Back to the real world - thank goodness for great friends

I've been back from Europe for exactly 20 days now. After getting over the initial jetlag, life quickly jumped back into reality, the previous month almost fading into dream-like status: did I really do all those things, see all those places, meet all those people??

...well, I've got the photos to prove it! And yes, once I have them organized, I will post them for your viewing pleasure!

Back to work now. Boy, I forgot how tedious computer programming is! The lack of excitement is a shock to the system. I think I'm more antsy sitting at my desk, these days. After a month of walking everyday for 8 hours in some of the most historic and beautiful cities on earth, sitting on my bum for 8 hours in front of a flickering CRT, no windows in sight, and fluorescent lights above me must be some form of cruel and unusual punishment.

Perhaps I'm being unfair to my job. It provides me with money after all...

Money I can use to visit my university friends in Toronto, which is what I did last weekend. The occasion was Rohit and Arvind's joint birthday, as well as the departure of Rohit and Aasthaa for Seattle to start the next phase of their lives. While I missed out on the clubbing at The Docks, I was lucky to be a part of the recovery the next day. I arrived at Ankur's apartment at 10:30 in the morning, and I'm sure there were 8 passed out humans on his living room floor, still fighting the effects of the drink. Sitting there, chatting with those that could communicate, I felt extremely comfortable, in the emotional sense. It just felt natural to be with these people, whom I'd grown close to over the last 5 years.

That day, we ate sushi, caught a free show with Amy Millan at the Harbourfront, then spent a lovely evening at Rohit's house, with yummy Indian food and good conversation. This was a perfect weekend break.

Final post from Europe

My last day in Europe!

A brief update before I finally have access to free internet!!

Jeff and I have been in Munich for 2.5 days - a great Bavarian city, known for its beer, though we both would argue not as exciting (historically) as Berlin.

We saw a museum exhibit devoted to football (soccer); we went on a free walking tour; we saw the infamous Hofbraühaus; I was in heaven in the Deutsches Museum (Sci & Tech Museum); we "enjoyed" ourselves on the pub crawl last night. Then, today was quite sobering as we visited the concentration camp at Dachau. Last thing we did was stock up on some Munich merch' and enjoy a litre pint at the Augustiner Biergarten.

Back to Canada tomorrow.

Tchuss!

An alternate eternal city

Berlin is still an amazing city. So much to do. Jeff and I both wished we could have stayed longer, but we'd committed to a schedule.

Despite some pretty crappy weather, we managed to squeeze in a lot over 2 days. We arrived in the afternoon, after ze efficient Germans got across the border from the Czech Republic. First stop was the Jewish Museum - much different from the one in Prague. This one chronicles the 2000 year history of the Jews. It's housed in an unusually modern building, and yet again there was a lot of information to absorb. I think what hit me most was how the fortunes of the Jews were just starting to turn around when WWI hit, followed by the regime of the Nazis. Almost overnight, public opinion towards the Jews reversed itself.

Then, we had a great dinner of Schnitzel at a restaurant off the beaten path, clearly were a lot of locals dine. The tables are long and wooden, almost medieval. Jeff finally found a beer he liked - a weissbier, Erdinger.

The next morning, we received another history lesson at the German History Museum. There was sooooo much to see here; 2 hours wasn't nearly enough. I personally spend too much time in the medieval section that I zipped through the Napoleanic years, the formation of the German republic, and the first world war in like 5 minutes. Again, it still shocks me how an entire continent can become so consumed with nationalism to start WWI. Yes, Germany bears part of the blame, but certainly not all of it.

BTW: I snapped a cool photo of Napolean's hat and sword from the Battle of Waterloo!

Then, we went on the New Berlin Third Reich Walking tour, where our charismatic tour guide Mike took us an historical journey through the rise of power of Hitler. This tour was less for sightseeing than it was for information. All the placards around town that are in German, Mike explained vividly with stories. We saw the Russian War Memorial, situated oddly enough in West Berlin on the former field of battle in front of the Reichstag (Parliament Building). We passed the former Luftwaffe Headquarters (Air Force), which mysteriouslz survived the bombing raids of the allied forces. We also took a tour through the Topography of Terror exhibit, situated in the excavated prison cells of the former SS and Gestapo. We saw chilling images of Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Goering, and Reinhardt Heydrich - the butcher of Berlin who was poised to take over as leader of the Nazis. Amazingly, his grandfather was Jewish!!! I also saw the most frighting picture to date (until we go the the concentration camp in Munich) - a picture of SS soldiers holding pistols to the back of peoples heads, smiling.

