April 18, 2010

Life is great. I have learned perspective is key in life. There have been some frustrating things that have happened but everything seems to work themselves out and things could always be so much worse than they are, which always puts a smile on my face.

I saw “old Germany” a few days ago. Düsseldorf has an excellent old town district, with the longest bar in the world, etc… Vines grow like twisting brown snakes among these old buildings. Many of these buildings have small memorials carved into them, some ancient and weathered, and some recent. The most stunning one was a mother, father, and child hiding behind a bombed out wall, while uniformed men stormed the house, pushing aside those trying to stop them. I presume that this is a memorial to WWII and the Holocaust. Very touching that the German people would put such an ugly history on display in the heart of the tourist district.

Dusseldorf was having a home soccer game, so the soccer hooligans were out in full force along with riot police. There is nothing like it in America! The whole city comes alive, people drink their beer holding their teams scarves above their head,s and drunkenly sing in unison their team’s chants, scream for victory and you can tell they LOVE their team. I went to a bar with two friends. I happened to run into downtown, n had a 'alt' beer which is famously produced in Dusseldor, and enjoyed the festivities.

I walked along the Rhine taking pictures, with my fellow friends asking directions on what is else to see, with a smile on my face. I have learned “enough in get by” and when to know when someone is trying to take advantage of me. For example, at the market the man at the register tried charging me 2.30 for two apples. Its 2.30 for a kilo at most places. I replied in German, “BS I am American, not stupid.” The guy laughed and gave me the correct amount.

Dusseldorf is the fashion capital of Germany. Small dogs are paraded around, many wearing absurd clothes or bejeweled harnesses or collars as a fashion accessory instead of a companion, their owners move with as if they are on the catwalk and dress like it as well, wearing expensive oversize sunglasses. Ferraris, Porsches, high class Audi's, BMW, and Mercedes gently purr while waiting for the green light. There is incredible wealth there. I walked along a street nick named 'Germanys rodeo drive' where Prada, Gucci etc all have over priced stores. Its amazing how different the culture of the city is compared to Dortmund, where a sweater, t-shirt, and jeans is fashionable enough to go to the bars.

It was warm here for a few days (today it is snowing quite hard). I took full advantage of the sun for that limited amount of time. I sat in the grass wearing a t-shirt and jeans, I laid there and napped. I soaked up the sun like a sponge. I took off my shoes for the first time. For the first time since Florida, my feet felt the earth and it was wonderful. I would be lying if I said I didn’t giggle with joy of reuniting of these senses. It was like a seeing an old friend again. I talked to a friend from the south of Spain islands a few days ago, and we talked about how we missed the sun and the sand. It’s weird how much more I miss it than from those up north or where sun is not prevalent. I busted out my flip flops, it was still a little cold that day (70degrees.) A few Germans called me crazy, but they don’t understand, I'm from Florida. In Florida you will find people wearing sandals 365 days of the year. I think we just have tougher feet from playing outside barefoot year round growing up.


So this is my spring break blog. It is hard to write down a week of new experiences, gut-busting laughter, meeting new people, and the absurdities that come along with travel. I don’t even know where or how to begin.

I started off by meeting a few friends, that are studying in Brussels, in Koln (must say that Koln is a little overrated) and Dusseldorf (is underrated and so far my favorite city as it is unbelievably relaxing.) That was really nice to see a familiar face and share a laugh and a beer. We went to the Dusseldorf early on Good Friday morning. I showed them around the city. I took them to grab an alt beer (of which the city is fiercely proud) in a authentic German bar in the historic district. However, it was Good Friday around noon, and the only bar with such little morals to be open on such a day was - you guessed it… Hooters! So we sat in Hootersm shared a plate of wings (yes, meat on Good Friday, Whoops!) and laughed at the irony.

My next trip was to Prague, Brno (for a night) and Vienna. I left with my friends, Alex and Marie. I must say that first day was an absurd amount of traveling. We took planes, trains, and a bus all to get to Vienna. However, we got there safe and sound and were greeted unbelievably warmly by Marie’s friend, and our host and tour guide, Kathrine. We went out to a famous bar in Prague and on our way home some man lifted up the skirt of one of the girls that went out with us. She, of course, slapped him and yelled at him. Then next thing I know, there is a knife in his hand and walking back toward us. A few other things happened, but the important thing to know is that everyone is safe.

Prague is beautiful. It’s what you imagine Europe to be. Hitler gave the orders for the ‘red roofed city’ not to be bombed so all the buildings still remain intact and it is gorgeous. The ‘new’ district is still very old and are still around three hundred years old. I have never seen anything like it. Apparently most American movies filmed in Europe are actually filmed in Prague because it is beautiful and “authentic” European.

Prague has a very interesting culture. It is the first former communist country I have visited. Even though the communist’s rules are gone, it has left its print. People over their mid 20’s are hardened by communism and are much more conservative, while the youth are unbelievably outgoing. The communist work ethic of “doing little to get by” is very prevalent. Their food is as diverse as their people. I ordered duck liver one night, a local specialty. However, the real Czech food is located on the streets. It is said that the best food in Prague is street food. I find it hard to argue with that. I had a fried cheese sandwich. Every bite of that heart clogging cheese was fantastic. I was surprised how good it was. They literally deep fried delicious mozzarella cheese, slap it between a bun, put some type of sauce, and that’s what you sink your teeth into and regret it later. I ate more junk food on this trip than any other week in America. Someone always wanted chocolate, and who was I to make them eat one alone even if it was for breakfast and then another for brunch. However, we walked everywhere, so I like to think it cancels itself out.

