Land of Leprechauns, Guinness & Castles

You guessed it (or perhaps not) — Ireland! Last weekend I went up North for a few days in Dublin with Kara, Brittany and Sarah. After a very early flight, an — ahem — interesting and slightly confusing bus ride, and a quick power nap, we set off on foot through the city in search of Leprechauns, pots of gold and a good time. Accompanied by sunny weather and a clear blue sky, we took in all the sights: picturesque bridges along the river, gorgeous cathedrals and churches, and colorful gardens. We toured through the Viking area (yep, that's what it's really called) and eventually made it to the Guinness factory (we couldn't skip that).

Now, beer's not my favorite drink, but I actually enjoyed the tour. We learned a ton about how it's made, and it was surprisingly interesting. We even got to taste-test a pint of Guinness each. I only had about half of mine since I didn't like it, but Brittany did, and gladly finished off the glass. The view from the Gravity Bar, located high atop the Guinness factory, was incredible, and we even saw a rainbow draped across the sky (though we never did find the pot of gold at the end of it). To finish off our first day there, we went out to dinner at a traditional Irish pub. Though it was remarkably similar to those we'd experienced in London, the accents were anything but familiar. I've finally adapted to the British accent (I hardly even notice it anymore), but trying to understand the waitress's thick Dublin accent was a bit of a challenge.

With only 12 hours left in Ireland, we set off for Malahide Castle, just outside Dublin. After seeing Neuschwanstein and Höhschwangau on my spring break, I had pretty lofty expectations. Malahide is incomparable to the two Bavarian castles (I feel like most are), but the Irish fortress has a subtle beauty and sophistication that made it worth a second look. We took the castle tour and wandered through the winding pathways of the garden and park. After a brief stop at the playground to relive our childhood, we found ourselves back in the quaint town of Malahide.

We had just enough time to grab a drink (Bailey's) and a bite to eat before heading to the airport and back to London. It was a whirlwind weekend, but great fun to see yet another country. I love looking at all the stamps in my passport — each of them a badge of honor for going out into the world and experiencing a new culture. And I can't wait to add more.

Photos:
Brittany and I with our free pints of Guinness at the Gravity Bar.
Church in the Viking area of Dublin.
Me in front of Malahide Castle.

You'd Have to Be Barking Mad to Pick Them!

And apparently I am. I know I'm jumping out of order a bit (the Dublin post is coming, I promise), but bear with me for now.

We're down to the Final Four for the NCAA games now, and I'm three for four. I even had Michigan over Louisville, which surprised most people since Louisville crushed Arizona in their Sweet Sixteen game and was the number one seed overall. The only team to ruin my perfect Final Four bracket was Villanova, who just squeaked by Pittsburgh (78-76) to make the Final Four (not that it mattered, I had them losing to Duke in their Sweet Sixteen match-up).

The games have been intense, but great fun to watch. And my roommates still think I'm crazy. Just two more days of the madness though. I can't come in first (Max and Cory have too many points and there are too few games left), but I'm pleased with how I've done this year. I've got Michigan v. UNC in the championship game and UNC for the win (a popular pick — apparently even the President picked them).

Photo included: An updated version of my bracket.

Hopefully Things Don't Get Shambolic

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you're aware that London is not only home to me this week, but also to the leaders from around the globe, including President Barack Obama. The reason for that is the G-20 Summit, a meeting that will focus on the current state of international financial markets and the future of the world economy.

This is the first time so many world leaders have convened in the UK since the first general assembly of the United Nations in 1946, and the Foreign Office has spared no expense. An estimated £20 million has been spent by Great Britain alone for summit preparations.

Some other interesting tidbits to this story so far:

• France is playing hardball, threatening to walkout of the summit if their demands for stricter financial regulation are not met. According to a BBC story posted earlier today, France is seeking a stronger global financial regulator than the US and the UK, and leaving the summit would be a huge blow to Obama and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
• Chris Knight, a professor of anthropology at the University of East London for 20 years, was suspended last week for suggesting violence against the police and bankers. The university announced today that it would close its doors until the summit is over and cancel its alternative G-20 summit event.
• According to the Evening Standard, hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters are planning to storm City banks tomorrow in a series of coordinated demonstrations. Another set of four marches, said to signify the four Horsemen of the apocalypse, are planned to converge on Trafalgar Square from the US Embassy tomorrow.

