Tales from the train ride to Prague and More (Mainz)

When we boarded our train from Berlin to Prague, it was jam-packed, and hard to find seats. After standing up and waiting for a bit to find a seat, a middle-aged gentleman offers me a seat that is vacant, next to him. It turns out that he is Arpad Szoczi, a Canadian-born journalist, activist, author, former-lobbyist, and documentary filmmaker, of Hungarian descent. His forte of knowledge was the Romanian Revolution, and genocide of the Hungarian minority within Transylvania in the 1980's. In his research and time spent interviewing political members, spies, and activists within Romania and Hungary during this time, he has had access to police files, been spied on, and had to sneak cameras into these countries to get ground-shattering interviews. The Romanian Revolution was against the regime of Ceausescu, a harsh Communist tyrant, who had brutally murdered many of his people for decades. This inevitably resulted in his own people capturing him, and having a firing squad kill him and his family on Christmas Day, after a trial that was so brief it could be considered a joke. Szoczi is currently working on a book called: Timisoara: The Real Story Behind the Romanian Revolution. I hope to one day pick up a copy of the book when it comes out in English, in a few months time, Szoczi told me.

Later on on our trip, we found ourselves in Mainz, the birthplace of Gutenberg, the man behind the first printing press in Western Civilization. Interestingly enough, the Germans had forgotten about Gutenberg by the time of Napoleon's conquest of Europe. When Napoleon had Mainz occupied, it was he who ordered the placing of the first statue of Gutenberg in the town, because the French had known all about Gutenberg and held a great respect for him. There, in Mainz, our guide showed us how an original Gutenberg printing press operated, by printing us a sheet from a Gutenberg Bible.

Halfway Mark

So we left Berlin for Prague, which turned out to be the most beautiful city I ever have had the good fortunate to visit. We took a walking tour of the city and visited old synagogues, came across old statues of former leaders and saints of czech descent, and saw the beauty that Prague had to offer. What made the tour extra memorable was that it was snowing the whole tome, which really added an extra aspect of beauty to the historic city. The one thing negative I have to say about Prague, as I sit here safely in a Starbucks in the quaint city of Nuremberg, Germany is that I lacked a sense of security in Prague. It was common for merchants to trick us into paying them more than what their product was worth. Take for example an experience I had at a really happening 5-story bar/club there. I ask the bartender for a beer, as is common behavior within a drinking environment, and the bartender opens a bottle of water for me (which by the way is more expensive than beer in Prague). Disappointed by this, I tell the bartender, "No I ordered a beer." So then he gets me a beer, and asks me to pay for the water. Of course, I am quick to reject this absurd proposition, and the bartender quickly turns ugly, and threatens to call the guards on me. The end result of this altercation was that I ended up bribing the guard to quell him and just get my beer, and I soon realize that I was hussled. Beautiful city it was, just can't say the same about the people.

We took a bus from Prague to Nuremberg, and ended up taking a walking tour of the city, which ended up being delayed, as our guide was stuck behind a train that had broken down during today's blizzard. As was the case in Prague, the white snow added beauty to the city, which ended up being ironic, as we went to the site of the former Nazi Rally Grounds. It wasn't as bone-chilling as walking past the apartments in Berlin that had been constructed over the site of Hitler's bunker, probably because of the snow, and the fact that the actual stone walkway in front of the WWI War Memorial that Hitler would stand on for these rallies of his, had been removed from its exact site.

So on the Nazi Rally Grounds, there was this building that was designed to hold thousands of people to hear der Führer. It had many peculiar realities about it. First, it was built with a lake covering most of the outside of it, which would help heighten its beauty (propaganda), but it was really unpractical because that means that only one side of the building was really available for thousands of people to shuffle into. Secondly, it was partially constructed (missing a couple stories of the original design), as the war prohibited further construction of it in 1938. Thirdly, there is a museum of the Nazi regime in it now, but it only takes up a portion of the building. The problem is that the building is impractical for use today, as it would be frowned upon to renovate a former Nazi-designed building, and at the same time, it just wouldn't make sense to just tear the huge structure down, as it would be a huge waste of time, effort, and money.

And we're off to Frankfurt in due time after our stop here in Nuremberg, more to come soon.

