Extraordinary Day

16. November 2010

Saturday night I stayed up late at Alina and her cousin’s goodbye party. (Alina is the intern at the newspaper who did my interview for the paper…if you want to see the article, let me know and I can send you the link…anyways, we ended up becoming friends after that.). As we made our way groggily out the front door the next morning, we blinked in surprise at the bright, blue sunny sky and fluffy wisps of clouds. It had been rainy for days, but the lack of moisture wasn’t the only difference – it was warm. “What is this? It’s like Spring!” we exclaimed. It was the middle of November, and we were astonished.

The day was so nice that I couldn’t not be outside, so I went out on my bike. (I know, it’s surprising.) The Elbe was calm and deep as I pedaled across the bridge and coasted down the ramp onto the path on the flood plain. Soft gusts of wind purred across the path and filled the sails of several kites floating overhead. “What a day!” I thought vaguely as I let my mind wander and my feet spin. Legs burning, I raced across the level plain and felt as thought I might take off at any moment. Entering the forest, I paused for half a second before pedaling pell-mell down a dappled path to my right, wet leaves making an odd swish-squishing under my whirring wheels. Navigation was slightly trickier through the mud and puddles, which still lingered on the leaf-strewn paths, but I relished the slight thrill of not knowing quite where my wheels would land. After a final hill, I coasted down towards the bridge that marked the opening of the Luisium. Even at 3:30 P.M., the sun was sinking lower and lower in the sky, so I just took a leisurely tour of the bike paths around the square-looking castle, leaf-bare trees and the lake – now barely recognizable, so covered over was it with the debris of autumn.

As I made my way back, I was consumed by my own pensive thoughts and veered left towards home at the fork in the path. As I continued, the leaves covering the ground got stickier with mud, and finally I had to stop altogether when my front wheel lodged itself in a sinkhole. Only then, with a panicky flutter in the pit of my stomach, did I realize I didn’t recognize the path. It was getting dusky and I didn’t want to be caught in the forest after dark. Wild pigs are native to the area, and it’s also full of hunting stands, not to mention the pitch black that would surely descend here far from the glow of street lights. I turned back towards the main path and was plagued by nightmarish images of all the things that could happen to me in the forest after dark. At the crossroads once again, I paused for a moment and had the epiphany that maybe I’d turned too early, that I actually needed to go further away from the main road to connect with the path that would lead me back to it. This did indeed turn out to be true and my bike burst from the forest into the open meadow. The church tower of Roßlau appearing in the distance restored my previous feeling of euphoria, and my intense relief at being found again fueled my furious pedaling towards home.

Deine,
N*

London Lights

8. November 2010

Our tour guide told us that 11-16 million people are in London on any given day. I never thought that such a big and bustling city could still have a certain charm, or that I would like it so well. After a 14-hour bus ride complete with a ferry trip from Calais to Dover, we arrived in London. I was still really tired, but 48 hours is not such a long time, and there was no way I was wasting more time sleeping than I had to.

The group set right out to sightsee, and I can’t believe how much we did manage in the time we were there: Trafalgar Square, Westminster/the changing of the guard, St. Paul’s, the Globe Theatre… One of our events was a presentation in the Globe, and it was all about what plays and attending a play was like in Shakespeare’s time. Id’ studied a lot of it in my English classses before, but the actor who led our presentation was super cynical, and it was interesting to watching how the students reacted to the information and his attitude.

I also visited three museums: The British Tate, The Tate Modern and the National Gallery. Many of the museums in London are free, which was really convenient because it allowed me to at least take a look inside, even if I didn’t have a lot of time. The British Tate has a lot of Turner and Pre-Raphaelite art, which I enjoy, but they’re currently redoing some of their exhibits, so some of the works I most wanted to see weren’t on display. (Excuse to go back?)

