Hi All,
Last night was daylight savings time in Europe, so I'm on the bus now with a busload of groggy students. The good news is that we are off to Berlin.
I'm going to write my next blog entry on the bus. I'll update my blog once I get my wifi in Berlin.
Mike
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Praga (Prague): Day 1
Dobry Den!
That's hello in Czech. Yes, after a 17 hour bus ride I am finally in Prague! We have a very, very small group. Our tour guide, Savage, and the three of us from Rome (all from IES) left at 5:30 PM. At around 9:30 PM, we got to Florence. The traffic was horrible! In Florence, we picked up 22 girls and headed for Prague. We stopped at around midnight for a half hour bathroom break and got into Prague at 10:30 AM. The bus ride honestly wasn't that bad. We watched a few movies (Kill Bill Volume 1, Out Cold, and Forrest Gump) before our DVD player broke. I pulled my iPad out and watched half of Eurotrip (how appropriate) and about an hour of the BYU v. Florida game before trying to sleep. Since there was only 25 of us, we each got our own seat to lay across. I would say I got about 4 or 5 hours of sleep, so I can't complain. I normally don't sleep that well on a buses or airplanes, but think I'll be a pro by the end of this trip!
When we arrived into Prague, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite cities. Each building is unique in its own way and has a lot of character. I think the best way to describe Prague is that it has a great deal of history, but was built more recently than a city like Rome.
We are staying at the Czech Inn - the nicest hostel I have stayed at yet. I will talk about it and try to get pictures up tomorrow. After we arrived, we ran upstairs to wash up and came right back downstairs. The hostel has a full breakfast buffet - American style. Toast, butter, jam, cheese, ham, tomatoes, oranges, yogurt, granola, eggs, orange juice, and American coffee. It was phenomenal. The only thing I am concerned about now is that the coffee was not very strong. I am hoping it was just the coffee and not the fact that my taste buds have changed and are now used to the Italian espresso shot. I will see when I return back to the USA.
After wolfing down breakfast, we had a walking tour of Prague. Our guide met us at the hostel and we took the tram for about 10 minutes to downtown Prague to start our tour. Our guide was phenomenal - energetic, enthusiastic, and entertaining. One of the funniest parts of the tour happened within the first 20 seconds he started speaking. A "Czech Crazy" (his words, not mine) stood behind him and started mimicking him as he talked. Then, he interrupted and told our guide something about where he should take us. It was in Czech, so all I could understand was the fact that he was pointing around the corner. After about 30 seconds everyone exchanging awkward looks the "Czech Crazy" left.
Our tour guide crammed about 1500 years of history into the first five minutes of the tour (it's a good thing I'm not getting tested on it). The one thing I was intrigued by was that Prague used to be the center of the Holy Roman Empire. I love cities with lots of history!
After our guide's spiel, he took us to Wenceslas Square - home to many protests against the communism imposed on the Czech people by the USSR after World War II. It was where Jan Palach set himself on fire to show his discontent with the government and where communism fell in Czechoslovakia in 1989, just one week after the fall of the Berlin Wall, as part of the Velvet Revolution.
Standing in the same square where communism fell 21 years ago was enough to give me goosebumps. I have always been fascinated by history and, while I've been studying in Europe, have specifically become more intrigued about the Cold War and the revolutions across Europe that overthrew communism. I feel that they are even more relevent now with everything that is going on in Northern Africa.
After this, our tour guide took us to Old Town Square which is home to the world famous Astronomical Clock. It was absolutely beautiful and packed with people. We had just missed the hourly show that the clock performs from the hours of 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, so I had to go back later.
After this, we went to the Jewish Area of Prague and to see a famous classical music performance hall. Both were gorgeous - I went back to the Jewish Area later to go to a museum, so I won't get into too much detail now. Our final stop was to see Saint Charles Bridge and Prague Castle from the distance.
