Continental Getaway
Prague is no doubt the heart of continental Europe. It is situated right in the center. For this reason one should never make the mistake of classifying Prague as an Eastern European city, especially not in earshot of a Czech. If Prague is the heart than, while you are here, you will find how effortless it is to be carried by the veins of busses and trains that branch out from the city center and take you to all the other organs of the body that is Europe. Here are some of the places I’ve traveled so far and information on the train station and bus services to help you plan your study abroad weekend getaways.
Berlin
The first place I traveled was Berlin. The city is a mere six-hour bus ride away. I booked with Student Agency, which is essentially the Mega Bus or Bolt Bus of Europe. They offer services to almost every major city for a very cheap price.
The city itself is a stark contrast from Prague in size and style. It is an enormous city by comparison yet everywhere is extremely accessible through its advanced system of trams, buses and subways.
Where Prague is very medieval and aged, Berlin is the very definition of modern. Since the bulk of the city was destroyed during World War II, the Germans had to completely rebuild and start over. When you visit Berlin you are visiting a city rebuilt from scratch sixty-seven years ago.
Explore the whole city, but definitely spend more time on the east side. You will find less touristy, cheaper, and tastier establishments and a more hip and vibrant culture. You must see the East Side Gallery, a free, outdoor collection of paintings with what remains of the Berlin Wall as its canvass. Definitely indulge in the Berlin street food. Have the currywurst and the best doner kebab outside Istanbul.
Currywurst and Fries
Amsterdam
Amsterdam’s reputation precedes it. By day, the city is charming and relatively quiet. Filled with art museums, cafes, and cheese shops along side a maze of peaceful canals. By night, Amsterdam is the greatest party in Europe. Having a vibrant nightlife in one of the most relaxed and least judgmental places on Earth. It is a land where sin is legal and celebrated.
Amsterdam is also an amazingly energy efficient city. Everyone has a bike and is the preferred method of travel. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of bikes left about on main streets and dining areas. Bikes accompanied with a great metro and tram system make driving an automobile a pointless endeavor that will result in just getting in people’s way while trying to navigate around the canals and through the tiny side streets. Holland in general sets a great example for sustainability and green energy. As you enter the country, look out the window and take in the sights of rows of modern windmills.
While you are in town, definitely have French fries with peanut sauce. You’ll never want to have it with ketchup again. Amsterdam also has exceptionally good chocolate and cheeses. You will not go hungry.
Istanbul
Istanbul is only a two-hour flight from Prague and well worth your time if you want to see a European city that is completely out of the norm. It is technically in the Middle East and is the crossroads between Europe and Asia. In fact you can even take a ferry between the European and Asian side of the city.
The city is filled with magnificent sites such as the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Spice Bazaar, and stunning views of the sea. It is a fun walking city, filled with delicious food and the best coffee and tea you will ever have.
Since the flights and sightseeing were rather pricey, I tried couch surfing for the first time on this trip. I encourage all of you to join the network. Even if you have a hostel, you’ll never be alone in a foreign country, will all the surfers willing to help show you around. Mine was no different, she was really sweet and accommodating the entire time I was in town and even showed me around the nightlife area. I can say that I certainly made a new friend in Istanbul.
Zatín
If you ever have a burning desire to feel like royalty, take a trip to Zatín, Slovakia. Zatín is a tiny town in the Hungarian speaking section of the Slovak countryside. My ancestors hail from that part of the world and my dad wanted to make a trip out there.
The town never gets American tourists thus we were quite the spectacle. The townspeople brought us to the mayor’s office where he insisted on serving drinks. Lots of photos were taken of us shaking hands and he handed us all the gifts he could muster. Mugs, tote bags, postcards and the like.
Me with the Mayor of Zatín
A reception in the mayor’s office was not enough. The man insisted he take us to the local pub. All drinks were on the house. My dad made a remark about the glasses the beer was served in and the bar gave us a set to take home. Everyone in the town wanted to put us up for the night but we had to move on.
Vienna
I have just returned from Vienna a couple days ago. If you are a shopper, Vienna is the place for you. It is essentially New York’s Fifth Avenue converted into a city.
Sparsely placed among the rows of shops and boutiques are art museums of all kinds and little European coffee shops. One of the best hot chocolates I’ve ever had was in Vienna.
