Monday, July 7, 2008
Last Week in Europe
Well, this is it, the final week of my stay Europe. This Friday I will be in Krakow, Poland for a debriefing session for my fellowship, then I'll be back to the US. Instead of putting up with a 17 hour train ride from Tubingen to Krakow, I will instead take the train to Munich on Thursday, then fly to Poland on Friday. Hopefully I can get in a good bike tour of Munich this time while I'm there.
Helsinki
This last weekend I was charged with presenting a poster for a conference in Helsinki. While it was mostly business, I was able to go out and see the town. Helsinki is, in fact, a very small city, only ~500,000 people. It is very possible to see most of the city in just a day or two.
The Sea Cloud II can be seen here anchored in the harbor. It was an impressive cruise ship that has a cool itinerary, including St. Petersburg.
The center piece of Helsinki is the Helsinki Cathedral. It is a Lutheran church (in fact there is a Martin Luther statue inside) and is very modestly decorated inside. No gold, no silver--just an organ, some pews, and that's about it. A big difference from the central European cathedrals I've seen before.
Another nice church is the Uspenski Cathedral. The lighting was really nice now.
Before I went to bed, i wandered around a bit. Here's a picture of the train station clock tower. Note the time, it's almost 11pm and there is still plenty of light.
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On Saturday, since yesterday was too busy to enjoy my birthday, I decided to go to Suomenlinna, an incredible island fortress near Helsinki that you can get to by a 15-minute ferry ride. When I arrive, I stop by the island grocery store for a sandwich and some beer for the day--I plan on making it all the way around before nightfall.
After getting off the ferry, I turn around and snap a picture of Helsinki. You can see the church in the center.
Starting around the island revealed several beautiful landscapes and views of the Baltic.
This is the tomb of Augustin Ehrensvärd, the original designer of the fortifications of the island. Well I'm getting hungry (not because of the tomb), so I will go off and find a place to enjoy my sandwich and a cold beer.
After lunch, I proceeded down the east side of the island and encountered this very large bunker. I poked around inside but there wasn't much there, just several large empty rooms.
This is the view from atop the previously shown bunker. The clouds were a little heavy here, but they didn't last long. It was a very nice day.
Here's a good view of the man-made bunkers that are all over the island.
These guns point west, into the channel that separates Helsinki from the island.
I finally make it to Kings Point, the southern-most point of the island that protects a small passage way created by another island to the south.
Here you can watch a sailboat navigating this tiny passage. The view from the water must be pretty intimating, with all those cannons pointing at them.
After enjoying the beer, I make way around the point and start making my way back along the other side of the island.
In this picture you can see how many times this building was destroyed and rebuilt. This place has really seen a lot of action.
I found this cool cave entrance and decided I'd check it out. However, this turned out to be more than I bargained for as this particular cave system was immense. The following pictures were taken as I tried navigating the complex system of tunnels.
The caves were pitch black. I needed the flash of my camera to see where I was going every once in a while. Hopefully, I will find an exit soon.
These caves are lined with limestone. Apparently the limestone was actually brought to the island by sea to help make the extensive cave system.
At last I see an exit--finally. So I leave the caves and head up on top of a nearby hill.
This cannon here points to the south-east.
They had plenty of extra barrels in case of mishaps or direct hits.
These guns point east, in the general direction of St Petersburg.
There even was a nice submarine that you could walk through.
There are actually about 950 people who live on the island, I guess a good many of them live in these buildings.
I waited for the ferry back to Helsinki on a nice bench with a great view. Here's a little video to help capture the moment.
Here's the Embraer ERJ that got me back and forth between Stuttgart, Germany and Helsinki. While the jet is small, the Finnair staff were awesome. Serving hot lunches, tea, and wine--even on this 2 hour and 40 minute flight.
The Sea Cloud II can be seen here anchored in the harbor. It was an impressive cruise ship that has a cool itinerary, including St. Petersburg.
The center piece of Helsinki is the Helsinki Cathedral. It is a Lutheran church (in fact there is a Martin Luther statue inside) and is very modestly decorated inside. No gold, no silver--just an organ, some pews, and that's about it. A big difference from the central European cathedrals I've seen before.
Another nice church is the Uspenski Cathedral. The lighting was really nice now.
Before I went to bed, i wandered around a bit. Here's a picture of the train station clock tower. Note the time, it's almost 11pm and there is still plenty of light.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Saturday, since yesterday was too busy to enjoy my birthday, I decided to go to Suomenlinna, an incredible island fortress near Helsinki that you can get to by a 15-minute ferry ride. When I arrive, I stop by the island grocery store for a sandwich and some beer for the day--I plan on making it all the way around before nightfall.
