Nothing new

Haven't done much new stuff in Prague... we kinda ran out of new things to do. Hence the lack of posts lately.

We are going to the Prague food festival tomorrow, though! Assuming I finish my papers.

Cesky Krumlov on Tuesday - Thursday, and we are going white water rafting. Then home on Saturday. Almost done.

PICTURES

Since I'm too lazy to upload individual pictures to entries (maybe I will later), I'll just post my facebook albums here.

Prague, Czech Republic:
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Budapest, Hungary:
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Karlstejn Castle & Terezin, Czech Republic (Day Trips with the Family):
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Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic (Bike Trip):
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Berlin, Germany:
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Berlin, Germany - Graffiti/Art Scene:
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Dresden, Germany
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Haha, I just realized this blog is still in U.S. time, so it looks like I post things in the morning. I don't. We're nine hours ahead (of the west coast) here.

Berlin - A Recap

Left for Berlin on a chartered bus at 8am Monday morning. Internet there cost me 1.5 euro/hour so I chose not to post. I'll try to remember what we did. I'll backdate these entries.

Also, thoughts on Germany:
I really liked it there (except for the fact that I was extremely allergic. One zyrtec + one benadryl a day did not seem to have any effect, unfortunately). I like the German sense of humor: very dry and not always obvious. Often sarcastic. Reminds me a bit of Czech humor. I think I've always had a bit of an aversion to Germany because of its Nazi past. I've never had any desire to visit before this. It's strange. But now that I've been there, I would be really interested in spending more time there. Anyway.

Dresden & VW

Just returned from Berlin! Internet was 1.5 euro/hour there so I chose to wait until I returned to Prague to post. Actually, for now I'm going to post about Dresden, though, which is where we were today (on the way back).

First we went to a VW manufacturing plant where they make the Phaeton, a luxury car. I guess I'm not that interested in cars, and honestly it was a little sickening to me. So much awesome technology and so much care and effort put into these... cars. Seemed like a huge waste of time to me. I mean, I appreciate that Vera and Michael set this up and gave us the opportunity to take the tour (which apparently is something a lot of people like to do), but it wasn't my thing at all.

I enjoyed walking around Dresden much more than the tour. It is a beautiful city. It was very strange, though. I mean, before this, all I knew was that Dresden was in Germany, and it was heavily, heavily bombed by the Americans during WWII. How do I know this? Through Slaughterhouse Five (Kurt Vonnegut). It's kinda sickening that I didn't know anything about it prior to reading the short story. No one here seemed to know about the bombings. Telling of the American education I suppose. These were not minor bombings. This was massive devastation. The entire city was bombed out and rebuilt. I felt guilty being there, being an American. I felt guilty for the lack of knowledge our group had about the city and its past and the bombings, felt guilty enjoying Dresden. But I did enjoy it. It has since been rebuilt completely. That was strange to me to... that there were no visible remnants of that past. Everything was intact, grandiose, beautiful.

Anyway, we walked through a beautiful marketplace. I saw a lot of jewelry that Zoe would love, but I already bought her some presents and I was out of Euro. Ah well.

Back in Prague now.

Felt suit... not art.

Unfortunately, our concentration camp visit was cancelled because the only English speaking guide was sick, and Vera didn't quite speak enough German to translate. I'm still impressed that she speaks some German along with her Czech, English, and Slovak. Anyway, instead we went to a modern art museum which contained Warhol pieces. Unfortunately, the permanent exhibition was closed and instead all we could see was a terrible temporary exhibition. Terrible. Terrible! Can I emphasize this more? I wrote in my journal there:

This museum is already SO ridiculous and this voice commentary is NOT helping matters! Ty Huynh and I are very unsuccessfully trying not to laugh aloud. =) I feel like someone just BSed their way through art (neon lights, felt suit). How does this voice-over person manage not to laugh? "I'm a transmitter and I broadcast." - Beuyc, crazy artist. One hour of artistic propaganda and Ty Huynh believes! HAH. For me? Hell no! Crap is still crap no matter how long you stare at it.

