Praha 11/21

Phil and I had a comfortable hostel stay. I made efficient use of the breakfast, stuffing down multiple sandwiches along with bowls of cereal and eggs. We rode the subway to join the rest of Prague's tourists at the Prague Castle. Built on top of a hill overlooking the city, the castle would have offered excellent views if it weren't for the haze. We took some photos anyway.

We entered the castle area, passing by two unflinching Czech military guards that reminiscent of Buckingham Palace guards. We purchased tickets that allowed us into a well-preserved civilian section of the "Castle" called Golden Lane. In retrospect, the 70,000 square meter Prague Castle did not resemble a traditional medieval castle, but rather a tightly spaced old town surrounding a spectacular cathedral. On display in Golden Lane building were chainmail and suits of armor.

I was particularly interested in this window. The slot, I believe, is for shooting arrows. The cylindrical piece of wood can be rotated to close the window entirely. We inspected a prison tower, then moved into the religious section of the castle.

St. George's Basilica

St. George's Basilica was founded in 920, although it has surely been rebuilt since then. It was one of the many Prague churches and concerthalls hosting daily classical concerts. Facing the Basilica was the glorious St. Vitus Cathedral.

St. Vitus Cathedral

With my back against a nearby building, I still could not photograph the entire cathedral. The Cathedral was founded in 1344, and here lie many Bohemian kings.

Interior of St. Vitus

Next we toured the Old Royal Palace. Photos were prohibited, but I took some non-flash stealth shots. From the Castle grounds, we walked into the city center, crossing the Charles Bridge in the process. It is one of the more elaborate old bridges in the world, decorated every 50 feet or so with a religious sculpture of some sort. It had some more modern relevance to me, as the site of scenes in the movie Mission: Impossible. I had the strange urge to give a Mission: Impossible tour. "This is the Charles Bridge where IMF agent Jim Phelps faked his own death and dove into the Charles River. Here is the parking lot where Claire Phelps' car exploded, but she was not inside at the time. This is the gate where the diplomat carrying the fake NOC list was stabbed." Okay, I didn't find the gate, but seeing the Charles Bridge, and enjoying the view of the city amidst the many vendors and strolling people was a pleasure.

Charles Bridge

Crucifixion on Charles Bridge

Concert hall of some sort

Phil and I took a breather on the steps of this concert hall, then made our way into the heart of Prague - at least the commercial and tourist heart.

Old Town Square

Christmas Carolers

There was a choir performing in a busy pedestrian area. It was an elaborate setup with TV cameras and professional lighting. There was even a light inside a tethered balloon floating 30 feet in the air. The carolers were excellent, singing Latin hymns as well as some more popular music - I definitely heard Hakuna Matata from the Lion King. Hearing Christmas music left me a bit homesick, possibly for the first time since arriving in France.

Later that night, Phil and I spent happy hour at the dirt cheap hostel bar, enjoying Pilsener Urquell, Budweiser Budvar, and other excellent Czech beers with some older traveling Brits and ex-pat Americans. After a game of Kings and some various others, Phil and I ate dinner, then returned to the hostel briefly. A friend of mine from Westport, Sean Soderstrom, was in Prague and I made plans to meet him across town. I dragged Phil along, but we left without a map and soon we were hopelessly lost on the trams. After an hour and a half of tram-riding, we were back where we started and decided to call it quits.

Kutna Hora 11/22

Dun Dun Dunnnnnn!!!!!

The main draw for tourists in Kutna Hora is the Sedlec Ossuary, meaning bone repository. Phil and I left Prague in the morning for a quick train ride to Kutna Hora. Our first stop was the Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel, cemetery and ossuary, where we inspected the finest human skeletal art on the planet. There were four vaults of neatly arranged bones as well as a variety of other bone artwork. The crown jewel was a chandelier incorporating at each bone in the human body at least once. In medieval times, the land around the church was believed to be blessed on account of the sprinkling of sacred earth transported from holy lands by the monastery's abbot. Burial there was highly sought after and, especially after the plague, the cemetery became packed. When the chapel was built, the bones from excavated mass graves were piled beneath the chapel. In the late 1800's a local woodcarver was given the task of arranging the boneneatly, and he took some interesting liberties.

Me with bone chandelier


Coat of Arms

While we came for the bone church, we soon discovered that the town itself was a gem. The ossuary was on the outskirts, so we trekked into town past the soviet-era apartment buildings and into the old quarter. We were rewarded with incredible views of the sun setting behind old buildings and another incredible cathedral signifying the city's one-time importance.

