A city with quite a past and quite a future. My first full day I set out on a walking tour of the city center. I had such a great experience in Prague, I decided to go with the same company in Berlin. It was just ok and confirmed my feeling that it really is the guide that makes or breaks the tour. This guide, Rob, was from Great Britain, and while the tour itself was good, I just didn't get much of his humour. So a lot of what Rob was trying to achieve was lost on me. Plus it was really hot and muggy. So much for heading north in search of cooler weather.
The next day was rainy, which only added to the mugginess, so I hit the museums. I made it to 4 before I crashed. I visited the Pergamon (lots of classical antiques focusing on the Greeks), The Neus Museum (home of the bust of Neferiti), The Altes Museum (lots of archeological treasures), and The Old National Gallery (paintings). It sure made for a busy day!
The next day I took a walking tour focusing on The Third Reich. The guide was very much an intellectual, which is fine except that the 4 hour tour took over 6 hours!! And it was supper hot. We saw some great sights and the guide was really knowledgeable but half the things he was talking about went over my head. We did visit The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It is a maze of over 2,000 concrete blocks of various heights. The architect (apparently the same one doing the Twin Towers Memorial) designed this memorial to be open to your own interpretation. It's meant to be a place of reflection.
The blocks were highest in the middle and lowest on the outside. My toughts: the middle felt very dark and depressing, like the whole world was closing in on top of you. But as you made your way to the outside, a sense of light and hope came over you. Almost as if you were overcoming the darkness that had just enveloped you. I have no idea if that is what others felt, but that was my interpretation.
We also visited the square of the notorious Nazi book burning in 1933. It was here that staff and students from the university threw 20,000 books the Nazis claimed were forbidden ina huge bonfire. On the square hangs a plaque with a quote from 1820 by a German poet Henrich Heine, "Where they burn books, at the end they also burn people." Those words were spoken over 100 years before the book burning. Kinda creepy.
Berlin was great with so much to see. I felt it was kind of like Rome in the sense that it is impossible to see everything in one trip. Berlin is definitely a place to keep coming back to. Now it is time to check out Poland.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Dresden, Germany
I went seeking some great treasures and I found them. Too bad I can't have any of them for myself.
Old Town Dresden was pretty much flattened during WWII and has now been rebuilt. Across the bridge the "New Town" wasn't even touched. The result is a look at two different worlds within one small town. The Old Town was rebuilt to look exactly as it was before the war, in the old Baroque architecture. Back to the days of Louis XIV and Augustus the Strong. The New Town was designed during Communist rule, and sure looks it. Stark concrete buildings with clean lines and no character. What a contrast to the other side of the bridge. While the architecture is interesting, the biggest draw for tourists are the jewels and treasures hidden in the Historic Green Vault and the New Vault.
The Historic Green Vault is a treasury collection started by Augustus the Strong in the early 1700's. Each room has a theme and displays the royal family's various treasures. There is the amber room, the ivory room, the silver rooms and the crown jewel rooms. I was drooling the whole way through.
Then came The New Vault with its much celebrated 6.2 carat green diamond, not to mention the mysterious way it just appeared in Germany, supposedly from India. Nobody seems to know how that happened. Lucky for Dresden. Wow, what an incredible piece of jewelry. I stood and stared for awhile, then had to come back for another look before I left. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, but I did pick up a postcard with its picture on it. Just to see it was well worth the trip to Dresden.
Old Town Dresden was pretty much flattened during WWII and has now been rebuilt. Across the bridge the "New Town" wasn't even touched. The result is a look at two different worlds within one small town. The Old Town was rebuilt to look exactly as it was before the war, in the old Baroque architecture. Back to the days of Louis XIV and Augustus the Strong. The New Town was designed during Communist rule, and sure looks it. Stark concrete buildings with clean lines and no character. What a contrast to the other side of the bridge. While the architecture is interesting, the biggest draw for tourists are the jewels and treasures hidden in the Historic Green Vault and the New Vault.
The Historic Green Vault is a treasury collection started by Augustus the Strong in the early 1700's. Each room has a theme and displays the royal family's various treasures. There is the amber room, the ivory room, the silver rooms and the crown jewel rooms. I was drooling the whole way through.
Then came The New Vault with its much celebrated 6.2 carat green diamond, not to mention the mysterious way it just appeared in Germany, supposedly from India. Nobody seems to know how that happened. Lucky for Dresden. Wow, what an incredible piece of jewelry. I stood and stared for awhile, then had to come back for another look before I left. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, but I did pick up a postcard with its picture on it. Just to see it was well worth the trip to Dresden.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Prague, Czech Republic
My first stop on this last leg of this year's journey. What a wonderful place to kick off this segment. I highly recommend adding this incredible city to your travel list!
