Berlin

Best city we’ve visited so far. This is a place that makes it quite clear to me that living history [not that history’s ever dead (or is it?)] is much more interesting than castles and big cathedrals/churches. In Berlin, you can feel a city remaking its history and changing its what typifies its neighborhoods and itself as a whole every year. I like the new history of Berlin compared to old ruins. It breathes.

Case in point:

I spoke with a guy while traveling who had been to Berlin back in 1965, at the height of the Cold War. He said that West Berlin was a party town, swinging like London, and that when he went through Checkpoint Charlie (the currently touristy area where Westerners used to present passports to cross over into the East) and stopped into an “East Berlin” bar it was populated by a bunch of old guys smoking and staring at one another. Today, the roles have reversed. East Berlin (where the area where we stayed, Prenzlauer Berg, is located) is the heart of the city, both historically, artistically, and if the extremely high density of bars and restaurants is any evidence, in the minds of the people. For those of you in New York (and ignoring geography), it would be like if NYC were broken in parts and Queens was occupied by the west and the rest of the city was under communist control. The west would want to make their part of the city an advertisement for democracy and would therefore turn Queens into a neon- emblazoned party town on steroids, complete with boxy modern architecture (kind of like Korea). Then, after the city were re-united, everyone would realize how Queens is a nice enough place, but it sure as hell isn’t Manhattan, and Queens would go back to being what it was always meant to be, a primarily residential area, but with big, boxy modern architecture as a reminder of the past. And Manhattan would be Manhattan again, as it should be, but it would suddenly be much cheeper than Queens and its streets would have names like Karl Marx Allee and be lined with glorious Baroque Communist buildings originally built for the biggest and best Communist party officials and friends of the communist party that would now be thought of as a hip and kitschy place to live by Wessies (west siders) until they found out how loud the street gets.

By the way, I’d like to live here on Karl Marx Allee for aesthetic and kitsch reasons, despite the noise.

One of the best things about being here was that we had a lot of time to get to know the city and Sue and Jung-Eun had a friend, Youngjoo, who was kind enough to host us for part of our time and give us advice on where to go (despite her heart still being in Paris). We walked the streets of Prenzlauer Berg regularly for 8 days, going to the same markets and the same subway station. This made it feel like we were moving into the city, rather than visiting, which I really liked. It also made it impossible not to notice how quiet the city is. It’s not empty, just very peaceful and friendly. It also, while definitely becoming gentrified, isn’t in the same way that New York is. At least in the area of Prenzlauer Berg, condos aren’t springing up left and right. The old buildings (and their ghosts of communism) seem like they aren’t going anywhere.

Speaking of, I read that the city was unattractive, specifically due to its bizarre mélange of modern and old architecture, communist “bloc” architecture and geometric western style. I found it fascinating, and not the least bit ugly. I especially like how much of the new building of the past 15 years are completely different from any of these styles and have managed to make the city that much more vibrant for the fact that its history is apparent in its skyline. The sprawling, yet manageable Tiergarten also helped to give a more attractive impression.

It really makes me wonder about a unified Korea, especially after learning that the unemployment is 18% in Berlin, mostly due to East Berliners being out of work.

I went on two tours, one introductory free tour, and one pay tour of “Communist Berlin.” Both were excellent and gave me a sense of the city that just exploring on my own wouldn’t have. The excellent operator was City Tours, and they do free tours in several other Euro cities. I recommend you check them out when in Europe.

An interesting role reversal took place here. I was the one out and about, going on tours and sighseeing and Sue was hanging out relaxing. She attributed this to already having been to Europe.

Neighborhoods- We got out on bikes and toured the city in addition to exploring areas throughout our time. A few notable neighborhoods were Kreuzberg, which has a huge Turkish population and was one hip neighborhood of the former West Berlin that has remained hip and Lichtenberg, a particularly economically depressed area in former East Berlin famous for its skinheads. I went there without Sue.

As budget travelers, perhaps the most attractive aspect of the city was its affordability. Food, drink, hostels, rent (so we heard) were all among the most affordable in Europe. That’s why Berlin is known as the cheapest Euro capital and has a thriving art scene. In fact, our host YoungJoo (an artist) moved here simply for the city’s affordability. Having a native, and one on a budget, give us advice on where to go, is great-better than hostels and fellow travelers.

Berlin makes me ask the question again: What is travel-A collection of sights or the feeling of a place? The idea that it’s a feeling is felt here more than anywhere.

Jung-Eun left us to visit a friend in Slovenia before heading back to Korea. It was great having her, and I’m glad we had a great day exploring the city on bike and the best beer in the world (so far) in German beer to send her off.

If you make it to Berlin, due the daytrip to Sanssouci in Potsdam. Check out the pictures for why. Highly impressive and great for strolling. It also adds Frederick the Great as one of the many biographies and non-fiction books I have to read-Neruda, South American history, Polish history, Irish History etc.

Krakow

On the road to Poland . . .