After the tour was over, myself and a girl from IES Rome, Daniela, went to a Jewish Holocaust Museum. It had three things that I found particularly moving. It had a room with the names, dates of birth, and dates of death of all 77,297 people who died during the holocaust. One of the names I saw was only three years old. The room quantified the unquantifiable. The second room I found particularly moving was a room with drawings of children who were in a concentration camp. An under the table project, the kids drew anything they wanted. They were not dreary, but hopeful of what the future held for them and their families. All of these kids were sent to Auschwitz - they were deprived of their hopes and their future. As hard as it was to walk around the room, it is even harder to write about it. The third thing I saw was the Jewish Cemetery. There are over 12,000 gravestones in it, but due to the lack of room coffins were placed on top of each other (up to 13 of them).
After the museum, we walked around a bit admiring the great scenery that Prague has to offer while still reflecting on what we just saw.
Then, we split up and I saw the show at the Astronomical Clock. It was a bit cheesy, but something that you need to do when you visit Prague. After this, I went to the Museum of Communism.
I guarantee Karl Marx is rolling over in his grave right now. The museum was situated above a McDonald's and next to a Casino - two symbols of good old Capitalism. The museum itself was great. It told the story of the nation of Czechoslovakia under Communism.
Well, that was my day in Prague. Tomorrow morning, we are going to the John Lennon Wall and I am going to take a tour of Prague Castle. I can't wait!
That's hello in Czech. Yes, after a 17 hour bus ride I am finally in Prague! We have a very, very small group. Our tour guide, Savage, and the three of us from Rome (all from IES) left at 5:30 PM. At around 9:30 PM, we got to Florence. The traffic was horrible! In Florence, we picked up 22 girls and headed for Prague. We stopped at around midnight for a half hour bathroom break and got into Prague at 10:30 AM. The bus ride honestly wasn't that bad. We watched a few movies (Kill Bill Volume 1, Out Cold, and Forrest Gump) before our DVD player broke. I pulled my iPad out and watched half of Eurotrip (how appropriate) and about an hour of the BYU v. Florida game before trying to sleep. Since there was only 25 of us, we each got our own seat to lay across. I would say I got about 4 or 5 hours of sleep, so I can't complain. I normally don't sleep that well on a buses or airplanes, but think I'll be a pro by the end of this trip!
When we arrived into Prague, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite cities. Each building is unique in its own way and has a lot of character. I think the best way to describe Prague is that it has a great deal of history, but was built more recently than a city like Rome.
We are staying at the Czech Inn - the nicest hostel I have stayed at yet. I will talk about it and try to get pictures up tomorrow. After we arrived, we ran upstairs to wash up and came right back downstairs. The hostel has a full breakfast buffet - American style. Toast, butter, jam, cheese, ham, tomatoes, oranges, yogurt, granola, eggs, orange juice, and American coffee. It was phenomenal. The only thing I am concerned about now is that the coffee was not very strong. I am hoping it was just the coffee and not the fact that my taste buds have changed and are now used to the Italian espresso shot. I will see when I return back to the USA.
After wolfing down breakfast, we had a walking tour of Prague. Our guide met us at the hostel and we took the tram for about 10 minutes to downtown Prague to start our tour. Our guide was phenomenal - energetic, enthusiastic, and entertaining. One of the funniest parts of the tour happened within the first 20 seconds he started speaking. A "Czech Crazy" (his words, not mine) stood behind him and started mimicking him as he talked. Then, he interrupted and told our guide something about where he should take us. It was in Czech, so all I could understand was the fact that he was pointing around the corner. After about 30 seconds everyone exchanging awkward looks the "Czech Crazy" left.
Our tour guide crammed about 1500 years of history into the first five minutes of the tour (it's a good thing I'm not getting tested on it). The one thing I was intrigued by was that Prague used to be the center of the Holy Roman Empire. I love cities with lots of history!
