Running in Prague

As many of you know, before I left my little old town of Reno, Nevada I was training for a 10K run. And as much as I had planned to continue my training in Prague I have to say that I didn't follow through. I have ran a couple times here but it is no where near the amount I was running before I left. Regretfully, people don't run in Prague. I have seen maybe two runners the whole time I have been here! Prahans perhaps are too fit off their sausage and gulosh diet to ever need to run. At first I thought this might be a European thing, American's are often criticized as being lazy overweight king-size customers and so our culture puts more emphasis on running and going to the gym. But while I was in Berlin (just for two days) I saw many joggers and counted 15 in Amsterdam! There are several gyms near my apartment and I assume many in the city but what happened to fresh air and pavement under your feet? Apparently and sadly, Prague knows nothing about this.

Running in a place where running is not a norm causes confused glaces and the occasional squished face that asks, "Whaa?" But my last run really hit a soft spot in me. The people glared me down until I felt like an ugly rat scurrying around some sacred area. I couldn't concentrate on my run, I couldn't hear my music-I just shrank under their disapproval. This leads me to a very sad understanding of the Czech culture. One that I am sure is only half true and perhaps I don't know much at all but I have seen, in my experience, that Czech people have a very fearful and judgmental nature. I am sure that this goes back to the Soviet occupation of Czechloslovakia were it was illegal to wear your hair in different styles or colors and it was frowned on to wear certain colors. If you weren't "normal" in this society you were feared by the government and if you are feared than you will be killed. In one of my classes we speak of the Czech generation that is coming out of its shell and rebelling against the harshness of the 15 year regime but I honestly just do not see it. In Berlin we saw transvestites, punks, goths, hippies, hipsters-really, anything you name it! But where is this underground movement in Czech Republic?

It is maddening to say the least. I can't run with these glares on my back in a place where creativity and imagination are squashed because of these former fears that still have Czech's locked in cages. Go crazy Prague, go crazy!!

Sorryyy...weird tangent I suppose. Anyway...

Perhaps, the crucial point here is finding your place to run, finding a little oasis that you can call yours. I like to run around my apartment area and sometimes over the bridge to a large park which I can hopefully post pictures of soon and also to a small park near my university. The third has many different sites to see and I was able to post pictures (see below). I have also posted my running routes in case any readers are thinking about venturing out to the streets of Prague. Hopefully, I get out of this funk and can start running again soon!

The view is great on the top of the hill, there are some major stairs to get up and  some heavy traffic getting there but the distance is nice and makes for a good run!

This is my favorite spot because it is so convenient, get off at I.P Paplova, go all the way to the end hang a left, and go under the brigde to the park. The park is located underneath a main bridge splitting the old town with the new town. I have to go around a few times to make it worth it but there are less people here so less to stare! Here the pictures of this run:

Crossing under the bridge

What would a run be without some cool graffiti?

View from the top

See the park from below

Stairs...

more stairs...

more stairs...

Guess what these are...

Running path

child sculpture

flower sculpture

Kid's playground

Take out your earphones and hear the bells :]

I do these at 1.5mile marker. The top is pretty cool-it was blocked off today for construction so I couldn't take pics

River by running path

Happy Running! :] more to come...

Amsterdam, Netherlands

It is always hard when a truly happy moment and a especially sad moment happen within just one weekend. Travelling proves to be a little rough on the heart as so much love and wander can be found and then almost as quickly as it came it is gone again. Longing, always longing for just one more hour, one more day, one more time. When landing in Amsterdam this weekend with a group of friends I was excited and was ready to experience all the wonder this city has to offer. But, two days in Amsterdam is simply and sadly, not enough. However, I must concentrate on the good and be happy that I had such an opportunity to go even for the short trip!

Amsterdam is a lively, beautiful and friendly city. Like most tourists, we mainly stayed in the downtown area (Dom) and tried to explore as much as we could! We arrived Thursday night after a short airplane ride from Prague. We found the hostel with some help from the friendly Dutch people, met the rest of our group, ate dinner and went to a cool bar. I was pretty tired after a class all day and was happy to go to sleep!

Friday morning we packed our stay with first a trip to the Van Gogh museum. I have always loved Van Gogh's paintings and it was beautiful to see the largest collection of his paintings, letters and drawings. I also loved their temporary exhibition which was printmaking-I LOVE this type of artwork and it was a pleasant surprise! Next we made our way to the city center to participate in a free tour of the city. After our first tour in Berlin I have decided this is one of the best ways to see the city. There were places we never would have seen and history we would never know if we didn't sign up! Amsterdam is so beautiful and seems like an amazing place for a young person to live! After the tour we went to the Heineken Factory. We missed the tour of the brewery by twenty minutes :[ But got to see inside. To save money we did not use public transportation except to get to and from the airport. This made for a lot of walking! Everything is a lot more spread out than in Prague so it was pretty difficult but got to see a lot along the way! Anyway, I was not too upset because Heineken is not my favorite kind of Holland beer, I like Brand! We got hamburgers for dinner, yum! And went to a comedy show called "Boom Chicago" that mixes improve comedy and skits. It was really funny and all around a great night.

