Back from Espana

Hello hello!

We just got in from Barcelona.  Had an amazing time.  It was really a nice change of pace from the other European cities I've been spending time in.  People spoke Spanish (obviously), and since it is a beach city it felt a lot more like the Los Angeles area.  A few of the other students are Spanish speakers, so I know they really enjoyed being able to converse with everyone.  

In the early 1900s, Barcelona was basically handed over (Architecturally speaking) to Antoni Gaudi.  He focused very much on the shapes, colors, and geometry of nature.  He really understood architecture as a complete art form.  The buildings I got to visit were his Casa Mila, Casa Guell, and the Sagrada Familia.  All of them were breath-taking.  His last and most magnificent project,  Sagrada Familia, is still being constructed.  I could probably talk for days about Gaudi and our visit here, but I'll try to spare you! 

Gaudi died poor and destitute (he put all of his own money into the project), and he was actually living in one of the towers when he died.  He was killed outside Sagrada when he stepped into the street and was hit by a bus... Supposedly, no one knew who he was until they found a sketch in his coat pocket.  He didn't leave any plans for the rest of Sagrada Familia, so there has been a lot of controversy about how to complete the rest of it.  It should be done around 2020.  Walking around the church, it's very obvious which work is Gaudi's and which parts are contemporary.  

Took lots of pictures!  We got to take a lift up to the top and walk down one of the towers in a small, spiral staircase.  So scary.  Martin, Lindsey and I kept joking that "Gaudi was trying to kill us."  Guess he didn't think that safety should get in the way of art, eh?

View of Barcelona from the top:

It sort of resembles a drippy sand castle... almost like it should be at the bottom of the sea or in 'The Little Mermaid.'  The outside is covered in religious imagery.  Looking closely at all the walls, they almost come to life...  Gaudi used everything from dead bodies to plants and animals to develop the Sagrada's facade.

A photo of the old/new development:

Wow...A look at the interior ceiling and stained glass:

Down the stairs!  (The handrail was added later...not part of Gaudi's design):

Took a day trip on Friday to a little city in France on the Mediterranean called Collioure.  It was so nice just hanging out on the beach and going swimming for a few hours.  A bit of a tease, however... none of us wanted to leave.  I've never swam in water so clear.

GELATO!  Yumm..

I took 500 photos in Barcelona/France, so there is no way i'll be able to report on it all.  This is a pretty good sampling of my last 5 days or so.  I'll just leave you with this mouth-watering photo.  A traditional Spanish treat is Xocolota and churros.  It is drinking chocolate (something like a warm, melted chocolate bar) in a cup, served with fresh sugared churros.  Tasty!

Oh, and i'll be heading out in a couple of hours to watch the final game of the EuroFest on a big screen in old town Prague.  We got to see Spain win their semi-final match against Russia this week, which was pretty exciting.  These guys love their football.

Photos--

I ALSO POSTED MORE BERLIN PHOTOS A FEW BLOGS BACK.  GO LOOK.

Finally!  I'm posting pictures from our visit to Kutna Hora last week.  It was such a picturesque little town.. about 60 km outside of Prague.  Just look at that view... It was a little bit like a ghost town, however.  It used to be a silver mining town during the 1300's.  Now it's just a little bit depressing.  We did, however, stumble across some adorable little shops where townspeople sold crafts.  I talked myself out of buying many things, including some handmade pottery, a knitted scarf, or a handcrafted kaleidoscope.  Anyway, on to the photos!

Ok.  So.  The 'Bone Church' or the Sedlec Ossuary is this little chapel in Kutna Hora.  During the Black Plague and the Hussite Wars of the 14th and 15th centuries, something like 40,000 bodies were buried here.  Eventually, I guess around the late 1800's, they hired a carpenter to put the bones in order.  Basically, he used them to create some pretty incredible (grotesque?) interior architecture.  Supposedly the chandelier that hangs in the middle of the cathedral includes at least one of every bone in the human body.

Me and the others (I think 7 of us spent the day here) caught a train back to Prague and grabbed dinner together before heading back to the dorms.  All in all, it was a very pleasant day!  

We're back from Vienna, now, too.  I'll post about that tomorrow.  

The highlight of my day today was finally doing laundry.  It's only been, you know, three weeks.  There are no dryers here, so all of mine and Yoshi's clothes are in the middle of our room on a huge drying rack.  I'm going to wear a dress tomorrow because that's all I really have to wear.  To do laundry here at the dorms, you have to jump through a whole series of hoops--the hardest of which is attempting to communicate with the non-English speaking building attendants.  In about 16 hours (fingers crossed) my clothes will be dry.  And nice and crisp, too, I'm sure!   

Hmmm

Thoughts for the day: We couldn't find the phrase, "Sorry, I don't speak Czech" in Cat's English-Czech dictionary.  I feel like this should be a necessary addition to any phrase book.  

 

We have daily Czech lessons from Tomas (our liaison while we are here) which is really cool.  So I can ask questions like, "Which way to the train station?"  or "How much does this cost?" which would be helpful if I could understand the reply.  Czech is pretty difficult.  But we all seem to manage.  Generally, we are not regarded very well in public.  I guess being Americans and traveling in packs doesn't make us easily liked.  I befriended some Belgium girls in Amsterdam and as soon as they discovered I didn't vote for George W. Bush they gave me a hug and said, "Oh!  We like you in that case..."  So, as expected, we all suffer for the actions of a few. 

