I promise, promise, promise I am going to write an entry about Egypt. Between getting back from ten days in Africa and Rome and these midterms that teachers are insisting on giving us, I'm feeling a tad bit overwhelmed.
Good news, I just booked Berlin for the weekend!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
ready, set, go!
It's been a tough week for everyone. I think people are finally buckling down with school work, as it's sort of our version of midterms. We got back from our mini-field, had five days of cramming in as much school work as possible, and then are off on our carnival excursions! I have had a cold all week, there has been a lot of snow, the laundry machines have been full every day, and teachers have enjoyed making sure all our exams and projects are on the same day. Overall, I think everyone is ready for this week long break!
Tonight we leave for the airport to spend the night in Frankfurt Hahn, Germany before our early flight to Rome via Ryanair. We then have a full day in Rome before departing to Cairo, Egypt Saturday night. Here's a little list of our itinerary, feel free to skim!
3/02: Meet at airport upon arrival by a tour guide and then overnight in a hotel in Cairo.
14/02: After Breakfast, we have a guided tour of Cairo. Then, a transfer to Giza Plateau where rise the three Pyramids of Cheops, chephren & Mycrenos which is considered one of the seven wonders of the world, and the Sphinx before heading to Sakkara , the first capital of ancient Egypt where we see the step Pyramid.That night we have a Fellucca ride on the majestic Nile Complementary before spending the night on an overnight train to Aswan.
15/02: Arrive Aswan and go to our cruise boat!We see the High Dam before a transfer to Philae Temple and the Oblisque. That night we sail to Komombo.
16/02: We visit the Komombo Temple the Right Hand Temple, and the Left Hand Temple.Then we sail to Edfu to see the Edfu temple before sailing to Luxor that night.
17/02: After breakfast, we visit the east bank and see the Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak. That night we have a a Galbia (whatever that is) party and an oriental dinner.
18/02: We see the valley of the kings, the Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. We spend that night on an overnight train back to Cairo.
19/02: Arrive Cairo and visit the Egyptian museum and the Citadel of Saladin, then off to Old Cairo where we visit the Hunging Church and Sinagogue ( Ben Ezra Temple ). That night we go to Khan el Khalili markets for shopping before heading to a hotel for the night.
20/02: Transfer to the airport for final departure back to Rome!
21/02: Spend the day in Rome before heading back to Luxembourg!
Yikes, I cannot wait. I am ready to see the sites and see a culture. It's a once in a lifetime type of trip!
Tonight we leave for the airport to spend the night in Frankfurt Hahn, Germany before our early flight to Rome via Ryanair. We then have a full day in Rome before departing to Cairo, Egypt Saturday night. Here's a little list of our itinerary, feel free to skim!
3/02: Meet at airport upon arrival by a tour guide and then overnight in a hotel in Cairo.
14/02: After Breakfast, we have a guided tour of Cairo. Then, a transfer to Giza Plateau where rise the three Pyramids of Cheops, chephren & Mycrenos which is considered one of the seven wonders of the world, and the Sphinx before heading to Sakkara , the first capital of ancient Egypt where we see the step Pyramid.That night we have a Fellucca ride on the majestic Nile Complementary before spending the night on an overnight train to Aswan.
15/02: Arrive Aswan and go to our cruise boat!We see the High Dam before a transfer to Philae Temple and the Oblisque. That night we sail to Komombo.
16/02: We visit the Komombo Temple the Right Hand Temple, and the Left Hand Temple.Then we sail to Edfu to see the Edfu temple before sailing to Luxor that night.
17/02: After breakfast, we visit the east bank and see the Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak. That night we have a a Galbia (whatever that is) party and an oriental dinner.
18/02: We see the valley of the kings, the Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. We spend that night on an overnight train back to Cairo.
19/02: Arrive Cairo and visit the Egyptian museum and the Citadel of Saladin, then off to Old Cairo where we visit the Hunging Church and Sinagogue ( Ben Ezra Temple ). That night we go to Khan el Khalili markets for shopping before heading to a hotel for the night.
20/02: Transfer to the airport for final departure back to Rome!
