Bavaria post 7

Ive kind of fallen off the radar these past few days. They have been the busiest of the trip so far. Im accually in Granada as of feb. 3 so posts will be more regular.

Bavaria day 1

Phil and I showed up at Cologne train station at about 3pm hoping to get a ride into Eichstatt which is in Southern Germany. The German rail system proved to be amazing; we got a trip into the small sized town arriving at about 8pm. One can get virtually anywhere (and very quickly) in the country whether it is a small town or large city.
Phil and I were picked up by Christina Wiedemann and her friend Esparanza from Ecuador, who then drove us into town. We then introduced Phil to the rest of the family (Hienrich, Mama Maria, Stephen, and Thomas). I can say with cofidence that I recieved the greatest hospitality I have ever experienced has been here in Bavaria. The Wiedemanns had planned out every aspect of the next three days for us, which was nice because the planning of a trip is pretty stressful. Hienrich also insisted that we could not pay for meals, and arrangements were made for all of our traveling in Bavaria.

Bavaria day 2

We recieved an education in German manufactoring and engineering in the Audi factory in Ingolstatt (audi´s main factory located north of Munich about an hour). For anyone who isnt aware, the german people take much pride in producing precision machines, and therefore manufactoring is a major industry. Virtually anything made in Germany is of wonderful quality. We learned mostly about there beer and automobiles.
Bavarian culture is very rich, I percieved that the main priorites are Family, religion (Bavaria is very Catholic) , and polotics (not surprising). Beer is also an important part of daily life in Bavaria. There are over 800 breweries in Bavaria (an area equivallent of about west virginia). Germans strictly use only hops, barley, water, and yeast to manufactor beer. The prinicpal varient of beer in Bavaria is called Wiessbier, and is cloudy because some yeast is left unfilitered in the finished product: It is impossible to sample these brews without traveling to bavaria because these breweries are very exclusive in who they allow to sell their product. We got the strong impression that all beer served in Germany is cold (not warm as many Americans believe).
Most of the food served in Germany and the rest of Europe has some type of pork in it. There are a multitude of sausages that Germans eat, all different flavors and sizes but pretty much all made from pork. "Pork bologne" is everywhere. Also they eat porksteak. Not to mention the fried pork. And pork dumplings.

Bavaria day 3

Phil and I woke up early and got on the train into Munich with Esparanza and Christina. One can get an all day bavarian pass for about 28 E. We got into Munich and observed the "Rathaus" which ironically is the town hall. The architecture of Germany seems to be quite ecclectic, not surprising because much of Germany has needed to be rebuilt during its torid 20th century. We took a look at the Famous Munchen Dom (cathedral-a rebuilt structure), and the Munich Olympic staduim ( site of the 1972? olympics and the famous kidnappings). The complex resemples a tent and is a wonderful study of how structural tension is used in modern architecture.
Munich is a city well known for its beer festivals. We just missed out on a festival called Starbierfest (literally strong beer fest). Traditionally monks brewed much of the beer in germany. Given that this time of the year is lent in the Catholic Church, many of the monks fast. To make the fast easier the monks brewed much richer (nutritional) and therefore stronger(higher sugar and alcohol content) beer to keep them going. I am told that it is some powerful swill. Germans carry on the tradition in the form of Starkbierfest. We then toured the Paulaner beer factory and learned some more about the craft. We returned to another wonderful meal by Mama Maria in Eichstatt.














Bavaria day 4

Today was our time to spend some quality time with Hienrich (father of the Wiedemanns). Hienrich owns various journalism schools around the world and is very knowlegeable, especially when it comes to Bavarian Architecture, tradition, and conservative politics. We all crammed into his BMW and headed for southern Bavaria.
Our first stop was an exceptional example of Rococco Architecture, a church in Southern Bavaria (Below). The style is a little too fanciful and impractical for me, but it is amazing to ponder how much craftsmanship goes into some of these buildings. Many men have devoted thier entire lives as a skilled craftsman (woodworker, stoneworker) working on a cathedral or palace. Many of these structures took centuries to build. I suspect that It would be impossible for today´s society to erect such a building where such a vast amount of skilled craftsmen are required. I think that here are no longer very many cuckoo clock makers or stonecarvers working as professionals to handmake elaborate facades, elaborate wooden confessionals and pews etc.