Should be interesting to see what happens in London tomorrow and at the conference this week. I'll update as things develop. I promise a blog entry about Dublin is coming (along with a few others), so brace yourselves.

Are You Completely Mental?

This post is about a week overdue, but it's that time of year again: March Madness. And while the Brits have yet to embrace the craziness of the NCAA tournament, I'm way into it already. After the, ahem, interesting results of last year's hyper-competitive Ithacan office pool, we were all ready for a re-match.

We're down to the Sweet Sixteen already and it's been a crazy first few days: mascot fights, major upsets (who had Arizona or Cleveland State?) and me screaming at my computer screen (God bless March Madness On Demand online).

The result: my roommates think I'm crazy. My editors have also had a good laugh at how intense I am about the games, but once I compared it to their premiership football (soccer) matches, they seemed to understand.

I can't wait for the games on Thursday!

Photo included: My bracket so far. UNC all the way!!!

Mind Your P's and Q's

When we are kids, our parents are supposed to teach us manners. And I know every set of parents has their own philosophy about what is polite and what isn't, but there are a few things I think we should all be able to agree on.

Case in point: over the weekend, a few of my friends and I went to a club. Now, I understand that people like to go out and have a good time (we do). I understand that people like to dance at a club (we do). And I even understand that clubs tend to get crowded and this isn't always the best atmosphere to do that in. But what I don't understand is the need to barrel people over without so much as a 'sorry' or an apologetic wave of the hand. I'll let you through, just don't topple me over to do it. There's just no need.

On another note: kissing in public - not my favorite thing to see, but I'm willing to accept it. Until you get to the point where you're practically doing the dirty with clothes on. Just take it home. Or at least to a motel.

Seriously folks. Seriously.

Jolly Good!

Only a day after I made it back to London from Spring Break, I had yet another adventure ahead of me: Christine came to visit! After a speedy (and slightly frightening) taxi ride to Heathrow, I picked up a jet-lagged Christine and took her back to my flat. We were both exhausted, but since we hadn't seen each other in a few months, we had a lot to catch up on. Once we were up to speed on the latest gossip, we put in a movie and promptly passed out for a few hours. I know it's not usually the best idea to help people get over jet lag, but we were pooped! Plus it's no fun touring around London when you're exhausted.

When we woke up, I gave Christine a whirlwind tour of Westminster: Big Ben, Parliament, the replica of Shakespeare's Globe, the Tate Modern, a nearby street market, London Bridge and Tower Bridge. We got back to my flat with just enough time to eat dinner and decorate — now that Spring Break was over, it was finally time to celebrate my 21st Birthday properly. Christine and I popped open the bottle of champagne my roommates had gotten me, and once the rest of the gang arrived, cut the cake. Then it was off to The Loop, a club and bar near Picadilly Circus. It really was a perfect way to celebrate: great friends, great drinks, a great deal of dancing and a great night.

I continued to play tour guide for Christine over the next few days, traipsing through Westminster at night, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, St. James's Park, Buckingham Palace, the Portobello Road Market, St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Bartholomew's Church and Hyde Park. And while I'm not a walking encyclopedia of London, like Bill Sheasgreen, director of the ICLC program who does walking tours of London throughout the semester, it was entertaining for both of us and I think Christine enjoyed herself (speak now, Christine, or forever hold your peace). Hopefully I'll be ready to be a tour guide once again when my family visits in April.

Along the way we managed to see two shows: one bad, one good. I was seeing Over There, a show about twins living on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall in the 1980s, for my drama class and actually had pretty high hopes. The plot may sound interesting on paper, but the extremely experimental stylization of the entire production was bizarre, disturbing and a bit too modern for my taste. Luckily, we also managed to see a more traditional show that really delivered: Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre. Having stage managed the show this past summer on a cement stage outdoors at a park, I was a bit jealous of the double concentric revolve and other elements of the set that would have made our production much easier, but thoroughly enjoyed watching it from the front this time.