After getting off the ferry, I turn around and snap a picture of Helsinki. You can see the church in the center.
Starting around the island revealed several beautiful landscapes and views of the Baltic.
This is the tomb of Augustin Ehrensvärd, the original designer of the fortifications of the island. Well I'm getting hungry (not because of the tomb), so I will go off and find a place to enjoy my sandwich and a cold beer.
After lunch, I proceeded down the east side of the island and encountered this very large bunker. I poked around inside but there wasn't much there, just several large empty rooms.
This is the view from atop the previously shown bunker. The clouds were a little heavy here, but they didn't last long. It was a very nice day.
Here's a good view of the man-made bunkers that are all over the island.
These guns point west, into the channel that separates Helsinki from the island.
I finally make it to Kings Point, the southern-most point of the island that protects a small passage way created by another island to the south.
Here you can watch a sailboat navigating this tiny passage. The view from the water must be pretty intimating, with all those cannons pointing at them.
After enjoying the beer, I make way around the point and start making my way back along the other side of the island.
In this picture you can see how many times this building was destroyed and rebuilt. This place has really seen a lot of action.
I found this cool cave entrance and decided I'd check it out. However, this turned out to be more than I bargained for as this particular cave system was immense. The following pictures were taken as I tried navigating the complex system of tunnels.
The caves were pitch black. I needed the flash of my camera to see where I was going every once in a while. Hopefully, I will find an exit soon.
These caves are lined with limestone. Apparently the limestone was actually brought to the island by sea to help make the extensive cave system.
At last I see an exit--finally. So I leave the caves and head up on top of a nearby hill.
This cannon here points to the south-east.
They had plenty of extra barrels in case of mishaps or direct hits.
These guns point east, in the general direction of St Petersburg.
There even was a nice submarine that you could walk through.
There are actually about 950 people who live on the island, I guess a good many of them live in these buildings.
I waited for the ferry back to Helsinki on a nice bench with a great view. Here's a little video to help capture the moment.
Here's the Embraer ERJ that got me back and forth between Stuttgart, Germany and Helsinki. While the jet is small, the Finnair staff were awesome. Serving hot lunches, tea, and wine--even on this 2 hour and 40 minute flight.
Munich
Chris, my CESRI roommate in Budapest and regular weekend travel, and I decided to meet in Munich for a weekend.
We started off on Saturday with building a good foundation of food for the beer drinking escapades to follow. Our first stop was this nice beer hall next the main square.
Chris was a little concerned on whether or not he could handle all the beer. In all fairness, he was feeling a little sick. He did manage to pull it together and hang out most of the day.
Here's a video on how to handle a liter of beer, note the grip.
The most impressive architecture was the Rathaus in Munich located in Marienplatz.
This church is located very close to the Rathaus. Again, it was way too big to capture all of it with a photograph.
This beer garden was located in a park near the university. In this unusual tower, there was some lovely polka music being played by a live band.
A beer garden is a real German tradition. You grab some beer, some food, and go sit on picnic tables and have a great time.
They go through several kegs in an afternoon
Ahh, the beer, so good. I will be back in Munich one more night to catch my flight to Poland, I certainly look forward to it.
We started off on Saturday with building a good foundation of food for the beer drinking escapades to follow. Our first stop was this nice beer hall next the main square.
Chris was a little concerned on whether or not he could handle all the beer. In all fairness, he was feeling a little sick. He did manage to pull it together and hang out most of the day.
Here's a video on how to handle a liter of beer, note the grip.
The most impressive architecture was the Rathaus in Munich located in Marienplatz.
This church is located very close to the Rathaus. Again, it was way too big to capture all of it with a photograph.
This beer garden was located in a park near the university. In this unusual tower, there was some lovely polka music being played by a live band.
A beer garden is a real German tradition. You grab some beer, some food, and go sit on picnic tables and have a great time.
They go through several kegs in an afternoon
Ahh, the beer, so good. I will be back in Munich one more night to catch my flight to Poland, I certainly look forward to it.
Last Day in Prague
I decided to stay in Prague until Monday for better train options and also to see more of the city. Alison was again kind enough to accompany me, yet we decided to explore an area she's never seen before. We opted for the Petřín, which is a big hill across from castle area. So we headed off by foot to check it out.
Along the way we encountered the Dancing House (also known as the Drunk House). It sort of looks like two people dancing if you use some imagination. The purpose of this architecture was to let the world know that Prague is a modern city, I'm not sure if it worked or not.