Next stop was the famous castle of Neuschwanstien(Below), the most famous castle in the world that is the inspiration for Walt Disneys fake castle in Florida. The castle was built by King of Bavaria Ludwig the second. The king enherited the thrown and lived his entire life in a castle (phil and I call it Oldswanstien) at the bottom of the mountain from Neuschwanstien. Anyway it sounds like little ludwig got whatever he wanted from his mum, and was fairly isolated from the world at the time of his crowning at the age of 18. At this point in his life I gathered that he cared none for politics and began to slip into a fantasy world. Also at this time the kingdom of Prussia came in from the North and brought Bavaria (a soveriegn state) and Austria under its rule. Poor little ludwig had no more political power and responded by bankrupting bavaria with the construction of a highly impractical castle in the middle of the Alps (Neuswanstien) with no military or political basis at all. He lived alone in his elaborate castle until his mysterious death. The story the tourguides give is that he drown himself in a lake as a result of his mental instability. Another story, (which makes more sense to me) is as follows. The Prussian Government for some reason or another could not force the king to abdicate (give up his thrown). Since the region was indeed under the control of the Prussians, the resources of Bavaria were also Prussian resources. The prussians needed a way to dethrone ludwig and stop him in his idiocy. One story is that they assasinated him and two days later paid off a phyciatrist to proclaim him insane, consequently creating the story of his suicide to cover thier tracks. Politically I think it is fairly unimportant, because most of his castle was built at the time of his death, but an interesting story nonetheless.
We finished that trip with a drive through beautiful Northern Austria.



















Bavaria day 5

I had the opportunity of attending mass in Germany with the Wiedemanns. Eichstatt does indeed contain a Cathedral (seat of the bishop) which is beautiful. After this we were treated to another meal courtesy of the Wiedemanns. I would like to tell my friends from North Dakota that that sunday was a 60 degree day. Mama Maria then gave me and Phil an exceptional tour. She was extremely knowlegable about the history of the city. Like many other small towns in Bavaria, much of the history involves the Catholic church, and in Eichstatt a bishop named Willebald is very important. Also for anyone who is interested in the italian architect gabriel gabrieli, Eichstatt is the place to see. There is a famous Monestary in Eichstatt where a famous saint´s bones have formed a sort of "oil spring". The oil is collected and has healed hundreds of people. There is a large room in the monestary were every space on the walls are taken up by hundreds of small paintings and tapestries, donated by people who have been healed by the oil.

Thoughts

Esparanza (girl from Ecuador) told me something in munich I thought interesting: South America is activly attempting to form a union similiar to the European Union where a large part of the Continent moving toward one single government. She stated that the basis of this union is to repel American presence in the region. Doesnt surprise me. The U.S. Federal Government owns military bases in 130 of the 190 countries in this world. We wonder why we cannot balance our national checkbook. It seems as if we are spreading ourselves thin just as the Romans, Huns, Spanish, and English have done before us. These mass expansions have resulted in a large collapse of one type or another.

I have never at any point in my life been unable to communicate with people because they have always spoke english. When you cannot converse in the same tongue , several things such as tone, body language, and composure are the sole means of communication. This has been a very interesting learning experience, because I have usually ignored these inaudible factors (to my disadvantage).

The fact that English is becoming the global language is disquieting to me. Latin languages are much much much more logical in the way they are structured. Seems like Latin was indeed the "universal language" (in the western world) until about the 20th century.

Costs

2 € wiessbiers
8 € large pork meal
28 € bayern day pass train
0 € lodging at the Wiedemanns
4 € bottle openers as gifts (does anyone need one?)

Some bavarians in leterhosen giving the train conductor flak.

Cologne post 6

Cologne

Cologne is located in the western area of Germany. We left Berlin a little late and arrived at our hostel at 11 pm after searching on foot for 45 minutes. By the way the german autobahns are intense. We drove about 160 kmh (90mph) in our Fiat and were passed like we were standing still. Some of the vehicles (porches,bmw's,and mercedes mostly) must have been pushing 350 kmh (about 170 mph) legally.

I woke up the next morning in time to catch mass in german at the Cathedral, the main attraction of the city for us. We then ascended the tower, (156 meters=about 500ft). The cathedral is gothic in design and is breathtaking. One local told us that the only reason that it remains standing after WW2 (unlike the rest of the city) is because it was used as a point of reference for allied bombers, and was therefore not hit as hard.

I only got one shot of the exterior (which is kindof freaky). Phil burned up about three rolls of film on it so ill post some of them later. Some very interesting architecture in the interior. Kölsh beer, the beer of Coglone is a very exceptional lager. I want to thank Cary for traveling with us and offering the transportation of his car.

Costs

hostel 15 E

kölsh 3.5 E

Bratwursts und saurkraut 6E

Berlin post 5

posts are a little backed up

Berlin

Flew in from Dublin and got picked up from couchsurfing friend Cary Cavnar. Phil called shotgun and got to sit front seat in the rental Fiat. This turned out to be a good thing for me because I didnt have to navigate the rat's nest of Berlin, also Cary didnt previously know how to drive manual transmission.

Cary booked us a hotel in shady east berlin, and It took Phil and Cary an hour and a half to find the hotel in the dark. The hotel proved to be fairly nice however, and the service was pretty good. We jumped on the city train, and for some reason we decided that we didnt have to pay for the short ride downtown. Turns out that we were bieng watched by a plainclothes 'train police'. The moment we got out of the train we were surrounded by five citizens who didnt really speak english. They demanded our passports and bank account information, and told us that we had commited a criminal offence. One member of our party did give some of this information to them as the other members argued with the citizens. They left us alone after we mentioned 'U.S. embassy', but not before giving us a ticket in german. We still need to get this cleared up, because we have no idea what authority those citizens have.

The next day we found a free walking tour of berlin (thanks james fox for the suggestion). The tour was given by an irish lass! We could understand her irish ways because we had just come from ireland. Anyway the tour was exceptional. Berlin is historically the focal point between the capitolist-communist struggle. The history here is remarkably powerful, and I wont go into too much detail because everyone who travels to germany needs to experience Berlin. The free tour is a perfect place to start and is given in front of the Brandenburg gate at 11 oclock.

Berlin was leveled during WW2,one can still see bulletholes in the buildings. Obviously much has been rebuilt, the new architecture reflects strong ideas. The Riechstag (law making body in Germany, see below)for example has been completely redone by famous british architect Norman Foster. The old masonry dome has been removed in place of a glass dome; contained within is a mirrored conical stucture. The people ascend the dome by walking to the top as they look in upon parliment below them. The prevailing idea is transparency. In theory,nothing the lawmakers do should be in secret, and this is reflected by the architecture. Holocaust monument below, brandenburg gate below. Berlinwall below.

Ireland days 2, 3, 4 post 4

Ireland day 2

Went into Limerick (central-western Ireland) and got our first dose of Irish History by visiting King John' Castle. Turns out that the Irish have been getting the tar beaten out of them for the last 800 years by the English. It seems as if the Irish have really not won many battles. It amazes me that as large and powerful the crown has been over the centuries, they still have not been able to bring the Irish ( the closest foriegn state in proximity) into submission. I wonder why the brits have been so interested in Ireland who historically have possesed no major idustries besides agriculture in a relatively small island. The conflict continues in Belfast (northern ireland occupied by the brits) to this day.

The people of Ireland are a very proud and dignified race. They are a very warm and cordial to foriegners. They love their country and thier culture more than any other than I have seen yet (not an extensive list).

I mentioned to an old Irish man that we eventually planned to travel to Dublin (Ireland's big city). Limerick is a smaller and more rural community. We were politely informed that we should not travel to Dublin because "we would get into the drugs and end up in San Quentin."

Another man I spoke with told me about the institution of the Republic of Ireland in the 1920's. He was very concerned that the "boys in Dublin (lawmakers) care nothin' for the rest of Ireland." It was interesting and curious to me why it was that these men were so critical of Dublin.

We left Limerick and traveled south to Killarney.

Ireland day 3


We stayed the night in a hostel.

















Killarney is a beautiful region of Ireland with mountains and lakes in its national park. There exists many hiking trails and ancient Celtic sites. For us the Gaelic influence deepened as we went south and west in Ireland. The people love and embrace thier history to a great degree. I didnt mention that these small towns are immaculate. There is a lack of chain stores. Every shop and pub is owned by a separate owner who takes high pride in his businness. I observed that the first priority of the businness owners is not profit as in our nation, it is the image and reputation of thier business.

