up hill, so I burned off my dinner snack very quickly. We snapped shots of the Cathedral of St. Francis before heading up the most photographed staircase in Europe, the stairs du Marche which lead up to Notre Dame Cathedral (Lausanne Cathedral). The view of the city lights toward the lake were pretty even at night. Our night ended as we trekked back past their massive museum complex and the Lausanne Palace and Spa.

The next morning, we were off to Geneva to meet up with Molly- separate post for Geneva.

Returning around 2 to Lausanne, we spent the afternoon on the same trail we had used the night before. Sunlight changed things a bit, though the most memorable part of the city was eating lunch watching a drunk or crazy person sing some song about gravity very poorly. It was the most entertaining thing I had seen in a long time and the man was completely that everyone was staring at him as he stumbled up the street wailing a mix of mumbled german and english words.

We ended down by the lake in the Ouchy region. This is where the Olympic Committee is housed. The olympic museum was under construction so we walked through the park and parked ourselves on a bench overlooking the lake with some gorgeous views of the Alps.

For dinner that night, we found an asian place that was not awful and only charged 14.50 CHF per plate. Switzerland is so ridiculously expensive.

Zurich, Germany: A Hidden Gem

It was not clear to me until the week was finally finished how cool Zurich was. Originally, it was just an ideal train stop on the way from Munich to Lausanne. In the end, it was one of my top three cities from our Swiss- Austrian tour.

We got off the train thinking we had close to an hour to catch the train to Lausanne knowing that one left every hour, so it would be okay if we missed the first one. Wandering through the area close to the station, I immediately was not a fan of Switzerland for their poor placement of crosswalks and lack of street signs, problems that occur in every city in Switzerland.

While I am on the topic of problems: Construction. It was a joke in Berlin that everything was under construction, but after the first day of Swiss sightseeing, it was reality. From this point on, everything of any importance to see was at least partially under construction. This is a running joke, because even this morning, when I dropped Molly off at the Prague Castle, part of St. Vitus Cathedral was being worked on. So frustrating! At least everything will be pretty for peak tourism season...

Anyway, Zurich. Walking down the river toward the Lake, the city got more and more beautiful. The city was really centered around the coast of the lake. There were plenty of boats out and people seemed to walk or bike everywhere. Everyone was so laid back and seemed so relaxed which is quite different from the hustle and bustle of Prague. Though we were really only there for two hours, I feel like I got a good idea of Zurich. I would love to go back for another few hours, though I am not sure that too much time is really needed. After getting lost (we had no map for Zurich), we finally found the train station and got on the appropriate train on the way to Lausanne, our destination for the night.

Munich, Germany: The Smallest Big City

I LOVED MUNICH!

It has been almost two weeks since I was there, but I can still remember so much about the city and the two days that we spent there because of how amazing the city was. Munich was the perfect springboard for our Spring Break.

Getting in around 3 PM, we made the quick trek to the YMCA (JVCN in German, our hostel for the weekend). We checked in, dropped off our luggage, got some English maps and headed out to explore.

With no real idea where we were headed or what there was to see, we wandered down some small streets on the way to the Old Town area and what we found were a bunch of quaint small stores and scenic churches along with remnants of the old walled city. Our wandering led us to this market that I find quite difficult to explain, but I can honestly say was probably the highlight of my spring break because it was so unexpected and so different.
_              The market is one big building. Inside the building are different stalls set up by vendors selling different things, which were mainly food. We found fresh bread, meat, cheeses, wines, beer, chocolate, pastries, produce, basically everything. One half of the market was set up like a whole foods (the easiest american explanation). I walked away from the market decided that all I want to do in life is open another one of them in the states (Hillary says they exist all over the San Francisco Bay Area).

Outside the market we found some enormous churches and the highlight of Munich's Old Town: The Old Rathaus (town hall). In the squares between the beautiful buildings was a typical outdoor market, but nearly twice as big as any other one we had found. We had fun wandering the streets between the stalls popping in churches and just observing the culture. With no clear idea of where we were going or what to see, we wandered past the biggest church, the Frauenkirche (under construction) before heading north to the English gardens. I cannot recall the names of all the amazing buildings we saw, their importance, or their locations, but I was so shocked by the clear variance in architectural schemes. The gardens were beautiful, but it was getting dark, so we headed to find dinner. Using the map as a rough guide, we made our way to the largest beer hall in the world: Hofbrauhaus Munchen!

Once the royal beer hall, the hofbrauhaus now serves the public and can seat more than 5000 patrons! After some trouble finding seats, we found some space at a back bench in the corner of the hall next to some German patrons that were clearly regulars. As we conversed with the Germans, they helped us find some food that was suitable and helped calm our fears of ordering "The Original," a 1-Liter beer served in an enormous glass mug. The food (I got goulash) and the beer was amazing! I finished the entire liter, as did Hillary and cleaned my plate feeling completely satisfied.

After dinner, we bough some commemorative mugs (the 1-Liter ones) and walked back to the hostel, though reading the map was not the easiest task in the world (the city gets really dark at night).

The next morning we got up and headed out to explore, ending up walking around the biggest museums in the city. We made our way back through the city and gardens to the market that I loved. Inside, we bought fresh baguettes, fresh salami, two types of cheese, some rosemary and thyme butter, and a bag of chips. For lunch, we wandered the city sitting on benches eating a few bites at a time.

We made our way across the river and got a totally different view of the city from the Maxamilianeum. Dirt paths took us down the river and back across near  some new churches before it started to rain. We ducked inside a couple of shops in the city ending up at a Starbucks. After gathering ourselves, we headed out to a new beerhall next to my beloved market. While the service was poor, my soup and beer was good, a perfect exclamation to a relaxing weekend in Munich.

Sunday morning, we found a cute cafe and got french toast and orange juice before our train took us to Zurich on the way to Lausanne.

Munich really was an amazing city. Unlike Berlin, everything was actually within walking distance and the culture was much more apparent without having to be a native. I loved every minute that I spent in Munich and would go back in a heartbeat.

Auschwitz-Birkenau Photos

Our Bus: We are not the Czech Football Team...

Glasses taken from the prisoners

Zyklon B

Train tickets Greek citizens were forced to purchase for their ride to Auschwitz

The Main Gate

Birkenau

"Shower Room" at Auschwitz

The Death Wall outside Block 11

Noose where Auschwitz conductor was hung

Ruins of Crematorium 2

Each chimney marks where barracks once stood

Memorial to those that died

Krakow, Poland

I realize these are a little late, but big updates coming soon!

Wawel Castle

Tower in Old Town Square 

The Wawel Dragon

Wawel (Krakow) Cathedral

The Famous Head in Old Town Square

Old Town Square Cloth Hall with
Tower in the background

Krakow Cloth Hall in Old Town Square

PICTURES!- Berlin Day 3

Ku-damm "Rodeo Drive"

Charlottenburg Palace-  The "Pompous" Palace

Ampelmann!

The East and West Divided

Remnants of the Wall Outside the Topography of Terror
Museum

Checkpoint Charlie

I could do that!

Optimus Prime at the East Side Gallery

Hillary in front of a portion of the East Side Gallery

In Case You Missed Out

I have 4 new blog posts up to get everyone up to speed on what has been going on over here!

Apologies for the lack of exciting pictures, but I am hoping to get a post up with pictures for each trip up so you can see some of the highlights of everything we saw!

Thanks for your patience

Krakow, Poland: Final Day

The morning started with a nice short bus ride to the city center, where we disembarked at the foot of Wawel Hill on the banks of the Wisla River. Enticed by glimpses of the castle at the top of the hill, we hiked up through the main gate. Covered in moss and with a cool tower to the side, we passed into Wawel Castle. Our first sight from the top of the hill was back down the side of the hill onto a statue to the Dragon of Wawel.

Legend has it that the Dragon was eating young maidens in the city. Every week a maiden was sacrificed until the only one left was the King's daughter. The king put out a notice to the city that anyone who killed the dragon could marry his daughter. A young and poor Pole was up to the task by outsmarting the dragon. He stuffed a sheep with sulfur so that when the dragon ate the sheep, it exploded. The monument to the Dragon is now a show piece spitting fire every three minutes and guarding steps down into "his lair".

From the statue, we walked into the inner courtyards where we could see remnants of old buildings that had been burned down in fires from the 11th and the 13th centuries. On top of the hill is also a WWII hospital that was not added until around World War I, which despite its modern construction does not seem out of place. This is probably largely due to the appearance of Krakow Cathedral. The church of the castle is a monument of piecemeal architecture having been built in several portions over several centuries by various kings with vastly differing amounts in their bank accounts. This Cathedral is also the location where Pope John Paul II gave his first mass as a priest in the 1940's.