Lively at Night: Pt III

Karlovy Lazne. Remember this name if you are ever in Prague. Located literally right next to the Charles Bridge, this club is crazy. Lasers, lights, multiple dance-floors, ice bars. This place has it all. Spanning five stories, Karlovy Lazne offers something for everyone. One floor is dedicated to electro, another oldies, another top 40 hits. Unfortunately, I don't think the winter is the peak season for this place and it was also a Monday, so it was not crowded. At all. But on the upside, means we had the whole place to ourselves and everybody had a great time. The drinks were relatively cheap which is something that never happens at clubs in the US and this one was by far the coolest spot I have ever stepped foot in. Did I mention the lasers!?!?! I did but I think they bear mentioning again. The club had this room called the "Hypercube," which was basically a room full of mirrors. With lasers bouncing off the mirrors. Which created an awesome visual experience. I think I need one of those in my house. And the light up dance floor too. That was also pretty awesome. I'm not going to go too much more into this place, but seriously, if you ever get a chance, GO! KARLOVY LAZNE! It was unbelievable in more ways than one. Alrighty, back in Germany so I'll keep you updated on where we go next.

Cheers!

-RGIV

Squares, Spires, and Snow!

Seriously friends. If you've never been to Prague, I highly suggest you get online right now and buy a ticket. This was the most beautiful city I have ever had the pleasure to visit and if that wasn't enough it snowed!! Completely picture perfect, think postcards. Especially with the wonderful dusting of snow we got on the first day there. To me, probably the coolest thing about it is how unchanged it seems (architecturally at least) from the Prague of the medieval period. It managed to remain pretty much unscathed throughout WWII and the Soviet occupation. Having only gained its independence recently, Prague is now fully in capitalism mode, with designer stores, souvenir shops, and of course, McDonald's.

This phenomenon is quite interesting to me as it has only been about 20 years since Czechoslovakia was very firmly under Communist control. As we walked through the Jewish Quarter, an area with some of the oldest synagogues in Europe, we saw a Gucci store, a Louis Vuitton store, Prada, etc. Very strange amongst the cobblestoned streets and historic buildings filled with stories from times past. Our guide was also telling us how, because of this complete shift in economic practices, Prague has gotten a lot more expensive. It was still much cheaper than Germany or London (wonderful for my wallet), but I wonder if I come back in two years what changes will I see. And I will be back. Maybe in the summer this time, the cold gets pretty old really quick.

I guess I should take some time to walk you through the sites. Pictures will follow. The highlights are: the Palace (of course), the John Lennon Wall, the Charles Bridge, the Jewish Quarter, Old Town Square, and St. Wenceslas Square. The cool thing about Prague is that you can walk to all of these places in a day no problem. The city itself is a maze of narrow streets and large squares but you can always find a landmark to orient yourself pretty quickly. Our hotel was extremely close to Old Town Square (I'm talking a one minute walk), which is home to an amazing Astronomical Clock, the Old Town Hall, and various restaurants and shops. The Palace is a sprawling complex with old buildings and new, perched at the top of a hill. Here we saw churches, dungeons, and great halls used by monarchs dating back into the Middle Ages. As it started to snow pretty hard while we were there, the descent from the Palace got a bit treacherous, but hey, what's a little danger to our adventuresome group. The Jewish Quarter was pretty humbling, as it there were tributes to the victims of the Holocaust and an incredibly old, incredibly full cemetery. The Charles Bridge is the oldest of many bridges in Prague, and the tower at the end offers a great view of the city. The John Lennon Wall is a free expression wall covered in graffiti, a must see if you're ever there. St. Wenceslas Square is a HUGE square with lots of shopping, but more importantly was the site of the Velvet Revolution and Prague Spring uprisings against totalitarian regimes, immortalized forever by students lighting themselves on fire in protest.

Also, the nightlife is awesome, but that's content for my next segment of "Gettin Lively in the Night".    Arrived in Nuremberg yesterday so stay tuned for my next post.

Here are some pictures. Until next time, Czech me out!

-RGIV

"Ich bin Berliner"

On our plane ride to Berlin, I was fortunate enough to be able to sit next to a Pennsylvanian woman that was also a second generation German-speaker. We had many laughs, as we read through my book of Dirty German phrases, and I was able to learn quite a bit about German sayings, colloquialisms, euphemisms, expressions, culture, and language! Es war Hammer (which means "It was awesome," exactly as she taught me on the plane ride)! I got to go over some phrases that I had been preparing for myself to be able to navigate the bustling German cities that we will be visiting in the upcoming future, like Münich, Wittenberg, Mainz, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt. Today, we visited a German KFC, and it felt great ordering my meal in German (Kann Ich habe die Nummer acht, bitte?). Another opportunity I had was in the bathroom of an Irish pub I gave a simple greeting to the man running the bathroom, collecting tips (as is the norm here in Germany). He must have recognized my thick American accent, and it was interesting to note that he used the “du” informal way to talk to me. I thought it was interesting because, as a non-native speaker, I'm quite unfamiliar with who I can address with "du," or even, who can address me with "du," but I suppose it made sense that he did because he is only but a humble old German man who must've thought it was nice to hear an American speak a little bit of German with him! I figured it would be a good idea to write my German professor about this interaction and here was his reponse: “If he is quite a bit older than you---let’s say 70 or 80 or more and you’re 20---he uses “du” with you and you respond with “Sie.” It’s a sign of respect for his age: as an older man, he gets to use du with those under 30, BUT then everyone uses Sie with him. I remember this happening to me when I was your age as well.”