21/02: Spend the day in Rome before heading back to Luxembourg!
Yikes, I cannot wait. I am ready to see the sites and see a culture. It's a once in a lifetime type of trip!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
France and Germany
Oh, I am just overwhelmed by the thought of all that I have to write, so I promise to keep it as short as possible.
As I have explained before, every student at MUDEC is enrolled in a sprint mini-field tour class. This means we take a class three times a week until mid-March and spend five/six days traveling around with the class to points of interest. Classes include architecture, history, art, and music. I am enrolled in the history of witch-hunts in medieval Europe. You can only imagine the amount of Harry Potter references we make. For our class, we left last Wednesday for a cruise through the French and German countryside, stopping in Trier, Speyer, and Rothenburg, Germany and Nancy, France. We spent time in each city getting to know the major tourist attractions and how they applied to our newly acquired historical knowledge of the witch-hunts.
Our first stop was Trier, Germany, which is about 45 minutes away from Luxembourg and a popular day trip for MUDEC students. Right off the bat we were a little disappointed this was our first city, with other classes heading to Florence and Amsterdam. We could do Trier one day after class, no need to take time out of our trip to do it in now. However, we were all pleasantly surprised! Despite some dreary weather and a not-so-exciting lecture about Trier witch-hunts, Trier is an adorable town, with little cottages lining cobblestone roads and shopping galore. We also took time to see the local cathedral, one of the largest I’ve seen, and to see the Black Gate, a Roman ruin. It was also fascinating to be in a city where so much happened in terms of witch-hunts. Trier was one of the major areas where the witch-hunts were rampant, where entire villages were whipped out.
We then moved on to Nancy, France, my favorite city we visited. It was a picturesque and quaint French town, complete with outdoor cafes and fountains. The city centre was breathtaking, a large cobblestone square with golden fountains at each corner and four iron and gold gates to allow entrance. We were on our own for lunch before heading to a visit of the local archives, and Taylor and I had the most delicious meal I have had since I’ve been here. I have NO idea what I ordered, but it was amazing. The restaurant had old birdcages and silver wear glued to the ceiling, as well as old French advertisements glued to the walls and coffee mugs with fleur de lis patterns. PERFECT. We also were blessed with SUNSHINE. It was one of our first extremely sunny days since I’ve travelled. I actually think Nancy was the first time I’ve seen grown not covered by snow since I left Ohio in December. Ah, how spring taunts the horizon. Oh, and we did some educational stuff… But the pretty fountains blew that out of the wind.
Nonetheless, on a dorky historian side-note, we did get to see a document signed by Charlemagne. It was overwhelming to be in the presence of such an old piece of paper by someone who is so historically significant and changed the world as we know it today. The woman who gave the lecture was an expert on the witch hunts and arrived specifically in Nancy to explain the hunts to us. She read aloud a few of the cases, which I found fascinating. Once you get beyond the fact that this is not just a story from the past, but REAL people, it’s shocking to see how such things happened. Despite everyone being a little drowsy after delcious meals and being in a warm room, the lecture was pretty cool.
Our next city was Speyer, a small German town…. Somewhere? We didn’t do a very good job of examining a map before. Speyer (pronounced SHPY-ER in a scary German accent) seemed a little out of the way, but, again, we were all pleasantly surprised! There was some amazing shopping (sales are huge in Europe in late January and early February), a stunning cathedral, and an adorable main road. (Sensing a pattern here? Apparently those are three things I go for.) After a morning full of shopping, we met as a group for a traditional German lunch! Amelie, you’d be so proud. We all ate pretzals and sausage and good German beer. There was a funny miscommunication where some of the girls ordered a pepper dish. Expecting bell peppers, they were more than a little surprised when they were served massive portions of jalapeño peppers! It was great to sit with some of the girls on my trip and compare what we had bought and really get to know one another! After another delicious meal (us broke college students LOVE our meals) we headed to our main purpose of the trip to Speyer- a museum exhibit based solely on hexen, or witchcraft and the hunts. We were all pretty excited for the museum, only to be relatively shocked to find the entire exhibit was in German. I wished hard for Amelie to appear, but to no avail, and had to use my French and English comprehension to translate some of the captions… again, to no avail. It was pretty cool though. There was some really old examples of witch craft proof (mandrake being one, thank you JK Rowling.) The most interesting thing I saw in the museum was a stack of wood that would have been required to burn a person alive and a looped video that shows how towns people would watch the burnings and react. There is a lot of wood that is needed, and seeing how some of the “peasants” would start the execution by cheering, but be disgusted by the end, really demonstrated the reality of the hunts and the horrors that accompanied it.