I started my first full day there by taking a walking tour of the city. In my previous cities I had done the "Rick Steves do-it-yourself tours", mostly because it was off-season and many tour companies either weren't doing tours or were at a very limited selection. However, for Prague I decided to try the advertised group tour and I am SO glad I did!!
Amy, the guide, was absolutely incredible! Her knowledge, wit, and amazing awesomeness made this a great tour. So good, in fact, I ended up taking 2 more of her tours! We walked all over the "old city" of Prague, heard great legends and learned some new words, to boot.
My most memorable legend was of the theif and the virgin. The shortened version goes something like this, forgive me for I have forgotten parts of it, sorry Amy. There once was a theif, who had his eye on some prize (I have forgotten what) inside a church. As the theif was about to steal said prize, the statue of a virgin comes to life and grabs his arm, quite forcefully, then freezes back to her statue form. Now the theif is stuck. He can't escape the statue's grasp, so he has no choice but to wait until morning when the priest comes. The priest says the only way to free the theif is to cut off the arm. The theif is thinking the statue's arm, however it is the theif's arm they cut. We were told this legend while outside of said church. We were able to look inside the window and saw the theif's hand, fingers and all, dangling from the wall, as a reminder as to what happens when you steal. Pretty crazy!
The following day I walked the Charles Bridge and visited the Lennon Wall. John Lennon's words and ideas gave the people of Prague hope and a vision during a very dark time. It was moving to see the impact Lennon had on the people here. Then I revisited the Jewish Quarter, the Pinkas Synagogue in particular, a memorial to the victims of the Nazis. The inside walls of the synagogue are covered with the names of over 77,000 Czech Jews who were sent to the gas chambers at various concentration camps. Each name is hand painted along with the person's hometown, birthdate, and last known date alive. Talk about Powerful! The feeling of awe and reflextion were incredible. Upstairs is the Terrezin Children's Art Exhibit showing artwork by children who were imprisioned at the Terrezin concentration camp.
The next day was a tour of Kutna Hora and the bone church. The story of the bone church is another of too many bones and not enough space.It originally served as a normal cemetery, but the plague of the 14th century and the wars of the 15th century added too many. Eventually a family came to own the church and burial grounds. They comissiomed an artist to help fulfill their vision of wanting to memoralize the living as well as the dead.The artist used the bones of 40,000 people to decorate the church. There are garlands made of skulls, bones were used to create the family crest, and a chandelier rumored to include every bone in the human body. Once you get past the morality of it all, it is prerty cool.
I started my first full day there by taking a walking tour of the city. In my previous cities I had done the "Rick Steves do-it-yourself tours", mostly because it was off-season and many tour companies either weren't doing tours or were at a very limited selection. However, for Prague I decided to try the advertised group tour and I am SO glad I did!!
Amy, the guide, was absolutely incredible! Her knowledge, wit, and amazing awesomeness made this a great tour. So good, in fact, I ended up taking 2 more of her tours! We walked all over the "old city" of Prague, heard great legends and learned some new words, to boot.
My most memorable legend was of the theif and the virgin. The shortened version goes something like this, forgive me for I have forgotten parts of it, sorry Amy. There once was a theif, who had his eye on some prize (I have forgotten what) inside a church. As the theif was about to steal said prize, the statue of a virgin comes to life and grabs his arm, quite forcefully, then freezes back to her statue form. Now the theif is stuck. He can't escape the statue's grasp, so he has no choice but to wait until morning when the priest comes. The priest says the only way to free the theif is to cut off the arm. The theif is thinking the statue's arm, however it is the theif's arm they cut. We were told this legend while outside of said church. We were able to look inside the window and saw the theif's hand, fingers and all, dangling from the wall, as a reminder as to what happens when you steal. Pretty crazy!
The following day I walked the Charles Bridge and visited the Lennon Wall. John Lennon's words and ideas gave the people of Prague hope and a vision during a very dark time. It was moving to see the impact Lennon had on the people here. Then I revisited the Jewish Quarter, the Pinkas Synagogue in particular, a memorial to the victims of the Nazis. The inside walls of the synagogue are covered with the names of over 77,000 Czech Jews who were sent to the gas chambers at various concentration camps. Each name is hand painted along with the person's hometown, birthdate, and last known date alive. Talk about Powerful! The feeling of awe and reflextion were incredible. Upstairs is the Terrezin Children's Art Exhibit showing artwork by children who were imprisioned at the Terrezin concentration camp.