At the Tate Modern there was a piece, “The Unilever Series” by Ai Weiwei, in the large exhibition hall made up entirely of millions of hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds. When it first opened, you were allowed to walk on/play in the seeds, but they stopped letting people because too much porcelain dust was getting tracked around the museum. It’s really a shame that you can’t do it anymore because I think the interactive nature of the exhibit and being able to turn the visible enormity of the work into a more tangible (literally) enormity would add an element of relatable empathy to the artists’ meaning for the piece. The main exhibition at the Tate Modern was also grand. I love the movement of Braque and Picasso’s works as they pushed artistic boundaries towards abstraction. There is something so poetic and oddly musical about the way some pieces of the subject are visibly discernible and how the subjects of the painting, when juxtaposed, create a visually stimulating, unsolvable, yet somehow coherent puzzle. And I saw works by Rineke Dijkstra live. I find that her photos really capture the subjects’ essences. They are stripped bare (sometimes literally), raw and in your face. I like art that brings true emotion (the way I see it anyways) right up to the surface, so that it’s undeniable and unavoidable. In short: Tate Modern is definitely worth a visit.

My favorite place, possibly of the whole trip, was the National Gallery. It’s ginormous, and there is some well-known work of art hanging almost everywhere you look. As I entered the gallery through the high-arching doorway, my pulse began to race, and I felt vaguely dizzy. So much art…so little time. I think I wandered around with my eyes glazed over in a state of catatonic art shock for about five minutes before I was able to pull myself together. I managed to view most of the art from the 1800s as well as the Impressionist collection. I also made a brief foray into the medieval art to view the “Arnolfini Wedding Portrait”! I hate “fame jumping” in galleries, but sometimes it can’t be helped.

Very impressive. Seeing all these works that I’ve studied over the past four years lends a whole new dimension to the lectures I’ve attended. Sure I’ve seen the slides, but there’s just no way to emulate the barely-visible, yet illuminating brush-stroked details and their heart-stopping delicacy, which unite themselves into a coherent, monumental piece of work. Mmmm, it makes me a little giddy just thinking about it. Someday I hope I will be able to help others see art in a way that moves them this tremendously.

I also met with two long-time friends – one from high school, who I’ve known forever, and one from Britain, who was one of my closest friends in middle school. We always said we’d see each other when I came to England one day, but I never thought it might actually happen. Both nights involved good food (I have yet to be disappointed by a restaurant in Europe), great company and strolling past the fantastic London lights. So far European cities are taking the cake for nighttime brilliance.

Sunday morning I suggested an early-morning walk in Hyde Park before we had to board the bus to head back to Germany. Since I was going out at 6 A.M., I was surprised when not only the teacher I was with joined me, but also two of the students on the trip. It was dark when we set out, and seeing the sky lighten as we strolled through the park was sublime. It was slightly nippy – you know, that funny not-quite-cold temperature, where your breath nearly freezes in the air before you? – but perfect. To top the morning off, I spent the whole ferry ride, rain and all, watching the white cliffs of Dover evaporate into the mist and the green countryside of Calais emerge across the channel. One of the students, Mark, also braved the rain outside with me, and we agreed it was the perfect ending to the England portion of our trip

The bus ride to Bremen took all day, but it felt faster. I finally finished Les Miserables, and I made significant progress on my knitting project. The students spent a lot of the trip playing add-a-line story games together. They all came from different cities in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and seeing how well they got on and laughed together made me smile. It’s really heartening to see that even in our technologically driven age, some young people are still able to use simply things like words, laughter and good company to pass the time.

We arrived in Bremen too late that night to see anything, but four of us – Mark, Lexi, Jean and I – agreed to stay a little longer the next morning. Mark had visited Bremen before, so he showed us some of the Old Town and Downtown areas. The central part of the city is very historic; it’s nice to look at, and I’m certain I’d like to learn something else about the town besides the Bremen Town Musicians connection. We did see the Bremen stacked animal statue, though.

The train ride home was rather eventful. Jean and I got to hang out with Mark and Lexi longer than we expected. The four of us took the same train. Mark and Lexi were supposed to switch trains in Hannover, while Jean and I were to ride the whole way to Magdeburg, where she lives, and I would switch trains. We said goodbye to Mark and Lexi in Hannover, but ten minutes later, we were greeted by peals of laughter. They had failed to notice that the train they needed to take from Hannover was the one we were already on. Just wait, it gets better. By the time we got to their real stop, the train was running about ten minutes late. Mark and Lexi took their sweet time getting off the train, which shouldn’t have been a problem because we were scheduled to stop for several minutes. Well, because of the delay, the train didn’t stop for as long as it should’ve and Mark and Lexi were stuck on the train! Secretly, this is something I’ve always worried about having happen to me, so I was sympathetic, but it was also kind of funny (sorry, Mark!) The whole train car knew this was the second time they’d come back, too. Oops. Now watch something like that happen to me next time now. I’ve probably gone and jinxed myself.