Our final destination was Rothenburg, Germany. Taylor had looked up all our cities in a tour book beforehand, but couldn’t remember if anything was mentioned about Rothenburg. Alas, it ended up being the most adorable city by far! A true medieval village, Rothenburg looks like a giant gingerbread metropolis surrounded by town walls and draw bridges, with a stone town hall presiding on the hill. The houses and buildings looked as if they were made of gingerbread, with white icing trim adorning the A-frames and windows highlighting shopping deals and local delights. One of the most attractive aspects of the windows, they showcased schneeballen, a giant pastry ball of fried dough covered in various toppings, from marzipan to dark almond chocolate. Oh dear goodness, God blessed such a place!
We got into the city on Friday night and the entire group decided to do a little exploration of the night scene. I entered a hotel to ask a receptionist where to go in town or what clubs and bars she recommended. She looked at me shocked and goes “somewhere for young people in Rothenburg?” I nodded and she laughed and goes, “…well, there’s one place?” Despite this initial negative outlook, the whole group found a pleasant little bar with cheap drinks and enjoyed on another’s company and getting to know the group! Saturday we got up and met up with another witch historian from England, who flew in to explain the trials and medieval crime and punishment to us. It was really interesting and it was fascinating to see the different between the trials in Trier and Rothenburg- everything was relatively low-key in Rothenburg in comparison. After a tour of the medieval town hall, a group of girls and I decided to grab lunch at a traditional restaurant and warmed up with some delicious soups and sandwiches. We then headed to the museum.
I have mixed feelings on the museum. It was a Medieval crim and punishement exhibit, highlighting both methods of torture and punishment. I had a difficult time looking at the torture devices and quickly skipped ahead to other areas of the museum. The most interesting part was the non-violent punishment showcase. This included:
-Chastity belts for women who couldn’t remain faithful
-Masks that had large tongues and ears that would be locked onto a persons head if they were caught gossiping (Taylor and I confessed we’d have to be in those a lot…)
-Shoes made of metal they clamped on you that had bells on them so that everyone would know you were a fool
-An empty beer barrel that they fashioned into an outfit that they made men or women wear if they drank too much
-A wooden plank with two head holes, they would make a quarrelling couple be locked in it facing each other until they got along
While these were entertaining to see and funny to make fun of and threaten one another with, it really took away from the seriousness of the punishment. These didn’t just happen in movies but to real people in our past. Nonetheless, it was a fascinating exhibit just to see how far law has come!
That night we had a few bottles of wine with a group of girls and really got to know one another and had a blast before leaving the next day for the six hour trip home!
Overall, it was a great trip. I was very hesitant at first, but was so happy that everything turned out great. The cities were gorgeous, the shopping was fabulous, the girls were tons of fun, and the educational aspect was interesting! What more can I ask for?
Now, only one more week of class before I’m off to Rome and Egypt for Carnivale Break! Can you say “blessed existence”?
As I have explained before, every student at MUDEC is enrolled in a sprint mini-field tour class. This means we take a class three times a week until mid-March and spend five/six days traveling around with the class to points of interest. Classes include architecture, history, art, and music. I am enrolled in the history of witch-hunts in medieval Europe. You can only imagine the amount of Harry Potter references we make. For our class, we left last Wednesday for a cruise through the French and German countryside, stopping in Trier, Speyer, and Rothenburg, Germany and Nancy, France. We spent time in each city getting to know the major tourist attractions and how they applied to our newly acquired historical knowledge of the witch-hunts.