After crossing the bridge we ended up in this interesting park at the base of the hill. We encountered this really dark sculpture on the garden and we spent several minutes trying to figure it out. Regardless, it was powerful.
We took a tram up to the top the hill. It is possible to walk up it, but we really didn't feel like it.
When we got off the tram, we encountered this wonderful garden. The weather was exceptional and the colors of the flowers really stood out. You could literally find any color rose you wished here.
Here are more.
There was also this large maze where you have to try to get to the "heart". Metaphors anyone?
On the top of the hill, there is an observation tower that stands 60m (~200ft) in the air. It looks very similar to the Eiffel Tower, yet just smaller. Alison was interested in going up, however I was slightly reluctant as I have little trust in man-made heights. Nevertheless, I didn't want to wait on the ground in shame while she enjoyed the view, so up I went.
So we made it to the halfway point. We went up several stairs that spiral around the tower along the outside (i.e. the tower is to the inside and the fall of death is to the outside). Behind me in this photo you can see the Charles' Bridge.
Here's Alison pointing to the Charles' Bridge.
Here's a view of the cathedral.
So here's another portrait of myself with the cathedral clearly visible in the castle area behind me. Man, are we high up in the air!
After several hundred more steps, we made it to the top. Again, the height was really starting to bother me a bit. I guess it may be related to the fact that a couple of stairs I stepped on lifted up a bit when I stepped on the edge of them--not something you want when you're two hundred feet up in the air. However, here you can see Alison enjoying the view from the top of the tower. I wasn't enjoying it so much as it was swaying way beyond my comfort zone. But nonetheless, it was a great view. However, I'm looking forward to reducing the distance between my feet and the ground. At the bottom of the tower is a small, yet fantastic, museum of Jára Cimrman, a fictional character whom I would like to know more about.
Here's a picture of the cathedral from on top of the tower. You can see much more than photo of it at the halfway point.
Later that night, I watched the Czech soccer team lose at an English pub and waited awhile until the coast was clear before heading back to my hostel. Along the way, I found some great views of the city at night.
Another angle. Well tomorrow I'm back on the train and heading back to Germany. Prague was great fun, although at times a little crazy, yet the architecture was astounding. Definitely a place I would like to visit again.
Along the way we encountered the Dancing House (also known as the Drunk House). It sort of looks like two people dancing if you use some imagination. The purpose of this architecture was to let the world know that Prague is a modern city, I'm not sure if it worked or not.
After crossing the bridge we ended up in this interesting park at the base of the hill. We encountered this really dark sculpture on the garden and we spent several minutes trying to figure it out. Regardless, it was powerful.
We took a tram up to the top the hill. It is possible to walk up it, but we really didn't feel like it.
When we got off the tram, we encountered this wonderful garden. The weather was exceptional and the colors of the flowers really stood out. You could literally find any color rose you wished here.
Here are more.
There was also this large maze where you have to try to get to the "heart". Metaphors anyone?
On the top of the hill, there is an observation tower that stands 60m (~200ft) in the air. It looks very similar to the Eiffel Tower, yet just smaller. Alison was interested in going up, however I was slightly reluctant as I have little trust in man-made heights. Nevertheless, I didn't want to wait on the ground in shame while she enjoyed the view, so up I went.
So we made it to the halfway point. We went up several stairs that spiral around the tower along the outside (i.e. the tower is to the inside and the fall of death is to the outside). Behind me in this photo you can see the Charles' Bridge.
Here's Alison pointing to the Charles' Bridge.
Here's a view of the cathedral.
So here's another portrait of myself with the cathedral clearly visible in the castle area behind me. Man, are we high up in the air!
After several hundred more steps, we made it to the top. Again, the height was really starting to bother me a bit. I guess it may be related to the fact that a couple of stairs I stepped on lifted up a bit when I stepped on the edge of them--not something you want when you're two hundred feet up in the air. However, here you can see Alison enjoying the view from the top of the tower. I wasn't enjoying it so much as it was swaying way beyond my comfort zone. But nonetheless, it was a great view. However, I'm looking forward to reducing the distance between my feet and the ground. At the bottom of the tower is a small, yet fantastic, museum of Jára Cimrman, a fictional character whom I would like to know more about.
Here's a picture of the cathedral from on top of the tower. You can see much more than photo of it at the halfway point.
Later that night, I watched the Czech soccer team lose at an English pub and waited awhile until the coast was clear before heading back to my hostel. Along the way, I found some great views of the city at night.
Another angle. Well tomorrow I'm back on the train and heading back to Germany. Prague was great fun, although at times a little crazy, yet the architecture was astounding. Definitely a place I would like to visit again.
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