Our little group REALLY said goodbye in Magdeburg, which was sad because the trip was so unreal that actually realizing I was headed home was a harsh jolt back to reality. We want to meet again, though, so hopefully this won’t be the last time I’ll relate you stores about the adventures of the fantastic four. I’m sure they’ll be interesting.

Deine,
N*

P.S.  Remember me telling you about "Janchen"?...He was on this trip too...that story still makes me laugh.

Prague Reflections

Sorry for the lag-time on this last Prague post...I know it was a while ago, but I still want to put it up.  Also, London is coming soon!

20. Oktober 2010

Just some things I thought about or found interesting on my trip:

1. I loved Prague. It’s a beautiful city – so full of culture and character – and the history, good, bad, beautiful and devastatingly moving lurks everywhere, just waiting to be remembered. What a place it is that can hold it all with such grace. I hope to go back someday! Being ¼ Czech myself, I’d like to have a greater knowledge of the language and history before I go, and I’d also like to venture away from the capital to see another side of the country.

2. Here are some things that made me react emotionally on my trip: Jewish History and Holocaust remembrances, beggars kneeling on the streets at night with their foreheads to the ground, their hats outstretched for almost before them, street musicians who play brilliantly, but can barely eke out a living, the willingness of so many Czech people to help me however they could in whatever language they could (even their language, when I couldn’t understand), even though I can barely speak five words in their language, the history – it’s everywhere and from every time period – and to me, the care and preservation of so much in spite of all that’s happened there gives me hope for the future. I’ve never seen a city that is so alive – not just the people’s visages, but the face of the city itself is alive with the past, present and future all at once.

3. Traveling alone suits me. I was apprehensive about it, but I shouldn’t have been. It’s freeing to not answer to anyone and experience a new place completely on your own terms. I never once was bored or lonely. Occasionally I was anxious, but that’s not so unusual for me. It was nice to have the company I had, and I’ll always be glad for a travel buddy, but now I’ll feel good should I decide to be independent. I think everyone should try taking a solo vacation once. If you haven’t…do it!

4. Having a student ID is awesome; it saved me so much money. Also, I found out I don’t like having to stop for lunch. It takes too long when I could be seeing things, and it’s too expensive. I took a bunch of fruit with me from home, and I will also bring small snacks with me next time. I honestly wasn’t that hungry because I’d eat a big breakfast at the hotel and by dinner when I was hungry, I’d really enjoy the meal. Win.

5. Prague “things”: colorful patterned scarves imported from Cashmere, Matryoschka dolls hand-painted in the area, ornately patterned, hand-decorated eggshell ornaments, hand-made marionettes, hand-made jewelry made by street vendors on the Charles Bridge, Czech glass and glassware items, hand-carved toys and Christmas ornaments.

6. The Metro: easy to use, fast and awesome. I’ll miss that.

7. It’s hard to get veggie food in Czech restaurants. Many have fixed menus and substitutions aren’t smiled upon. The Czech cuisine in general is meat-based, so it’s not easy. I’d really have liked to try some dumplings, but it really wasn’t feasible. Luckily for me, I can also get something similar in Germany, so I’ll have plenty of other opportunities. The food I did eat was all excellent. If you go to Prague, go to the Lesser Town area by crossing the Charles Bridge, go up Bridge Street turn right as if you were going to go to Prague Castle, and then turn left up Neruda Way. About halfway up the street, you’ll find a sign on the right side “All you can eat vegetarian food”. The restaurant is through the art gallery, across the courtyard and down the steps in the cellar. If you enjoy ethnic food, I promise you won’t be disappointed! The owner and atmosphere are authentic and you can’t beat the price!

8. Pick pockets were a large concern of mine…I wore a waist-belt for my money and passport. It worked great, and I never had to worry!

9. Prague is beautiful at night. Even though I was nervous about being out alone at night, there were tons of people around, and I felt relatively safe. (Minus the gypsy episode!) The lights on the castle, water, bridges and theatres are dazzling, and I wouldn’t have missed my night strolls for the world.

Hope you enjoyed my Prague saga! Get ready for London in two weeks!