We also had some fun culinary experiences, including a full English breakfast — you really can't come to London without at least trying it — and Milk Chocolate Magnum ice cream bars, which are like Dove Bars, only better. Christine says they're mentioned in the movie Spice World, so she was dying to try one. We also went out to a local pub on St. Patty's Day for a pint (how could we not?) All in all a fun visit for both of us!

Photos included in this entry:
Christine and I in front of Buckingham Palace.
Look who turned up in London! Christine in a London phone booth.

99 Luftballons

Assuming you read all of my last entry, I'll pick up where I left off: the train from Munich to Frankfurt. With three days of navigating Munich and speaking German under my belt, I was feeling pretty confident about getting to my next destination. I managed to get to the station, order dinner (in German) and get on the right train on time. So far, so good, I thought. But still, it was getting late, so I put on my iPod and started to doze off. But about halfway through the four-hour journey, a cacophonous noise interrupted my nap and the ambiance of my music — the conductor had come over the PA system to make an announcement ... in German.

Trying to decipher his rapid-fire German over the muffled speaker while my neighbors talked loudly was quite a challenge. All I caught was that the train would be terminating in Nüremberg — two stops before my destination. In a state of semi-panic, I started eavesdropping on the people around me to see what they were going to do. Luckily, the two gentlemen sitting behind me seemed to be speaking a mix of German and English, so I casually jumped into their conversation. The one guy, who spoke fluent German and pretty decent English said there was going to be a train on the platform next to us when we arrived in Nüremberg that would take us to Frankfurt. I really lucked out he was on the train and willing to help me (and a few other tourists who seemed more confused than I was initially). Luckily, after transferring trains, the rest of my trip was uneventful and I arrived in Frankfurt just before midnight. After checking into my hostel, it was definitely time for lights out.

The next day, I grabbed a quick breakfast at the hostel before hopping on a train towards the Hauptwache area, home to St. Katherine's, St. Paul's and a large open street market known as the Zeil. The weather wasn't spectacular, so I took a tour of St. Paul's — indoors and in English, thank goodness. Then I wound my way through the aisles of clothes, crafts and food at the Zeil. By the time dusk fell, the view of the city's skyline really popped — so naturally I started taking loads of pictures (some included in this entry). Then, I stopped off at the restaurant on the square for dinner — sausage and German potato salad again, but I wasn't complaining. That's mostly because I had peeked at the desert menu beforehand and knew what it had in store. For all the flack I got from my friends, who were vacationing in culinary capitals like Paris and Venice, for going to a country whose diet consists mainly of beer, sausage and pretzels, I just have three words of revenge: Warm Apple Strudel. Top it off with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and I think I win this battle.

Anyways, I'll move onto the next day: Römerberg, St. Bartholomeus’ Cathedral and another trip to the Zeil. The Römerberg is an old city plaza, which houses the now-defunct city hall building and a large national art museum. When I visited, it was also headquarters for a Free Tibet protest, which I stopped and listened to for a bit. It’s interesting how often we forget, (myself included), that there are political and social issues out there that transcend borders, languages and cultures. From Römerberg Platz, I walked over to St. Bartholomeus’ Cathedral. Though half the building was masked by construction cloths, the sight was still stunning. Carved with ornate, detailed patterns, the Cathedral literally towers over every other building in the city, making it distinguishable even from across the Main River. Mass wasn’t going on when I got there, so I walked around and literally gaped at the incredible statues, sculptures and stained glass. On my way back to the train station, I once again found myself transfixed by the odd crafts, clothing and food for sale at the Zeil. Case in point: one tent, which offered discounted socks, underwear and German puppets, sat between a tent that sold giant Gherkins by the jarful and another tent that sold twisted hunks of glass and metal the owner called 'art'. It was a bizarre and eclectic mix, but an interesting place to visit nonetheless.

My last day in Frankfurt started early with breakfast and check out. My flight wasn't until later that night, so I had plenty of time to wander along the Main (pronounced 'mine') River and visit the Alte Oper (Old Opera House), Tausanlange Park and the Financial District. The Alte Oper was stunning — so much so that I finally ran out of room on my first SD card on my camera. After switching to my second memory card, I meandered through the park, taking my time framing up artsy shots of everything: statues, trees, chess tables, etc. Eventually I found myself in the financial district. Men and women in suits rushed among the giant skyscrapers and around a giant statue of the Euro symbol. It was interesting to watch , but pretty soon it was time to pick up my bags, hop on the train and head to the airport. Unlike my trip to Frankfurt, my trip home was not eventful at all. I did manage to pick up 'Q&A', the book that inspired the recent hit indie film Slumdog Millionaire, for only €2 though. I haven't finished the book yet, but I love it so far and highly recommend it.