The next day was a tour of Kutna Hora and the bone church. The story of the bone church is another of too many bones and not enough space.It originally served as a normal cemetery, but the plague of the 14th century and the wars of the 15th century added too many. Eventually a family came to own the church and burial grounds. They comissiomed an artist to help fulfill their vision of wanting to memoralize the living as well as the dead.The artist used the bones of 40,000 people to decorate the church. There are garlands made of skulls, bones were used to create the family crest, and a chandelier rumored to include every bone in the human body. Once you get past the morality of it all, it is prerty cool.
recap since last post
So much has happened since I last wrote. Here's the quick version - spent Christmas in Rome, got sick before the New Year in Sorrento, was miserable, had an interesting experience with Italian medicine, flew home, spent Jan in the States, saw friends and family, spent time at the cabin, was able to get refreshed and grounded again and was ready for more traveling. I flew back to Italy, spent 3 weeks WWOOFing in Umbria - strange experience, survived the coldest temps in 30 years and the most snowfall in 40 years, lived with a type A Italian momma, 3 very rude boys and a guy who had to work in England for 10 days, yet I survived! I realized I liked the flexibility of coming and going that came with my travels, so I set out for another 3 weeks traveling around Italy. I revisited Florence and Sienna, went to Cortona, Assissi, and Cinque Terre, then made my way to Slovenia, spent time in Ljubljana and Lake Bled - beautiful!, was on a train to Coatia when everything changed. Long story short, I had overstayed my welcome in the EU (you are only allowed 90 days in a 6 month period without a visa) SO after getting pulled off the train, an embarrassing breakdown in front of the officer, filling out paperwork and paying a very hefty fine, I was allowed back ona train to Croatia. Meanwhile, I was making new plans for the next 3 months, until I was able to return to the EU.
In Croatia I visited Zagreb and Plivitce Lakes National Park. I had lots of fun walking between all the waterfalls and had time to think and reflect, then it was off to Istanbul. Istanbul was a challenge. I was not prepared for the aggressiveness of the people and found the area turned me into a bitter and rude traveler. I tried to sightsee, spent a long day with a soon-to-be stalker, bought an expensive carpet, and tried to avoid people. After a week in Istanbul, I was ready to come home. I flew to Boston and spent 2 weeks with Kitty and the family, including Easter at Big Indian! Then I returned to CO for 2 1/2 months, subbing until school let out, went to a good friend's wedding, saw lots of old friends, and planned this next Euro trip. Next up is 5 weeks in Eastern Europe finishing up travels I was supposed to do this past spring.
In Croatia I visited Zagreb and Plivitce Lakes National Park. I had lots of fun walking between all the waterfalls and had time to think and reflect, then it was off to Istanbul. Istanbul was a challenge. I was not prepared for the aggressiveness of the people and found the area turned me into a bitter and rude traveler. I tried to sightsee, spent a long day with a soon-to-be stalker, bought an expensive carpet, and tried to avoid people. After a week in Istanbul, I was ready to come home. I flew to Boston and spent 2 weeks with Kitty and the family, including Easter at Big Indian! Then I returned to CO for 2 1/2 months, subbing until school let out, went to a good friend's wedding, saw lots of old friends, and planned this next Euro trip. Next up is 5 weeks in Eastern Europe finishing up travels I was supposed to do this past spring.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Florence, Italy
Ahhhh, Florence. Even though it rained the entire time I was in Florence, this city really got a hold of me. Well, what do you do when it rains? You hit a museum. The Academia was first up, where I got to look into the eyes of Michelangelo's David. Okay, I couldn't exactly look it in the eye, but you get the idea. I had seen pictures of this sculpture before, but was utterly struck by its massive size. I had no idea it was that large, 17 feet tall. It looked so life like. No wonder it is considered a masterpiece. I just stood back in awe for some time, taking it all in.
Next up was the Duomo (the cathedral of Santa Maria), mostly to escape the rain that had started up again, but also to see the famous dome - the first Renaissance dome. It was pretty incredible, I must say. The next morning I took advantage of a break in the rain to wander through the area. Kiosks lined the streets selling wraps, souvenirs, and anything leather - shoes, bags, wallet, jackets, and more. I worked my way down to the Uffitzi Gallery filled with paintings and sculptures by Italian artists. I found a couple of pieces by Titan that caught my eye. I have no idea which ones they were now, because by the time I left most of the pieces were all swimming together in my head. Botticellis was a new Italian artist for me and I found I liked his work, but Raphael's paintings just didn't appeal to me. I don't know nearly enough about art to explain why. Maybe I should learn some more.