Our first stop was Trier, Germany, which is about 45 minutes away from Luxembourg and a popular day trip for MUDEC students. Right off the bat we were a little disappointed this was our first city, with other classes heading to Florence and Amsterdam. We could do Trier one day after class, no need to take time out of our trip to do it in now. However, we were all pleasantly surprised! Despite some dreary weather and a not-so-exciting lecture about Trier witch-hunts, Trier is an adorable town, with little cottages lining cobblestone roads and shopping galore. We also took time to see the local cathedral, one of the largest I’ve seen, and to see the Black Gate, a Roman ruin. It was also fascinating to be in a city where so much happened in terms of witch-hunts. Trier was one of the major areas where the witch-hunts were rampant, where entire villages were whipped out.
We then moved on to Nancy, France, my favorite city we visited. It was a picturesque and quaint French town, complete with outdoor cafes and fountains. The city centre was breathtaking, a large cobblestone square with golden fountains at each corner and four iron and gold gates to allow entrance. We were on our own for lunch before heading to a visit of the local archives, and Taylor and I had the most delicious meal I have had since I’ve been here. I have NO idea what I ordered, but it was amazing. The restaurant had old birdcages and silver wear glued to the ceiling, as well as old French advertisements glued to the walls and coffee mugs with fleur de lis patterns. PERFECT. We also were blessed with SUNSHINE. It was one of our first extremely sunny days since I’ve travelled. I actually think Nancy was the first time I’ve seen grown not covered by snow since I left Ohio in December. Ah, how spring taunts the horizon. Oh, and we did some educational stuff… But the pretty fountains blew that out of the wind.
Nonetheless, on a dorky historian side-note, we did get to see a document signed by Charlemagne. It was overwhelming to be in the presence of such an old piece of paper by someone who is so historically significant and changed the world as we know it today. The woman who gave the lecture was an expert on the witch hunts and arrived specifically in Nancy to explain the hunts to us. She read aloud a few of the cases, which I found fascinating. Once you get beyond the fact that this is not just a story from the past, but REAL people, it’s shocking to see how such things happened. Despite everyone being a little drowsy after delcious meals and being in a warm room, the lecture was pretty cool.
Our next city was Speyer, a small German town…. Somewhere? We didn’t do a very good job of examining a map before. Speyer (pronounced SHPY-ER in a scary German accent) seemed a little out of the way, but, again, we were all pleasantly surprised! There was some amazing shopping (sales are huge in Europe in late January and early February), a stunning cathedral, and an adorable main road. (Sensing a pattern here? Apparently those are three things I go for.) After a morning full of shopping, we met as a group for a traditional German lunch! Amelie, you’d be so proud. We all ate pretzals and sausage and good German beer. There was a funny miscommunication where some of the girls ordered a pepper dish. Expecting bell peppers, they were more than a little surprised when they were served massive portions of jalapeño peppers! It was great to sit with some of the girls on my trip and compare what we had bought and really get to know one another! After another delicious meal (us broke college students LOVE our meals) we headed to our main purpose of the trip to Speyer- a museum exhibit based solely on hexen, or witchcraft and the hunts. We were all pretty excited for the museum, only to be relatively shocked to find the entire exhibit was in German. I wished hard for Amelie to appear, but to no avail, and had to use my French and English comprehension to translate some of the captions… again, to no avail. It was pretty cool though. There was some really old examples of witch craft proof (mandrake being one, thank you JK Rowling.) The most interesting thing I saw in the museum was a stack of wood that would have been required to burn a person alive and a looped video that shows how towns people would watch the burnings and react. There is a lot of wood that is needed, and seeing how some of the “peasants” would start the execution by cheering, but be disgusted by the end, really demonstrated the reality of the hunts and the horrors that accompanied it.
Our final destination was Rothenburg, Germany. Taylor had looked up all our cities in a tour book beforehand, but couldn’t remember if anything was mentioned about Rothenburg. Alas, it ended up being the most adorable city by far! A true medieval village, Rothenburg looks like a giant gingerbread metropolis surrounded by town walls and draw bridges, with a stone town hall presiding on the hill. The houses and buildings looked as if they were made of gingerbread, with white icing trim adorning the A-frames and windows highlighting shopping deals and local delights. One of the most attractive aspects of the windows, they showcased schneeballen, a giant pastry ball of fried dough covered in various toppings, from marzipan to dark almond chocolate. Oh dear goodness, God blessed such a place!