From the Cathedral, we passed into the main courtyard of the royal palace. Heavily influenced by Italian architecture, the palace was uniquely decorated with frescoes along its top, a false wall, and double tall pillars designed to allow more sun into the rooms of the royalty. Also unique to the palace was the fact that the rooms of the royalty were on the second floor while all political rooms were located on the third floor. (most places have them the other way around).

From the castle, we visited a Polish University with some very famous alumni, on the way to the city center. On the way we stopped to observe the first Baroque church in Krakow and a church next to it that had served as a fortress for residents of Krakow during Mongolian invasions. When the city was invaded, the only survivors in the city were in this church or on Wawel Hill in the castle.

The city center is a massive square. With a gorgeous church, a massive tower, the Cloth Hall (where the textile market was located), a tiny rotunda church, and the famous giant head of Poland.

For about 4 hours we had free time in the city, which we used to visit Starbucks and get Hillary a mug from Krakow, then we found pierogis (famous Polish food). The pierogis were good, but would have been better had they not been drenched in sauce. From the pierogi stand, we walked back to the cloth hall and saw a lot of souvenirs, but nothing really stood out, so I settled for a pair of postcards. With our extra time we wandered the streets of Krakow and found some really amazing gelato with a really long line, some really good hard candy, and a Subway that ran out of bread (much to my chagrin).

Overall, Krakow had the potential to be my favorite city. I loved the time that we had in the city, but I think that being able to plan my own trips makes me enjoy the cities much more. Krakow was crowded, but beautiful. Food was cheap and the architecture was incredible. I wish that I had done some planning to fill our free time, but I really am not sure what else I would have planned to see.

This weekend is Spring Break. We head to Munich tomorrow before meeting up with Molly on Monday morning in Lausanne (or maybe Geneva). From there everything is kind of up in the air except that we have school the next Monday so that Molly can spend some time in Prague. I am really excited to see my sister, have some fun adventures and get to show off my new home city!

More updates as soon as I have a computer (which wont be until after I am back on April 2 at the earliest). Happy Spring everyone!

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Nothing in my life could have prepared me for what I saw at Auschwitz.

The camp is actually comprised of three smaller camps: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II- Birkenau, and Auschwitz III- Monowitz. Together, these three camps were responsible for the extermination of over 1.3 Million people between the years 1941 and 1945. Auschwitz I was more of a work camp, the site of the current museum of Auschwitz, and eerily beautiful.

The first real day of sun that we had seen since coming here at the end of January had to be ironically coupled with the darkest emotional day we will probably encounter.

Our walk of the camp was somewhat shocking to me, not because it was small and cramped and dirty like I had expected, but because of its simplistic beauty. Starting at the main gate with the slogan "Work makes us free" inscribed on top, I was taken aback by the numerous and symmetrical brick buildings lining the streets of the camp. Formerly the World War I barracks of the Polish army, the buildings stand almost untouched as they were since being liberated by the Russian Army in 1945. From the main gate, we walked to the houses or blocks as they are called.

Starting at Block 4, which was designated to the extermination, we saw things ranging from the map that showed all of the places from which prisoners were shipped to Auschwitz (same as the Topography of Terror, but with much more weight now). We saw left over Zyklon B, the drug that was burned to make the gas that exterminated so many in the showers and crematoriums of the camp. The most remarkable parts of Block 4 were the model of the showers and ticket stubs. Yes, you read that right. In the museum were tickets that Greek prisoners were forced to purchase for their train ride to their death. The cruelty of this act spoke to me almost as much as any of the other nauseating things that I saw in the camps.

Next was Block 5, devoted to physical remnants of the camps and killings. Rooms were full of suitcases from prisoners (which the Nazis seized as soon as the prisoners entered the camp) marked with identifying tools. Jewish prisoners were forced to write "Israel" into their name. Another room contained only pairs of shoes taken off of prisoners. Yet another had a stack of eyeglasses, and last but not least was the room of hair. Hair was shaven off of female prisoners to be used in the German textile industry and sold back to the people. Disgusting, cruel, and pitiful. The entrance and exit hallways of the Block were lined with photographs taken of prisoners which served as identification back before the train loads were unloaded on the camp. Before the camp became a serious work camp, it was used to hold political prisoners of the Third Reich. By 1942 it had been converted and began carrying out their mass executions. At this time, the identification of prisoners also switched from photographs to simple tattooed numbers on the bodies of each prisoner.

