To begin I've been rereading my previous posts and noticed that I have commited a tremendous amount of spelling errors and mistakes. So I blame it on foreign keyboards and lack of sleep.
When I first heard of the concept of night trains I thought it was the perfect solution to a) saving money since I wouldn't have to pay for a hostel one night and b) it would be less of a hassle than flying. Well I was right about the cheaper. I dont know if part b was actually true. So we start by taking the amazingly named ICE trains which is the German version of high speed intercity trains and the trip went well. We made it to Dusseldorf from Essen in around 24 mins. We arrive at the Dusseldorf HBF and it is as busy as any modern airport with people of all ethnicites and nationalities walking about trying to get to their destination. This is however where the problems started. Frankly put: our train was not listed anywhere. We went up to the information desk and the lady completely shut us down and got surly. She could not believe that we had the gall to ask if the train was still coming.
We ended up realizing after much scrutiny that our train was actually made up of 3 different trains. One part was heading to Prague, the one we needed, one was heading to Moscow, and one was heading to Copenhagen. After making sure we got onto the right section of the train we quickly came to the realization that there was a lack of seats and only private booths and couchettes. We ended up ducking into a private booth that was empty and feared when the conductor came by to chec our tickets . We didnt get kicked out but people who actually had assigned seats came by and the booth ended up being completely packed. To cut a long story short, it was by far the craziest 11 hour trip of any kind I have ever taken. We still have one more night train ride from Budapest to Munich left on our intinerary which is 11 hours. We however upgraded those seats to couchettes so maybe we'll be travelling in comfort.
So Prague. Our time here has been hands down the most relaxing portion of the trip in my opinion. Its been nice and sunny, which a light breeze and we have just wondered the city soaking in the sights and the suprisingly cheerful nature of the city. I was expecting a grey overcast city that was dark and gothic and burdened by Communism but what we got was a city that was bright , full of life and where the beer is cheaper than water. Ive read somewhere that this is one of the only major cities that avoided devastation during wwII and it shows as its old nature has been maintained. It is also very green and suprisingly romantic.I would completely recommend making a stop here a central-eastern european trip is on the horizon. It is rather small and the 3 full days we spent here was more than enough but even today our third day here we have managed to find new things to do. Of note was our pedal boat trip down the river which gave us a unique view of the city.
Tomorrow we travel to Budapest where we will hopefully go to the turkish baths.
Adeu,
Alan
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Spain and Germany: a Tale of Two cities
So we last left our hero in Madrid heading out for the San Isidro festival and hopefully a good time. It wasnt quite up to La Merce standards but it was still fun as a group of us went to the gardens in front of the royal palace where the city had set up a huge dance floor and a stage where a full band from the big band era played all the classic spanish/ latin styles of music. Now as many of you may know I'm not exactly the best dancer or the most enthusiastic dancer but we still stayed out dancing and in spite of myself I had a great time.
Sunday was our explore Madrid-on-our-own-as-we-prepare-to-leave-monday day and we decided to head to el parque del retiro where we ended up spending a good 3 hours just sitting and talking and drinking wine enjoying the view and the grogeous weather. The constant movement and lack of sleep had finally caught up to me and I ended up taking a nap. My friends thought i looked like a bear just taking a big ole bear nap and now there are pictures of me sprawled out over the interwebs somewhere.
Since our flight was during the evening on Monday we decided to check out the Reina Sofia museum of modern art. As some of you may know as well I am not an art guy, prefering music but I must admit that i enjoyed it. This was my second time in the museum and I guess I brought in an older and more mature mindset. This doesnt mean I enjoyed all of it mind you. I mean I understand it on an intellectual level. I understand the need to express oneself in an era where photography, the industrial revolution and industrialized war is changing the way we as humans see the world and ultimately ourselves. I just don't particulary care for it. I did however like a painting by Juan Gris, who was a cubist, and Ill post it at a later time. Maybe I enjoyed it more because I decided to buy the little narrating headphones, so thanks to my friend Jenny for that idea.
Ryanair are still a bunch of bastards but they managed to get me and my group to our destination in one piece so that's all I'll say about that.
So Germany. I must say that my first impressions of Essen were tainted by the fact that the weather was grey and dark and just plain gloomy all of tuesday.Today was a better day however and it looked a lot better in sunlight. We also toured a old coal mine that had been converted into a museum and maybe its the history geek in me but I really liked seeing the industrial capacity( or atleast the remenants) that made this region of Germany an industrial powerhouse both in the past and the present. Essen was also basically the town of the Krupp family industrial empire. The museum had neat projectors that showed how the coal went through from factory to coke and I wish more museums were that informative and interactive for the lack of a better word. It helped that our tourguy had the weirdest laugh and would crack some pretty terrible jokes.