If you are a film major or into movies, definitely check out the Jewish Museum. Most of the museum is devoted to a Jews of cinema exhibit that goes through the history of Hollywood. It is complete with clips from all of the best films of the last century. At the end of the exhibit you can see the actual baseball bat used by “The Bear Jew” in Inglorious Bastards.
Unfortunately we did not get to see a show at their renowned opera house but we did walk around the building several times. One thing that certainly goes for the city is the impressive architecture. It is definitely worth spending a day or two there.
Trains and Planes
Since coming to China, I have had the opportunity to travel all over China. Because of CET’s gracious breaks (Spring Festival, intermediate period between JanTerm and Spring Term and just recently Spring break) I have been able to travel from the most Northern province of China to one of its most southern and last week I went as far west as I could go.
China’s developing economy has given way to an immense rail way system, and more recently more connectivity via air with newly built airports and competitive companies vying for people to buy their tickets. More and more people are flying around China because it is often so much more convenient to fly for 3 hours instead of taking a 16 hour train ride to the same destination. Yet, I would argue, riding the train is still the way to travel in China.
For spring break, I made travel plans with a friend to visit Dunhuang, a small town in the province of Gansu. Why travel to Dunhuang? My philosophy is, China is not Beijing, or Shanghai or any other major city hubs. I feel that living in Beijing has sheltered me in exploring the village life that many Chinese continue to live, and I felt traveling to a remote town might give me more of a taste of China’s diverse standards of living and ways of life. What better place to see contrast than the Gobi Desert? Furthermore, when I think of China, besides the Great Wall I also think of the Silk Road. Dunhuang use to be a major point in the Silk Road path, and I thought it would be exciting to trek in lands that were seen by people centuries before me, as they traveled through the desert to finally come upon Dunhuang, also known as their oasis town. To get a feel for travel even more, I rode a camel through parts of the Gobi, which was awesome.
To get to Dunhuang, I took two trains because there was no direct route from Beijing. I had the time of my life, despite the totally ride being more than 30 hours long (with a day break in between since I took two sleeper trains). I met so many amazing people, all who were caring and had completely different experiences than many of the Chinese I met in Beijing. I got to know a lot of people a lot more intimately than I did in Beijing, mostly because of the immensely long journey. For instance, I met a couple on my way back to Beijing, who were traveling to Norway to meet their daughter. Their life story was amazing, as they were relocated to villages when they were younger to be educated about village life since they both came from cities. During this relocation period, they met each other and eventually married and returned to the city to live and now have a daughter who is finishing her bachelor’s in Norway. I’m interested in people which is why I chose to study a language to be my vehicle to do so. Learning about China’s history through the memoires of people is fascinating, as just reading about China’s relocation policy or an article on China’s oversees education agenda would not compare to the depth of understanding. Riding on a train helped me see this, and I’m glad I took the train instead of the plane.
On appreciating the little things…
After spending nine days away on spring break, I have returned to Florence with a newfound appreciation of my study abroad home.
Cost of Living
While I initially thought Florence was expensive (.78€ for a yogurt?! Are you kidding me?!), after spending the weekend in Edinburgh, I have come to appreciate the value of the Euro. My
happiness at seeing a familiar refuge designated by the twin-tailed siren was unfortunately hampered within moments of arrival. The Starbucks in Scotland provided momentary excitement, that was inflated when a gigantic (read: tall) cup was placed in front of me, however, my realization that it cost over £2.50 meant that I was paying about $4 for a cup of plain ole black coffee! Though the serving size of Italian coffee may be inadequate for my liking, the quality and affordability caused my first cup back on Italian soil to be exceptionally delicious.
Following this breakfast expedition, we made our way up to the Edinburgh Castle. Spoiled by our student passes that get us into state museums in Florence for free, we were taken aback by the steep £14 entrance fee. No student discounts either! That little plastic student card feels so much more valuable in my backpack now.
Size of Florence
Upon arrival in Barcelona (the second half of my spring break) I was immediately shocked by the size of the city. Compared to Florence, it is huge! The maps are rarely to scale so a seemingly 30 minute walk can easily take twice as long. There is no familiar Duomo looming over the city where one can orient herself immediately. Acknowledging the fact that I am not from a large metropolitan area, I usually can figure out public transit relatively easily. This was not the case in Barcelona. Attempting to navigate to Sagrada Familia, the main attraction of Barcelona, the girls and I became lost underground in the Metro. Not wanting to exit and have to purchase another ticket, we wandered around aimlessly seeking another line, the infamous L4. If I may quote a dear roommate of mine, “we are trapped in a place where we don’t want to be…and..we’re..trapped”. (If you must know, we did eventually escape and successfully make it to the church).