Of course, it was raining again so I stopped by Galileo's Science Museum. It gave a chronological view of innovations in science from 1000 to 1900. It was pretty interesting even if I had no idea what most of the contraptions were or how they worked. This museum was an interesting switch from the Uffitzi Gallery, for sure.
I rounded out my trip to Florence with a day trip to Pisa. I couldn't be a "tourist" in Italy without seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I pulled into town and realized there was some sort of big running race going on and the route went right by the tower. I managed to wind my way around the barricades to the tower. I can't believe this thing is still standing. It looks so unstable; it's like an incredible Jenga feat, looking like it could topple over any second, but somehow managing to stay upright.
The views from the top of the tower were Incredible!! That is once you got used to the leaning feeling up top. You could feel the tilt as you walked around the rim of the tower. And the walk down the stairs was a trip! I didn't feel anything going up the stairs, but coming down I felt really off kilter and was a little disoriented by the bottom. I was glad to get my 2 feet on level ground again.
Next up was the Duomo (the cathedral of Santa Maria), mostly to escape the rain that had started up again, but also to see the famous dome - the first Renaissance dome. It was pretty incredible, I must say. The next morning I took advantage of a break in the rain to wander through the area. Kiosks lined the streets selling wraps, souvenirs, and anything leather - shoes, bags, wallet, jackets, and more. I worked my way down to the Uffitzi Gallery filled with paintings and sculptures by Italian artists. I found a couple of pieces by Titan that caught my eye. I have no idea which ones they were now, because by the time I left most of the pieces were all swimming together in my head. Botticellis was a new Italian artist for me and I found I liked his work, but Raphael's paintings just didn't appeal to me. I don't know nearly enough about art to explain why. Maybe I should learn some more.
Of course, it was raining again so I stopped by Galileo's Science Museum. It gave a chronological view of innovations in science from 1000 to 1900. It was pretty interesting even if I had no idea what most of the contraptions were or how they worked. This museum was an interesting switch from the Uffitzi Gallery, for sure.
I rounded out my trip to Florence with a day trip to Pisa. I couldn't be a "tourist" in Italy without seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I pulled into town and realized there was some sort of big running race going on and the route went right by the tower. I managed to wind my way around the barricades to the tower. I can't believe this thing is still standing. It looks so unstable; it's like an incredible Jenga feat, looking like it could topple over any second, but somehow managing to stay upright.
The views from the top of the tower were Incredible!! That is once you got used to the leaning feeling up top. You could feel the tilt as you walked around the rim of the tower. And the walk down the stairs was a trip! I didn't feel anything going up the stairs, but coming down I felt really off kilter and was a little disoriented by the bottom. I was glad to get my 2 feet on level ground again.
Verona, Italy
Even if there wasn't a real Romeo and Juliet, I had to make this town a stop on my journey. There's not much to the town, just another old time Italian village. But Shakespeare put it on the map and they are milking it for all it's worth. There is a lot more history to this town, but everyone seems comes because of the connection to the star-crossed lovers.
I didn't have a reservation for a hotel, so once I got into town, I took time to wander for awhile. Being mid-December the Christmas markets were up in many of the bigger squares. After about an hour of wandering I settled on a nice hotel by the Roman arena. It was in the old town area and near many sites. After checking in and ditching the pack, it was off to explore a little more before the sun went down. The next day I toured the arena. It was pretty cool, especially if you visualize it in its prime. But I knew I still had the Colosseum in Rome on my list. We will see how this one compares to its big brother in Rome. No comparison, I'm sure, but still a cool experience. I took Rick Steve's guided walk through Verona which took me by the major streets and squares, as well as down some of the more quaint, lesser known streets.
Of course, I had to stop at Juliet's balcony. Legend has it this is the real balcony of Juliet, but there wasn't an official Capulet family in Verona, so who knows? Still loads of tourists come to see the balcony anyways. In the courtyard there is a bronze statue of Juliet. Tradition has it if you rub the breast of Juliet's statue it will help you find a lover. I don't know about that, but it does feel really weird posing for a picture with your hand on the breast of a statue. Can't say I've ever done that before. Oh well, they say "When in Rome, . . . " Wait, I'm not in Rome yet.