That about sums it up. The felt suit was exactly that. A suit... made of felt. The commentary was so funny we listened to it three times. The person discussed how it was a suit like one you would wear except it wasn't hemmed, and it was made of felt which was to show that we are all isolated at some point because felt is a fabric which keeps in heat so it's like being kept in your little bubble of warmth, etc. Then they went on talking about Ibis and Egyptian goddesses and such. The neon light exhibit was... a bunch of neon lights. That the artist just found somewhere and put on the wall. It was art because of "the way the light was placed and the feeling it gave to the room." Um. Eight green neon lights on the inside wall and eight blue neon lights on the outside wall DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ART! Okay, so I did just argue in my six-page art essay that anything can be considered art. But if nothing else, this is not GOOD art. That I will stand by.

The gift shop was nearly redemptive enough. Should have just spent my time there. Spent like half an hour looking through a book of graffiti. SO cool! Then saw books of outfits, probably mostly from girls in Harajuku. Looked at a book of tattoos. So awesome!

Anyway. That was that. Then we went on a three hour boat cruise. Was random but relaxing at least.

JJ, Ty Huynh and I walked around before getting to the restaurant. We went into the former-school-turned-art-hangout. SO awesome. Graffiti everywhere. Cool graffiti. Cobras and such! I love love love graffiti! It made me really happy. I bought a print (and saw the actual painting, pretty awesome) and a pair of earrings. =) Also entered into some sort of art encampment, with painted vans and lots of people dressed like hippies. Looking happy. Huge pieces of metallic artwork and an outdoor bar. Awesome. Took over 100 pictures of the two places in total.

Went to get Singapore-style food with JJ & Ty Huynh. It was happy hour. They got drinks. I made JJ laugh while he was taking a sip of his mixed drink, and the alcohol went up his nose and came back out. Apparently it burns... haha. It was quite amusing. Ty Huynh chased her stronger mixed drink with her weaker mixed drink. Oh dear.

Jewish Quarter in Berlin

Hour-long walk through the neighborhood. We were in the former Jewish quarter. Saw a Berlin synagogue which was oddly built/designed by a Christian architect. Interestingly, Otto von Bismarck (possibly Germany's greatest leader) attended the inauguration. It was rescued during Kristallnacht despite everything else around it being destroyed, by a police captain who claimed the building as a national landmark, thus granting it protection under the law. For his courageous act, he was released from the police force, but the building does stand today.

We saw the site of a Jewish school. We thought the barrier in front of the building was for construction but turns out it was an anti-terrorism measure. The first female rabbi ever was educated there.

Walked through a park and saw a memorial entitled "The Room that was Left Behind." It was a metallic sculpture of an upright table with chairs in disarray (one having fallen down). It was to commemorate the expulsion of the German Jews from Berlin, and the memorial had a poem around the edges. The piece was about interruption.

We came across the Jewish cemetery in Berlin, which unfortunately is no longer intact. The Nazis used the gravestones to reinforce gutters so almost the entire graveyard was essentially destroyed, except for a few gravestones, one being that of Moses Mendelssohn, founder of the Berlin Enlightenment (and a Jew). Outside, there was a memorial to the female victims of Fascism, with no reference to the fact that it was placed in front of a Jewish cemetery. Strange.

Ty Huynh and I tried pho for dinner. It did not qualify as pho.

Mmm mango lassi ice cream!

Took a walk to the DDR museum (not like the video game but like GDR). Again, another cool, interactive museum. There was a closet where everyone could pick old school clothing to try on, and an old car you could ride in. There were drawers and cabinets to open all over the place with exhibits inside, and headphones to listen to.

Afterward, Ty Huynh and I went to get ice cream. Mango lassi ice cream: SO, SO delicious!