Block 6 showed living situations of some of the prisoners, their cramped bunks and tiny barred windows. While informative, nothing could have prepared me for what was next:

Block 11 was nicknamed the Death Block.
In Block 11 some prisoners were housed, but most importantly, this place was the location of the first experiments using Zyklon B on prisoners. The block was awful. From tiny cells in the basement with only a peephole for light to "standing cells" where prisoners were forced to stand all night in a cramped box. Our guide set it up as attempting to fit yourself with four strangers into a British telephone booth. No one could sit down or lay, they were forced shoulder to shoulder into the room. The worst part was that the only way to enter was by crawling through tiny portals in the corner of each box. On the way outside were rooms where prisoners were forced to undress before their experiments or before being led outside. Often, prisoners were slaughtered in the undressing room before anything could happen. Outside the block was the "Death Wall." Now a re-creation, the wall is a symbol of the thousands of prisoners that were lined up naked and paired and shot to death. From a few centimeters away, small caliber pistols were used to murder victims who fell into a sand pit, which helped to absorb the blood. To the left of the wall were two hooks on wooden posts used as make-shift gallows.

From the line of Block housing, we were led to gallows with a more modern look. At this location, the primary leader of the camp was executed after being turned over to the Polish government.

Next was the crematorium. A small, freezing cold bunker in the ground with a single chimney, the crematorium was so awful that I hardly spent any time there at all. I stayed long enough to see the holes in the ceiling where the gas came down and to see how Zyklon was burned before heading out afraid that the chills I was getting would not go away.

Luckily, we were done with Auschwitz I, but I wish someone had warned me that Birkenau would not be any easier to stomach.

Split down the middle by three rail lines, the camp was massive. Most of the prisoner housing has been destroyed, with only their chimneys marking their existence, but even without the physical presence of the buildings, one could easily get a feel for how huge the camp was. Birkenau was one of the worst camps in terms of prisoner life. In most cases, prisoners lasted less than four hours at the camp, being directed straight to the showers after arrival. It was for this that Birkenau is known as a Death Camp.

At Birkenau, prisoners were forced to work, and were only fed 1500 calories per day, less than the 2000 necessary to maintain weight, regardless of the amount of physical labor or the bitter freezing weather. As we walked from the main building to the back of the camp, we saw the monument for the prisoners that were killed. On either side of the monuments sat the ruins of two enormous complexes with gas chambers and crematoriums. From the remnants of these buildings, you could see how prisoners were led in, naked, forced into a room with mock shower heads and then killed. Their dead bodies were pillaged and shaved, with all things taken going to the German cause. The barren bodies were then put into the crematorium. For this reason, Auschwitz is known as the largest graveyard in the world with more than one million people cremated on the grounds.

In the end I was so glad to have had the experience to see the concentration camps and truly understand the meaning behind everything. Nothing will ever repay for the atrocities carried out at Auschwitz, but by visiting and becoming educated, I feel like I am one step closer to understanding the suffering. I was also very glad to have the trip led by someone as knowledgeable as the guide that we had. His incredible knowledge and depth of understanding of what happened made everything much more relatable and real.

Poland: Day One

By noon we were off. Freshly fed and rearing to go, the group of 30 CEA students hopped on two busses ready for our 8 hour trip to Krakow, Poland. Planning ahead, I downloaded a few movies on to my computer to supplement the films that CEA would be showing on the closed circuit bus TV.

Along the way, we stopped twice between viewing Schindler's List and a movie of my own choosing. I remembered watching Schindler's before, maybe in high school, but I guess I never guessed actually paid any attention to what happened. Horribly depressed, I was glad to have my own movies to distract me from the incredibly guilty feeling the movie forced upon me.

Eight hours and some urgent pee stops later, we were finally in Krakow. Our hotel seemed a little sketchy, but at that point, I was just glad to have a bed to sleep in. Before we headed to bed for the night though, Hillary, Cynthia, and I decided to try and see some of the city. Our hour long walk resulted in our seeing a random old church, a lot of random closed stores and a really long stair railing that I tried to ride down. That night, I tried to mentally prepare for what was to come in the next day, knowing that no matter how much I thought about it, nothing would come close to how seeing those atrocities would make me feel.

The Marriage of Figaro: Night at the Opera

Yes. You read that right. I William Douglas McDaniel did, in fact, attend the opera. Attempting to become more cultured, our school program bought us tickets for seeing the performance at the Estate's Theater (where Don Giovanni premiered). Not quite sure what to expect, I went into the night with an open mind.

The theater was amazing. 5 Levels high and very gaudy inside, the decoration was incredible and beautiful. We got to our seats in enough time to admire the interior, mainly the massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling before the performance started.