Driving through Slovakia now with a very informative read-aloud from a woman on our bus about the history of the nation. I expect this level of preparedness about Ireland from you Mom!

Foliage through Slovakia and the views through the mountains are once again spectacular and further convincing me that Fall is the season to travel in Europe.

Krakow

Beautiful old town. Sue says its up there with Prague, but nicer cause there’s fewer tourists. Preserved due to being unbombed in WWII. Largest public square in all of Europe. Mexico City’s is the only we’ve seen that’s more impressive

Saltmines-Visited some underground saltmines just outside of Krakow that go hundreds of meters underground and that only recently closed as an active salt mine (less than 10 years ago, I believe). Its fascinating not for the salt, but because of the sculptures and church created underground ENTIRELY OUT OF SALT. That’s right, everything is salt. And it was all created by the miners themselves. I also learned that the expression “Salt of the earth” meaning the best of the world, comes from salt being so valuable in the past. Miners were paid in salt and therefore the job of miner was a favored profession.

Hearing things about Poland that I never knew and wondering about my education. Why am I not familiar with the Polish fighting of the communists in 1919 (I think) with a smaller army and preventing the spread of communism across Europe. This was called one of the most important battles of all time and I had never heard of it. How little I know (and how much more I’m forgetting!).

On the flipside (but not to be flippant), we visited the Auschwitz/Birkenau concentration camps in Poland. These, I know something about. A lot in fact, due to the Holocaust being a big part of most curriculums in the US, the many excellent (and popular) books and films on the subject. Therefore (I’m almost embarrassed to say), Auschwitz/Birkenau was a bit of a disappointment. I already felt as if I had been there through the many books and films I had seen. I knew the horrific things that occurred there (as well I should) and seeing it in person didn’t open my eyes any wider because they were open pretty damn wide already. This is a good thing, as it means that popular culture and media and education have gotten very important message across to me and many other Americans about events that should never be repeated.

At the same time, why was I (and why are most Americans still) unaware of the atrocities committed by the Japanese across Asia before and during WWII before I went to Korea? Why can 90% of Americans tell you who the Nazis and Hitler are, but maybe 5% tell you who the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot are? Why do many Americans find the holocaust synonymous with genocide and are unable to provide other examples? Where is all this in our curriculums?

The other thing I was struck by is how my pre-conceptions of Germans were so off-base. In the US, and in talking to other Europeans in Europe, Germans are still portrayed as Nazi-esque, as stiff and with racist intentions beneath their exterior. From my experience, nothing could be further from the truth. On the contrary, Germans seem willing to atone for their forefathers atrocities and are all extremely well-educated about the Holocaust and the Nazi party. They are leery of their politicians leading them down that same path again, they visit concentration camps as part of their graduation requirements, and generally seem to want to remember the past, but also to move forward. Yet, they still get the Nazi jokes from Americans and those elsewhere. If I were a German who had nothing to do with the Holocaust, I would be sick of it.

The Japanese, on the other hand, have a generation of students who have no idea about the atrocities committed by their forefathers because it simply isn’t taught in school (witness the Korean protests over history distortion in Japanese textbooks), have not made even a quarter of the effort of Germany in apologizing or owning up to their misdeeds publicly, and yet have never been portrayed in the west as anything but a hard-working, dedicated nation in the west worthy of respect (and a little jealousy).

What is wrong with this picture?

Budapest-Hungry for more

(I'm sorry for that)

Initial thoughts: Bordering on wow city status. Danube+rolling hills+excellent wine+goulash=damn good city. Buda-Old and historical with a great hilltop view. Pest-New and financial and business district. Can feel the history here and see how the city has been slowly mixed and shaken and stirred over the years.

Hostel is homey and friendly and the first place to make me wonder what would have happened if I had done his trip about 6 years ago. There’s a few Americans who ended up here in much the same way I ended up in Korea. They stayed here or moved her e on a whim and now live here, with plans to return sometime soon. They act as I acted and have the same excitement I had. I am in some ways jealous of them and wonder what might have become of me had I gone to Europe rather than Asia to work way back when. I’d like to think that Sue and I are destined to be together, but how would things have been different had I never gone to Korea? Would I even have gone to Asia? Would my life be backwards? Worse? Better? These are the things I wonder meeting lively (and friendly) 20-23 year olds in Suite Hostel in Budapest .

Sue (describing the design of the outdoor section of the Turkish baths: “This is what people think Heaven looks like.” You can probably guess that Sue and Jung-Eun loved the baths. I enjoyed them too, but Korea’s jim jil bangs still occupy the largest space I my heart. Maybe because I find it weird to have to wear swimming trunk in a bath. Give me nudity or give me death!

Back in Austria an Asshole American talked about learning Arabic because it was different and couldn’t be easily recognized. He also thought I was a soldier and that the only reason I went to Asia was for the women. I thought of this dick while in Hungary because it’s the first nation we’ve been to that’s not a romance language based nation. Therefore, I can’t make heads or tails of anything I hear or say. I don’t even know how to say yea or nay. This seems to be ok. It’s kind of like Korea. They don’t expect you to know anything.