The region (Munster region of Ireland) is mostly agricultural. Everyone seemed to be making a pretty good living for themselves and I observed that there was almost no class division in these regions (virtually all middle class citizens).

Anyway, we rented some bikes and ventured into Killarney National Park. We hopped on a boat manned by an another old irish gent. Phil and I rode with a group of Malaysian students who were quite underdressed for the 30 degree and misty boatride. I could tell that they were becoming very uncomfortable after about 5 minutes. One of the boys put on a girl's stretchy scarf for warmth on his head. They thought this was absolutely halarious and jabbered on for 45 minutes in malaysian making fun of him.

Ireland Day 4

arranged a bed and breakfast in Dingle, Kerry C0unty; a small fishing village in the heart of Gaelic ireland.

In the morning we visited the Celtic prehistoric museum and went on a hike to see the ancient beehive huts the celts built. The Slea Head Drive on Dingle Peninsula I would recommend.

Ireland Day 5

Dublin was a huge dissapointment.

On to Germany






Costs

lost track of most.

15E for hostel
4 E drinks
12 E fresh sole fish dinner
12E bike rental
7 E hour boat ride
1.42 E per liter petrol (gasoline)

Chicago post 3

Wow, I have a lot to learn about travel.
These posts are pretty short because I am having to pay to use the internet. They dont have usb ports so there will be plenty of pics later.

Chicago

Since my train was six hours late, I arrived in Chicago at 11:00 at night. My plan was to somehow find transportation to a couchsurfers house where I was staying. My cabbie did not know the street that I told him so he ended up dropping me off about 4 blocks away. I only had a general knowledge of my whereabouts as I walked around Southern Chicago in a slushstorm. I did end up finding Adams house, and he was very nice and very inviting. The whole time before I arrived I thought that I would have no problem getting from pt. A to pt. B. This is because I dont know anything about big cities.

Adam gave me a ride to the public transport and I hung out in Chicago until touring IIT (which i didnt like at all.) Chicago is awesome. Chicago has an exeptional ( and cheap) public transport system and I spent the rest of the day riding it around eventually to O'hare Airport.

Arrival in Ireland

I met up with my roomate phil and we boarded our flight to Shannon (Aer Lingus service was exceptional). We got in at about 7 am yesterday (feb 14). We rented a car (I got shafted cause I didnt read the fine print) and set off for Limerick. It is absolutely one of the most bizzare things to drive on the left hand side of the road. I think we were on the verge of accident a few times, but all in all we had a great time driving to our hotel. (Ireland has loops called roundabouts instead of exit ramps, which are halarious) Upon our arrival at Two Miles Hotel me and Phil were very fatigued. Jet lag coupled with almost no sleep in 36 hours makes for an interesting time. We ate some beefstew and drank some Guinness before we fell asleep at 3pm. We both feel great after 14 hours of sleep and ready to take on Ireland. I cant wait to get a conversation going with an Irishman or lassie. Pics to come

Costs

5$ chicago rail and bus pass all day
3$ loaf of bread at panderia in chi
16$ meals on train (its funny to watch the waitresses on the wobbly train)
20$ batteries and misc.

4 E guinnesses (4)
7 E beefstew
67 E hotel (spit in two)

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Leaving Mandan- post 2

Welcome back everyone. Much of the info I am giving you might seem quite personal. Frankly I do not care. The traveling begins.

Itinerary (all currency is American Dollars)

-Depart Minot, ND, U.S.A on Feb 11 (today) arrive in Chicago at 4:00 pm on tuesday $90

- Meet my roomate and fly out of Chicago to Shannon Ireland on Wednesday $215

-Rent a car in Ireland for five days $87

-Fly out of Dublin on feb 18 into Berlin $57

-5 day Unlimited Rail in Germany $212

-Fly out of Frankfurt Germany to Madrid, Spain $25

-Total duration of pre-Spain journey- feb. 18 to feb 26

Total Transportation costs- about $700- I am told that this is the travel offseason and that these rates are much cheaper than usual. It took awhile to find these prices but I would be happy to recomend some websites to prospective travelers. (thank you James Fox)

Costs thusfar

Tuition at the Universidad de Granada + room and board at the house of Sra. Pilar + program excurions= $7500

Travel to (see above)=$700

Most of this money came from student loans (whoops) and savings.