And there you have it, my spectacular Spring Break in Germany. It was an incredible 6 days and I'm thrilled I finally got to go there. By the way, brace yourselves for a few more blog entries (I've got a lot to catch up on!)

Photos included in this entry (from top to bottom):
St. Paul's church by night.
A view of St. Katherine's church from the Hauptwache.
My (tasty) Apple Strudel (yes, I took a picture).
Römerberg Platz and a Libra statue that sits in the center of it.
A view of Bartholomeus' Cathedral.
The Old Opera House (die Alte Oper)
A giant statue of the Euro symbol in the financial district.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Finally, the post my parents and other adoring fans (should I actually have any) have been waiting for: an overview my Spring Break in Germany! I spent three days in Munich and three in Frankfurt, so I'll split my posts between the two cities (just so they don't get too lengthy. First up: Munich!

After only a few hours of sleep, I set off for the train to Heathrow at the ungodly hour of 5am. True, my flight wasn't until 9, but I let my slight paranoia about missing it get the best of me. Luckily, everything went smoothly and I arrived at Heathrow, went through security and found my gate with about 3 hours to spare. At least it gave me some time to brush up on my German, finish reading my book and down a few cups of coffee.

I passed through customs without any trouble — not because of my ability to speak German (apparently customs officers speak pretty decent English) — and hopped the train toward central Munich. I had spent 7 years in middle school, high school and college studying the language, but nothing can prepare you for being fully immersed in it. Street signs, announcements, people sitting next to you on the train — you’re suddenly surrounded by this foreign language.

Certainly, I had experienced a similar culture shock when going to Japan (hell, there they even have a different alphabet), but it's still a bit disconcerting at first. After finding and checking into my hostel, I ventured out into the heart of the city: Marienplatz and the surrounding area. For those who aren't familiar with Munich’s geography, Marienplatz is home to the old Rathaus (City Hall), an ornate glockenspiel, the Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Ghost), Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) and Viktualienmarkt. Much to my surprise, it was quite chilly and even started to snow a bit. To help me warm up, I bought a chewy, soft pretzel — a specialty in Germany — and kept wandering through the open street shops of the Viktualienmarkt.

But soon, dusk started setting in, and my numb fingers urged me to head back to the hostel. After a quick shower, I looked around nearby for a place to eat. Even though I was an American tourist, I refused to act like one and settle for a burger at McDonalds. No, I wanted to go where the locals went and eat what the locals ate. Eventually, I found a small restaurant with Dönnerkebabs (venison sandwiches) and Pommes Fritas (French fries). Proudly ordering in the best German I could work out in my head, the balding man behind the counter punched my order into the computer and told me it would be a few minutes before it was ready. I quickly noticed knowing even a little German was quite helpful and made the locals keener on assisting me.

By the time I made it back to my room, I was exhausted. A glance at my pocket watch revealed it was only about 10pm (an early bedtime by my standards), but I collapsed onto my bunk anyways and promptly passed out for the night.

I caught a relatively early breakfast at the hostel the next morning. I had plopped down in a plush leather chair by myself, and was just about to tuck in to my cornflakes, OJ and toast with Nutella when Jenna, an Austrian native visiting Munich for a job interview, asked if she could join me. We chatted for a bit in a bizarre combination of broken German and English, but it was nice to have some company. We both had plans for the day (work for her and sightseeing for me), but agreed to meet up later for dinner and drinks.

That morning I set off in search of the Bavarian Art Museum. After taking a slight detour (hey, German street signs are confusing, even if you can understand the language) to Thiersplatz, a small garden area with a few statues and several dozen pigeons, Maximilian Straße, a street named for famous German leader Maximilian I, and the St. Lukas Church, I finally made it to the museum. I'm not a huge art fan, but I meandered through the museum for nearly two and a half hours, completely mesmerized by the statues and paintings.

