Tag Archives: travelling

Settled in and ready to travel

Finally here is the second part of my first official post. The second and third week was a little less hectic than the first. I really started understanding where everything was in the town, which is a lot larger than I anticipated. After settling down and exploring Marburg, I started taking day trips to different areas. The school provides us with train tickets that make it free to travel within Hessen. (And with the student ticket grocery stores, some restaurants and museums all offer student discounts.)

A group of students and I traveled to Wartburg which was three train rides away and hiked up to the castle. The castle is where Martin Luther translated the bible into German and hid out from the Romans. We also went to Frankfurt for the day and Heidelberg. Although Frankfurt is not an extremely pretty city, it is fun to walk around and see the historic district. There is music playing everyway and farmers market selling cheese and bratwurst.

Heidelberg also has a castle but it is mostly in runes. Although it is a beautiful, lively city, I am happy just to visit because there is a lot of tourism. The streets were completely filled and I heard at least five different languages while I was there. With tons of shops, art galleries, restaurants, the city is also host to a university.

I have reached the part of the semester where all the course work piles up. I have six hours of classes each day and this includes a four-hour language course and a two-hour cultural course. Every Friday I have a test on the German language and I have four essays for the cultural course spread out until April 15. This is a lot more work than I expected; yet I do appreciate the intensity because I am finally starting to understand German.

Here are a few differences from the United States I noticed in the past few weeks:

Jay Walking: Germans don’t do it… at least not in Marburg. When waiting at a cross walk, the Germans will wait for the pedestrian light to turn green if there are cars coming or not. We talked with one of my teachers about this and she said that it is true. Whenever she is with Americans she gets left behind on the sidewalk because she waits for the light while the Americans just walk.

Smoking: I smell like an ashtray and I don’t smoke. People can smoke cigarettes almost anywhere and the people do. All my clothes reek of cigarette smoke constantly.

Well I have to go catch a train to Amsterdam!

Tschuss!

Location: Marburg, Germany

Some Updates

Since the last post, a decent amount has happened. Even since before the previous post I neglected the posting of some potentially interesting details…

The TU Ball (Technical University) As international students with IES, we were cordially invited to take part in the Viennese ball put forth by the Technical University. It was held at the Hofberg and lasted the entire night. I realize that, by American standards, all night really means more of a 7-12 pm event, but in Austria this is seemingly not the case. The ball did not begin until nearly 9 pm and continued deep into the night and early morning hours (5 pm). It was truly a new experience. It was straight out of a fairytale with the escort of the men and women in the gown and garb at the beginning, the live orchestra providing the music, and the beautiful people.

The palace was massive and in each of its ball rooms there was a different band playing a unique genre of music to dance to. I had the opportunity to dance salsa, swing, waltz, and folk specials all in one night! Truly marvelous!

Video of entrance

Daus des Meeres Last Wednesday night we took the evening to visit the Haus des Meeres in Vienna. This is a zoo of sorts; it was very similar to the aquarium located in Baltimore, Maryland only not so immense. They had ocean creatures, fresh water creatures, a tropical rain forest room where the bats flew freely about to and fro. There were also monkeys in this portion. They were adorable and surprisingly tame. They descended their rock walls and abandoned the safety of their trees to investigate the strangers in their habitat (us)…some of the ‘strangers’ were more interesting than others apparently.

In addition to the wildlife, the zoo was also a phenomonal view of the city from its 11^th floor (12^th floor in America). This building was originally constructed early 1900s to serve as an anti air strike base, but was later renovated and converted into a zoo. It was a cool place. Mental note: I must go back some point during the semester, there is a museum of medieval prison and torture right next door to the zoo. It looks very interesting, plus it is underground – automatic win!

Germany Trip We are currently undertaking our conquest of Germany. We departed from Vienna early Saturday morning (after finishing our intensive German finals the day before). We drove for nearly four hours to get into Prague, Czech Republic. This city was truly breathtaking with all of its gothic architecture and mystique. We all want to go back later and spend more than two hours there.