Church of St. James

My photos don't do this view justice

St. Barbara Cathedral

Golden at sunset

We wandered through the old town, up to the St. Barbara Cathedral on the outskirts where we lingered taking photos in spurts as the sun peeked out now and then from behind a cloud. In town we had a delicious Italian dinner for half the cost of what we would have paid in countries further west. Eventually we made our way to the central train station where a two-car gas-powered train took us to Kutna Hora's main rail stop. Then it was on to Prague and an overnight train back to Metz.

Berlin 11/20

Phil and I had discussed a trip to Prague for a few weeks before we left on this trip. A few days before our departure, we checked out a map and noticed Berlin was near Prague, well, within 5 hours by train. Worried about missing out on a must-see city, we added Berlin as the first stop on our trip. Five train changes and 12 hours after leaving Metz, we arrived in Berlin and got down to business. Our first stop was the Reichstag building, the meeting place for the Bundestag German parliament. Established in 1949, after the post-World War II elimination of the Reichstag (parliament under and prior to Nazi reign). The building was built in 1894 to house the Reichstag, but languished during the cold-war period. A fire in 1933 was grounds for the Nazi party to temporarily strip constitutional rights in an effort to seize power and expel communist enemies. The dome features a spiral staircase that visitors can climb. We waited in line, but decided a visit, although free, wasn't quite worth the wait.

Reichstag Building

On we went to the Brandenburg gate. The gate was built in the 1700's under commission from Prussian king William II of Prussia as a peace symbol. Greek-inspired, and topped by a statue of Roman goddess of victory, Victoria, the gate is a symbol of Berlin and the site of many historic events, including Reagan's "Tear down this wall" speech. The bottom half of this photo shows the wreckage surrounding the gate in 1945.

Brandenburg Gate

November 9, 2009 was the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. We arrived at the wall two weeks late for the celebration. There are only scattered remnants around the city - it was torn down after all. The section we visited was near Checkpoint Charlie, the checkpoint of the U.S.-controlled section of West Berlin. The wall was simple, made of rebar-reinforced concrete sections, each about 5 feet wide and 9 feet tall, cemented into a 260 foot section that stands today.

I had forgotten the exact details of the occupation of Berlin, but eighth grade history lessons came back in a flash as I read some nearby informational signage. After World War II, democratic NATO nations disputed the borders of Germany with communist USSR. The resolution involved splitting Germany in two. Berlin was an extremely important city to both sides, so that city was split in two as well. Berlin, was not located on the border of East and West Germany, though. It fell squarely in East Germany, so splitting it was an awkward situation geographically (not to mention politically, culturally and on and on). To stem the flow of Berliners into the NATO-nation-controlled Western section, the USSR built a wall around the entirety of West Germany, which makes sense given that it is surrounded entirely by East Berlin, not just on one side.

Preserved section of Berlin Wall at the Topography of Terror museum site


And the other side

Me at the wall

After seeing the wall section, walking its length, and reading some detailed museum-style outdoor history, we headed through the Gendarmenmarkt square, surrounded by imposing 1700's architecture. Local vendors were setting up elaborate Christmas-Market booths, although "booth" does not do them justice. Many were expansive, heavily decorated, and heated. Some looked like full-on restaurants. Phil and I stopped in a museum on the square that detailed the German Bundestag's history (1949 - Present). It was free, but entirely in German, so we moved through very quickly.

Gendarmenmarkt and Christmas Market booths

I suggested to Phil that we eat lunch in the Cafe in the Fernsehturm TV tower, the second largest building in Europe. On our way, we stopped to take pictures of the Berliner Dom, and some other weathered, but beautiful buildings. I haven't yet had the opportunity to stitch them together for a panoramic.

Berliner Dom

The Fensehrtrum

We arrived at the T.V. tower (Fensehrtrum) only to find out that tickets were 10 euros to get to the top, and the wait would put us in danger of missing our train. Phil is a big fan of taking panoramic pictures, sometimes with multiple rows taking up hundreds upon hundreds of megabytes, but we both agreed it was better to make our train and save some money.

Statue of Friedrich Engels

This unlabeled statue in the shadow of the Fensehrtrum looked familiar; cut out on the left is the seated Karl Marx, with whom Engels collaborated.

Soviet War Memorial

Hoping to save some money rather than pay for a bathroom, I wandered through the brush of a public park and happened upon this memorial - the most satisfying find of the day.

And on we went to Prague we went, sleeping most of the way there.