We went to Brno for a night, which is the Czech Republics second largest city. To be honest was nothing all that special and was basically a pit stop with a old church (you have seen one you have seen them all) and a crypt. However, at our hostel we met and went to an Irish pub with a British man who just received his doctorate in lasers, which I thought was pretty cool and shared an original Budweiser. So, Budweiser is actually a Czech beer that Busch stole and went to Americ. It is actually illegal to order a Budweiser in Europe and receive a American beer; you must ask for a Anheuser Busch. We went out to ea; t no one really wanting anything all that special, just some grub. We ate inside a KFC and it was fantastic. Just as good as I remembered. It was also the first time I received unlimited refills on soda (soft drinks here are very small and not refillable at fast food joints,) I took full advantage of that privilege.

After Brno we took a bus to Vienna. It was fantastic. I have never seen such a skyline filled with grand buildings everywhere. It was just utterly beautiful. I can’t put it into words. It was such a nice day as we strolled along the cobblestone roads that made me enjoy is so much. I do not know but it was absolutely stunning. We walked around and entered museums with very famous works of art (you can call me uncultured if you like but I was just as happy to take a quick nap in the grass and enjoy the sights and sounds around me) as well as a war museum which I found fascinating. I really enjoy the life style of the Austrians; it seems to be much more laid back then the German,s but they still have a work ethic. I am envious, if I was to move to a country in Europe, it would be Austria without a doubt. On the last night my group and I went out to eat Schnitzel. So we all ordered Schnitzel. Not realizing how big this restaurant serves, we each ordered one. They come out and my stomach whimpered a little and my heart cried a little not only for the countless pigs that were probably slaughtered for mea,l but also for fear of heart-attack upon completion. If this was in America this place would be called ‘World Famous Schnitzel House: Home of the GIANT SCHNITZEL’. It would honestly be a gluttonous eating challenges where if you finish you get a t-shirt and your picture on the wall. Apparently it is usually split among 3 or 4 people. We didn’t know that. However, we all finished the Schnitzel in a time of around two hours with a few breaks thrown in there. However, time is not the real measure of excellence. I have been told but the amount of times you push through pain. If this is true, I deserved a gold medal in eating. I had a wonderful time on my trip seeing old cities that have been preserved in time and just living in a concrete jungle. I love living in the city, but I miss seeing the horizon, seeing water, and the sunset. I don’t know if it is because I am being denied these desires that makes it me want it more. Some of my friends feel the same way, so we are go to a place that is away from the tourists where we can just relax and enjoy natural beauty. I’m thinking Croatia after Spain (hopefully I can still fly out).

Birthday weekend.
On Friday, April 16, some friends and I decided to go to the Netherlands for a day, as a student we get to travel to anywhere in the “state” for free. So we took a train to the border and bought a ticket to Enchnede (I believe that is the spelling) for two Euros. It was marvelous. The city was beautiful and the weather superb to the cloudy train station we left and 1.5 hours earlier. We strolled down the towns square where bikers were everywhere and pedestrians were a rarity. The culture of the city was just relaxing. It was such a nice day. It seemed as if every business man decided to take the afternoon off and head to town square, order a beer and bask in the sunlight. There were little shops that we walked around in. Buildings had their date of completion year most of them over three hundred years old, but it was more of quaint relaxing city not over-powering traditional city like Vienna or Prague. We ate lunch in the town square, loved each bite of that delicious club sandwich with potato chips (it’s hard to find Lays potato chips.) On the way home, we came to a stop in the middle of the track. We figured ‘O small delay.’ A small delay meant six hours to get home and were re-routed to travel basically the North Rhine Westphalia area. We believe that someone jumped in front of a train in a train station ahead of us as a drunk German busted into our car and gave us an idea of what happened. However, we made the best of the very long trip.

Saturday some friends and I went to Dusseldorf for my 21st to celebrate in the Old town. Each bar in this area has their own specialty micro-brew. They take great pride and beer is poured out of a wooden cask where all the old traditions are preserved. Some of the world’s highest ranking beers are brewed and bottled only in this region. Beers are served like McDonalds fast. One bar sells over 2,000 pints of beer in an hour on a the average Saturday. Old town on weekends is transformed into a huge bar. People walk around or stand at a table if so lucky to find one and enjoy the weather. The beers here are dark beers but like nothing really offered in America and hard to describe. My favorite moment of the day came when we ordered a liter of beer sat by the Rhine river and slowly sipped on it, ate a baguette and just enjoyed our company. I went out to a club later that night but it was very crowded and the music was from the 90’s as it was 90’s night which consisted of Back Street Boys, N Sync etc. They had a catalog of music you could request which I looked for 1990’s old school rap. Nothing. So I smiled and danced with my German friends but felt like my poor ears were in their own personal purgatory as I heard ‘I’m a Barbie Girl’ twice in a row. I did have a wonderful night though so don’t let the poor music selection think that I did not thoroughly enjoy the moment.

Well I must go off to write a paper. To the chagrine of my professor, I am not writing about the culture differences of America and Germany but rather the culture differences between the Emos and the Hipsters (two counter cultures). I wish I could see my poor German professor’s face as he reads it. It should be very funny to read the feedback and the questions.

I love you all, stay safe
And as always seize the day,
Nathan.