Sue is much more outgoing than me and this is a godsend. I don’t know what I’d do without here to break the ice and guide us. I hate asking for directions or talking to strangers.

Bodegas are open past 8PM here, thank god. In Austria everything except bars and restaurants closed at 7 or 8. This made it near impossible to buy a bottle of water at 8:30. It was downright ridiculous spending 45 minutes wandering the streets in search of water. Here, everything was open till at least 9, and some places till 12. My kind of town.

The hostel is in a historic apartment building. I could get used to walking into the grand entrance and having parties here on the winding staircase, although the 50 year old elevator almost broke down and killed us.

The economy-Mores asked me if the sense in Europe is that the sky is falling like it is in the US. I talked to a Frenchman who blamed the US for screwing up the world economy. On CNN International, it’s US and world economy news-all the time. It has actually helped us with dollar rising, but Korea is f-ed (almost 1400 won to the dollar after being around 950 just 6 months ago) and the overall feeling is “Is this another depression?” Hope not, but we’ll see. Not sure if a bailout is the answer because it would do the markets some good to correct themselves naturally for the long term. I don’t know that the governments are going to let that happen though. Sue’s mom mentioned that we’re as lucky as anybody because we can avoid the media blitz that most people are seeing in regards to the economy and not have to worry.

Don’t ever snore in the same room as Sue. We had a “California Dweji” girl who snored consistently for 3 nights, although the sounds she made varied from human, to animal, to robotic. It was funny at times to be woken up by a sound that I had never imagined existed. Sue found it significantly less amusing and woke the girl up by poking her one night, and then woke me up the next night by cursing the girl in Korean while she made otherworldy noises.

Opera-I tried the opera again last night in Budapest. I believe this is my 3^rd (maybe my 4^th). I’m still waiting for the epiphany where I’m touched deeply by opera and all that it stands for. I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. Each time I see an opera, I go in with high expectations, only to have them crushed after the first 10-15 minutes of the performance. The first 10-15 minutes are fantastic, as I always feel that I’m in the presence of aliens, albeit much smarter and more talented and sophisticated aliens than me. The performers are singing beautifully in foreign languages. The orchestra is playing flawlessly. The building is ornate and impressive. And the rest of the audience seems to be enjoying it all. Inevitably, I realize that I could care less about everything that’s happening in the story and start checking my watch and predicting the intermission. The whole style of opera doesn’t jive with me. I don’t “feel” it. I don’t “feel” the story, the music, the acting . . . any of it. I wish I did, but I always end up just grinning and bearing it and counting down the minutes till it’s over in my head.

A friend of mine described his experiences with marijuana similarly. He tries it every 6 months to a year, convincing himself that he’ll enjoy it. Inevitably, he gets paranoid and uncomfortable, just hoping to make it through the experience, and swearing never to do it again. Then, inevitably, he forgets his resolution and repeats the whole experience 6-12 months later. That’s me and opera.

Vienna-Nothing witty

Initial thoughts: Transportation was amazing. This is a night city-the lights make it. Still good during day-Again, thanks to perfect fall weather.

Mores told me that the art in Germany (and I’d assume Austria) is vibrant, even more so than NYC-I can’t disagree. Of course I need to check out more art, but here are my uneducated and limited thoughts on what I did see:

Kunsthaus Wien by Hunderwasser-An unbelievable eco house designed by Hunderwasser that now functions as a gallery. This man’s work as an artist is eye-opening and exciting (see pics), but his dedication to “green” living throughout his life and the design of his house after that philosophy is more what is truly inspiring. This was a surprise and probably the highlight of Vienna.

Belevedere Museum-An exhibition focusing on Klimt and his colleagues and the 100th anniversary of their group show (Kunstschau) was the headliner. They recreated several rooms from the original exhibition and worked to bring as many of Klimt’s originals back to exhibit. I was struck by how sexual Klimt’s work was and how his use of patterns and color added to the sensuality. List was the other notable painter-smooth, fluid and otherworldy. A separate exhibition showed some drawn over photographs by Rainer and Roth. They reminded me of what Sue might do if she was an artist.

Hapsburg Empire to modern day Austria-Once among the largest empires in Europe, now a landlocked nation known for (outside Vienna) its racist mountain folk by others in Europe. This is what’s at stake USA. Please USA, get this election right!

The coffee was a wake-up call (not literally). I like the café culture of paying for the time and space to sit reading a paper, check email, etc. all for the price of coffee. I loved the interior of the cafes and the sense of history of sitting where Marx or Freud sat. Still, the coffee was not all its cracked up to be and that’s a big problem. More importantly, you get a shot of coffee (not espresso) for like 7 bucks. I see much wrong with American excess and the culture of bigger, stronger, faster and more, more, more (which seems to be what got us in this financial mess), but give me a bottomless cup of diner coffee over Viennese coffee anyday.