We got into the city on Friday night and the entire group decided to do a little exploration of the night scene. I entered a hotel to ask a receptionist where to go in town or what clubs and bars she recommended. She looked at me shocked and goes “somewhere for young people in Rothenburg?” I nodded and she laughed and goes, “…well, there’s one place?” Despite this initial negative outlook, the whole group found a pleasant little bar with cheap drinks and enjoyed on another’s company and getting to know the group! Saturday we got up and met up with another witch historian from England, who flew in to explain the trials and medieval crime and punishment to us. It was really interesting and it was fascinating to see the different between the trials in Trier and Rothenburg- everything was relatively low-key in Rothenburg in comparison. After a tour of the medieval town hall, a group of girls and I decided to grab lunch at a traditional restaurant and warmed up with some delicious soups and sandwiches. We then headed to the museum.
I have mixed feelings on the museum. It was a Medieval crim and punishement exhibit, highlighting both methods of torture and punishment. I had a difficult time looking at the torture devices and quickly skipped ahead to other areas of the museum. The most interesting part was the non-violent punishment showcase. This included:
-Chastity belts for women who couldn’t remain faithful
-Masks that had large tongues and ears that would be locked onto a persons head if they were caught gossiping (Taylor and I confessed we’d have to be in those a lot…)
-Shoes made of metal they clamped on you that had bells on them so that everyone would know you were a fool
-An empty beer barrel that they fashioned into an outfit that they made men or women wear if they drank too much
-A wooden plank with two head holes, they would make a quarrelling couple be locked in it facing each other until they got along
While these were entertaining to see and funny to make fun of and threaten one another with, it really took away from the seriousness of the punishment. These didn’t just happen in movies but to real people in our past. Nonetheless, it was a fascinating exhibit just to see how far law has come!
That night we had a few bottles of wine with a group of girls and really got to know one another and had a blast before leaving the next day for the six hour trip home!
Overall, it was a great trip. I was very hesitant at first, but was so happy that everything turned out great. The cities were gorgeous, the shopping was fabulous, the girls were tons of fun, and the educational aspect was interesting! What more can I ask for?
Now, only one more week of class before I’m off to Rome and Egypt for Carnivale Break! Can you say “blessed existence”?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Amsterdam
Oh, Amsterdam, where to begin?
It’s a city of the imagination, college students desiring to experience the “red-er” side of the city, while art enthusiasts clamor to such exhibits as Van Gogh. From Amstel to Heineken to relics of a Third Reich past, Amsterdam is a city for all generations and all tastes- soon demonstrated by our random collection of activities throughout the weekend.
After a hurried run and a frantic search for the train to Brussels, Belgium on Friday, Taylor, Sarah, Brooke, Casey and I began our voyage to the mythical land of the Netherlands. Then, after a quick stop in the capital of waffles and chocolates, we caught the train to Amsterdam, arriving in the city at around 10 pm.
I was breath taken. This was my first canal-based city in Europe, and I can’t even begin to describe my obsession with the small rivers creeping around the city, the quaint houseboats, and the gorgeous townhouses lining the cobble stone roads. I snapped pictures (yes, even more than usual) of everything in the city that had so quickly stolen my heart.