While walking, my roommate and I had a run-in with members of the KGB. We were pretty nervous at first, but once we discovered their game, we followed suite – so as to avoid looking too suspicious and therefore drawing the attention of the spies in the immediate vicinity. The agents told us that we had become “persons of interest,” and then proceeded to ask us if we had any knowledge about the KGB or communist situation in the area. We explained the situation to them, and they allowed us to leave without too much more hassle than that. I feel like I am always the one to experience these crazy things.

We arrived in Dresden, Deutschland only two’ish hours after leaving Prague. This is also an amazing city. It has been remodeling and restoring ever since it was bombed to pieces in WWII. The Germans (and those who aided) have done a wonderful job at the restoration.

-The Patriots are losing so far in Superbowl to this point, I am kind of hoping this continues…and the halftime show was kind of a disappointment also, but what else is new-

Later today, we will continue on with our trip to Leipzig for lunch and the afternoon, then on to Berlin! Will be fun!

Location: GuestHouse Mezcalero Dresden, Germany

The musings of a Boston Logan International Airport denizen

Well, I’m sitting in the Boston airport waiting for my second of three flights. I’ve been looking forward to this day for months, and now that it’s here, it’s kind of surreal, and I’ve had butterflies in my stomach all day! Dad wrote me a note last night to look back on over the course of my travels: “Nothing will go as planned. If you plan it, it will go ok.” I think this really describes my nervousness right now! I’ve been planning this day (and this year for that matter!) out in my head dozens of times and making it all go “just so.” I get very nervous when I don’t feel in control of the situation, which for me in this case means having “all my ducks in a row” with my passport and tickets and knowing exactly where I’m going, etc. So I’m hoping to learn over the course of this trip that there are things that I can’t control, but I can create plans so that if unexpected circumstances arise, all will still be ok in the end.

I got quite a few phone calls/visits from friends and family yesterday and this morning, and it was wonderful to know that so many people were excited for me and wishing me safe travels and a fun time 🙂

It was a bit difficult saying goodbye to my family this morning. Skype is a wonderful invention, but it’s not quite the same…

It’s still kind of surreal that I’m going to be in England “tomorrow morning!” I feel really discombobulated sitting in the airport watching people. Everyone else seems so “put together,” while I have a mismatch of a coat, my purse, my little passport/important stuff bag, a little pillow and shoes tied to my backpack (which looks as if it might burst at the seams)…etc… Kind of silly, but I guess most people aren’t packed for a year with very little being sent to them. On that note, I didn’t quite succeed with that whole “not have Mom and Dad send anything.” I was close, but not quite. Oh well. Thank you Mommy 🙂

When I checked in at the Pittsburgh airport, there was a couple checking in next to me, each with twice the amount of baggage I had, and when asked by the attendant, they said they were going for two weeks! The biggest thing is that I need to be able to carry it all, and even so, it’s ridiculously heavy. But we’ll see how that all ends up.

I’ve just had dinner, gone through security again, and now have camped out at my gate, about two hours before departure. I’ve decided a seven hour layover is quite a long time, but it’s not so bad with my computer and wireless available. Without those…I’d be hard-pressed for entertainment. And I feel like I can really just chill out now and wait.

I have a bit of a plan to battle jetlag, based on the times of my flights. I leave Boston at 9:30, so I’ll sleep until Reykjavik, when I get in 6:30 local time, and that will be my “night’s sleep.” Then that flight to Manchester leaves at 8, so I’ll try to stay awake on that “morning” flight, and then it gets in 11:30 local time. And then of course forget about EST for a few days so I don’t confuse myself thinking “well it’s __o’clock at home.” So in theory, I think I may be able to trick my body into adjusting quickly. I’ll post an update on how that plan went 🙂

I’ve started to hear some English accents floating around, as the plane they’re boarding now is going to London Heathrow. It must be a huge plane going, because they started with “rows 75 and higher.” I suppose that’s logical though, because Boston and London are both major airport hubs. I do wonder how big the plane will be to Reykjavik because I’ve been told that airport is very small, and apparently it’s a “typical Scandinavian airport,” which supposedly means very bare-bones and decorated all the same (?). I’ll report on that based on my experience with one “Scandinavian style airport” later, as I’m quite curious about it, and see what I can do about a few pictures 🙂

Goodnight, and I’ll update again at sometime tomorrow…whenever time presents itself!

