A Blague From Prog

The Berlin Trip and Pics

2008-06-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

So overall the trip was fun but it had its bumps along the way. First of all the trip was not planned very well. We woke up at 7 in the morning on Friday so that we could leave for the train station at 7:30. The train was an experience all in itself. I was trying to get some sleep but I was sitting in the back of the car right beside the door leading to the next car, which had the food and bathroom. It seemed that every time I about dosed off someone would grab the back of my seat (for balance because the train was a bit shaky) and wake me up or the automatic doors would slam and wake me up. It was annoying to say the least and at the next stop I switched.

Anyways, during the ride (which was five hours I think) I read a guide book that someone had about Berlin to try to familiarize myself with the city. I found out that Berlin has one major train stop that pretty much all trains feed into which opened up in 2006 and that coming from Prague we would go to this stop. Well we stopped there but our professor said it wasnt the right one and we went to the next stop. Turns out that it was the right one (which I tried to tell him so) and it put a good extra 45 mins in our trip. But we made it. The hostel was great for the guys, the room was comfortable with bunk beds and real mattresses. The girls on the other hand had it rough. All the girls were piled into a huge room, all 10 of them. I think it was a mixture of drama and personality clash but I think many of them were ready to leave at the end.

On Friday we took a tram over to the Brandenburg Gate and Reigates. (seen below). Then we went out on the town for the rest of the night. I got a good nights rest on a comfortable mattress, which was like heaven compared to the beds we have in Prague.

Saturday we woke up and got a real breakfast at a resturant beside the hostel. Then we went to a meeting with a small design group in Berlin that Maura had set up for us. They had some really cool publication design, a lot of experimental stuff. They said that getting work in Berlin was hard though and that 70% of their clients are from the Netherlands. But a design job in europe might be a possibility one day for me?...so it was neat to meet them and see some of their work. Later on Saturday the group split up and I went with 5 others to Museum Island, where a lot of the museums in Berlin are. We went into the Paragamon Museum which housed remains of a Greek temple from Paragamon that had been brought back after the war. It was neat but we were tired and after like 10 mins we were fading. So we decided that a boat tour would be a fun activity, which it was. We were able to sit and relax while getting a view of Berlins very diverse architecture. Saturday night we grabbed dinner at a local restaurant and then crashed.

Sunday we woke up and the restaurant beside the hostel had an all you can eat breakfast. And wow what a spread. I think I ate 4 plates full. It was the best meal I have had since Ive been here. Afterwards we went to a local flee market that happens on Sunday and I got a really cool Army knife, complete with fork and spoon, and some really sweet posters and prints from two different designers. Then we went to a section of the Berlin Wall that had been preserved. It wasnt much but to think of what it stood for and to understand the complete fortifications was pretty big. After checking out the wall we went back and headed for the train. It was a good weekend and a great experience. I hope I can visit Berlin again in the future.

Lots of pictures to come...

Berlin Attitude

2008-06-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

What a weekend. Berlin was amazing. A totally different rhythm from Prague. Berlin, even though it has had a rough past with being almost completely decimated in WWII and then divided by the infamous Berlin Wall during the communist era, it is a very vibrant and lively city. This was a great break from the semi staunch and old Prague.

I think the reason that Berlin is so different is due to its past, just like Prague has been shaped by its past. Berlin, during WWII was all but destroyed by the various bombing raids of the Allied Forces. This has given Berlin a chance to build new modern buildings that attract the young and fashionable crowd which then intern makes up the city's atmosphere. These new buildings also make Berlin feel up and coming as opposed to rooted in the past.