Amsterdam 11/13

Armistice day fell on Wednesday this year, inspiring many of the GTL students to be sick on thursday, creating a five-day weekend to travel. Unfortunately, I actually was sick Wednesday and Thursday. My illness probably could have been avoided with a little extra rest on Tuesday, but I felt bad missing class in the midst of a short week. My friends headed off on a whirlwind tour of Brussels, Bruges, and Ghent, while I slept, read, and didn't set foot outside my room for nearly 48 hours.

Feeling better on Friday, I rode trains north to Amsterdam to meet Jon, Sohail, and Phil. Actually, as my train passed through Antwerp, they boarded directly onto my car. Finally, we had enough people for a game of pitch. Arriving in the evening in Amsterdam, we found our hostel, then set out to find a restaurant from the Let's Go guide that, we soon discovered, did not exist. We ended up eating at an Irish pub. I called my friend AJ, who was in Amsterdam with Dylan, (whom I spent time with on the Barcelona trip). On our way to meet him in the Red Light District, I bumped into Gerrard Mooney, a kid my age who used to live in Westport. The Red Light district was impressive in size, and, I hate to say it, classiness. The main streets were filled with windows where lingerie models modeled lingerie for men looking to buy lingerie for their girlfriends (just kidding). Amidst the red glow of the prostitute coves were bars and coffeeshops. Amsterdam coffeeshops sell Marijuana legally, but despite its widespread acceptance, the coffeeshops were pretty grungy and the pot itself was kept in filthy tupperware containers. We hung out with AJ and Dylan at the Jungle Coffeeshop, then headed out to see the rest of the district.

The next morning, we started at the Van Gogh Museum, which I thought was amazing. The others grew bored, but I made sure to see every bit of art and continued to keep track of my favorites. Outside the Van Gogh Museum was a long stretch of grass surrounded by beautiful buildings.

Amsterdam lacks the traditional photo-obligatory sites of most European cities. Compound that fact with the lack of sun during my trip and photos took a backseat to soaking in the atmosphere. Th entire city was beautiful - neatly dressed in brick. There were nearly as many bikes as cars - simple, heavy city bikes that shops advertised for 700 euros and up. It was easy to appreciate the bike culture benefits like independence, environmentalism, unless you stepped into the bike path and were cursed out.

In the afternoon we walked through a mile-long market at Albert Cuypmarkt. We continued to wander the streets, taking in the buildings and canals. Amsterdam has canals that form concentric rings around the center. To move any great distance usually involves crossing a number of canals.

Later on, we had beers at the Leidseplein, a square at the heart of Amsterdam's non-red-light nightlife. The Let's Go restaurant recommended a restaurant known for its steaks. The prices had nearly doubled compared to the guidebook, as corroborated by the well-dressed local clientele, but we indulged anyway.

In the morning on Friday, I went to the Rijksmuseum to get another art fix. The musuem was filled with paintings by the Dutch masters. Rembrandt was the most prominently featured. I had hoped to see some Vermeer work, but only two of his paintings were exhibited. Once I had my fill of portraits, the project of choice of the Dutch masters, I headed for the train station to meet my friends.

Arles 11/8

On Sunday, Sohail and I took an afternoon train to Arles. Arles is known for its Roman ruins, as well as for being the home of Van Gogh for many years. The city made a cameo in the movie Ronin, with its Arenes playing an important role. The amphitheater was built around the first century B.C.

Renovation of Les Arènes

Virtually all of the monuments I've seen have been restored to some degree. Here restorers are replacing entire blocks of limestone. It's good to know the buildings are well-cared for, but at the same time, it's difficult to determine how authentic these kind of ruins really are.

Sohail and I walked from the train station, stopping first at the arena, then moving past the ruined Roman theater, to the main square - Place de la République. Arles - at least the old section - is a decidedly cozy town, lacking much of the commercial development that defaces the beautiful buildings of larger European cities. The main square was billboard free.

Church in Place de la République



Place de La République

Sunset turned this tower orange

After dark, Sohail and I wandered the narrow streets of the old city's residential areas. The apartments were unmasked by curtains. Some of the walls bowed out into the street, showing signs of age.

Sunset from the Rhone river

We walked along the river for a bit and got some cool pictures of the sunset. The riverwalk appeared to be a new construction. A flyer posted on the path that addressed dog owners read something like: "We made a 20 million dollar investment and we can't even clean up after our dogs?"

We wandered back to Les Arènes, which looked very cool lit up.