I have to say that personally the best part of both the European trips I've taken has been being able to see the history.As a history major it is very satisfying being able to actually feel and live and experience everything I have read and learned over the years. I have been spouting history left and right and hopefully my group doesnt think Im trying to show off or am annoying. I'm just trying to share my knowledge as I feel that by knowing the historical context of a place one can better appreciate the present.
Honestly I cannot wait to plan for my next trip here which will hopefully take me to Italy and Greece where I can really live my passion of both the Ancient Greek and Roman history. I find it curious that when I look at a map of Italy I can tell you where cities are but only by their latin names.
So unless something really exciting happens the next blog post will be from Prague and the Czech Republic.
Adeu,
Alan
Sunday was our explore Madrid-on-our-own-as-we-prepare-to-leave-monday day and we decided to head to el parque del retiro where we ended up spending a good 3 hours just sitting and talking and drinking wine enjoying the view and the grogeous weather. The constant movement and lack of sleep had finally caught up to me and I ended up taking a nap. My friends thought i looked like a bear just taking a big ole bear nap and now there are pictures of me sprawled out over the interwebs somewhere.
Since our flight was during the evening on Monday we decided to check out the Reina Sofia museum of modern art. As some of you may know as well I am not an art guy, prefering music but I must admit that i enjoyed it. This was my second time in the museum and I guess I brought in an older and more mature mindset. This doesnt mean I enjoyed all of it mind you. I mean I understand it on an intellectual level. I understand the need to express oneself in an era where photography, the industrial revolution and industrialized war is changing the way we as humans see the world and ultimately ourselves. I just don't particulary care for it. I did however like a painting by Juan Gris, who was a cubist, and Ill post it at a later time. Maybe I enjoyed it more because I decided to buy the little narrating headphones, so thanks to my friend Jenny for that idea.
Ryanair are still a bunch of bastards but they managed to get me and my group to our destination in one piece so that's all I'll say about that.
So Germany. I must say that my first impressions of Essen were tainted by the fact that the weather was grey and dark and just plain gloomy all of tuesday.Today was a better day however and it looked a lot better in sunlight. We also toured a old coal mine that had been converted into a museum and maybe its the history geek in me but I really liked seeing the industrial capacity( or atleast the remenants) that made this region of Germany an industrial powerhouse both in the past and the present. Essen was also basically the town of the Krupp family industrial empire. The museum had neat projectors that showed how the coal went through from factory to coke and I wish more museums were that informative and interactive for the lack of a better word. It helped that our tourguy had the weirdest laugh and would crack some pretty terrible jokes.
I have to say that personally the best part of both the European trips I've taken has been being able to see the history.As a history major it is very satisfying being able to actually feel and live and experience everything I have read and learned over the years. I have been spouting history left and right and hopefully my group doesnt think Im trying to show off or am annoying. I'm just trying to share my knowledge as I feel that by knowing the historical context of a place one can better appreciate the present.
Honestly I cannot wait to plan for my next trip here which will hopefully take me to Italy and Greece where I can really live my passion of both the Ancient Greek and Roman history. I find it curious that when I look at a map of Italy I can tell you where cities are but only by their latin names.
So unless something really exciting happens the next blog post will be from Prague and the Czech Republic.
Adeu,
Alan
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Madrid: Meh
Going out last night was a reminder of why I like Barcelona. Nothing was open. Nothing. There weren´t even arabs selling cold beer on the streets. I guess this could be why the madrileños have a cultural activity called the botellón. What they do is basically buy up a good amount of bottles of alcohol, mixers and cups and take the the various streets and plazas and drink there instead of bars. Unfortunately we had only bought a bottle to share between 8 of us and it quickly ran out after 2 drinks each leaving us scratching our heads wondering what to do next.
Our cab driver was less understanding of the situation and was quick to blame it on the decision to join the euro zone, the current economic policies, the current government ( which is relevant because its election season) and the economic crises. He mentioned that 5 years ago no bar would ever in their right mind close at 2 am since they would lose so many customers.
So my time here in Spain is rapidly coming to an end. The majority of my classmates are heading back to South Florida on Monday while 2 or 3 are heading out on other trips throughout europe. 6 of us are heading to Germany on Monday and that is when I´ll most likely update this again unless something really crazy and exciting happens between today and then.