Saturday we ate some traditional "sweet pancakes" (crepes) for breakfast and then headed to the Anne Frank House. The line was sooo long but we got in relatively quickly. The Anne Frank house is really interesting and sad. This is where she and her family as well as other Jewish castaways hid during the Nazi invasion of Holland. The saddest part is Ottis Frank's (Anne's father) story. He survived the concentration camp where both his wife and two daughters died. He came back to his office in Holland and was given Anne's diaries. Very moving. 

We finished the day with a boat tour around Amsterdam and saw more industrial parts of the city. Our most shameful part of the trip is when we tourists tried to get back to the airport. This endevour included a 5 minute wait at a bus stop that no longer exists and a run through the streets to the correct the mistake. Oh jeez, silly tourists!

I really wished I had more time in this unique city. If I had more time I would have wanted to see other parts of the Netherlands and experience more of the city. I will have to go back one day and see more!!

Local Flower Market

Main square

Red Light District

Our tour guide tells us that hundred of people (men) die each year from falling into the rivers while they try to pee. For safety reasons the city has built these structures for public use. Over the guide's shoulder I caught one in use! Apparently during the time local women protested that their should be public restrooms for them. In protest, nearly 200 women went to each bridge and peed!

Site of the Dutch West India Trading Company now part of the university

Statue and tulips in one of the famous convents of Amsterdam

This site is used for all the local protests and gatherings

Squatting houses were popular here during the last decade. It was popular to squat in Amsterdam because it wasn't illegal. If you wanted to squat somewhere you would set up camp and call in to the authorities and tell them your name and what building you were in and that you were squatting. They said O.K. Numerous amounts of buildings were saved in Amsterdam because of squatters, which without their residence would have been torn down.

Heineken Brouwery

Line into Anne Frank House

 

Dresden, Germany

We finished the weekend with a trip to Dresden, Germany. Wahh, where is that? yeah. That was my first reaction too! This place is a city of travellers' paradise that few get to see, I have officially added it to my list of favorite places.

Dresden has some really great history. In February of 1945 the city was bombed by the Ally Forces crumbling the city. It's buildings dating back to medieval times collapsed. You can see the pictures here. The cool part is that the buildings were mostly restored using the pieces from the rubble! This creates almost a mosaic of light and dark across the face of each masterpiece. Something that I had never seen before. The most interesting part of the city is that in my head I couldn't place it. Sometimes when I go to a city I can say, "Oh, this reminds me of Madrid or this reminds me of Lucern." But I could not find anywhere that I had been that represents its whole.

On one side of the river you have the Old Town which has been, like I said, completely reconstructed and incredible buildings are, from the church the the opera house, lined up along the river-making this a backpacker's paradise! So much to see in such a small space! The landscape is absolutely incredible!

But while the Old Town lay in rubble the New Town flourished and the culture here is excitingly overwhelming. Funky shops line the streets as do coffee shops, art stores and music boutiques! The alternative vibe here is young and hip and is quietly pulsing with an underground flair of unique style. The night life in the area is laid back but alive and there are shisha bars and pubs everywhere.

Dresden gets made fun of by their German counterparts who say all the city inhabitants do is sit around and drink coffee. And I have to admit that there are a lot of cafes in the area and shops don't open til 11:00am each day (probably because everyone needs their morning coffee!).

Dresden has an abnormally high birth rate for its population and kids and strollers can be seen everywhere! At first I thought it was because it was a Sunday but this city has a calm, relaxing vibe that was a break from the bustle of the city! We also found some great street art and I have to say German people (especially here but also in Berlin) are a welcoming, kind and fun people and I loved their company and service! I went to bed this night overcome with joy at the weekends' end. It was a beautiful start to a long month a travelling. What beautiful cities this world has to offer, I think I even fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Here's a great map of Dresden (http://www.use-it.be/europe/)!

I didn't even need to enhance these photos!

view of the opera house

Berlin: Poor, but Sexy

I can't say that Berlin was on my list of places to see this semester. But, no girl in their right mind could pass up such an opportunity, so when my friends said they had planned a trip this past weekend and wanted me to come I bought my train ticket and prepared for my first adventure outside of the Czech Republic this spring. The weekend would end up being packed tight with endless walking, sightseeing and laughter.