Deine,
N*

Nashledanou Praha

20. Oktober 2010

My train didn’t leave until 12:30 today so I decided to stow my bags at the train station and visit the library at the Strahov Cloister. I found my way easily and even used the streetcar for the first time, but my happy mood was punctuated by the cashier who failed to give me the 50 crowns change back after I bought my ticket. I didn’t realize it right away and about 30 seconds later (literally) when I asked her about it, she insisted she had given me my change and tried to tell me that the 50 crown bill already in my wallet was it…even though a second before she said she gave me a coin. Hmmmm… I’m one hundred percent sure that I didn’t get my change because last night I counted my money and calculated everything for today down to the last penny. I don’t know what made me the angriest: the loss of the 50 crowns (about 2 Euros), which I was going to use and was the last of my Czech money, the fact that she couldn’t admit she was wrong, or the way she looked at me like I was some kind of criminal. It was humiliating. I was on the verge of tears for the next half hour because I was so frustrated. Oh well. Worse things happen in life.

The Cloister’s library was magnificent, though. Unfortunately the Philosophical Hall was being renovated, so the books were all covered by sheets of plastic, but you could still see the majestic frescoes on the vaulted ceilings. The books made a ring about the room, often stacked two deep on the shelves, and the second story aisleway left both floors open to the heavenly ceiling. What a place to philosophize! I wonder if rooms like that affected the people who used them every day as dramatically as they do me now. I like to think so. The other room was the Theological Hall, where there were over 18,000 leather-bound tomes in Latin and German. There is also a copy of the oldest book in the collection – a highly decorated Evangelical Bible from the 9th century, which is too delicate to be kept on display. The room also features a reading wheel used by translators so they could have several versions of the Bible, for example, open for consultation at the same time. Then all the translator would have to do was turn the wheel to bring another book to the front. Super cool! I can think of some times when that would’ve been mighty convenient for writing papers. There were also lots globes, one of which does not show Australia because it wasn’t discovered yet. Imagine that!

Before heading back to the train station, I took a final stroll over the Charles Bridge to bid the city farewell. I couldn’t have asked for better weather; it was nippy (40s), but I had mostly blue skies and only a smattering of rain on the trip. Nashledanou Praha, hope to see you again!

Deine,
N*

In Good Company

20. Oktober 2010

Yesterday morning I met up with my good friend from high school, the Violin Man, in Old Town Square. We may not have too many opportunities to see each other again in the next few years, so it was really perfect how my Fall Vacation lined up with when he’d be in Prague. We decided to visit Vyšehrad Castle as some of the Violin Man’s classmates had said it was nice, and a couple of them were also planning to visit that day. Sure enough, when we got there, Logan and Chris were sitting up on a bench on the hill with all of their stuff, just chilling. They looked like they were waiting for a bus or something. The Violin Man introduced me to them and we all proceeded to make a rather haphazard tour of the grounds. We sought out Dvorak’s grave, peeped into the doors of the still-closed cathedral and enjoyed the vistas from various points throughout the grounds, including a few we found by accident when we were trying to find our way out.

After that The Violin Man and I went to the National Gallery in the Messepalast to view the 19th and 20th century art collection. We were there for about five hours straight and managed most of the museum in our marathon stretch. I could’ve lingered much longer in many places had there been time, but I got to see the French and International exhibits as well as lots of Czech Art, which I rather liked, so I really can’t complain. I’ll definitely be reading up on Kupka, Mucha and others in the near future. If you’re a Modern Art enthusiast, don’t overlook the Czechs! They’re worth more than a second look.

We were pretty hungry (read: ravenous) when the museum closed at six. It’s probably a good thing it closed then because otherwise I don’t think the Violin Man or I would’ve had the will to leave the art, no matter how famished we were. Earlier we had agreed to go my veggie restaurant and had mentioned to Chris where it was. After our chance meeting that morning, I wasn’t surprised when the Violin Man and I saw him standing outside the restaurant as we rounded the corner. Once again both the food and the company were excellent; Chris even wanted to go back the next day. It was nice to be able to show people an awesome place in a town where I don’t live and get commended for it – especially since the restaurant was vegetarian.