After our guide's spiel, he took us to Wenceslas Square - home to many protests against the communism imposed on the Czech people by the USSR after World War II. It was where Jan Palach set himself on fire to show his discontent with the government and where communism fell in Czechoslovakia in 1989, just one week after the fall of the Berlin Wall, as part of the Velvet Revolution.
 |
| Wenceslas Square |
Standing in the same square where communism fell 21 years ago was enough to give me goosebumps. I have always been fascinated by history and, while I've been studying in Europe, have specifically become more intrigued about the Cold War and the revolutions across Europe that overthrew communism. I feel that they are even more relevent now with everything that is going on in Northern Africa.
After this, our tour guide took us to Old Town Square which is home to the world famous Astronomical Clock. It was absolutely beautiful and packed with people. We had just missed the hourly show that the clock performs from the hours of 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, so I had to go back later.
 |
| Astronomical Clock |
After this, we went to the Jewish Area of Prague and to see a famous classical music performance hall. Both were gorgeous - I went back to the Jewish Area later to go to a museum, so I won't get into too much detail now. Our final stop was to see Saint Charles Bridge and Prague Castle from the distance.
 |
| Bell Tower in the Jewish Area - the clock in Hebrew goes counter-clockwise |
 |
| Music Hall |
 |
| Prague Castle |
 | ||
| Saint Charles Bridge |
After the tour was over, myself and a girl from IES Rome, Daniela, went to a Jewish Holocaust Museum. It had three things that I found particularly moving. It had a room with the names, dates of birth, and dates of death of all 77,297 people who died during the holocaust. One of the names I saw was only three years old. The room quantified the unquantifiable. The second room I found particularly moving was a room with drawings of children who were in a concentration camp. An under the table project, the kids drew anything they wanted. They were not dreary, but hopeful of what the future held for them and their families. All of these kids were sent to Auschwitz - they were deprived of their hopes and their future. As hard as it was to walk around the room, it is even harder to write about it. The third thing I saw was the Jewish Cemetery. There are over 12,000 gravestones in it, but due to the lack of room coffins were placed on top of each other (up to 13 of them).
 |
| Gravestones |
Then, we split up and I saw the show at the Astronomical Clock. It was a bit cheesy, but something that you need to do when you visit Prague. After this, I went to the Museum of Communism.
I guarantee Karl Marx is rolling over in his grave right now. The museum was situated above a McDonald's and next to a Casino - two symbols of good old Capitalism. The museum itself was great. It told the story of the nation of Czechoslovakia under Communism.
 |
| A picture of a 40 meter high statue of Lenin that used to be on a hill overlooking Prague |
 |
| A political cartoon against the USA and Capitalism |
Well, that was my day in Prague. Tomorrow morning, we are going to the John Lennon Wall and I am going to take a tour of Prague Castle. I can't wait!
Thanks for reading! I'll update soon!
Mike
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Midterms
Ciao!
I had Midterms this week - sounds like fun, right? I had 4 Midterms this week during my regular class time. My first midterm was on Tuesday for my Architecture class and was very hard. It did not correspond whatsoever with what she told us to study the day before. The whole class thinks they did bad on it, so we are hoping she will curve it.
On Wednesday, I had two exams. The first was for my class on Italy and the European Union. In contrast to the day before, the teacher's was spot on and I think I did very well. My second exam of the day was for "Memory and Conflict.". It was not that bad as it was based on our lectures and homework. The teacher said that we would have no problem if we did the homework and participate in class. He was mostly right - one of the four essay questions was a bit more in depth than I remember, but I think I did fine.
Today was my film midterm. It was very easy and a nice way to end the week. The Midterms over here were, in general, much easier than anything at Penn State. Most of this can be attributed to the fact that they were essays - the format I prefer. I feel that essays give you more leeway to showcase what you know whereas multiple choice exams are much more cut and dry.
After my exam, I ran to my apartment to pack the rest of my things, went to the Bancomat or ATM, grabbed some lunch, and headed to the train station. I am happy to report that I am currently on a bus that is Prague bound!
This Spring Break trip has kept me going all week - Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, and London. This is going to be the Spring Break trip of my life!
I'll update once I'm in Prague for a while!