During our time in Berlin, we had a fun time meeting the DEKRA University students, who were all various Communications majors. The first thing that they wanted to ask us about was our views on gun control, and we were asked to fill out a survey for them. Next, they brought us to dinner at a Bavarian-styled Hofbrau Haus. From there, we met up with them later, and they took us to a local indie-band concert, where “The Drakes” were playing. The band was OK, but what made it such a great time for me is that I was able to have tons of interactions with these DEKRA students in German, and was given tons of constructive criticism on my German-speaking, which I really appreciated. They were quite humbled to hear an American speak some German with them, an experience that they have never had before.

Lively at Night: Pt. II

So, Berlin is pretty crazy. It seems that everybody aged 16-25 goes out on the weekends and they go out hard. The trains run all night so even at 5 a.m., you can still make it back to the hotel, alive, safe, and happy. According to our counterparts from Dekra University, most Berlin youths stay out until 9 or 10 in the morning, however that's partying a little too hard, even for me. Our newfound friends did take us to a pretty cool club, wish I could remember the name but it was German so doesn't really stick as well as English. Finally made it back to the hotel after a wonderful night. Next stop, Karlovy Lazne club in Prague, a five-story disco where each floor plays a different genre of music. More to come on this one as I've been waiting all trip to hit it up. And with that, I bid you a wonderful evening. 

P.S. It snowed all day here in Prague!! Be sure to check out the next post so I can tell you all about it!

-RGIV

Some Pictures From Germany

Ok so these are a little out of order but forgive me, it is pretty damn hard to get the internet to work like I want it to here. Pictures include the Brandenberg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the church door at Wittenberg, Kaiser Wilhelm Church (old and new), pieces of the Berlin Wall, and new buildings in Berlin.  My iPad will not let me give them captions for some reason, so it's up to you to figure out which is which. Cheers.

-RGIV

A

 

Gettin Lively in the Night

As anyone who knows me can tell you, I'm a creature of the night. When the sun goes down, in my opinion, thats when the real fun begins. My fellow travellers have turned out to be just as lively as I am, and for that I am thankful. I'm currently writing this post with a nice German hefeweizen in my hand enjoying some great Irish folk music at a little pub in Berlin, accompanied by many other Gutenbergers. So far, we have had a great time after all the learning ends. From the church-turned-pub Waxy O'Connors and Tiger Tiger Club in London and jazz clubs and Irish pubs in Berlin, there has been no shortage of friends, fun, and of course, beer. To me, this is only the beginning, as we haven't even gotten to the incredible techno clubs in Berlin and Prague, but I thought this could be the beginning of an ongoing series about what kind of shenanigans your favorite travelers find as we move from city to city. So stay tuned. Great things happen at night.

-RGIV

Old City, New City

Now where were we... Ah yes, Berlin. An old city filled with the new.

I must say, this city is truly awesome. The people are nice, the transportation is great, and it has its sights set on the future. Obviously, much of Berlin looks nothing like it did pre-WWII. With over 80% of this bustling metropolis destroyed or damaged by Allied bombing and fighting at the end of the war, Berliners have had to rebuild.

And rebuilding they are. One of the first things you notice are the massive construction projects lining the streets. New apartments and new shopping complexes are constantly being added and I was informed that it is one of the top cities in the world for new urban development. However, many areas are still full of old Soviet-era buildings, so it creates an interesting mix of bland, boring, very Communist style dwellings with new, glass-covered, modern skyscrapers. This is of course because the fall of the Berlin Wall only occurred a mere 23 years ago and many of these new buildings are straddling the former border between East and West or are in the "no-man's-land" of the inner walls.
To me this is a fitting end to the division of Berlin. The period between 1963 and 1989 was not a great time for Berliners, who had already had to deal with the total destruction and then re-construction of their proud city. The Reichstag, or German Parliament building had been burned to the ground pre-War, the Brandenburg Gate, the most famous landmark constructed by the Prussians in the 18th century, was in tatters. Ruins of Nazi buildings left citizens humiliated and ashamed. This was not a great place to live.

And yet the people of Berlin carried on and today I can honestly say that they are on the path to greatness once again. And don't think Berliners have forgotten about their rocky path. The Jewish Memorial to victims of the holocaust dominates a square near all the government buildings, just a short walk to the restored Brandenburg Gate. It is a monument designed to overwhelm those who walk through it, and I can tell you, it does overwhelm. Consisting of hundreds of concrete blocks ranging from two to twelve feet high, lined up in perfect rows, it is a haunting reminder of the past and motivation to reconcile in the future.