Later that day was a long bus tour. Saw the Berlin wall & extension of the Berlin wall memorial. Saw another Pieta (there are so many) inside a Pantheon-esque building (well, with the hole in the ceiling).

There was a memorial in one of the big squares. One was to memorialize the book-burning event where many young Germans, mostly Nazi affiliated, collected and mass-burnt Jewish books. Nearby, a plaque reads (in German): "Where books burn, people will burn also." A post-book-burning, pre-Holocaust quote. Eerie.

Saw the Olympic stadium in Berlin. Quite impressive. Passed by Potsdamer Plats, formerly the site of Hitler's headquarters. Now it is a gigantic shopping area. Controversy ensues.

We ended at the German Parliamentary building. It was impressive, to say the least. We had the best tour guide. I must say that I very much enjoy the German sense of humor. Beautiful building, lots of pictures. The rooftop dome was amazing. Cool mirror structure. The dome is open at the top. The guide left us before we reached the dome, but he did pre-empt our questions. "People like to ask if the dome is open at the top. The answer is yes. Then people always ask what happens if it rains. The answer is, we get wet."

And yes, we went to the thai place again for lunch AND dinner that day. Heh. Well I did. Ty Huynh and JJ each accompanied me for 2/3 of the times...

Hookers

Went to the Story of Berlin museum. It was an awesome, interactive museum. Walked us through the history of the city. My favorite was the pieces of the Berlin wall, which were painted and displayed in one of the exhibits. The museum would have been more fun if I wasn't so tired, but that is my own fault.

Thai restaurant for dinner! Finally, decent asian food. I was quite pleased. Mango milkshake: delicious.

Saw five hookers on the way home from the restaurant. Apparently it's legal here.

Chill day

Hung out with my friend, James, and his friend, Steve, again today. Was pretty fun- very relaxing. First, James and I went to see the National Museum. They have a massive dead animal collection, which was reminiscent of the Museum of Natural History in DC. I really liked it. Saw some other exhibits as well - prehistory and such. Paleontology was quite boring. The building was absolutely beautiful inside.

We walked around Wenceslas a bit, and went into the Municipal Theatre, but didn't have time to take the tour because he had to pick up his stuff from the hostel. After that we ate, then met up with Steve and went to hang out by the river for awhile. Prague can be a very relaxing city. Beautiful as well. Walked around the Charles Bridge during sunset.

Then we walked to the Florenc (bus/metro stop) where we parted ways. I'm glad James visited- it was nice hanging out with him this weekend. =) And it was cool meeting Steve- seemed like an interesting guy. Steve's girlfriend Therese (I don't know how it's spelled), and their friend Trish also visited, but I didn't talk to them quite as much. Trish wasn't as interested in the museum so we lost her at some point today, and Steve and Therese mostly did their own thing until she left on the bus at 4 today.

So yeah. All in all a good, relaxing day. Now I have to write my papers...

National Theatre

We just went to see a ballet called Solo for Three at the National Theatre. It is a beautiful building. I suppose ballets aren't quite my style, but I did find it interesting and I am impressed with the dancers' ability.

I found it quite funny that at the end, the cast came out not once, nor twice... but FIVE times for applause. As in come up and bow several times (in rows or all at once), then run back and let the curtain close. Then have it open again. Five times! Hehe. Ty Huynh and I were honestly just laughing the whole time... like OH NO they're back!

Also, Kate and I went to a bead shop here! =)

James is visiting this weekend! Hung out with him and 3 of his friends who are also visiting for most of yesterday. Was pretty fun. We walked around a lot: Old Town, Wenceslas, Vysehrad, etc. I'm hanging out with him again tomorrow (after I write at least one paper today...) before he leaves to go back to Giessen, Germany!

Weird.

Yesterday Ty Huynh and I were sitting in Wenceslas Square eating a sausage from a vendor. A group of five weird guys were blowing into tubes just to make loud noises and laughing like crazy. Suddenly, one of the guys walks toward us and I saw him, but Ty Huynh was facing me and she didn't see him. He sneaks up and then blows the tube right in our faces. Ty Huynh screamed. I just looked at him... and we walked away.