After dinner I was telling the Violin Man and Chris about my Pied Piper experience. They told me that apparently Prague has a gypsy problem, and they were convinced that I’d nearly been taken by gypsies. They thought it was a great story, and now that I’m not totally freaked out, I think so too. Finding the gypsies was kind of a running joke as we strolled through the streets. Chris took the Violin Man and I to the Lennon Wall, where people continuously paint/write quotes from and homages to John Lennon, and then to the lock gate, where people lock locks to the wrought iron bars – there are literally thousands of them. Then the Violin Man wanted to show me the “peeing statues” “if I was into it.” I’m not really sure “into it’ is really the right phrase, but I’m not going to turn down a piece of culture, no matter how strange, without a pretty good reason. Up the street from there a little ways, we found a book shop and perused the selection for about an hour. I could’ve bought several books (most of them about the Czech Republic), so I wrote down their titles for later. The book I started reading was a wrenching biography called Under a Cruel Star by Heda M. Kovály and was a Jewish woman’s story of her experiences in the Holocaust and later in Soviet-occupied Prague. It is definitely worth seeking out and finishing. The guys walked me to the metro station afterwards since it was getting late. It was nice to spend a day with travel buddies, and I just want to thank them for letting me be a part of yet another pleasant day in Prague!

Deine,
N*

Monumental

19. Oktober 2010

Since most museums are closed on Mondays, I thought that it would be a good day to visit the Jewish Quarter of Prague. The Jewish Museum there is organized into a tour of several synagogues, which house displays about Jewish culture and Czech Jewish history, and a path winding through the old Jewish cemetery. The Jewish cemetery alone is quite impressive with 12,000 headstones and many more graves which are unaccounted for. It was used from the 15th to the 18th century and since the cemetery couldn’t get any bigger, they just kept adding new layers of dirt and graves on top of the old ones, causing the headstones to keep being pushed upwards, creating the picturesque wall-to-wall headstones leaning every which way onto each other that you see today.

In the Pinkas synagogue you can see more than 77,000 names written on the walls. These are the known names of all the Jews just from Prague and the surrounding areas who were murdered in the Holocaust. The impact that had on me was monumental; when you hear “77,000,” you realize it’s a large number, but you have no real way of quantifying it. Seeing those names of real men, women and children, of families, there gave me a lurching feeling in my stomach. I just can’t fathom housing so much hatred for other people within me.

The historical and cultural information in the other synagogues was interesting, and it was interspersed with intricately designed artifacts. Jewish people have such rich culture and traditions, and I enjoyed learning about them. I had no idea how many the implements are associated with displaying the Torah properly, not to mention the various special dress customs and traditional food. I also never realized the full extent of continual Jewish persecutions throughout history. It leaves me with an indescribable ache to know that there has been so much intolerance.

The synagogues were all beautifully decorated, but the Spanish Synagogue with its intricate wall-to-wall decorations and motifs is certainly a standout. The decoration was dark green and red with gold interspersed, so the contrast between light and dark was quite striking. I would highly recommend the museum trip because besides being a place of beauty, history and emotion, I think that a trip to Prague without visiting the Jewish Museum would be a trip that would be missing a piece essential to understanding the city itself.

After I finished at the museum, I meandered through the streets and needed up at Old Town Square. I saw yet another National Museum building (they are all over, and I wish desperately to visit all of them!), the church near the square and the city hall with the Astronomical clock. At the top of every hour, the clock comes to life. The figures on the outside move and the windows open and other figures rotate behind them. I’ve always been a fan of clocks with moving parts, so I thought it was neat. I wandered around the streets some more and had a Döner with cheese of course and some ice cream before catching the metro home for the evening.

Deine,
N*

Castles and Cameras and Hippies, Oh My!