I like this city more and more everyday and I will be sorry to leave, but I assure you I will be back one day and I am excited to see how different it will look even in the near future. I promise you guys I will have some pictures up soon, as I have been taking LOTS. Unfortunately, the wi-fi at this hotel is, well... not very good to say the least so it is taking quite a bit of time to upload. So stay tuned folks, there is lots more to come. We visited Wittenberg today, home of my home-boy Martin Luther so I am excited to write about that. Alas my time is short and my days full. I'll  be sure to have it ready by tomorrow. Hopefully with pictures. Until then... Ich Bin Berliner!

-RGIV

London

            The first city our group visited was London. Walking into the British Museum, the first artifact on display was the world-renowned Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone truly fascinates me, and it was incredible experience to see such an amazing piece of history in person! Of course, it is the most visited object in the British Museum, which was made obvious by the sheer amount of people crowding around it, upon when we came into contact with it. It's incredibly fortunate that that piece of history has been recovered (well, what wasn't damaged of it, as it is a fragmented piece). It is only one of a few surviving documents/artifacts that allows us to understand Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, with the inscriptions being in 3 different languages: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics (the portion that was damaged, unfortunately), Demotic script, and Ancient Greek (as during the later years in the Egyptian Empire, Greek was spoken). 

Next, we were able to visit the British Library and see a plethora of amazing historical documents such as the Gutenberg Bible (the first printed book in Western Civilization), the Magna Carta (an article dating back to 1215 in  England that granted basic rights such as requiring due process of law for one to be punished), original writings of Beatles' song lyrics, pages from Da Vinci's notebook, handwritten music from Beethoven, sketches from Michelangelo, Lewis Carrol's original manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground, and Mercator's world maps. I felt fortunate to gaze my eyes upon the work of such great minds that once labored over these documents years and years ago.

Another interesting place that we visited in London was Winston Churchill's underground bunker that he stayed in during World War II, as a base of operations. We were able to see the original living quarters of Winston, his wife, his staff, and his military officers, left exactly as they were after they were closed off after D-Day. 

More to come soon as I am writing this after arriving in glorious Berlin today!

The Beginning

Well, it certainly has been an exciting week and our group has learned much about and the present alike. Our journey begins in London, far from the birthplace of the printing press but still absolutely relevant to the history of communications and higher learning.

Our first stop was the British Museum, home of antiquities from across the world, including the famous Rosetta Stone which is a perfect artifact to illustrate the power of the written word. The Rosetta Stone is of course the most important key historians have to decoding the ancient Egyptian world, as it had a royal decree from the Ptolemaic pharaohs written in 3 different languages including hieroglyphics and Greek. Therefore, this stone, unearthed by Napoleon's army in the 1800s, allowed Egyptologists to finally translate the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics using a language they already knew. Because of this, historians gained powerful insight into the inner workings of Egyptian culture in ancient times. Gazing upon the Rosetta Stone in person sent chills down my spine, as it is considered by many to be one of the most important artifacts ever uncovered.

The next point of interest was the British Library, one of my favorite stops so far, as it contains some of the most important works of writing ever produced including the Magna Carta and a Gutenberg Bible. The Magna Carta was the first political document to ever outline rights for free men, in this case English Barons. The ideals within it helped inspire our own American Constitution and there are only four copies of the original Magna Carta left, and we were lucky enough to see two of them. This was an incredible experience for me as I got to see firsthand one of the first steps in the development of personal freedom and democracy. As our course's name implies, the Gutenberg Bible is one of the greatest innovations in mass communications as it made it relatively simple to print copies of publications quickly and in large numbers. With less than 50 original copies remaining, it is a real experience to see one up close. And the one in the British Library was the first of two we will have the privilege of viewing on this trip so I consider myself lucky indeed.

Some other awesome artifacts at the British Library include a magnificent collection of Illuminated Manuscripts, beautiful hand-written and decorated religious documents from all over the world; pages from Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks, written in his "mirrored" handwriting with incredible illustrations; original handwritten lyrics by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison of the Beatles; some of the earliest maps of all seven continents; and many more incredible pieces of communication from across the world from many different unique cultures. These works had a profound impact on me as I have always had a great love for books and writing and without them, modern thought and philosophy would not be the same.

We have just arrived in Berlin and I finally had enough energy to sit down and write. This whole time difference thing has been totally draining me but I look forward to my next post. Well, I think I'm going to end this section here but stay tuned for more. Goodbye, cheers, and auf wiedersehen! -RGIV