Adeu,
Alan
Our cab driver was less understanding of the situation and was quick to blame it on the decision to join the euro zone, the current economic policies, the current government ( which is relevant because its election season) and the economic crises. He mentioned that 5 years ago no bar would ever in their right mind close at 2 am since they would lose so many customers.
So my time here in Spain is rapidly coming to an end. The majority of my classmates are heading back to South Florida on Monday while 2 or 3 are heading out on other trips throughout europe. 6 of us are heading to Germany on Monday and that is when I´ll most likely update this again unless something really crazy and exciting happens between today and then.
Adeu,
Alan
Friday, May 13, 2011
Botin: Good food or Great Food?
So as I mentioned yesterday, we went to Botin last night and I have to admit I was blown away by the food. I don´t usually wax poetic about food, being the sort that thinks that if it satifies then it was a good meal. This however was a whole nother experience.
One walks into the place and starts the see what the fuss is all about. Directly accross the first floor is the wood burning grill is located and you immediately get a whiff of the porky goodness that is being prepared in the kitchen. Its small, with tables spread around into every space they could fit them while at the same time making it feel not crowded. We walked up 3 flights of stairs and could feel the history and the countless others who had done the same over the past 3 centuries. They have a special menu, this being May they call it their summer menu, that is 45 euro and is comprised of a first, which in this case was gaspzacho. The second is their specialty which is a roast suckling pig that is cooked whole and in its juicies. Then there is a desert of choice and it comes with bread and wine. All in all its a great value but seeing as I like my soups not as cold as a refreshing beer, I chose the other dish of the house, the roast baby lamb and split an order of cheese with one of my classmates. I´m not a foodie or anythign so its hard to describe exactly how everything tasted but I´ll sum it up with 4 words: It was damn good.
Today was rough as the effects of no sleep are finally catching up to us. The relentless walking hasn´t helped the situation but its nice being able to walk from one location to other with the occasional hop on a very efficient metro system that has a stop 5 mintues from anywhere you´d want to go. This weekend is the festival of San Isidro here in Madrid. For my Barcelona friends its like La Merce´ so the whole not sleepign situation is not going to get better but it´ll be worth it. We are meeting with a group of students from the Polytechnic university of Madrid tonight and they are going to take us around the first day of activities.
Adeu,
Alan
One walks into the place and starts the see what the fuss is all about. Directly accross the first floor is the wood burning grill is located and you immediately get a whiff of the porky goodness that is being prepared in the kitchen. Its small, with tables spread around into every space they could fit them while at the same time making it feel not crowded. We walked up 3 flights of stairs and could feel the history and the countless others who had done the same over the past 3 centuries. They have a special menu, this being May they call it their summer menu, that is 45 euro and is comprised of a first, which in this case was gaspzacho. The second is their specialty which is a roast suckling pig that is cooked whole and in its juicies. Then there is a desert of choice and it comes with bread and wine. All in all its a great value but seeing as I like my soups not as cold as a refreshing beer, I chose the other dish of the house, the roast baby lamb and split an order of cheese with one of my classmates. I´m not a foodie or anythign so its hard to describe exactly how everything tasted but I´ll sum it up with 4 words: It was damn good.
Today was rough as the effects of no sleep are finally catching up to us. The relentless walking hasn´t helped the situation but its nice being able to walk from one location to other with the occasional hop on a very efficient metro system that has a stop 5 mintues from anywhere you´d want to go. This weekend is the festival of San Isidro here in Madrid. For my Barcelona friends its like La Merce´ so the whole not sleepign situation is not going to get better but it´ll be worth it. We are meeting with a group of students from the Polytechnic university of Madrid tonight and they are going to take us around the first day of activities.
Adeu,
Alan
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Madrid day 1-2: Changing thoughts
Today was my second full day in Madrid and maybe, just maybe I may have been wrong about the place. This is not my first time here. Madrid was actually the city I had first visited in Europe and I had left after three days with a bad impression. It was dirty, had bad smells and I was cranky because I had just flown something like 9 hours and was hungry and tired. So maybe it just wasn´t the best situation. I had also come back for a one day layover before my trip back to the US and it wasn´t any better as the cab drivers were on strike and we were almost stranded at the airport. In addition, as a disclaimer, I had completely bought into the whole Barcelona , Madrid rivalry and was completely against those Imperial bastards in Madrid.