Ciao,
Mike
I had Midterms this week - sounds like fun, right? I had 4 Midterms this week during my regular class time. My first midterm was on Tuesday for my Architecture class and was very hard. It did not correspond whatsoever with what she told us to study the day before. The whole class thinks they did bad on it, so we are hoping she will curve it.
On Wednesday, I had two exams. The first was for my class on Italy and the European Union. In contrast to the day before, the teacher's was spot on and I think I did very well. My second exam of the day was for "Memory and Conflict.". It was not that bad as it was based on our lectures and homework. The teacher said that we would have no problem if we did the homework and participate in class. He was mostly right - one of the four essay questions was a bit more in depth than I remember, but I think I did fine.
Today was my film midterm. It was very easy and a nice way to end the week. The Midterms over here were, in general, much easier than anything at Penn State. Most of this can be attributed to the fact that they were essays - the format I prefer. I feel that essays give you more leeway to showcase what you know whereas multiple choice exams are much more cut and dry.
After my exam, I ran to my apartment to pack the rest of my things, went to the Bancomat or ATM, grabbed some lunch, and headed to the train station. I am happy to report that I am currently on a bus that is Prague bound!
This Spring Break trip has kept me going all week - Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, and London. This is going to be the Spring Break trip of my life!
I'll update once I'm in Prague for a while!
Ciao,
Mike
Monday, March 21, 2011
Rome as a Tourist: Part II
Hi All!
Welcome to my new blog. I hope that you find this one a bit easier to follow. Before updating you on the past week, I want to go over the features of the new blog. On the right, you will find a few interesting links to my bucket list, IES Abroad, and two travel companies - Euroadventures and Bus2Alps. You can also subscribe to my blog via e-mail by putting your e-mail address in the "Follow by E-Mail". If you do this, you will receive an e-mail any time I update this blog. Finally, I have links to all my pictures on the right, so you can get a better idea of where I've been and what I've done. I hope this blog will enable me to post a bit more spontaneously and frequently as well.
Changing topics completely, last Thursday was Italy's 150th Anniversary of being a united country. This meant my favorite three words in the Italian lanuage - "non c'e scuola" - or "no school.". To celebrate, many of the museums in Rome were free. I took advantage of this by going to the first public museum ever created - the Capitoline Museum. It was comprised of a bunch of pieces of art donated to the city of Rome by the Catholic Church. It was huge! It had the famous statue of Romulus and Reamulus drinking milk from the she-wolf - I'd heard so much about it and was so happy to be able to finally see it. The museum also had amazing views of the Roman Forum!
On Friday, I took a tour of the Vatican Museum - it cost me €40 but was so worth it. I got to cut the four hour line and a phenomenal tour. I would not have been able to navigate the museum on my own, either. It has 1,200 rooms and 18 kilometers of hallways! We got to see the Belvedere Torso, Laocoon and his Sons, the Map Rooms, Raphael's Frescos, the Sistine Chapel, and the Last Judgement! It was an amazing experience. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgement were my favorite, though. I'd heard so much about them, but words cannot do it justice. Also, my tour guide put them into context which helps you appreciate them even more! I put the link to the tour group on the right - When In Rome Tours.
Friday night, we went to an area of Rome called Testaccio. It is a bunch of old warehouses they turned into bars. It was the home to quite a nightlife, though. I was happy because it was the first time I've gone anywhere at night that was not dominated by American students. One of the bars was even playing Italian dance music! I had a great time.
I spent the day on Saturday trying to study (even though none got done) and I couldn't do anything on Sunday because the Rome Marathon shut down the city.
My next post will be about midterm week in Rome - fun!
Welcome to my new blog. I hope that you find this one a bit easier to follow. Before updating you on the past week, I want to go over the features of the new blog. On the right, you will find a few interesting links to my bucket list, IES Abroad, and two travel companies - Euroadventures and Bus2Alps. You can also subscribe to my blog via e-mail by putting your e-mail address in the "Follow by E-Mail". If you do this, you will receive an e-mail any time I update this blog. Finally, I have links to all my pictures on the right, so you can get a better idea of where I've been and what I've done. I hope this blog will enable me to post a bit more spontaneously and frequently as well.