Location: 1 Harborside Drive, East Boston, MA 02128

Venice

I know I’m slacking on the posts but I’m hoping to get caught up this week! Let’s start with my day trip to Venice. The bus ride was long and started way too early but it was well worth it! The day started with us taking a water taxi down the Grand Canal and I quickly became enticed by this amazing city. From the Grand Canal, you could see houses, the bridges, churches, and more. They each had their own pathway right down to the canal with the water lapping on the steps of each entrance. The buildings each had their own personal details with accents of flowers or colorful facades.

After we got off the water taxi, we looked at a few street vendors and quickly became enthused by the beautiful Venetian masks and the Murano glass. After walking through beautiful San Marco square, which is sometimes covered in water, we walked to a Murano glass blowing demonstration. The demonstration was quick but something I’ll never forget. The glass blowers start their apprenticeship at a very young age and it takes many many years to learn even the basics of glass blowing. After the demonstration, we were walked through the museum of beautiful glass and it was hard to believe that young men created these beautiful pieces of art, and to call it anything but art would be absurd. I wish I could have taken pictures of some of the pieces but they were very strict about it. After this, we went for lunch and I had amazing spaghetti and clams! I know I’ve mentioned food but I haven’t mentioned much about drinks. Everything is expensive. You have to pay for water and one small bottle is often 3 euro at a restaurant. Alcoholic beverages are usually outrageous at restaurants too, so if you’re looking, your best bet is to go for the cheapest house wine. It’s guaranteed to be pretty good because well… you’re in Italy!

After taking a very short gondola ride, we roamed the city by foot and walked the many bridges over the canals. I highly recommend splurging a little for a Bellini in Venice. They’re like a wine with peach puree and they’re very tasty! After the Bellinis, walking the city, and doing some shopping we all boarded the bus home and quickly fell asleep.

Location: Florence, Italy

Benvenuto in Italia!

Ciao! My name is Brianna Paterniani and I am studying in Florence, Italy for the summer. After just finishing my sophomore year as a Neuropsychology major, and Biology minor, at University Park, I quickly became nervous about my trip this summer. Now, I am currently sitting in my apartment on Via Ricasoli in Florence getting nervous about starting my classes tomorrow. As I sit here and realize that this is only the fourth day of my stay in Italy, it has not hit me that I’ll be here for six whole weeks. During these six weeks, I hope to gain greater cultural understanding, learn Italian a little better, become more outgoing, travel, make new friends, and get more credits to my undergraduate degree. One of the biggest parts of this trip will be new experiences.
It may not seem like much but I’ll give you a recap of my first few days here in Florence. It started off a little rough but then quickly turned into the most amazing few days of my life. On Tuesday, two of my roommates and I left for Italy. The flight from Philadelphia to London was surprisingly good taking into account my dislike for flying. The only thing that was terrible was that I literally only slept for about 15 minutes. In London Heathrow, we were meeting another one of our roommates and we had an airport switch. When we got to the airport our other roommate was nowhere to be found and one of the girls luggage never got on the plane from Philadelphia. So while we looked for our roommate, and solved the luggage problem, we were stressing about getting to the bus station in time for our shuttle to the other airport. Once we got to London Gatwick airport, we had a very long layover and ran into a lot of trouble with luggage limits because this plane was smaller. We arrived in Florence around 11 pm and got into a very sketchy taxi who dropped us off at our hotel. When we went to open the door to the hotel it was locked. Since none of us had phones, we had to walk a few blocks to another hotel (remember we have all of our luggage) and ask for help. We found a man who was nice enough to call the emergency number listed. We didn’t get settled in to our hotel until around 3 am. In the morning we left as early as we could, eager to see our new apartment!
When we walked into our apartment it all seemed worth it. At the time I had been somewhat bitter about the trip and this bitterness quickly disappeared. Our apartment is fantastic

From my bedroom window you can even see The Duomo!