However, there is another side of Amsterdam, as we soon discovered as we made our way to the Bulldog, our hostel located in the heart of the red light district. When they call it the red light district, they aren’t exaggerating. Red lights line the windows of special cubbies, occupied by scantily clad women. And, the smell of marijuana is never far. Despite the questionable location, our hostel was nice, a very populated and happening place, centrally located and comfortable (despite a snoring 35 or older man living in our room…)
Saturday morning, we all rolled out of bed to fresh fallen snow and a shining sun- nothing better for a day of site seeing in January! It as just beautiful, the canals looking even more like a Christmas Wonderland of old times. Our first stop was the Van Gogh exhibit. We figured out the tram system and made our way to a classier museum district, awed by the views of the city through the windows of the train. The Van Gogh exhibit was cool- it was fascinating to see real paintings done by such an acclaimed artist. Overall, what I took away most, was the supportive and inspiring relationship between the sick Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo. A photograph in the museum showed their two gravestones, side by side. Most of what we know about Van Gogh is from his correspondences with his brother, who supported him financially and emotionally. We were a little disappointed with the museum however as we were all dying to see Starry Nights. After leaving, I Googled the location of the painting, having expected it to be in the Amsterdam exhibit. Turns out, the painting is located in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Serves me right for heading to Amsterdam to see the painting, when all along its in my own backyard.
We then heading to the famous I AMsterdam letters. They are really just a site for tourist photographs, with the I and the AM in red and the rest in white. The letters are large enough for you to climb through and take some cutesy photos. I set my paparazzi photographer (Spencer Kubin) up and modeled with the girls for a wonderful photoshoot that’s made for the photo albums!
Then we headed to the truly educational part of the trip- the Heineken Experience at the Heineken Brewery. I was a little hesitant for this, after having done the Guinness tour in Dublin, I felt that I had done every brewery tour. I am thankful my friends were desperate to try their first sip of beer and for persuading me to join them. It was AMAZING. I had so much fun going through the exhibit/interactive museum. After ignoring the tedious process of how to actually make the beer, I learned about the marketing history and the plans for Heineken’s future, as well as a delightful visit to the Heinken bar at the end. We also took part in a 4-Dimmensional ride where the museum “brews you” by having you go through the process. Great laughs, great beer, and great friends. What an amazing last event for the day!
After a really healthy dinner Saturday- I have never seen more delicious baked goods or cheese dipped French fries than I did in Asterdam- we enjoyed the night life and headed to bed early. It’s difficult traveling so much, we’re starting to get tired! (God forbid)
Sunday we decided to split up, with half our group heading to the Amsterdam Zoo (which I heard was pretty incredible) and the rest of us (Kubin, Casey, and myself) going to the Anne Frank House. As most know, Anne Frank was a 13 year old German/Dutch Jew who went into hiding in the back of her father’s business building with her mother, father, and sister, and four other Jews, during Hitlers occupation of the Netherlands. After two years in hiding, their location was betrayed and the group of 8 were sent to concentration camps, all of them being killed except for Anne’s father, Otto, who had her diary published. We felt it was important to see the house, despite the depressing content, as an educational experience and understanding the personal side of the mass genocide that cursed Europe in the mid-century.
Nothing in the house was unexpected, as we viewed the 6 or so rooms the family lived in for two years. It was smaller than expected and unfurnished since the Nazi’s ripped it apart. However, it was eerie being the exact same room in which such an innocent victim lived and wrote her timeless words of growing up. I’m really happy we visited such a historic location, even with, if not especially because, the heavy weight it left on us as we left.
We caught a 3 pm train home from Amsterdam and were safe back in Luxembourg no later than 8:30.
What an amazing weekend though. I realized I was not a fan of some of the things Amsterdam is infamous for, but overall the canals stole my heart and the fresh fallen snow put me in a refreshed and obsessed mood!
After the quick turn around, we leave tomorrow for our Mini-Field tours! I’ll write more about that later, but wish me luck!
It’s a city of the imagination, college students desiring to experience the “red-er” side of the city, while art enthusiasts clamor to such exhibits as Van Gogh. From Amstel to Heineken to relics of a Third Reich past, Amsterdam is a city for all generations and all tastes- soon demonstrated by our random collection of activities throughout the weekend.
After a hurried run and a frantic search for the train to Brussels, Belgium on Friday, Taylor, Sarah, Brooke, Casey and I began our voyage to the mythical land of the Netherlands. Then, after a quick stop in the capital of waffles and chocolates, we caught the train to Amsterdam, arriving in the city at around 10 pm.
I was breath taken. This was my first canal-based city in Europe, and I can’t even begin to describe my obsession with the small rivers creeping around the city, the quaint houseboats, and the gorgeous townhouses lining the cobble stone roads. I snapped pictures (yes, even more than usual) of everything in the city that had so quickly stolen my heart.