Changing topics completely, last Thursday was Italy's 150th Anniversary of being a united country. This meant my favorite three words in the Italian lanuage - "non c'e scuola" - or "no school.". To celebrate, many of the museums in Rome were free. I took advantage of this by going to the first public museum ever created - the Capitoline Museum. It was comprised of a bunch of pieces of art donated to the city of Rome by the Catholic Church. It was huge! It had the famous statue of Romulus and Reamulus drinking milk from the she-wolf - I'd heard so much about it and was so happy to be able to finally see it. The museum also had amazing views of the Roman Forum!
On Friday, I took a tour of the Vatican Museum - it cost me €40 but was so worth it. I got to cut the four hour line and a phenomenal tour. I would not have been able to navigate the museum on my own, either. It has 1,200 rooms and 18 kilometers of hallways! We got to see the Belvedere Torso, Laocoon and his Sons, the Map Rooms, Raphael's Frescos, the Sistine Chapel, and the Last Judgement! It was an amazing experience. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgement were my favorite, though. I'd heard so much about them, but words cannot do it justice. Also, my tour guide put them into context which helps you appreciate them even more! I put the link to the tour group on the right - When In Rome Tours.
Friday night, we went to an area of Rome called Testaccio. It is a bunch of old warehouses they turned into bars. It was the home to quite a nightlife, though. I was happy because it was the first time I've gone anywhere at night that was not dominated by American students. One of the bars was even playing Italian dance music! I had a great time.
I spent the day on Saturday trying to study (even though none got done) and I couldn't do anything on Sunday because the Rome Marathon shut down the city.
My next post will be about midterm week in Rome - fun!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Barcelona
Ciao Tutti,
A week or so ago, my ISC (Italian Student Companion), Silvio, had about ten of his friends over for dinner. I am happy to report that I was actually able to carry a conversation with them and understand the general ideas of what they were talking to each other about. We even played the Italian version of the game, Mafia. This was quite a challenge, but a great and fun experience!
Changing topics completely, last weekend I went to Barcelona. I arrived late on a Thursday night and took a train from the airport into the city center. By the time I got into the city center, the metro had stopped running (after midnight) so I had to take a taxi to my hostel. My hostel had a 91% review on HostelWorld.com, but I was immensely disappointed. I did not realize that the hostel only had a common bathroom in the hallway of every floor. I am so used to staying in hostels that have a bathroom in each room that this took a bit of getting used to.
A week or so ago, my ISC (Italian Student Companion), Silvio, had about ten of his friends over for dinner. I am happy to report that I was actually able to carry a conversation with them and understand the general ideas of what they were talking to each other about. We even played the Italian version of the game, Mafia. This was quite a challenge, but a great and fun experience!
Changing topics completely, last weekend I went to Barcelona. I arrived late on a Thursday night and took a train from the airport into the city center. By the time I got into the city center, the metro had stopped running (after midnight) so I had to take a taxi to my hostel. My hostel had a 91% review on HostelWorld.com, but I was immensely disappointed. I did not realize that the hostel only had a common bathroom in the hallway of every floor. I am so used to staying in hostels that have a bathroom in each room that this took a bit of getting used to.
On Friday, I took a free walking tour to see the architecture of one of Barcelona's most famous architects - Gaudi. His buildings made me feel like I was in Whoville and a world of Dr. Seuss, but they were really cool from the outside. It cost upwards of 18 euros to go in, so I decided that the views from the outside were good enough for me. We also saw a church that he designed over around 85 years ago that is still being built. It is a very complex church and they say it will not be done for at least another 25-30 years! That one complex building!
One of the houses Gaudi desgined
Another one of the houses Gaudi desgined
One of the three facades of Gaudi's church - the Sagrada Famiglia. Only two are finished. This is the Nativity Facade.