After settling into our apartment, we all went out to eat with some other students that we met earlier that day. If you ever make it to Florence, I highly suggest you go to Il Gatto e Il Vulpe. It is all you can eat, all you can drink for only 15 euros!

Since Thursday, I have had Gelato at least once a day! Things to notice at Florence 1) sometimes cafes and restaurants charge you for sitting down and/or have a service fee 2) apparently you aren’t supposed to tip anyone 3) men are usually way to friendly and the best thing for you to do is not even acknowledge their existence 4) Italians are very aware of electicity and wasting things 5) Theyre absolutely crazy drivers and 6) they NEVER wear shorts! Even in 90 degree weather like today, it was hard for me to even find them in capris! I’m sure I’ll have many more of these tips to post throughout this trip!

On friday morning we had a very long and extensive orientation about Florence and the program. On Saturday we picked up our schedules and books. Palazzo Rucellai is absolutely gorgeous. Apparently students have never been able to use the front entrance until this year. We are the first group of students allowed to enter through the front door.

Throughout the days we have been wandering the streets trying to figure out the layout of Florence but I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand it!
The Duomo:

Ponte Vecchio:

I’ll update soon about classes and travel plans with hopefully more pictures! I’m sure this week is going to be extremely busy though.

Location: Via Ricasoli, Florence, Italy

The Wall of Greatness

The Great Wall of China. A Wonder of the world. Continuous in its run through the hills of China (false), the only man-made structure that can be seen from space (false), and filled with the lost lives of those who paid the ultimate price to build it (also, false). Now that we’ve gotten some misconceptions out of the way, we can start a real assessment of this wall that is considered so great.

The drive is about 2-3 hours from Beijing via bus. Upon arrival I was immediately rushed by a bunch of xiaofan, or souvenir vendors catering to the “needs” of tourists. They followed us for a whiles on the hike but we paid no mind to them. In terms of how the Great Wall of China actually is, I can only really say it’s exactly what it looks like in the pictures: majestic, breathtaking, a pain in the butt.

Compared to Tiger Leaping Gorge, I suppose it wasn’t nearly that bad (I didn’t contemplate suicide!), but there were times I was definitely in want of rocket boots, a Segway, or a weird hybrid contraption that serves the needs of speedy horizontal movement with the capacity to jet me up and down those the parts of the wall that goes up and down. Despite being centuries old, most of the wall looked pretty intact, until I realized that those were the renovated parts. As we traveled further along the wall, hitting around 30 towers check-points along the way, the intactedness of the structure disappeared, only to be replaced with crumbling stone bricks, ledges that must be carefully crossed like in the video games, and fragments of walls and poles that once held the archers who fired at the invading Huns. It was actually pretty cool. Visually, it looked ancient. I revered the Wall’s antiquity and cultural meaning. I didn’t appreciate the hiking, which as we’ve already establish, I don’t care much for.

Through the arduous hike, we took breaks and rested alongside the wall’s edge. Most of the landscape was barren. The deforestation that took place centuries ago to fuel the brick making had been devastating to the surroundings. I can only imagine with my eyes closed how cool it would’ve looked if there were dense, thick forests on both sides of this giant stone snake. It would’ve been really cool, I think.

As we walked, those darned xiaofans kept bothering us so I eventually caved in a bought a Great Wall photo book, which I am pleased to say I bargained down to a decent price. The xiaofans also collected our empty bottles, which apparently they could cash in for a measly 3 fen (about half a cent). I’ve noticed this phenomenon elsewhere. People, often fish through trash bins looking for plastic water and soft drink bottles and collect them in hug bags. I always wondered if they traded those in for money, and if it was really worth all that trouble. I learned that it is humiliating and difficult, but for some it is scraping together a living.

We entered a forbidden part of the wall, and it was totally awesome. I felt like Kratos from God of War, except less muscular and less adept at jumping, ledge hopping, and walking along narrow bridges. Eventually, we ended up in a small village near the wall where we would be homestaying for the night. They had the best kung pao chicken I have ever tasted in all of China.

