In Retrospect

Prague, to me, was something very important.

Thinking back I believe that being in a place of such grandeur and significance made everything much more acute. I felt that things could never be humdrum, even when they clearly were. When times were good, life was bliss. Never have I had more fun. There were times when I felt an extreme clarity of the soul, where for five minutes I could shut off my brain, and simply experience the world around me. But when things were difficult, I felt a weight on my shoulders like never before. I would actually feel as if the universe itself was trying to crush me.

Prague gave me the perspective to question the very fabric of my own reality. I often got to ask myself questions I had never before considered. But in a lot of ways I invested too much in Europe. I demanded that it free me from all my problems, all my responsibilities, and that it give me the power to escape the mundane American existence that I had come to dread in the years immediately following college.

It has been some time now since I left Prague behind. My experiences there seem like a dream to me now. Everyday the memory of my days in Europe fades a little further as I again become consumed by my American distractions: a troubling political system, disturbing farming practices, schools that turn compassionate, motivated teachers into jaded, apathetic zombies, and a population so overwhelmed by the media that they seem to be more invested in who wins Dancing with the Stars then who we put in charge of creating law in this country. With all this on my mind the images of Prague slip further away from me everyday.

So finally, I fully realize why I started this blog in the first place. It was less about broadcasting my goings-on to the people I left behind, that was more of my intent in Volume I. Only after the fact do I come to understand how important it would be that I kept this blog. I always have something to look back at and remind me of the time I stepped out of what I considered my boring existence and attempted to be more than that. This has always been for selfish purposes, and for that I apologize to you, dear reader, but I do hope this has given you something as well. Not often have I used this forum for philosophizing, but before I end I'll give it a bit of a try. Living in a foreign country is an experience that anyone with the means to should try. People have sometimes told me that they wish they could just pack up and leave the way I did. But really, it takes very little to do something different, merely an idea, and the motivation to act on it. Hell, leaving? That's easy. The hard part is coming back. 

I'm bad at endings so I'll just say: Thanks for reading!

Taste the Volcanicity!

Time continued to tick away during my last few weeks in Prague, and before I left the Czech Republic there was one more place I wanted to see: Karlovy Vary, a spa town, where one can drink the natural mineral water that shoots up from the subterranean hot springs. Supposedly the salty-tasting water will cure what ails ya, but who knows. The town is also the home of an international film festival that attracts many tourists each year in the beginning of July. As I couldn't be around for that, I opted instead just to explore a few of it's scenic hiking trails, that reveal main nice overlooks of that city (pictured).

What I probably knew the city best for is the popular Czech liquor Becherovka, which has been produced there for over two hundred years. It is a necessary compliment to any traditional Czech dinner as it is commonly used as a digestive aid. Another thing of interest is the Russian influence in the city. Whereas in most of the Czech Republic there has been an effort to remove anything Soviet, here there remains a strong presence. In addition to various business interests, there is also a still functioning Russian Orthodox church, and even a statue of Marx on one of the streets. Finally, those who are important enough to enter the Grandhotel Pupp might recognize it as the hotel from Casino Royale. Neat, huh?

Now that I've been there, perhaps it's time to read Kierkegaard.

Via a 30 minute train ride over the Öresund strait, travelers from Sweden can easily make it to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. I had the opportunity to spend the day there walking through the historic center. The famous Strøget shopping streets form a backbone of the central city, with many swanky shops, street performers, and beautiful squares. The canal to the east is lined with sailboats much like in Amsterdam. Then a little to the west you have the king's gardens surrounding a small castle where hundreds of people lay out in the sun, playing and picnicking in the grass.

Over the course of the day I never managed to try any distinctly Danish foods, most places served a more international fare, which wasn't such a problem as I can always go for some good Asian cuisine. It's astounding how expensive the alcohol is though. In some places beer costs almost as much as the meal, which was already about three times as expensive as in Prague. Perhaps I have been spoiled by one dollar beers.

Finally, if you have any desire to see the famous Little Mermaid statue, you're going to have to travel to Shanghai. I would have been more upset about this if I had any idea there was such a statue before.

You'd better cycle.

As I began my last month in Prague, I set out on one final international trip, this time to the Southern region of Scandinavia. By way of an insanely cheap flight, one can be in Malmö, Sweden in just over an hour. Lucky me, I had some friends there, so I was given the insider tour of this small but beautiful and iconic area.

The third largest city in Sweden, Malmö is something of a university town, with quite a young atmosphere. The are trendy galleries openings every weekend, and as one would expect, constant demonstrations. It is also the home of some of the best examples of the Modern Scandinavian style of architecture. The Turning Torso (pictured), a complex tower of modern residential units, stands high above the shoreline area, where the sea water is used to create a series of streams that run straight through the neighborhoods.

What's most characteristic of Sweden (and all of the Northern Europe it would seem) is the focus of biking. Practically every street had a dedicated bike lane, and you had to constantly be aware of the cyclists flying by you. Now, I'm not the most skilled bike rider there ever was, I could hop on and get moving, but turning creates some difficulty. So if I had any hope of doing anything in the city I had to have a crash course right there and then. In the end I managed, but it was hard to keep up with the Swedes who, on a typical night out, bike to no less then seven different places on opposite ends of the city. So my advice is make sure you're not afraid to start peddling before you take a trip up North.

You wouldn't even realize there was nothing but smoking rubble here.

Being a long time fan of Kurt Vonnegut I had heard a lot about Dresden, Germany. Fire-bombed in 1945, virtually nothing remained of what had been called one of the most beautiful Gothic cities in Europe. Today much of the historic Alt Stadt has been rebuilt to resemble it's former glory, and indeed it is a sight to see. Most prominent in the city center is the Frauenkirche (pictured), which was completely reconstructed only five years ago, using about 4000 of the original stones.

One of the nice things about a visit to Dresden is how close it is to Prague. At merely two hours away by train, it was no further than most of the Czech towns I've visited lately. But the moment you cross over that border you are greeted by the friendly sounds of the German train conductor, who is happy to have you on board, versus the tone of the Czech one, who would just as soon drive an empty train round and round all day. Despite my positive attitude towards the Germans, it was a bit annoying that for whatever reason my friend could not purchase a Currywurst until noon. No less than three places had the sausages sitting there, they just refused to serve them until later. Perhaps there's some custom I was unaware of. It was good to see Germany again, this was the first time I had returned since the big road trip last summer, and it might the last. So it goes.