The people of Berlin are also very different. It felt very young and diverse in Berlin as opposed to an older generation in Prague. This might be because of the neighborhood that we live in at Prague or the lack of exploration that we were able to aquire do to time limits in Berlin. Everyone in Berlin was really friendly, unlike the short mood of the Czech. Lots of people were riding bikes, which they have a section of the sidewalk marked for bikes only and if you get in the lane you get yelled at. Berlin also seemed wealthier, which is probably because Germany is a wealthy country, but I also think it is the life attitude. They seemed like a people who had the future in mind and wanted to be successful where as the Czech seem to be content with where they are in life. I also saw lots of young families in Berlin, which when I think about it I haven't seen much of in Prague. We were joking around about missing the train back to Prague and just staying in Berlin for the rest of our trip but from the short time we were there it seemed like a much younger and vibrant place than Prague, something that appeals to a group of college kids.

Czech it out.

2008-06-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hi.

So a lot has happened since the last time I posted. The weekend came and went without too much excitement. I found some new places though. I found BoulderBar, which is exactly what it sounds like, a bouldering gym with a bar connected to it. This sounds like a dangerous combination to me, alcohol and rockclimbing? Seriously? However, its the only bouldering gym that I have found and because I don't know how to lead belay (which is the norm here) I am planning on checking it out soon to exercise and hang out with the boys. I also found a good Chinese place down the street from the hostel with is really cheap ($4/55Kc). Also a really good bagel place called Bohemian Bagel. Its very much like Bruggers Bagel and semi-pricey like Bruggers but well worth it. I had a giant breakfast bagel and it was amazing.

Also I had to break down and buy a fan for my room this weekend. The temperature is getting up in the 80s and it makes for very terrible sleeping, even with the windows wide open. I got really tired of waking up several times in the middle of the night because I was sweating through my clothes. I dont think I was the only one who benefited from it either. All my roommates seemed a little more rested than usual after the first night I had it.

This week has been a busy one, and will continue to be pretty crazy until we leave for Berlin on Friday. Monday we had class and afterwards Jessica and I took a boat tour on the Vltava River, which runs through Prague. It was about $13 but well worth the hour trip. It was very relaxing and I got some great shots from it. (below) At 4:30 the group met at the institute and we walked over to a panel discussion at a writers festival going on here. The festival is celebration of the 40th aniversary of the Spring of '68. The Spring of '68, if I am correct, was a time before and sort of caused the Russian communists to come down hard on the Czech people as far as rules and restrictions. During this time, a lot of Czech writers had the freedom to write about life, freedom, and politics of being under communist rule. When these texts got out, and undoubtedly into Russian hands, it caused the Russians to put harsh restrictions on the Czech people and many of the writers were taken to concentration and work camps. One of the writers that spoke at the conference wrote one of the excerpts for our book that we are making. It was a really neat experience to hear them talk, not because of what they had to say, which was mainly just about political stuff, but because I got to wear these headphones and get the whole conversations translated to me through them. It was really hard to follow because it was delayed a bit as well as only one person translating a 6 person panel. When people were overlapping each other it was hard deciphering who was talking.

After the conference a group of us decided to cook breakfast for dinner and went to Tesco (the local Walmart) to pick up all the ingredients. We found everything we needed, even though it was quite a search. Pancakes in a bottle, eggs and bacon. The pancake mix turned out to be more like crepe mix and instead of big fluffy pancakes we had thin tortilla like cakes. They were still good though.

On Tuesday Maura arrived. She seemed as jet lagged as we were the first day so we didnt see her much. For dinner Jessica and I cooked Italian pasta for 13! Its really hard to judge the amount for that many people but it was a success. We also booked our trip to Vienna Tuesday. Were planning on leaving Friday, June 13th and staying until Sunday the 15th. Were also planning another trip to Brno and Chesky Krumlov. There is a book design exhibition and confrence in Brno, the second largest city in the CZ, and a lot of big name people in the graphic design world are going to be there. Then were heading to Chesky Krumlov, which is a small town in East Bohemia that will be more of a country setting. I think we will be able to raft on the river and take some mountain bikes out, my kind of fun!

Anyways, Ill try to keep this thing up to date and keep the pics coming. Hope everything is going good at home. Talk to you soon.

National Theater

Czech Woman

ferry boat like the one we rode

Charles Bridge

cool hot air balloon sight seeing thing that i need to check out later

Charles Bridge Recto

The Castle

A huge group of Asians got on our tour boat...apparently they had a rough day because almost all of them nodded off.