I checked my balance at the bank today: I have $3016 in available funds that must last me until June. We have not arranged all of our lodging for Ireland and Germany; so this is bound to get interesting. The bright side is that I do not have to pay rent and I can live on $0 per day as soon as I arrive in Spain if need be.

Packing

I managed to stuff everything I need for the next four months into the two bags you see above. The small bag is my carry- on and contains toiletries, a pillow, books, my passport, papers, etc. The larger contains clothing, gifts, footwear, sleeping bag. I guess about 60 lbs total.

My roomate and I have concluded that the best way to travel europe is with backpacks. Suitcases are less mobile; and as this journey is quite impromptu, we will enjoy the flexiblility of packs. But I really dont know because I have never backpacked before.

Thoughts

I am a little ticked because my train is 6 hours delayed. This means I get to depart Minot tonight at 3 am instead of 9:30 pm. In any matter I am pretty exited to finally leave. Tommorow I will arrive in Chicago and couchsurf some gracious man's couch named Adam. (http://www.couchsurfing.com/) Pics to come.

Leaving UND- post 1

For those of you who do not know, I am a University Sophomore (19 years of age) originally from Mandan, North Dakota, U.S.A. After I graduated high school in 2006 I attended the University of North Dakota. I majored in Mechanical Engineering while attending Air Force ROTC with hopes at becoming a Military Aviator. These plans faltered and my studies became very eclectic (Spanish, Art, Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics, etc.) I have now chosen to study Architecture.
In the past months, I have also grown an interest in world culture. Let us first observe my native culture. I am concerned that Americans have allowed the health of thier minds, bodies, and spirits decay into a primitive existance charictorized by violence, abuse of sexuality, glorification of warfare, gluttany, and lethargy. Although mainstream American culture is not really a true depiction of how all Americans choose to live thier lives, I find that it has crept its way into our youth. It is not diffucult to find examples of how children and young adults have emulated what they have seen on pop culture television and what they have heard in pop music. It is my belief that Americans grow more and more materialistic and superficial, shunning what they have deeply known to be truthful: modesty, self denial, hard work for goals, family devotion, and honesty. I do not decieve myself: I am guilty of this. Although I have these serious misgivings for my culture, I still have much love for this nation. Our society is still one of great, great opportunity to those who will find it. We still enjoy many liberties and reap the bounty this country offers us.
I thirst not to find a new culture, but to expand my knowledge of what a healthy and wholesome society should be. I do not expect either to find such a perfect example in any European society, but I do seek to find new cultural ideas that have been lost to this nation during the past century or so. I do not hope to find revelation in four short months, but I do expect to learn something; and possibly teach this to anyone of you who chooses to humor me.
Politics aside, this blog is also for beginner and expert travelers alike. I am a severly inexperienced traveler planning an semi-improptu journey through Ireland and Germany before my arrival in Spain. My roomate (just as experienced as I) has chosen to cut classes at UND for two weeks (thanks Phil) and is my sole accomplice in Germany and Ireland. Upon my arrival in Spain I am pretty much alone: My Spanish is intermediate at best, I have no cellphone to bail me out (not that it would matter anyway because I have no friends, family, or aquaintances in Spain), and to boot I have limited money. I plan on letting you, the audience, in on everything: How much money I am starting out with, precisely what and how I am packing, where I stay, the places I visit, how much sleep I have gotten, the relationships I build, how much money I spend, what I drink, what I eat, etc.
My trip begins (sort of) as I leave Grand Forks permenantly. I would like to thank everyone who was a part of my life in Grand Forks: I had a kick ass three semesters with you all. Although I worry that some of you need an intervention (you know who you are) :) Special thanks for all of you who helped drain my keg at the going away party. Special thanks to my roomate Phil for tolerating my outspoken and boisterous demeanor (go Ron Paul). Extra special thanks to Kim.
The real journey begins on Monday the 11th when my train departs from Minot to Chicago. Next post will be all about Itinerary (plans of trip), money, and packing. All photos from Grand Forks. If you would like to comment click on the "0 comments" button below.Dont be afraid to sound off.