I left Thursday night to take a bus to Berlin. It must have been last week's activities but I was passed out and was happy to wake up only when the German officials boarded the bus and asked to see my passport. Now, I am not the best at navigating around a big city-maybe its because I haven't been forced to, but this time I brought my secret weapon. What's better than being great at navigating a city? Having a friend who can navigate a city! That way in my sleepy stammer I can follow her around like a puppy dog, taking pictures and embracing senses while she worries about the map. We arrived at the hostel around midnight and despite a brick hard mattress and a pillow lumpier than a camel I slept like a baby in this new city.

The next morning we woke up early to the sounds of the city! We hit the most popular destinations; the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Gate, Potsdam Platz, Jewish Monument and Reichstag! We walked half the city and although I am no expert there are definitely some big differences between the Czech culture and the German culture. In Berlin, there are young people everywhere!! This city was built for the young it seems, the nightlife is incomparable and the edgy alternative feel of the city is perfect for these artistic, intellectual minds. The most notable differences are when you ride the U (berlin metro system). There is so much diversity here. I saw drag queens, punks, hipsters you name it! They drink, they are loud and they'll catch your gaze and match it! No doubt, it is the years of oppression that has taught some Czechs to be wary of these alternative styles. Be as unnoticeable as possible was undoubtedly the goal during their history. However, I believe Berlin does not have nearly the architectural diversity that Prague does. The damage of WWII in Germany is the soul culprit in that.

On Friday we enjoyed the East Berlin Gallery which is the longest stretch of the existing wall. It is now a representative of peace and freedom. We shopped around goofy boutiques and unique coffee shops around Falckensteinstrasse. (www.chaosinform.com) here I found a cool ring which I'll talk about later! At noon we went back to the hostel to meet for an Alternative Berlin Tour, intriguing-right? Our tour guide was the cutest boy you've ever seen and we have so much in common! We're both Scottish (he moved recently from Aberdeen to Berlin), we both wear skinny jeans and we both have an obsession of graffiti art! This was truly the best way we could have spent the day-we saw all parts of Berlin and were given a deep history of the culture during and after WWII.

One of my favorite graffiti artist (I will find his name later) does a technique called Pastia where the drawing is done off-site and then glued somewhere on a wall (when the police aren't looking of course). His trademark is drawings of Little Lucy who was a cartoon character popular in Czech Republic. Little Lucy takes amazing adventures with her cat, Kitti. In Berlin street art, Little Lucy is seen murdering her cat in several different ways! See these funny examples below.

The greatest part of the trip is when we arrived at Tacheles. This used to be an old squatter house until the late 90's when someone reformed it into an art school. But, the business since has gone bankrupt and the bank is foreclosing the structure. There are several art studios throughout the house that feature the artist's work to the public but many artists have been kicked out by the bank. The greatest part of the house is the walls that tell its story-it is filled with messages, graffiti and art that it's dwellers and visitors have left. I have never seen anything like it. I do hope that it will be open for a long time, its a truly alternative place that screams culture! The building really should be turned into a historical site, here is some more information http://super.tacheles.de/cms/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunsthaus_Tacheles.

Did you know the reason why Berliners love to play ping pong? It's because during WWII the Soviet Secret Police would hide microphones in every cranny they could get a bud-this included bars-trying to catch people dishonoring the government. Berliners started playing ping pong while they chatted in order to drown out the sound!

We ended the tour around the cool area of Simon-Dach-Strasse. A train station that was bombed during WWII and never rebuilt is now used as a graffiti canvas. To match it's venue a skate park was built as well as a climbing wall converted from an old water tower. This is the place the be at night where concerts, clubs and beer gardens fill the air with noise. The area used to be only accessible through a bathroom stall at a nearby cafe. People went to the bathroom and never came out. Our guide explained this to us by referencing Chronicles of Narnia, ha!

My favorite part about the tour is when our guide explained to us what locals commonly say about Berlin. As some of you might not know (because I sure didn't) Berlin has been bankrupt multiple times throughout the last decade. They say "Berlin: Poor, but Sexy!" I love it!! We later laughed that perhaps that described us too. Travelling college students, living off a cracker or crackers (if we are lucky) for lunch, street food for dinner and beer for desert (or for brunch or linner)!

We ended the day by walking around a popular market and then meeting up for dinner, I tried my first German beer and had some of them famous Bavarian sausages!

Checkpoint Charlie

Brandenburg Gate

Me at the Jewish Memorial Site

East Berlin Gallery Art

Little Lucy ripping her Kitti in half, yikes!

Little Lucy and Kitti at the "Cat Wash"

Now a protected site, this alleyway is full of street art!

Inside Tacheles

Climbing Rock wall that used to be a water tower!

Old Train Station bombed in WWII now home to street artists' work