We planned to catch our night train back to Metz in Nîmes, Julien's city of birth, so we took a train there next. A match between Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon was scheduled for the evening, so Sohail and I found a bar in Nimes that looked like it would show the game. Sure enough, the bar steadily filled with fans, all males between the ages of 16 and 35. Loyalties lay mostly with Marseille, whose goal were loudly cheered and greeted with the ringing of a bell. The Olympique Lyon fans were plenty loud themselves, and even hijacked the bar's bell after one goal. The thriller featured 10 goals and ended up tied. With some time yet before our train, Sohail and I tried out our long exposure camera tricks at Nîmes' Roman Arena

Les Arènes Nîimes

We boarded the night train at midnight. Sohail slept soundly in his couchette, while I shut my eyelids in a vain attempt.

Montpellier

Place de la Comédie

And At Night

Julien opened up us his apartment to Sohail and me and even found us a huge air matress to share. He picked us up from the train station and took us first to the supermarket. We bought some beer and wine and Sohail and Julien played the 100 million euro lottery. Our dinner stop was a pizza truck that Julien talked up. He claimed the owner had multiple trucks because his pizza was so good, but Sohail and I suffered through it. At Julien's apartment, we were introduced to Ahmed, Julien's Turkish friend. Ahmed speaks very little French, but is somehow taking all his classes in French. His English was pretty good though, and he was a verry funny guy. We went out to a bar called Circus, met two of Julien's female friends, and relaxed while wasting money on drinks.

The next day Julien gave us the tour of Montpellier. We went to the Musée Fabré, which had plenty of excellent art, including an extensive modern art collection. Montpellier, naturally, has an Arc de Triomphe, which is built next to a Roman acqueduct.

Arc de Triomphe Montpellier



Aqueduc St. Clément

Crucifix at dusk

After wandering the old, narrow streets for a while, we stopped at an Irish pub and watched Real Madrid play Atlético Madrid on a TV. Julien's girlfriend appeared and we followed her to a jam-packed nautical-themed bar. The place truly was a ship's cabin, long, but with a narrow beam - proof that France has no fire safety codes.

A French Rally race finished nearby, with the awards ceremony held in the city center. From a distance we could see the winner pop his champagne and celebrate.

We got back to Julien's apartment via Tram, then car. It soon became clear that we had seen the best of Montpellier, so in the morning, Sohail and I made plans to check out other nearby cities. We were near the Mediterranean and unopposed to the beach, but our best logistical option was the city of Arles. That's where we headed next.

Avignon 11/6

On Thursday, November 6, Sohail and I boarded a train bound for Avignon. The plan for the weekend was to visit Julien, my hostelmate in Paris the previous week. Our overnight train was uneventful but pretty much sleepless. We arrived in Avignon at 5:00 AM, I advocated for a little sleep in the train station. The waiting room was the most inviting location, but its chairs were standard French train station chairs - designed to ward off sleepers. The real culprit was the cold. Despite its southern location, Avignon was freezing, and we struggled to stay warm. Regardless, some sleep was had, and we didn't leave the station until 9 AM.

The Tourism Office believe it or not

Avignon is a walled city, made famous for its medieval Papal palace which was almost arbitrarily placed there. Sohail and I crossed the old city in 10 minutes and arrived at the Palais des Papes. The palace was a castle-type building built in several phases starting in 1334 under Pope Benedict XII. Pope Clement V was the first Pope to move to France, and did so in 1306 at a time of instability in Rome. He eventually settled in Avignon. The papacy in Avignon only lasted until 1377.

Palais des Papes from the interior

Room where meals were served

View of Avignon from Palais

My audioguide gave me the statistics on one of the feasts at the palace, including 39,000 eggs.

Next Sohail and I found an internet cafe so I could register for my classes for next semester. While I had trouble at first and blamed the computers, Sohail fixed my problems, and was eventually registered. I will be taking Fluid Mechanics, Control Systems, Mechanical Engineering Analysis for Design, and The Art Market.

After registration, I walked back toward the palace to see the Avignon's bridge Pont St-Bénezet. The bridge was built after St. Bénezet came down from the mountains proclaiming his God-given mission to build a bridge in Avignon. The bridge was popularized in the famous French song Sur le Pont d'Avignon. The song describes how people danced on the bridge, however, the very first version described more accurately the dancing that went on beside, not on, the bridge.

Lower level of Pont d'Avignon

View of papal palace from Pont d'Avignon

Sohail and I went to the Musée du Petit Palais, which holds a collection of Renaissance art. We saw about 100 versions of Madonna and child, and little else. The museum is bordered by a small park with a view of the surrounding countryside.

View from the park - In the distance you can see the outline of Mont Ventoux, the most grueling climb on the Tour de France

Small Vineyard with Pont St-Bénezet in background

Satisfied with our visit to Avignon, Sohail and I travelled to Montpellier where Julien was to pick us up at the train station.