About halfway through the performance, I was completely lost. Luckily, Hillary was there to understand and explain everything to me or the rest of the night would have been a nightmare. The second half of the performance was much better than the first and everything made a lot more sense. It probably also helped that I started watching the orchestra perform when I got bored.

Three hours later, my suffering was complete and we walked out of the opera glad to have had the experience, but deciding it was not necessarily something that we ever needed to do again.

That night, I sat at home and began packing up my backpack for our CEA (school program) sponsored trip to Krakow, Poland and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Berlin Days 3 and 4

Sorry, it has been a while since my last post. This week is midterms and next week is spring break, so there will be plenty to talk about, which is why I am trying to finish Berlin.

Apologies if this post is more of a skim of what we saw as opposed to the minute by minute account you have probably grown accustomed to.

Saturday morning, we woke up and hiked over to the "pompous" Charlottenburg Palace. A summer home for the Hohenzollern family, the palace was just a massive expanse of yellow real estate. From the palace, we decided to walk down the street to the U-bahn station and try out Berlin's public transport. Along the way to Potsdam Square, we stopped off at Kurfurstendamm. Ku-damm as it is known in Berlin is the "rodeo drive" of Berlin and we were there merely to say we had seen it and grab some starbucks. We also happened to find the ruins of the famous church there (King Wilhelm), but of course, it was under construction...

From Ku-damm, we re-boarded the U and passed along to Potsdam Square. We spent some time photographing the line on the street marking where the wall was and of course, I straddled the line. From the square, we dropped off luggage at the hostel and made our way toward the Topography of Terror.

The former site of SS headquarters during Nazi control, the topography of terror is now a museum devoted to remembering those who died from war and tyranny. The free museum at the location was very thought provoking and we spent more than 2 hours examining the exhibits.

From the museum, we passed Checkpoint Charlie (a huge tourist jam) and made our way through much less popular East Berlin toward the East Side Gallery. The East Side Gallery is the largest standing portion of the wall (1mile) and is now used as a canvas for spray paint artists from all over the world. The walk to the Gallery took us forever and was more than we had anticipated. After walking half of each side of the wall, we turned around and headed back toward Alexanderplatz after stopping in the Ostbahn train station for a McDonald's appetizer.

Freshly re-fueled, we walked north toward Alexanderplatz stopping at a Megamall to use the restroom and see some German shops. We passed through the crowded square which was undergoing construction and walked toward the TV tower. On the steps in front of the TV tower, we sat for a while and watched the Berlin youth in some sort of Dance gang practice party. It is very difficult to explain, but very interesting to watch. After about 20 minutes of rest, we looked for a grocery store to stock up for the next day's train ride.

Hungry for dinner after grabbing snacks, we headed back to Happy Noodles to try some more of the enticing menu items. Thoroughly stuffed, it was back along Unter den Linden to the Bebelplatz, which we missed the first time. The walk back to the hostel was rather uneventful, but getting there was a huge relief. Unbeknownst to us, we had walked over 20 kilometers on what was supposed to be our easy day because we had used public transportation...

Sunday morning we set our clocks back to adjust with the rest of the world and left the hostel bright and early to see the last bits of Berlin before the train at noon.

We passed the Berlin Philharmonic building before heading to find Fassbender and Rausch- Europe's largest chocolatier. After some misdirecting, we found the shop, only to find that it did not open for a few more hours. Passing the Gendarmenmarkt and Brandenburg Gate, we attempted to find the "Ghost Subway Stations" deciding that what we had found was close enough. As we stopped for a light breakfast, we checked our notes and decided we had done it all.

The last walk to the Hauptbanhof was easy and peaceful as we strolled through the Gate and passed the Reichstag. Getting to the train station thirty minutes early, we headed to McDonald's to get wifi and relax. As we sat in our booth, we realized that Europe doesn't adjust to daylight savings at the same time and we were two hours early to our train.

We killed the time talking about baseball, marketing, and social media before grabbing a lunch to go and heading to the train.

Berlin is probably my favorite city to this point due to the historical relevance that it holds. Even though the city was huge and expensive, there were so many interesting places to visit and things to see that living there would be a fun experience.

Unfortunately, this post and the last one do not have pictures due to time crunch. I will try to do a post in the coming week of pictures from the trip as well as updates on our trips to the Opera (Marriage of Figaro) and to Krakow, Poland (Auschwitz-Birkenau included).

Off to study for midterms!