Location: The Great Wall of China, China

Kungfu Hustle

Shaolin Showdown

For our 4 day weekend vacation, some of the IES students went to Shaolinsi, arranged by IES of course. It took an overnight train to get us there, which I must say is always an adventure. Upon arrival, we met up with our daoyou (tour guide) in a Shaolin Monastery/Temple. It was really amazing. Mountains surrounded us on all sides as we explored this hidden city. Everything you could imagine in a the kungfu capital of the world was there: wall paintings of ancient kung fu moves, real life Shaolin monks walking around the streets and ancient temples featuring Buddha. However, our daoyou shed light to the less glamorous aspects of kungfu and Shaolin.

As a former kungfu student himself, he mentioned with bitterness the commercialization of kungfu. The monks, he said, were more of custodians and souvenier venders than actual monks devoted to Buddhism. And what he said was right; on every corner was a stand selling toy swords, prayer beads, cheap jade, and Buddhist paraphernalia… all manned by a Shaolin monk. Our daoyou said that he himself could work there as long as he gave the monastery a sizeable bribe. From there, many monks lead dual lives, he said. Monks aren’t supposed to “marry” but still maintain relationships with women when not spending time in the temples. They own cars, homes, luxuries. Most of the mysterious, bald, monks featured in the Shaolin Temple were facades of actual living conditions. In a typically hierarchical form, the lowest monks stayed in the monastery in poor living conditions while the higher ups travel the world giving kungfu seminars and reaping royalties from official kungfu schools all over the United States and all over the world.

Outside the temple, he entire city was devoid of most industries but rather relied solely on kungfu as the driver of economy. Hundreds of kungfu boarding schools were within the city, with nearly all the students being children under 18. Parents of children with disciplinary problems would send their kids to kungfu boarding schools, our daoyou explained. In order to better learn discipline and get their act together, many would be sent to these grueling schools. Rigorous exercise, academic studies, endless practicing of kungfu forms six days a week all take tolls on these children’s lives. So stressful are these kungfu programs that the daoyou said that one kid, maybe around 10 years old, tried to kill himself by jumping off a 4^th story balcony. Its really quite sad. Our daoyou turned out okay, and most of the children at the kungfu school we visited were very polite and seemed okay.

There, we learned some kungfu. Greg and I were paired up with a young kung fu student as he taught us some forms. Apparently, all the flowery moves shown in Jet Li and Jackie Chan movies aren’t really typical of real Shaolin Kungfu, which takes a more pragmatic approach. Sharp movements and specific body motions rule this type of kungfu, as Greg and I painstakingly attempted to learn. Later we learned that the downward hand spear followed by a quickly executed retracting horse stance was actually used to castrate the opponent by grabbing their testes and yanking it out of their pelvic region. Ouch.

Food was good. We had a traditional Shaolin noodle dish. This one gives you la (spiciness), this one gives you numb, our daoyou said as he pointed to two different sauces. I tried mine with both. The la was as expected. The numb threw me off guard. My tongue felt like it was fuzzy, which tingled uncomfortable with anything hot, carbonated, or cold. The numbing sauce was not my cup of tea.

Also, one cool thing I learned about Chinese culture as a whole was the idea of “hai keyi”. This means its okay, or its so-so. The dayou asked if we ever asked a Chinese person what they thought of something, whether its politics or particular ice cream flavors, only to be replied to with a “hai keyi”. Only too often, I thought to myself. He said the reason for this is the same reason why a kungfu practioner does not commit fully to a punch nor jab shallowly. The idea of moderation, at least in range of motion for punches and kicks, is essential to not be thrown off guard. If one needs to adjust, one can. And at no time is one ever in a completely vulnerable position. The same thing applies to Chinese people. Ask a Chinese person, “Hey what do you think of my jacket”, and they say “Sure, its okay”. If I say “what do you mean ok? This jacket sucks” they can quickly adjust their opinion to side with yours, in order to make you feel comfortable and to please you. On the other hand, if you say “what do you mean ok? I love this jacket”, they can quickly change it to “yes you’re right after all! Its awesome!”.

How was the trip?

“Hai keyi”

Location: Henan, China

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