The Passion Facade. The Glory Facade just started construction.
After my walking tour, I took a hop on-hop off bus tour to see all of Barcelona. Barcelona is such a spread out city that the bus company had two different lines. It took me 6 hours to complete both lines, but I was happy I did it.
On Saturday, it poured the whole day. By this point, I had become a pro on navigating Barcelona's metro and decided to go to the Picasso Museum. The Picasso Museum was a homage to Picasso's older, lesser known works. All I knew about Picasso before this was that he painted "Scream," but was very intrigued by his life story. He moved around a lot and changed his artistic style about once or twice a year.
After the Picasso Museum, I decided to go to a restaurant to have typical Catalonian food - tapas. They are basically a bunch of small samples, so you order two or three and try a bit of everything. I had ham & cheese croquets and something very similar to sesame chicken. It was really, really good.
Then, even though it was raining, I embarked on my voyage to find Barceloneta Beach. By this point my map was useless because it was raining so hard, so I decided to follow the signs to the beach - big mistake. I wound up 3 kilometers out of my way and had to backtrack to see it. I was happy when I finally got there, though. It looked like a scene out of 2012, the waves were about four feet high (pretty high for the Mediterranean Sea and I saw the cliché surfboarder walking away from the sea. It was a beautiful beach, though.
The Beach
After this, I decided to walk and catch a metro back to my hostel. After an hour rest, I went to the only bar in Barcelona that was showing the Penn State v. Michigan State game for the Big Ten Semifinals. I think I managed to find the only empty bar in Barcelona, but a combination of a Penn State win and some nostalgic food like quesadillas and chicken tenders was enough to make my day.
Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day. I loved it! I woke up early in the morning to walk the "La Rambla", a very famous tourist promenade where artists and cafes line the streets. I decided to grab a seat and order "Churros and Chocolate" and people watch. They were so good.
La Rambla
Chocolate & Churros
After that, I took another walking tour of Barcelona. This one was a tour of Barcelona's historical center. It was beautiful and reminded me a lot of Rome. I gained some insight into the history of Barcelona that was absolutely fascinating like the fact that Barcelona used to be occupied by the Romans when it was a walled city (hence why it reminded me of historical Rome). Also, I learned that the people of Barcelona actually consider themselves to be Catalonian, not Spanish. They speak Catalonian and Spanish and are constantly protesting the Spanish government for their independence. I also got to see where the King of Catalonia greeted Christopher Columbus after discovering the New World. The final piece of trivia I learned was that Barcelona could have built the Eifel Tower instead of Paris, but the government thought it was too weird looking and built an arch instead - big mistake!
The steps that Christopher Columbus was welcomed back on
After the walking tour, I took the metro to Park Gϋell - another one of Gaudi's projects. It was declared a World Heritage Site a few years ago, so I figured a trip to Barcelona would not be complete without seeing it. Getting there was a difficult task. After taking the metro, it was a kilometer walk to a series of eight escalators to take you to the top of a mountain. At the top of this mountain, you had to walk down hill about a half of a kilometer to get to the park. By this point, I was exhausted. It was so worth it, though. I saw the longest bench I have ever seen and a bunch of other cool looking houses, sculptures, and architecture!
View from the Park
I think Dr. Seuss used to live here.....
An overhang at the park.
The other park entrance.
On my way back to the hostel to grab my bag, I found a Dunkin Coffee (they don't call them Dunkin Donuts over there) and splurged on the biggest ice coffee I have ever had. In Italy, I can only get an espresso - they really do not have American coffee. It was probably the best cup of coffee I've ever had (probably because I haven't had one in so long). I topped it off with a ham & cheese panini and a chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles - the icing on the cake.
After grabbing my bag at my hostel, I went to the airport and came back to Rome. In my next blog post (very soon, probably later today), I'll bring you up to date with everything I did this week and weekend, post a few pictures from the past month, and post the bucket list I made of things I need to do while I'm in Rome.
Ciao,
Mike
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