18. Oktober 2010

 



St. Vitus Cathedral - front view





Sunday was a supremely enjoyable day spent at Prague Castle and Lesser Town. I regret to inform you that the only thing marring an otherwise perfect day was the death of my camera. It met a sudden, stony death on the stairs of the St. Vitus Cathedral. Maybe it can be fixed, but I’m doubtful. Buying a new camera in Germany was obviously not in the agenda, but I can’t live in Europe without a camera, now can I? I’ll see what I can do when I get back, but for now I’m doing without since disposable cameras here cost 12 euros…highway robbery. Not happening. Especially not when I’m surrounded by handmade Czech heaven wherever I look; I’d prefer to support the arts if I’m going to indulge in consumerism. Now on to more important things…





Prague Castle and Charles Bridge

 

As mentioned, I decided to visit Prague Castle. I opted for the long tour ticket so the art galleries were included. There was so much to see and read that it was quite overwhelming after a while, but well worth it. In Prague Castle itself, I enjoyed learning about the history of the place, especially about the way records were kept and how central heating was achieved for royalty. The castle experienced many changes along its history, which made the artifacts many and varied. St. George’s Basilica’s austere architecture coupled with well-placed artworks made it a good representative of its time period. Next came two galleries, each housing 19th and 17th c. artworks respectively. I saw my first live Titian in the second – a copy of which actually resided over my desk at school for several years – as well as works by Cranach, Manés and many Czech artists of whom I’d never heard, but whose works I found sweetly moving. If there’s one thing I’d like to



St. Vitus Cathedral - back view

have more time for on this trip, it is art galleries. Then I climbed the tower of the St. Vitus Cathedral (almost 300 steps), saw the complete panorama of the city before me and took many photos prior to my camera’s untimely death shortly thereafter. When I walked into the cathedral itself, what I saw left me breathless. The most exquisitely rendered stained-glass windows line the walls. The colors are so vibrant you can hear them. Looking at the church’s majesty from without, you would never imagine the veritable rainbow of pictures and patters that dazzle your eyes and imagination as you saunter along the perimeter. My penultimate stop was the Rosenberger palace. The set-up of how the rooms used to look was interesting, and it was amusing to imagine a friend of mine’s ancestors living there because he has the same last name. One of the portraits did bear a resemblance, haha, maybe he really is related to these Rosenbergers.

 

 

View down the hill from the castle



The palace tour took me all day and I neglected to eat lunch, so I walked through the Lesser Town Circle in search of victuals. I am a vegetarian, which is a bit of a shame while in the Czech Republic because eating a traditional meal is almost entirely out of the question for me. I’ll admit I was stressing a little about what to eat when the answer appeared around the corner as if by magic: All You Can Eat Vegetarian Restaurant, 150 crowns (About 6 Euros). Score. I walked down the stairs into the cellar restaurant and poked my head nervously around the doorframe. The restaurant owner, a man with long dreads and a young hippy-looking couple were the only ones occupying the small space below me.

“You hungry? Good. I make you the menu,” grinned the restaurant owner as he went over to the country to fill me a plate. In the meantime, the man with the dreads started an intent conversation with me. It turned out he was also from the U.S., but had been living in the Czech Republic for the last ten years. He’s a German lit. loving poet, who honestly stated that the skill to work at a language with enough ardor to speak it fluently is not a gift that everyone has. He said he “barely spoke Czech,” but that he loves the culture, and the people love him for trying. He also gave me the website of a woman who does a technique called touch drawing when he heard that I’m interested in using creative channels to get students interested in learning about Art History. He was quite the philosophical thinker, so I was sorry when he had to leave. It was only when he offered me his left hand to shake and introduced himself to me as Etienne that I noticed his right hand was missing. Etienne gave me his number in case I needed to find another veggie restaurant or wanted to get tea with him and told me where I could read his work. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more brazenly direct person in my life, and after two days alone, such an intellectual and earnest conversation was more than welcome.


 

View of Prague from St. Vitus Cathedral

 After that, it was just me and the owner in the restaurant. I ate delicious food – spinach and potato soup, cooked veggies in a tomato cream-based sauce with rice, a salad with corn kidney beans and olives, spicy apple chutney and yogurt sauce with cinnamony dough balls all accompanied by a cool apple tea. All the while the owner would smile at me and say “Yummy, yummy” or “It’s very tasty.” He also asked me if I’d met any Hare Krishna in Colorado. I had seconds of everything and when I told him it was one of the best meals I’d ever had, he just said, “I know.” So modest. After I finished, I went to pay and he cracked some jokes and then said, “Give me something.” I paid and gave him a tip. Then he gave me a “crunchy snack.” He said this while making chewing motions. I was really sorry to leave.

For the rest of the evening, I strolled through the Lesser Town area and explored the shops there before walking across the Charles Bridge and catching the metro home. The Prague lights make the cityscape into fairyland.

Deine,
N*