Interesting to see that Seattle isn't the only home for crazy people.

Mucha!

Today we went to see the Mucha (famous, prolific Czech artist) museum for art history class. He is quite impressive, as my parents suggested. I ended up buying a poster because I really liked his work. Good call, family. =)

We also had a guest lecturer come in to talk to us about the Roma. Her name is Gwen, and she is an American who has been here for 15 years trying to help fight anti-Roma discrimination. She is extremely cynical at this point, and rightfully so (in my opinion). It was interesting, but sad to see how much of a failed struggle much of it is so far. Let's just say... slow progress.

My friend James visits on Friday, and we go to Berlin next week, so I think both events will be fun! =)

Today, at the Mucha museum, Ty Huynh bought a book of traditional Czech fairy tales (in English). We decided to read one at dinner (Kate made curry for us three), so we chose "Kate and the Devil" in honor of Kate. It was twisted and depressing! Interesting, I suppose. I am too lazy to recount the story at the moment...

Time to sleep!

Bike trip to Southern Bohemia

So I haven't written in a little while, but hey. It happens.

Bike trip to Southern Bohemia was a bit of a bust for me and Kate, not being stellar cyclists. There were a whole host of reasons in addition. Not quite as "easy" a bike trip as promised, lots of gravel/big rocks/puddles, program-rented bike so big that I could barely get on the bike, my bike skills extremely rusty, almost everyone else's not, Kate & I got left behind... so we took two turns praying we were going the right way, HUGE rain/thunder/lightning storm hit (the rain here hurts like hell) midst-bike trip so we had to take shelter for 1/2 hour, all of our stuff inside our backpacks were soaked, including some of my medicines -> mush, soggy papers, and my phone completely drenched (not sure if it works anymore), lunch ended up being really shitty at this place we had to wait 2 hours for food and they ran out of most dishes, big leg bruise, millions of mosquitos, beds at the destination hostel had about a 1-inch thick mattress and no discernible pillow, and I got sick the next day.

On a more positive note, this random dude saw us huddled next to a building hiding from the storm, so he let us sit in chairs on his back porch to wait out the storm. Was really nice of him.

So yeah. The next day Kate and I took the train instead while everyone biked more. So we managed to avoid the area where Ty Huynh ate a mosquito because there were so many swarming, the four-bike pile-up, and the other various crashes from the sandy areas (no one crashed on day one). Instead, we had pretty good luck catching the train to Veseli, then Trebon. We saw Vera (program director) there and she managed to help us drop off the bikes (since the bike place was on lunch break, but of course her speaking Czech helped... she got someone else to store the bikes). Then we had a leisurely day in Trebon, which is a beautiful city. Had a delicious lunch, though I forgot the cardinal rule: never order a side of vegetables in the Czech Republic (you would think I would have learned by now). Vegetable side dish = pickled red cabbage, pickled white cabbage, pickled carrots, one tomato wedge and a slice of cucumber. No joke. Was okay though, the crepe dessert was awesome. Hung out at the main square, where they were having an animated film festival (though I saw no screens in sight), which meant an interesting marketplace. Got a few pieces of inexpensive but pretty jewelry, one for Zoe. Had inexpensive, delicious ice cream, and chilled in the park until it was time to meet the group.

So overall the second day was fairly redemptive.

On a bit of a more startling note, I almost forgot to mention that we witnessed a guy leaving a girl (we think) a few days ago. Of course, it was all in Czech, so we could not be sure, but as we were walking home, a window across the street from our apartment complex was open. There was a girl in her underwear standing almost completely out of the huge, open window screaming at the top of her lungs while crying uncontrollably. She kept waving something and yelling at someone, so we looked down to see a car starting with a guy in it. He completely ignored her and drove off. Once he left, she just sat down and kept talking and crying. It was really sad.