The evening was a little more upbeat - we ascended the TV tower and had alcoholic ice cream sundaes in the revolving restaurant. That wasn't our original plan, but once we got up to the restaurant, we decided to stay.

The next day, we went on the Free Walking Tour with the New Berlin company; our guide was Jasoni. This was a repeat for me, as I did this last summer, but basically we got a crash course on the history of Berlin and saw the key sights like the Brandenberg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and Museum Island. The climax of the tour is the story of how the Berlin Wall Fell in 1989. Essentially, a press conference blunder by "The Big Shabowsky". I can explain that in person, if you don't already know!!

Right now, I'm in Heidelberg for a quick stop. We explored the spectacular Heidelberg Castle this morning, which includes the curious Apothecary (a.k.a. Pharmacy) Museum. Kind of a chill out day before we head to our last stop in Munich, where there is tons to do. I've added a lot of scenic pictures to my collection of desktop backgrounds!

Update to the beer list:

• Kroningberg 1664 (Zermatt)


• Erdinger (Berlin)


• Berliner Pilsner (Berlin)


• Paulsaner Munchen (Heidelberg) - a Munich beer, so I'm a little ahead of the game!

Ongoing Beer List

• Mythos (Athens) - Meh
• Peroni (Rome) - Horrible aftertaste, like wet ass
• Rugenbrau (Interlaken) - Tasteless, good for chugging
• Zipfer (Salzburg) - excellent, local microbrew
• Budvar (Ceske Budejovice) - worthy of the many international accolades
• Pilsner Urquell (Prague) - like Budvar, stronger aftertaste
• Velkopopovicky Kozel (Prague) - strangely sweet dark beer
• Krusovice (Prague) - stronger taste than Budvar, but still good

Done with Prague; toured the Jewish quarter and got schooled on Judaism; saw an oversized metronome, not sure why; Charles Bridge; Church of St. Nicholas and St. Nicholas Church (yes, they are different); then today, Old Prague Castle, with the changing of the Czech guard (to music!!), spectacular views from the Great Tower of St. Vitus' Cathedral, and amazing display of heraldry in the Old Royal Palace.

And, lot's of beer tasting!

Off to Berlin tomorrow; expect beer list to double if not triple after the pub crawl!

P.S. Mom, I'm not an alcoholic, I swear!

Happiness is spelled B-E-E-R

We've experienced some serious weather extremes over the past few days. We were in Salzburg, Austria for 2 days. The first day, we visited the largest ice caves in Europe, where the average temperature inside is zero centigrade. The caves are formed due to the trapping of cold air in a 42 km deep cave. Rain and snow falls into the cave and then freezes to form these incredible ice sculptures. Needless to say, we bundled up.

The next day, we encountered warm continental weather: 28 degrees. We visited the fortress of Salzburg, high atop the hill alongside the river. Then, to Mozart's birthhouse and then his later residence. To cap it off, we attended a wonderful Mozart concert in the Golden Hall of the fortress. A string quartet performed a four movement piece. Then, there was a piano concerto, followed by Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. A real throwback to band days in high school. I also had this surreal feeling listening to concert. It couldn't have been more perfect: listening to Mozart in the music capital of the world (well maybe that's Vienna, but this is a close second). Forgot to mention: we bit the bullet and watched The Sound of Music - also filmed in Salzburg. It's on EVERY night in the hostel at which we stayed.

Right now, I'm in Prague where stuff is SOOO cheap. However, we made an extremely important pit stop along the way - to Ceske Budejovice, the home of the ORIGINAL Budweiser Brewery (aka Budvar, aka Czechvar).

I plan to drink a lot of beer over the next few days.... ;-)



Me in front of Mozart's Birth House



Me loving Budvar

Me drinking Budvar