Being here for two days I´ve noticed that hey this place isnt as bad as I thought. Yeah its still not as clean as Barcelona and it is imperial, grand and not at a human scale. Is that a bad thing though? Going to the royal palace and being near it I got to appreciate the power and glory of Imperial Spain. In an odd way I felt proud that the country that had spawned Colombia and in effect me could produce such things. I still prefer Barcelona but still this isn´t that bad of a place to be. They have done a lot to reviatlize the historical city center and last night we just sat down and drank some wine and beer in some random plaza just enjoying the great weather and the sights and sounds of a culture whose night starts at 10:00 and goes on into the wee hours of the morning.
Of note today was the craziness that was the metro in the morning. Sure the trains were packed in Barcelona but they were nothing like this. It was honestly like those pictures you´ve seen of the people in Japan being packed into trains by people. Actually, I wish they had those here. I tried to push my way in but the train was so packed that I literally bounced off them. There was just no space left in train. Luckily I had bought a cell phone here so me and a couple who were left behind were able to meet up.
Tonight we are going to the restaurant named Botin, which is the oldest restuarant thats still in operation in the world. Their speciality is suckling pig and I´ll be giving an update tomorrrow about whether its all that and a bag chips
Adeu,
Alan
Being here for two days I´ve noticed that hey this place isnt as bad as I thought. Yeah its still not as clean as Barcelona and it is imperial, grand and not at a human scale. Is that a bad thing though? Going to the royal palace and being near it I got to appreciate the power and glory of Imperial Spain. In an odd way I felt proud that the country that had spawned Colombia and in effect me could produce such things. I still prefer Barcelona but still this isn´t that bad of a place to be. They have done a lot to reviatlize the historical city center and last night we just sat down and drank some wine and beer in some random plaza just enjoying the great weather and the sights and sounds of a culture whose night starts at 10:00 and goes on into the wee hours of the morning.
Of note today was the craziness that was the metro in the morning. Sure the trains were packed in Barcelona but they were nothing like this. It was honestly like those pictures you´ve seen of the people in Japan being packed into trains by people. Actually, I wish they had those here. I tried to push my way in but the train was so packed that I literally bounced off them. There was just no space left in train. Luckily I had bought a cell phone here so me and a couple who were left behind were able to meet up.
Tonight we are going to the restaurant named Botin, which is the oldest restuarant thats still in operation in the world. Their speciality is suckling pig and I´ll be giving an update tomorrrow about whether its all that and a bag chips
Adeu,
Alan
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Barcelona 2 : Electric Booglaoo
So I have just arrived in Madrid after taking the AVE ( high speed train) and I´m thinking maybe Rick Scott should reconsider the whole thing. But thats a different story for a different blog.
In my infinite wisdom I managed to leave behind my cable to download my pictures to my comp so until I get that there will be no pictures. Its a tragedy I know.
So Barcelona. I admit that I was hesitant to come back thinking that Id see the city in different eyes, losing the memories and magic that had capitvated me during my first stay. I was delighted to find out that the city was just as good the second time. On the aerobus from the El Prat into the center city, driving down the gran via de les corts catalanes, everything started coming back and I realised that I was home.
I also thought that I would have had trouble adjusting to the omni present Catalan signs but it was even easier than last time.Luckily there were no demonstrations like at the end of the last trip.
Our meetings with the government officials and univeristy professors went really well and our professor planted the seeds for an exchange program so hopefully that´ll start up soon.
I know I´m not exactly being specific but we were there from saturday to wednesday and the days just started to blur. I did however had my favorite beer, Voll Damm. Maybe more than one but thats neither here nor there. I went to my favorite chinese place, Wok to Walk and just basically restraced my steps. The last night was a lot of fun as I took our group to the Dow Jones bar, which is works like a stock market. As you buy more of one kind of drink the price goes up. So you have to keep switching it up and eventually the market crashes and the prices goes down anywhere from 30 to 50%. I recommend the Hand of God shot, which is not for the feint of heart. My nose is still hurting from that one. We did meet up with some scots who are going to be in Prague at the same time we are so going to see if we can meet up.
So yeah thats pretty much whats been going on. Hopefully I´ll be able to write with more frequency.
Adeu,
Alan
In my infinite wisdom I managed to leave behind my cable to download my pictures to my comp so until I get that there will be no pictures. Its a tragedy I know.
So Barcelona. I admit that I was hesitant to come back thinking that Id see the city in different eyes, losing the memories and magic that had capitvated me during my first stay. I was delighted to find out that the city was just as good the second time. On the aerobus from the El Prat into the center city, driving down the gran via de les corts catalanes, everything started coming back and I realised that I was home.
I also thought that I would have had trouble adjusting to the omni present Catalan signs but it was even easier than last time.Luckily there were no demonstrations like at the end of the last trip.