I didn't have a reservation for a hotel, so once I got into town, I took time to wander for awhile. Being mid-December the Christmas markets were up in many of the bigger squares. After about an hour of wandering I settled on a nice hotel by the Roman arena. It was in the old town area and near many sites. After checking in and ditching the pack, it was off to explore a little more before the sun went down. The next day I toured the arena. It was pretty cool, especially if you visualize it in its prime. But I knew I still had the Colosseum in Rome on my list. We will see how this one compares to its big brother in Rome. No comparison, I'm sure, but still a cool experience. I took Rick Steve's guided walk through Verona which took me by the major streets and squares, as well as down some of the more quaint, lesser known streets.
Of course, I had to stop at Juliet's balcony. Legend has it this is the real balcony of Juliet, but there wasn't an official Capulet family in Verona, so who knows? Still loads of tourists come to see the balcony anyways. In the courtyard there is a bronze statue of Juliet. Tradition has it if you rub the breast of Juliet's statue it will help you find a lover. I don't know about that, but it does feel really weird posing for a picture with your hand on the breast of a statue. Can't say I've ever done that before. Oh well, they say "When in Rome, . . . " Wait, I'm not in Rome yet.
Venice, Italy
Ahhh, Venice! A place where if you walk anywhere, you know you will get lost, no map gives every street name, most streets change names at random points, and the vapertto can take you up and down the Grand Canal. My first day I took the scenic ride down the canal just taking it all in, then it was off to St. Mark's square and Basilica. I can just imagine the square packed with tourists and music. It is such a different sight in the winter. There were only a few people strolling about and those that were standing were finding patches of sun. I could walk diagonally across the square without running into anyone. You can't do that in the summer!
My next stop was the Doge's Palace - the place where the duke of Italy used to live. The glass chandeliers were like nothing I had ever seen before. Venice is known for its glass making and I can see why. It is just beautiful!
The next day I went to the Rialto Bridge and walked through their open market. Buying food out here is so different. In the States many people go to a big supermarket and get everything they need in one place. Out here the market is filled with individual stands, each one specializing in something. You go to one stand for your fruit and veggies, another for fish, another for cheese, another for meats, and so on. It's like a farmer's market everyday.
Next up was a look at paintings by Bellini and Titian. I am really liking Titian. Then it was off to get lost in the back neighborhoods. Wandering for the sake of wandering which is a little trickier while holding your own umbrella and trying to dodge others' umbrellas down the very narrow alleyways of Venice. I just kept following the crowds of people knowing they would eventually lead me somewhere. And they did, to the bus station. As I spotted the buses and cars, I was hit with how out of place it all seemed. I had just spent the last few days without a car in sight. In Venice, you walk or take a boat, there are no cars. They even have police and ambulance boats, trash barges, boats for freight, and of course the boats for people. I knew this about Venice, but hadn't stopped to put two and two together until I was standing at the bus station. Weird.
While Venice has been amazing, I can't wait to see more of Italy. Verona is next on the list. In the spirit of Romeo and Juliet I had to make this a stop.
My next stop was the Doge's Palace - the place where the duke of Italy used to live. The glass chandeliers were like nothing I had ever seen before. Venice is known for its glass making and I can see why. It is just beautiful!
The next day I went to the Rialto Bridge and walked through their open market. Buying food out here is so different. In the States many people go to a big supermarket and get everything they need in one place. Out here the market is filled with individual stands, each one specializing in something. You go to one stand for your fruit and veggies, another for fish, another for cheese, another for meats, and so on. It's like a farmer's market everyday.
Next up was a look at paintings by Bellini and Titian. I am really liking Titian. Then it was off to get lost in the back neighborhoods. Wandering for the sake of wandering which is a little trickier while holding your own umbrella and trying to dodge others' umbrellas down the very narrow alleyways of Venice. I just kept following the crowds of people knowing they would eventually lead me somewhere. And they did, to the bus station. As I spotted the buses and cars, I was hit with how out of place it all seemed. I had just spent the last few days without a car in sight. In Venice, you walk or take a boat, there are no cars. They even have police and ambulance boats, trash barges, boats for freight, and of course the boats for people. I knew this about Venice, but hadn't stopped to put two and two together until I was standing at the bus station. Weird.
While Venice has been amazing, I can't wait to see more of Italy. Verona is next on the list. In the spirit of Romeo and Juliet I had to make this a stop.
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