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...
Monday, June 9, 2008
Berlin Attitude
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Czech it out.
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
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
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
People Watching
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)
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)
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