I then braved the snowy weather again to see Odeonsplatz, the Theatiner Church and the Hofgarten, before catching an early afternoon train to Dachau. Though most would not put the former concentration camp on their list of places to visit, I thought it was important to see it and remember the history there. As you may suspect, the site's background gave it weighty impact on me and the other visitors, but what words fail to describe is the sheer power it has to affect all who go there. But much like my trip to Hiroshima, Japan, this was not a visit for enjoyment, but rather one for learning.

After catching the train back to Munich, I met up with Jenna, who took me to a local bar for dinner and drinks. Continuing in our mixed German/English, we talked about politics (she's a big fan of Obama) and the differences between America, England, Germany and Austria. One of the biggest differences I noted was the size of their beer steins. I know it's stereotypical, but the difference between a glass, a pint and a liter is huge — particularly to someone like me who isn’t really an avid beer drinker. It was great talking with her, but I did have to call it a relatively early night because I needed to get up at the crack of dawn the next day.

I wasn't leaving Munich just yet, not permanently anyways. I was off to Füssen, a small town tucked away in the mountains that still manages to attract dozens of tourists day after day. How, you ask? It's home to two magnificent castles: Höhschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Built by Ludwig I, the two castles are straight out of a storybook. It's even been said that Neuschwanstein Castle was inspiration for the Cinderella castle (and it's easy to see why). Other highlights of the day (besides the fresh mountain air and breathtaking views) included a horse-drawn carriage ride led by horses named Max and Moritz (characters from a German children's book) and a driver named Fritz, eating Schwarzwald Kirschtörte (Black Forest Cherry Cake) and getting complimented on my German after asking someone to take my picture.

My last day in Munich came far sooner than I wanted it to, so I decided to pack in as much as I could before I had to catch my train to Frankfurt. I started off the morning with a visit to the Frauenkirche, yet another church in Munich. Because of the strength of Germany's Christian population, it's not uncommon to see a church every few blocks (kind of like the number and frequency of Starbucks you see in the US). By the time noon rolled around, my stomach was grumbling. I still wasn't completely familiar with Munich, but I knew one place I could try for lunch: the Hofbräuhaus, one of Germany's most famous beer houses. I ordered a small stein of the house brew, which of course was still huge (the Germans don't mess around when it comes to their beer), Bratwurst, Sauerkraut and a pretzel with mustard — a truly German meal.

At my mom's suggestion, I then headed toward Nyphenberg Palace. After a blustery, snowy walk along the river, I finally made it. Though the walk was cold, the view was well worth it. I also wandered past a small memorial building (the name of which I still don't know) that was quaint, but photographically interesting. I took several pictures, but then forced myself to head to the train station and finally bid Munich 'Aufwiedersehen.'

Hopefully that'll satisfy your appetite for now. I'm already working on my entry about Frankfurt and should have that up later tonight (assuming that I don't end up watching all the March Madness basketball games instead).

Bis Später (until later)!

Photos included in this entry (from top to bottom):
A view of Peterskirche on a sunny day in Marienplatz.
A peace statue near Marienplatz. People put different flowers in her arms each day.
The Rathaus Glockenspiel on Marienplatz.
A lion statue near Odeonsplatz and the Hofgarten.
Neuschwanstein Schlöß, which was inspiration for the Cinderella and other fairytale castles.
View of the mountains from the top of Neuschwanstein Castle.
Enjoying a beer at the Hofbräuhaus, a famous pub/restaurant in Munich.

So Long! Farewell!

T-minus 5 hours until I leave for Spring Break in Germany! I'll be spending three days in Munich, and three in Frankfurt. I'm really excited to see the country, practice my German and engulf myself in yet another European culture.

As a journalist, I tend to work best on deadline, so naturally, I left all my packing (only one suitcase Mom!) until after I finished my midterms earlier today. I hope I remembered everything (though we all know it's inevitable I'll forget something.) I've double checked all the important stuff, so I should survive.

I'm not bringing my laptop with me to Germany — it's too risky — but I'll probably stop into some internet cafés here and there to keep on on emails if you need to get in touch with me. Expect a long blog post when I get back next week. And plenty of photos.

Aufwiedersehen! (Goodbye!)