However, there is another side of Amsterdam, as we soon discovered as we made our way to the Bulldog, our hostel located in the heart of the red light district. When they call it the red light district, they aren’t exaggerating. Red lights line the windows of special cubbies, occupied by scantily clad women. And, the smell of marijuana is never far. Despite the questionable location, our hostel was nice, a very populated and happening place, centrally located and comfortable (despite a snoring 35 or older man living in our room…)
Saturday morning, we all rolled out of bed to fresh fallen snow and a shining sun- nothing better for a day of site seeing in January! It as just beautiful, the canals looking even more like a Christmas Wonderland of old times. Our first stop was the Van Gogh exhibit. We figured out the tram system and made our way to a classier museum district, awed by the views of the city through the windows of the train. The Van Gogh exhibit was cool- it was fascinating to see real paintings done by such an acclaimed artist. Overall, what I took away most, was the supportive and inspiring relationship between the sick Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo. A photograph in the museum showed their two gravestones, side by side. Most of what we know about Van Gogh is from his correspondences with his brother, who supported him financially and emotionally. We were a little disappointed with the museum however as we were all dying to see Starry Nights. After leaving, I Googled the location of the painting, having expected it to be in the Amsterdam exhibit. Turns out, the painting is located in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Serves me right for heading to Amsterdam to see the painting, when all along its in my own backyard.
We then heading to the famous I AMsterdam letters. They are really just a site for tourist photographs, with the I and the AM in red and the rest in white. The letters are large enough for you to climb through and take some cutesy photos. I set my paparazzi photographer (Spencer Kubin) up and modeled with the girls for a wonderful photoshoot that’s made for the photo albums!
Then we headed to the truly educational part of the trip- the Heineken Experience at the Heineken Brewery. I was a little hesitant for this, after having done the Guinness tour in Dublin, I felt that I had done every brewery tour. I am thankful my friends were desperate to try their first sip of beer and for persuading me to join them. It was AMAZING. I had so much fun going through the exhibit/interactive museum. After ignoring the tedious process of how to actually make the beer, I learned about the marketing history and the plans for Heineken’s future, as well as a delightful visit to the Heinken bar at the end. We also took part in a 4-Dimmensional ride where the museum “brews you” by having you go through the process. Great laughs, great beer, and great friends. What an amazing last event for the day!
After a really healthy dinner Saturday- I have never seen more delicious baked goods or cheese dipped French fries than I did in Asterdam- we enjoyed the night life and headed to bed early. It’s difficult traveling so much, we’re starting to get tired! (God forbid)
Sunday we decided to split up, with half our group heading to the Amsterdam Zoo (which I heard was pretty incredible) and the rest of us (Kubin, Casey, and myself) going to the Anne Frank House. As most know, Anne Frank was a 13 year old German/Dutch Jew who went into hiding in the back of her father’s business building with her mother, father, and sister, and four other Jews, during Hitlers occupation of the Netherlands. After two years in hiding, their location was betrayed and the group of 8 were sent to concentration camps, all of them being killed except for Anne’s father, Otto, who had her diary published. We felt it was important to see the house, despite the depressing content, as an educational experience and understanding the personal side of the mass genocide that cursed Europe in the mid-century.
Nothing in the house was unexpected, as we viewed the 6 or so rooms the family lived in for two years. It was smaller than expected and unfurnished since the Nazi’s ripped it apart. However, it was eerie being the exact same room in which such an innocent victim lived and wrote her timeless words of growing up. I’m really happy we visited such a historic location, even with, if not especially because, the heavy weight it left on us as we left.
We caught a 3 pm train home from Amsterdam and were safe back in Luxembourg no later than 8:30.
What an amazing weekend though. I realized I was not a fan of some of the things Amsterdam is infamous for, but overall the canals stole my heart and the fresh fallen snow put me in a refreshed and obsessed mood!
After the quick turn around, we leave tomorrow for our Mini-Field tours! I’ll write more about that later, but wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