Pfff...Tourists

People Watching

2008-05-28T02:30:00.000-07:00

Prague is a great place to sit and people watch and that is exactly what I did...except I have a zoom lens so I can take pictures of people without them knowing. Haha. Sneaky sneaky. I went around Old Town taking some pictures of people (some while holding the camera at my waist to be more discreet) and tried to capture people without them noticing me. Id say most of the people in my shots are tourists, Old Town is where all the tourists go to see the pretty buildings and stuff. Which brings me to the next thing I wanted to talk about.

Tourism. It is really apparent in Old Town especially and even more so if you leave Old Town and go to outer Prague to see where people actually live. I know that the tourism is a big money maker but it is really sad to see sometimes. There are 14th century buildings with advertisements stuck on the side. Lots of department stores, kitschy souvenir shops, and way over priced restaurants line every street. Numerous McDonalds have even infiltrated. (Which I sadly have to admit that Ive eaten at a couple times. Haha. They are the only thing that is open 24 hours - which the Czech call Nonstop - so we all grab the night tram and go get a Party Meal - 3 burgers and 3 fries - at the Nonstop McDonalds.) It is hard to get a grasp on what Prague is really about, its history and culture in this maze of tourist traps. Its really sad because this is probably the only thing that people visiting see. The school is in the middle of Old Town but our pension (hotel) is in a part of town called Vinohrady, which is not touristy at all. This helps us get a little better view of the real Prague and it is so much better than what most people see in Old Town. Maybe not as beautiful but more complex and real.

Anyways, check out the pictures below of people watching, mixed with some other sights, and I will write again soon. Hope all is well back in the States! Im going to Vienna this weekend so Ill bring back some good stories.

a Czech unicorn...seriously

I guess the Czechs supported the south because that is definitely a rebel flag shirt

alien invasion in Prague?

at Vysehrad (the old castle)

Walk About

2008-05-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

One thing is for sure, I will be in tip top walking shape when this trip is over. If I had to estimate, I would say we have walked between 8 to 10 miles each day, especially those where we go out and wonder around the city. The first couple days I was hurting but I'm finally getting my traveling legs under me. It definitely makes sleeping at night easy, even though we pretty much sleep on a wooden box with a piece of foam on top of it.

But we walked around the city again yesterday. We went to a botanical garden and to the Dancing House building. Here are some images I got along the way:

A Lesson In Culture

2008-05-22T04:21:00.000-07:00

So we continue to take photographs in the city, for class and fun. (See the bottom of this post) But I want to let you in on a little bit of the Czech culture. It is really different from ours and they definitely have their quirks, as im sure we do to them.

First off, the Czech people are really reserved. They don't seem to smile much, they sit quietly on the tram and metro, and have a somber silent public attitude. It is very easy to tell who is a foreigner and we really stand out. I guess I never thought that the people in my studio were a loud bunch, minus a few of us, but it is really apparent when compared to the volume that we have and Czechs have when in a normal conversation.

The Czech people also have a very weird attitude about public activities. Several times we have been yelled at when doing things that we would never think of as offensive. For instance, we were riding on the tram and one of the girls in our group pulled up her feet and put them on the seat of the tram to get them out of the way of a passing woman. The woman, instead of acknowledging her trying to get out of the way, started yelling at her, which of course we didnt understand because it was in Czech. There have been a couple other incidents like this as well. But what makes this so weird to me is that they get mad at these things while they allow other things that would be taboo in our nation. For instance, I was walking to the grocery store behind a father and son, who was probably 3 years old. I guess the son had expressed his need to go to the bathroom because the dad pulled down his pants and held him towards a tree in the sidewalk and the boy just went on the tree, right in the middle of the square. It was really funny but at the same time really shocking.

It is also very clear that the Czech people in general get tired of foreigners. Prague is a very touristy city and the locals get a lot of visiting people from around the world. I have had a couple interactions with Czechs who seem to be angry that I am here and I cant say that I really blame them. I know that in the US it is very frustrating when people who dont know our language or cultures seem to do what they want without reserve or consideration to us. I think this is a valuable lesson that I have learned and that everyone can benefit from. We all need to learn some patience for others at home and abroad and to try to understand and learn about others cultures so that we have a better understanding of each other as a human race.

Well...thats all for now. I hope all is well back in the States and I will keep the pictures coming as I know thats what yall really want. (cough...victor...cough). Haha. Talk to ya soon!

Zizkov Cemetery

Winslet Square (day and night)

Old Town Square and Surrounding

Shootin Up The City

2008-05-20T04:58:00.000-07:00

We went out today to start capturing some of the city and heres what I got:

Just The Tip of the Iceberg

2008-05-19T03:55:00.000-07:00

I have been here in Prague for about three days now and already I have learned so much. I am starting to know my way around the areas where my hotel and the institute are. We've learned about the money system, the metro, and even some of the language.

The Czech use crowns and the exchange rate is about 15 Kc to every dollar. Its really weird spending the crowns. Its almost like play money...which is bad because its not. Lunch will be around 120 Kc and it seems really cheap when in fact its more like 8 US dollars. So it sneaks up on ya. But we have found a couple good eats that arent too expensive and then there are grocery stores where we've bought food for lunches and whatnot that keep down the costs.

Transportation has been a lot of fun too. So far we have only used the metro to get around. I have never been on a subway type system before I dont think and it is really an experience. You take this escalator down this huge tunnel, which the way the lines of the tunnel are constructed make you feel like you're off balance. Its a really weird feeling. But we have figured it out mostly and are able to get around at least.

We also had a class on Sunday where we learned some Czech phrases...which has helped because people cannot speak english as well as I thought they would here. Here are some basic phrases though:

good day - dobryden (dobre-den)
goodbye - nashledanou (nas-kla-dan-o)
thank you - dekuji (deh-kwee)
youre welcome, please, and excuse me - prosim (pro-seem)

I'm sure that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all of the things i will learn about the city and culture of Prague. Im excited to see what else there is.

School started today as well and we're going to be shooting some images in the next couple days as we jump into our assignments. We are split into groups of three and we'll be taking trips around the city to capture images from these different areas. So look for those to come soon.

Across the Pond

2008-05-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

So we finally made it! Im in Prague. Whew! But im only going to write a short entry because I am extremely jet lagged and need sleep before trying to do anything else.

The rest of our travels were very seamless and easy after our first escapades in Washington. We arrived in Prague about 9:30 in the morning (3:30 am our time) and made our way to the pension (hotel). We checked in and got directions to the institute where everyone else was meeting at 9:30 for a history lesson and orientation. We did as much as we could with the group but we were total zombies by this point and had to go back to take a nap. We had been awake for 26 hours straight at this point. But Prague is beautiful and very different from what I had envisioned. But this is another blog. Goodnight everyone...its time for some make up sleep.

Mayday Mayday

2008-05-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Its not that bad...but our travels so far have been far from ideal. I was prepared way before time to leave for the airport. We stopped for a relaxing lunch and picked up a few last items before cruising over the terminals. We checked our bags with no problems and had a good hour and a half to wait for our plane to arrive...which I spent trying to complete our assignments for upcoming class. But then our leisurely wait turned sour. Our original schedule was to fly out of Raleigh Durham to Washington on United flight 7237 at 4:59. We would then have 40 minutes to connect to our next flight. Well...flight 7237 was late and didn't leave for Washington till 5:25 arriving at Washington/Dulles at 6:40, leaving 10 minutes to get on our other plane.

So we make a no mercy mad dash to gate C11, knocking children and old people alike out of our way. We rush up to the gate counter, out of breath of course, to only find out they have given our seats to others and that our plane is about to leave. We are sent to the customer service station, which is at the other end of the terminal, for further assistance. When we get there it is obvious that a lot of other people are in the same boat as we are because the line wraps into at least 4 bends out into the terminal floor. So...we wait and wait and wait some more.

It takes about an hour and a half before we reach the front which didn't mean much. When we are next in line it so happens that it is also time for the agents at the desk to take their breaks so all the available agents leave. So we wait some more. But to make a long story short we have to haggle with the agents that finally helps us for another hour and a half to accommodate us for the night and redirect our flights. So I write this entry from a two bedroom suite, complete with kitchen and huge bathroom, in Washington DC. We were given food vouchers to feed an army and our flights have been redirected.
My new flight schedule is as follows:

Lufthansa flight 8833:
Departs from Washington/Dulles at 330pm
Arrives at Frankfurt at 5:30 am

Lufthansa flight 3258:
Departs from Frankfurt at 8:20 am
Arrives at Prague at 9:20 am

So it hasn't been the smoothest of travels but we are on the way. I guess its not about where you're going but how you get there and this has made for a good journey so far.

First Things First

2008-04-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Prague!

This summer I will be studying abroad in the capitol of the Czech Republic for 6 weeks, May 15th to June 29th. This blog will provide a place to document my trip for myself and all those at home.

But first things first, a little background on Prague:

Prague, the capitol of the Czech Republic, is situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia. The Czech state is landlocked surrounded by Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria. The Czech people have witnessed a declaration of independence, Nazi control, communism behind the Iron Curtain and capitalist democracy, and all that in the 20th century. Needless to say it is the rich history of the capitol city that makes Prague so appealing. Prague is mostly known for its architecture, which ranges from Art Nouveau to Baroque, Renaissance, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern. It is this diversity of styles that makes Prague one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and on of the most visited in the world.

So this is going to be a trip of a life time! Not only will we be in an amazing European city for six weeks, we get to design in an amazing European city. This six-week studio is divided in two three week segments. In the first three weeks we will be photographing the city and our journeys as documentation as a way of telling a story. The second three weeks we will be using these photographs in a series of book design-based projects. We have been given writings from various Czech émigré authors. We will use the sense of place created in their fiction to interpret Prague through our photographic depictions. We will also be writing our own texts through journaling our reflections about our time in a foreign culture. Excerpts of the Czech authors will be combined with a short manuscript that we edit from our journal to comprise the final text for the book. We will then combine photographs and texts to design a complex book to be assembled upon return.

I will be uploading the images I take during my trip as well as letting everyone know a little bit about what I'm experiencing. So make sure you check in often. But to start out letting everyone know where ill be I am including my flight schedule to conclude this post.

From Home to Prague:

Depart: Thu, May 15 04:59p Raleigh-Durham, US (RDU)
Arrive: Thu, May 15 06:09p Washington Dulles International Apt, US (IAD)
United Airlines Flight UA7237

Depart: Thu, May 15 06:51p Washington Dulles International Apt, US (IAD)
Arrive: Fri, May 16 09:10a Frankfurt International Apt, DE (FRA)
United Airlines Flight UA952 (overnight flight)

Depart: Fri, May 16 12:15p Frankfurt International Apt, DE (FRA)
Arrive: Fri, May 16 01:15p Prague, CZ (PRG)
United Airlines Flight UA8733

From Prague to Home:

Depart: Sun, Jun 29 07:15a Prague, CZ (PRG)
Arrive: Sun, Jun 29 08:15a Munich International Apt, DE (MUC)
Lufthansa German Airlines Flight LH3277

Depart: Sun, Jun 29 09:50a Munich International Apt, DE (MUC)
Arrive: Sun, Jun 29 01:00p Washington Dulles International Apt, US (IAD)
Lufthansa German Airlines Flight LH414

Depart: Sun, Jun 29 03:35p Washington Dulles International Apt, US (IAD)
Arrive: Sun, Jun 29 04:41p Raleigh-Durham, US (RDU)
United Airlines Flight UA7714

The next time I post ill be in Prague! I hope to hear from you all soon.