Our meetings with the government officials and univeristy professors went really well and our professor planted the seeds for an exchange program so hopefully that´ll start up soon.
I know I´m not exactly being specific but we were there from saturday to wednesday and the days just started to blur. I did however had my favorite beer, Voll Damm. Maybe more than one but thats neither here nor there. I went to my favorite chinese place, Wok to Walk and just basically restraced my steps. The last night was a lot of fun as I took our group to the Dow Jones bar, which is works like a stock market. As you buy more of one kind of drink the price goes up. So you have to keep switching it up and eventually the market crashes and the prices goes down anywhere from 30 to 50%. I recommend the Hand of God shot, which is not for the feint of heart. My nose is still hurting from that one. We did meet up with some scots who are going to be in Prague at the same time we are so going to see if we can meet up.
So yeah thats pretty much whats been going on. Hopefully I´ll be able to write with more frequency.
Adeu,
Alan
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Beginning
So this is the first of what will hopefully be a series of posts documenting my trip to Europe. First some background. I'm currently a grad student at FAU in the urban planning program and am taking a class called Planning Abroad:Spain. So naturally I'm going to Spain. I'll be in country May 6th-16th, even though, due to the wonders of time zone travel, my first day will be May 7th. The focus of the trip is learning about how planning is done in Spain and as such we'll be meeting up with both government officials and university professors.
This will actually be my second time back in both Barcelona and Madrid and I'm looking forward to going back to my old stomping grounds that will hopefully have the same magic they did during my first go around. Even though it won't be the same without all my tios and tias from the ISA group I went with.
But wait there's more. Instead of coming back stateside on the 16th with the rest of my classmates, I will be heading to Essen, Germany to take part in the 2011 CORP conference. (I'm unfortunately flying Ryannair for this trip. Hopefully this ends up better than my last trip with them which ended up with me running through Gatwick Airport trying to hold up my pants while carrying a photo shopped boarding pass, but I digress.) For some unexplained reason they liked the paper I submitted and the paper will be presented at the conference. The most important part of this whole deal is that I now have a publication to my name, which makes me feel like I have actually accomplished something for the first time in my life. The conference starts the 18th and lasts until the 20th. Hopefully I'll be able to take some side trips into the surrounding area as it will be my first time in Germany.
Here our group breaks up again and three of us have decided that hey, if we're going to the trouble of getting to Europe we may as well make it count. So we decided to take a tour of east-central Europe. Our whirlwind tour will feature stops in Prague, Budapest and finally end up in Munich where we'll be flying back home from May 31st. Luckily neither the Czech Republic nor Hungary uses the Euro so the exchange rates will be in my favor, unlike that bastard euro. Not that I'm bitter or anything. Fun Fact: I will be traveling from the Czech Republic to Hungary on a Portuguese airline, TAP. Ah globalization.
So I think that is a big enough wall of text. Hopefully my future posts will not be so wordy and will be more humorous.
This will actually be my second time back in both Barcelona and Madrid and I'm looking forward to going back to my old stomping grounds that will hopefully have the same magic they did during my first go around. Even though it won't be the same without all my tios and tias from the ISA group I went with.
But wait there's more. Instead of coming back stateside on the 16th with the rest of my classmates, I will be heading to Essen, Germany to take part in the 2011 CORP conference. (I'm unfortunately flying Ryannair for this trip. Hopefully this ends up better than my last trip with them which ended up with me running through Gatwick Airport trying to hold up my pants while carrying a photo shopped boarding pass, but I digress.) For some unexplained reason they liked the paper I submitted and the paper will be presented at the conference. The most important part of this whole deal is that I now have a publication to my name, which makes me feel like I have actually accomplished something for the first time in my life. The conference starts the 18th and lasts until the 20th. Hopefully I'll be able to take some side trips into the surrounding area as it will be my first time in Germany.
Here our group breaks up again and three of us have decided that hey, if we're going to the trouble of getting to Europe we may as well make it count. So we decided to take a tour of east-central Europe. Our whirlwind tour will feature stops in Prague, Budapest and finally end up in Munich where we'll be flying back home from May 31st. Luckily neither the Czech Republic nor Hungary uses the Euro so the exchange rates will be in my favor, unlike that bastard euro. Not that I'm bitter or anything. Fun Fact: I will be traveling from the Czech Republic to Hungary on a Portuguese airline, TAP. Ah globalization.
So I think that is a big enough wall of text. Hopefully my future posts will not be so wordy and will be more humorous.
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