This morning, my half hour walking commute across the entire city to my Italian class allowed me to appreciate the dense conglomeration of art in such a concentrated area. Not only did I pass the Accadamia, Uffizi Gallery, and Orsanmichele, but also meandered around the Duomo and crossed the Ponte Vecchio.
Monoculture of Florence
After being in other areas of Europe, I have come to appreciate the monoculture of Florence. That is to say that though sometimes I lament the lack of ethnic diversity in culinary options (questionable Chinese restaurants, few American places to satiate that hamburger craving and only one Mexican restaurant!), it adds to the authenticity of my experience in an Italian city. I am getting the true assimilation into culture. Besides food, hearing essentially only Italian and on occasion English, is refreshing. In Barcelona, I heard Catalon, Spanish, English and French walking along the streets, giving the city more of a touristy feel. Hearing Italians answer the phone “Pronto”, happily respond “Va bene!” and chat with friends makes me feel immersed in a culture entirely different than my own.
Home is where the heart is, and in this case it’s Florence!
A Trip to the Doctor
At Middlebury’s Kunming School Abroad everyone gets pretty close pretty fast. It makes sense: 20 young Westerners trying to learn the most difficult language on earth while struggling to make sense of a culture that historically has had nothing to with ours until, arguably, the past forty years. One of the many common experiences that bring us together is food-related illness. China may be rapidly developing, but (especially if you come to the less-developed southeast of China) the food will probably get to you at some point no matter who strong you think your stomach is. A common conversation had in the hall outside our classrooms might sound something like:
“Hey, long time no see, how have you been recently?”
“Not so good, that bowl of noodles I had for lunch the other day gave me some pretty nasty diarrhea.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry. At least you haven’t been vomiting, though. It was coming out both ends for me a few weeks ago after eating some Xinjiang kebob on the street.”
I know, not the nicest topic, but its common ground, like the weather or sports, something we all have gone through are going through, or will go through pretty soon. Everyone has his or her little piece of advice for a quick recovery, from the obvious (don’t eat greasy things or meat) to the not so obvious (only drink hot water and don’t eat bananas—this came from my roommate).
Well, until a couple weeks ago, I was in the minority of people who had remained healthy for my first two and a half months in China and couldn’t commiserate with my classmates on the topic. I was beginning to get a little cocky, bragging about how my stomach could take even the greasiest of grilled pig feet. But then we went to Luoping.
That weekend was one of the few we didn’t have tests, so many of us took advantage of a free Friday (and a nice 200 RMB reimbursement from our program) to explore Yunnan, regarded by many as one of the best places to travel in China. Two of our Chinese roommates and three of us decided to go to the city of Luoping, four hours east of Kunming. Although the city itself is kind of a dump, the countryside surrounding Luoping is naturally covered in Rapeseed (Canola) flowers, which bloom in brilliant yellow every February and March. The area is relatively unknown to Westerners (it didn’t even make it into Lonely Planet), but thousands of camera toting domestic tourists visit every year to catch a glimpse of the sprawling sheets of golden Rapeseed punctured by brown karst peaks.
Buyi women cooking fish straight from the river
The delicious fish that may or not be the culprits for my stomach woes.
We spent the weekend exploring the fields of flowers in a dumpy little van driven by one of the many locals who make a living by taking tourists around to see the fields. We were also able to do a little “hiking” (hiking in China means walking on a paved path lined with tourist stands). The second day, we “hiked” along a river called Duoyihe. It was a very pleasant walk along a slow moving stream dotted with ancient wooden watermills. When we arrived at the end of the paved path, we came upon an opening filled with food tents manned by Buyi people, one of the 25-odd ethnic minorities that populate the incredibly diverse Yunnan Provence. Many of the old women wore traditional turquoise, red and pink attire and headgear to cover their round faces and dark skin. They sat around small makeshift grills cooking fish straight from the river, potatoes, and other local delicacies like chewy rice cakes. Hungry from the walk, I couldn’t resist a fresh, grilled fish—it looked so good. And it WAS so good: the flesh fell right off the translucent bones and mixed perfectly with the spicy sauce the Buyi woman had put on it. But, as I would later find, my stomach and bowels seemed to think differently…
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