 

But besides that... I've had a few favorable encounters with some Czech people.  I gave up my seat on the tram to an elderly woman and she gave me a very sweet and genuine smile when she exited at the next stop.   I shouldn't speak for the group, but I know that most of us really want to make a good impression on these people.  

 

Oh, and a small group of us traveled outside of Prague today to the Kutna Hora to see the Bone Church.  I'll get some pictures up soon.  

Mas Photos

YES.  This is the real deal.  The bust of Nefertiti!  Oh, those Germans and their stolen art.  Honestly, some of the most amazing museums I've ever been to.  

Sometime soon, I'll post a whole series of photos of Lindsey and I.  We have started this whole posing thing... Anyway.  Here's a preview:

We rented rowboats!  Champions, if I've ever seen them.

Poor Khoi.  Scared of heights.  This is us at the Reichstag!!  I kept forgetting I was carrying scissors in my bag.  They were confiscated twice on this trip by security.  Berlin security guards, forunately, were the nicest I've ever met.

Also, I would like to dedicate an album to Khoi and all the hilarious photos we've captured of him.  Is it wrong to have this much fun hanging out with your teachers?  :)

berlin!

We had a group barbecue the Wednesday before we left for Berlin.  We all pitched in and bought two small grills, which were not pre-assembled.  Here is one group assembling:

They won!

Beautiful, beautiful architecture in Berlin.  The city is constantly re-defining itself to escape its ugly past.  

This is a photo of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.  So moving...

Brandenburg Gate... the former city gate and a symbol of Berlin:

I'm off the the Bone Church just outside of Prague today.  I'll post more Berlin photos ASAP.  Sorry it's so brief today!

Notting Hill

Guten tag!  In Berlin.

It's just getting dark and it's nearly 10:00 PM.

Just woke up from the most amazing nap.  We left at midnight last night and our bus got here at like 5 in the morning.  We watched 'Notting Hill' with Czech subtitles.  oh, Hugh.  Nothing was open at that time, so we basically spent all day (exhausted... the bus was cold and I hardly slept) waiting around for things to open.  We couldn't get into our hotel rooms until 3 PM.  

 We walked the city a bit and ended up at the Jewish History Museum.  What a well-executed design!  You have to climb a long, grueling set of stairs up to the top of the museum and work your way down.  The top floor is dedicated to the beginning of Jewish history, and goes through history and famous Jewish figures and important Jews in science and medicine and music and literature, etc.  It also reveals the persecution of Jews throughout history, and the bottom floor is dedicated to victims of the Holocaust.  The walls (and many of the floors) are at angles, which adds to the experience.  The architect/designer made it almost physically demanding to get through everything, which serves to illustrate the struggle of Jewish people.  

He also constructed what is called the 'Holocaust tower'. . . a cold, metal tower you can access at the bottom of the museum.  There is only a sliver of natural light coming through at the very top.   The tower is all constructed of jagged angles, and at one side comes to a very rapid point.  It is almost devoid of noise, except for the faint sounds of activity on the street outside.  Needless to say, it was pretty sobering.  Especially to see a museum like this in Berlin.  It's obvious that they understand the need for a wider understanding and an appreciation for Jewish culture.

We walked along where the Berlin wall had been constructed, and went to Charles checkpoint. Remains of the wall are preserved all over the city.  So many interesting things to look at.  The thing that sort of got to me, though, is how much of a tourist place this has become.  You can have your picture taken with a German soldier on either the East or West sides... or buy shirts with the  words "You are leaving the American sector" on them (taken from the original sign), or you can buy and wear reproductions of German military uniforms.  It is just amazing how fast we become desensitized, I suppose.  I know all of this was set up for tourists, but "the wall"  must still be very real to the people who live here.  

Anyway, enough with my ranting.  I have wi-fi in my hotel room so I'll update before I leave on Sunday night and post pictures when I can.  

Oh, and P.S.  I think I'm really going to love this city.

Lennon

Lindsey shared her pictures with me.  So now I'll finally post some with me in them...

Sketching in the park:

Today, me, Lindsey, Allison, and Alyssum just wandered around the city.  It was really nice.  We found a cheap Indian restaurant (AWESOME) that had free water (EVEN MORE WONDERFUL).  Did I mention that restaurants don't serve free water?   People weren't kidding when they said beer is cheaper than water in Prague.  

We then found the only Starbucks in Prague which was really cool.  Just had to see it.  It is in this historic building and it hardly feels like "starbucks" at all.  The baristas there was so nice, and when I told them I worked at Starbucks in the U.S. they gave me the 30% discount, even though they didn't have to.  They seemed really nervous and kept saying that I hoped it all looked okay and that they hoped I liked my drink.  They offered different products and the pastries looked way tastier.  It was sort of surreal seeing the whole menu in crowns and all of the advertisements in Czech.  I'm sure we'll make it back over there again before I leave... plus they offer free Wi-fi.  

At the end of the Charles Bridge is a dedication wall to John Lennon.  Apparently, the look of the wall changes weekly as people continue to add to it.  There is a bronze bust of Lennon attached to the wall right above the "Imagine" peace sign.  The entire wall is covered with messages of love and peace.  

SO COOL. I bought this old photo album (from the 1930s or 40s?) from a vintage bookstore.  It is full of beautiful photographs of a couple of women in the summer.  I got it for about $6.00..what a steal:

This cat became our friend when we were picnicking today.  If I could picture a "Czech" cat...this would be it.  So hilarious:

Really random?  But cool.  An upside down umbrella in someone's yard in the Baba district:

In the metro station: