Tabor College European Seminar Journal

ROME TO LONDON TO DALLAS TO WICHITA

We awoke at the crack of dawn, herded our luggage together, and boarded a bus bound for the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport outside of Rome. The two-hour flight to London passed without incident, only reflections of the past trip.

After our layover in the familiar Heathrow Airport in London, we hopped on board the 11-hour flight to Dallas against the jet stream.  I passed the time by reading and trying to get multiple Cokes from flight attendants every time the drink carts went by the middle aisle to pass out drinks.  If I timed it right, I could get a Coke from the drink cart on one side of me and drink it by the time the drink cart on the other side arrived, thus ensuring that I would get another one.

We arrived at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with tired eyes and bored legs.  The thought of being back in the states but not yet being home was difficult.  After a two-hour layover, we took the one-hour flight to the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.

My family waited to greet me.  It was great to see them.  We had finally made it back.  My three-hour drive to Topeka with my parents passed like nothing.  Though part of me missed Europe, it was good to be back home.

REFLECTIONS

I really enjoyed my international experience on this trip.  It also helped me appreciate some things that I previously took for granted in the United States of America.  However, it worked the other way too.  The trip revealed some things in other countries that I liked better than in America.  Food, transportation, people, sites, history, and architecture were some of the objects of comparison for me.

I liked being able to converse with the people of the countries we visited.  I was also able to get a taste of the cultures of the people groups living in these countries.  It definitely was a good thing for me to see how other people go about their daily lives on the other side of the world.

I really enjoyed London, probably the most out of all the cities we visited.  The shared language helped, no doubt, but I appreciated the structure, organization, and cleanliness of the city.  There was so much to do in there.  Of all the cities we saw, it was basically the only one in which I felt like I missed out on seeing some really cool sites that were on my to-see list.  I realize that I missed some amazing places in other cities as well, but London seemed to have an abundance of good locations to see that I missed.

Paris was interesting.  My first impressions held it to be dirty and rude, but over the four days we were there, my opinion shifted somewhat.  I saw that, though there was a dirty/rude side to Paris, there was also a clean/cosmopolitan/friendly part of the city.

Zurich was clan, affluent, and beautiful.  The stone buildings, the river, the swans, and the rain will leave a lasting impression in my mind.

Munich was highly cultured and sometimes this culture seemed to focus on beer.  However, that’s not one of the images for which I’ll remember the city most.  The old buildings and churches, the harsh-sounding language, the snow, and Dachau stick out in my memory.

Venice was a romantic place with its canals, gondola rides, blown Murano glass, and picturesque city squares.  It was perhaps the most tourism-oriented of the cities we saw.  This fact made it very user-friendly for us.  The ubiquitous canals in the city are a unique feature that I will probably never see anywhere else, so it will be easy to single out my Venetian memories.

Rome was full of ancient ruins, fountains, and the ever-present pillars and columns.  The sunshine and warm temperatures on our free day there will make Rome a bright spot in my mind.

Above and beyond the shallow impressions of each of the cities we visited, the interactions I had with the people going on the trip with me and the people from the cities we visited will remain with me the longest.  It was a great experience, and one I will never forget.

Zac and I slept through the alarm by about 20 minutes, but we somehow managed to make it downstairs to breakfast in time to get some good food in our stomachs in preparation for our last full day in Rome.

ROMAN FORUM RERUN

Zac, Tessa, Julia, Andrew, Katie, Stephanie, Whitney, Jenae and I then went down to the Termini and sped over to the Colosseo station.  We took another gander at the monumental stadium looming against the sky in front of us, then walked over to the Roman Forum and used the group ticket Doc gave us to get inside the area.

The day was sunny, warm, and beautiful. It was probably the nicest weather we had had the entire trip.  The green grass occupying the open space between ruins was nice to get to see in the sunshine without the rain turning everything into mud.  The historical remains in the forum were even more striking in the sunlight.  We meandered our way to the Palatine area and found a picturesque spot at which to eat lunch. We pulled out our bread (with Nutella) and apples and dined, keeping a watchful eye on the watchful pigeons.  They stood poised, looking for any crumbs that fell around us.

(back to front) Zac, Stephanie, Whitney, Katie, Julia, Jenae, and Tessa enjoying the Palatino

SIGHTSEEING AND SHOPPING

The view of the Forum and the rest of the city from our Palatine lunch benches was phenomenal.  We eventually pulled ourselves away from it and walked to Trajan’s Column, a famous landmark in the history of typography.  It was across the street from the monument to Vittorrio Emanuele II.  We walked over to this huge building, constructed to commemorate Italian unification, and took some pictures.  Vittorio Emanuele II was the first king of a united Italy.  The Tomb of the Unknown soldier, flags, statues, and pillars made the building constructed in his honor look very regal in the shadows of the bright sun.  Though we didn’t have time to see it, I’m sure the museum inside would have been great to visit.  I snuck a peek down one of the hallways when the others were taking pictures outside.

Zac taking in the sights in front of the Pantheon

We walked over to the Pantheon and were able to walk inside this time.  The massive domed ceiling had a large hole built in the middle of it called the oculus.  The Pantheon’s dome was indeed impressive and complemented the enormous pillars in front that served as the support for the structure.  The Pantheon’s dome made the return trip to the site well worth the time we spent to walk there.

The oculus in the ceiling of the Pantheon

Zac, Andrew, and I split off from the girls (who wanted to buy purses) and went to McDonald’s for a snack. We then went souvenir shopping for the rest of the afternoon, bought some mementos, and walked around the city.  We eventually met Katie, Stephanie, Julia, and Jenae for dinner at a pizza/pasta place in the area. After I had polished off my pasta, Jenae and I did some more shopping while the others went back.  We had to take in the sights slowly in our last night in Rome.  We stopped by the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain on our way back to the hotel and went to sleep for the final time at a hotel on the trip.

ANCIENT ROME

I had another nice Roman breakfast from the hotel and then sat with the group as Doc talked to us about our agenda for our last few days in Rome.  We again went to the metro and rode the subway to our destination: the Colosseum.  As we emerged from the subterranean tunnel, the gigantic stadium appeared. It looked old, large, and epic.  Doc bought us group tickets and we all began wandering through the ancient arena.  The Colosseum was the site of gladiator battles and even had the capability to be covered in water for naval skirmishes.  I could almost hear the raucous chants of 50,000 Roman spectators as I stepped out from a dark arch on the second level to look out over the ruinous field.

Doc and Andy survey the ruins around the Colosseum

We moved on from the Colosseum to the Palatine ruins.  These remains comprised the emperor’s palace grounds and included the Circle Maximus (the chariot racetrack).  It was fun walking down the ancient Roman roads amidst the old brick structures, the arches staring down at us as we walked past buildings and aqueducts.

Me taking a look at antiquity in the Roman Forum

We went to the Roman Forum after that, the remains of which were the places that the Roman people did business in ancient times.  The former economic hub and center for justice contained many columns and pillars that reached up into the sky among the surrounding stones.  Our time among these ancient Roman sites was marred somewhat by the rain that seemed to fall almost constantly, but even with the cloudy skies the sites were exhilarating to see.

Jenae and the Arch of Constantine

PAUL’S ROMAN PRISON

Doc had to ask a passerby how to get to our next location (Paul’s prison), and I think the guy thought that Doc was asking if he himself had ever been in prison before.  It made the situation funny, but awkward.  We eventually found the location of the Apostle Paul’s Roman imprisonment mentioned in the Bible.

We descended the steps to the cave where the great hero of the Christian faith had been forced to wait for his trial before Caesar.  It was strange thinking about walking in the same place that Paul walked as he contemplated what to say before his imperial accusers and how best to encourage various churches through epistles.  Walking into that cave enlivened in my mind the situation of Paul and how he most likely spent his last earthly days.  It was a surreal experience.

THE CATACOMBS OF SAN SEBASTIANO

We took the metro to McDonald’s in the Termini (train station) and ate a bit of lunch, fighting through crowds to order our cheeseburgers.  We met back up with the big group after a while and took the Metro to a bus station where we were had to stand in the rain for 30 minutes.  I grew tired of using my malfunctioning umbrella, but I was thankful for a way to deter all the water that seemed to come from an endless reservoir in the sky.

After the cramped bus ride, we arrived at our stop and walked toward what we thought was the entrance to the catacombs.  Instead, it ended up being the wrong way.  Cars drove through puddles near the sidewalk several times on our errant journey, splashing several of the students and providing a nice dose of excitement in the middle of the long stroll to the wrong destination.

We eventually arrived at the right spot, the Catacombs of San Sebastiano (Catacombs of Saint Sebastien).  We took a guided tour of the catacombs beneath Rome for about 30 minutes, the leader picking his way through the vast array of tunnels formerly used as a final resting place for the the lifeless bodies of Christians and Jews.  As we walked through the underground tunnels, I kept a sharp eye out for skeletons but failed to see any.  We came out of the tunnels in the burial site of and church dedicated to Saint Sebastien.

The catacombs were quite impressive to see.  If only they had let us wander off by ourselves, I could have had a lot of fun down there.  After the catacombs, we squeezed back onto a bus at the bus stop until it was jam-packed and every one of us had made it on.  People at later bus stops looked at us with incredulity when they were forced to stand in the doorways of the bus just to get a spot.  It was rather humorous knowing that we would add to the wonderful reputation that American tourists must have already developed in Italy.

HARD ROCK CAFE IN ROME

Zac, Andrew, Jenae, Stephanie, Katie, and I went back to the hotel and freshened up a bit before taking the Metro to the Hard Rock Café in Rome.  I again had a bacon cheeseburger and a free-refills pop.  I really enjoyed eating there.  We sat and reminisced about the trip for a long time before heading back home on the Metro.  We all realized that the trip was winding down and we had experienced far too much to digest in one evening, but it was fun recalling our most fond memories nonetheless.

On the way back, we saw a creepy guy that was acting really sporadically and seemed to be staring at the girls.  It also seemed like he was following us for a while, so Zac and I became a little bit paranoid watching him.  We eventually lost him after he went another direction (but that didn’t stop us from watching our backs the whole way home).  We arrived back at the hotel, used the Internet, and then went to bed to recover from the day’s activities.

TRAIN RIDE TO ROME

The day started out with another Venetian hotel breakfast, after which I walked back upstairs to pack the rest of my clothes for the trip to Rome.  We walked to the station and waited until our train arrived.  We loaded our luggage and got situated for our last train ride, the one to Rome.  The trip was about four hours in length, so I read my recently-purchased book (Treasure Island) to pass the time.  I also tried sleeping for a little while, but sleeping on a train is not as easy as it may sound. It was much less difficult and easier on the eyes to look out the window at the Roman villas, hills, and orchards.

ROMA

When we finally arrived, we experienced a pleasant contrast to much of the weather we had in the cities prior to Rome: sunshine and mild temperatures.  It was wonderful!  We walked to the hotel in about 50 degree temperatures and checked into our rooms.  The Papa Germano Hotel was nice and appeared to be a pleasant residence at which to end our trip.  Zac and I were assigned to be roommates again.

We met with the group after a little while and Doc prepared us for the Roman experience by lecturing about ancient, ecclesiastic, and modern Rome.  He told us to watch out for gypsies and pickpockets lurking around tourist hotspots in Rome.  We set out for the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the second largest cathedral in Rome.  The palm tree-filled walk was a stark reminder (as if we needed reminding) that we were now in Rome, Italy rather than in one of the more temperate cities that we had previously visited.  At one point in our journey, Doc walked across the street, despite the fact that the no-crossing symbol was still lit up.  This, after specifically warning us to obey the signals because Italians are crazy drivers.  It was rather humorous, but I couldn’t blame Doc because he has enough experience with Italian traffic that he can afford to be a bad role model every once in a while.

BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE

To the church we made it.  The stone-covered facade and the towering pillars were epic sights to see.  After taking pictures of the exterior and the courtyard, we ventured inside.  It was magnificent.  The mosaics, statues, and paintings added vibrancy to the old building.

Me at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Interestingly, a nightly liturgical service was being held in one of the chapels to the side of the sanctuary. The chanting and repetition made it sound like a traditional Catholic mass.  I left the church and wandered around with Jenae, Zac, and Andrew looking for a place to eat.  We found a traditional Italian cuisine restaurant and I ordered noodles with eggs, bacon, and other breakfast ingredients.  It was rather delicious, though the waiter did not serve us tap water (the free kind) because of some interesting story about it not being good for us.

I think my dog is larger than this car we saw parked on the street

SPANISH STEPS AND TREVI FOUNTAIN

We met back with the group a little later and Doc gave us tickets with which we were able to ride the Roman Metro.  We stepped off at the Spanish Steps, a famous tourist location called the Spanish Steps because of the nearness of the Spanish embassy.  We climbed them up to the church at the top of the hill, called the Trinita dei Monti, and poked our heads inside to admire the interior.

The Trevi Fountain

We strolled over to the beautiful Trevi Fountain after our time at the stairs.  The fountain was gorgeous and we all took advantage of the Roman legend that says that a person will return to Rome someday if he or she tosses a coin into the fountain.  We bought some gelato cones and then walked back to the Metro to make our way back to the hotel to turn in for the evening, tired out by the day’s events.

I woke up and went downstairs for some breakfast provided by Hotel Minerva.  Though it was better than Paris, it couldn’t touch Munich’s culinary attractions with a 10-foot pole.  I ate some granola, hard toast, cornflakes, and juice.  I walked to the nearby post office with Zac to experience Italian mail and then met up with Doc and the group to head off to the Piazza di San Marco again.

PIAZZA DI SAN MARCO AND PALAZZO DUCALE DI VENEZIA

This time we arrived at the Piazza a while after the high tide had come through and flooded the square. Though most of the water had dissipated, we had to walk into the Basilica di San Marco on raised planks so as not to get wet.  The Byzantine-style church had several domes, four bronze horses the city stole from Constantinople when it sacked the Byzantine capital during the Crusades, and many winged lion decorations (the symbol of Mark and of Venice).  The inside was beautifully adorned with Christian mosaics (paintings “built” into the wall).

Me near the Basilica di San Marco

After walking by the pillars in the plaza, we saw the coast of the city and the Palazzo Ducale di Venezia (the Palace of the Doge).  The palace was the home of the leaders/chief magistrates of Venice, the Doges, for over 1000 years.  Its artistic beauty was, in my mind, surpassed by the collection of armaments it contained.  Pikes, spears, halberds, shields, suits of armor, swords, muskets, cannons, and pistols filled several of the halls of the palace and quickly became my favorite “decorations” to see in the whole building.  However, the prison in the palace’s basement was also enjoyable to see.  It was quite unlike the splendor of the rest of the building, being dark and imposing rather than gold and ornate.

PIZZA AND SHOPPING

After the palace, Stephanie Friesen, Jenae Pauls, Katie Chlumsky, Andrew Pankratz, Zac Remboldt, and I ate some Italian pizza in the back alleyways of Venice.  We shooed away the pigeons and then began our trek out of the winding alleys, stopping at seemingly every shop devoted to glass, masks, or souvenirs.

The Grand Canal

We finally made our way over to the familiar Rialto area of Venice.  Of course, that was only after we had availed ourselves of numerous sellers’ wares.  I bought some Murano glass and Venetian doilies (for gifts of course).  We did some more shopping on the beautiful Rialto Bridge as the shadows began to grow longer.

GONDOLA RIDE

Jenae and I broke off from the others and went hunting for a seaworthy gondola willing to take on a couple of Kansans.  The world famous Venetian gondola rides cost a lot of money, but my bargaining skills had been thoroughly developed at this point due to the many opportunities afforded me on this trip.  I ended up talking a gondola oarsman (gondolier) down from 80 euros to 50 euros. Acting slightly disinterested helped my case I think.

Jenae and I on the gondola ride

Jenae and I stepped onto the boat for the romantic trip through the city.  The gondolier sang to us in Italian and whistled under the bridges for laughs.  He took us up the Grand Canal, under the Rialto Bridge (as tourists snapped pictures), past the home of Marco Polo, into the city, by the palace of Casanova, and finally back to the docks in the Grand Canal.  By that time, Jenae and I had shared a gondola ride that we would not soon forget.  We bought gelato cones after the ride and walked into the city towards our hotel.  We shopped more as we went along, chatting about the day and the trip thus far.

DINNERTIME AND GOODBYE TO VENICE

Jenae and I met Katie, Stephanie, Andrew, and Zac at the hotel in order to go out to eat together.  We found a small Italian restaurant that advertised decently-priced food.  I ordered lasagna, grilled lemon chicken, french fries, and a Coke for 14 euros.  It was delicious!  At this point in the trip, I was reminded by the girls that their miniscule appetites have helped keep my stomach a lot more full than it would have been without them.  Zac, Andrew and I readily swoop in like vultures to devour whatever food they fail to finish.  It’s quite nice for us guys.

After dinner, we all took a walk and browsed the remaining open gift stands for souvenirs.  After the others got gelato and walked back to the hotel, Jenae and I took one last stroll through the beautiful alleys of Venice.  I walked her back to the hotel and then went to an Internet café for a while.  Returning home to our Venetian residence, I hopped into bed, anticipating the last stop on our journey.

Breakfast was another good experience for me.  Breakfasts have been great on this trip with the exception of the Paris hostel’s.  Perhaps I like these European breakfasts so much because they are free and all-you-can-eat, a combination not found very often in this part of the world.

TRAIN RIDE TO VENICE

We headed to the Hauptbahnhof (train station) to hop aboard a train that would hopefully take us to Venice, Italy.  Drawing from Doc’s assessments of Italian trains, I wasn’t so sure we would even make it to Venice on the same day.  In the station, I bought a tall can and a liter bottle of Coca-Cola (good for drinking and keeping as German souvenirs).  We loaded our luggage onto the train and got ready for the seven-hour ride.

My six-person cubicle held Marcus, Cassondra, Danelle, Zac, Andrew, and I.  The ride through the Alps was gorgeous.  The towering peaks, snow-covered evergreen trees, and rushing rivers all captured my attention and prevented me from sleeping for extended periods of time.  As we crossed from Germany into Austria and from Austria into Italy, the scenery seemed to get even more beautiful.  Small castles, large orchards, and plunging waterfalls could be seen in a number of locations perched upon mountainsides.

View of the Alps from our train

As the mountains faded into hills and the hills smoothed into plains, we came to the disappointing conclusion that we had seen our last glimpse of the Alps.  However, the disappointment soon vanished as we realized that the beautiful city of Venice was on the horizon.  The unreliable Italian trains that Doc has had so many problems with in the past came through in the clutch and got us to Venice about ten minutes ahead of schedule.  The water surrounding the railway revealed that we were close.

VENICE, CITY OF CANALS

Upon our arrival, the Italian phrases that we had practiced on the train immediately became useful.  Doc led us to our hotel as we walked along one of Venice’s famous canals in the rain.  We checked in to our rooms (my roommate was Zac), got settled, and had a bite to eat (a sandwich in this case).  We explored a few of the side streets around the hotel for a while before meeting together as a group again for a night tour.

Lighted Venetian Alleyway

Dr. Kyle took us to the oldest Jewish ghetto in the world and then to the Piazza di San Marco.  The city square, home to the Basilica di San Marco, looked very beautiful at night.  Many students recognized the scene from the movie Italian Job.  I learned later that my parents and brother back home in Topeka, Ks. watched the movie the night our group was in Venice in my honor.  Dr. Kyle told us that St. Mark’s Square floods at high tide and fish flop around on the stone when the tide drops.  Of course, someone has the wonderful job of picking up the fish and putting them back in a canal before the fish begin to scare impressionable tourists.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped and took pictures of some moored gondolas, saw the Rialto area with its huge bridge (over the Grand Canal), and bought some Italian gelato (similar to ice cream, but creamier).  After arriving at our very small room, Zac and I decided to do some “necessities” laundry in the sink before heading to bed.  It seems that our mothers’ warnings to wash our underwear before we had to start wearing them inside-out must have made an impression. We hung our clothes anywhere and everywhere we could find in the room, hoping that the maid wouldn’t be too shocked by the arrangement when she came in to clean on the following day.

I enjoyed my typical Europe Trip snack before journaling

I woke a little later than I should have, but still managed to make it downstairs for another amazing Munich breakfast, compliments of the Hotel Royal.

DEUTSCHE MUSEUM

Doc led the big group on the long, tiring walk to the Deutsche Museum.  It was a more scientifically-oriented museum than the ones we’ve been to so far.  Technology and the history of the advancements relating to it were the name of the game.  The museum had ships, submarines, planes, mining structures, bridges, and model trains.  Despite all of the walking, the museum visit was a good experience.

German biplane at the Deutsche Museum

Me and an airplane at the Deutsche Museum

SHOPPING AND GERMAN FOOD

Andrew Pankratz and I walked to the Marienplatz area and he did some grocery shopping while I looked for souvenirs.  I bought some postcards and a big German flag to add to my collection of flags.  We returned to the hotel to relax in the late hours of the afternoon.

Me overlooking the Isar River

Andrew, Michael Suderman and I walked to the Viktualienmarkt (food market) for dinner.  Michael bought some organic food for gifts and then we went to a grocery store/restaurant and each ate a meat sandwich.  Michael gleaned some weird vegetables from their German salad bar and he and I sampled the exotic selection of native veggies.  They tasted really interesting.  Andrew went back to the hotel and Michael left to meet some friends, so I went to a restaurant across from the hotel for more food (that is the story of my trip: being hungry).  I ordered an Italian (or Greek?) sandwich pita with lettuce and shaved meat for 3,50 euros.

I headed back to the hotel for a night of relaxation before laying my tired head on the pillow for a bit of sleep.  Though the free day wasn’t filled with a lot of craziness like previous days, it was a much-needed day of relaxation.

Breakfast left me in awe on this day.  It was incredible (if breakfast can be rightfully described in such a way)!  The croissants that the Hotel Royal served were the best I’d ever had and the selection of fruit was extensive.  It definitely ensured that I would wake up at a decent time to get breakfast the rest of the days we were to stay in Munich.

DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP

I bundled up in my coat as we got ready to head to the Metro.  It took us to Dachau, where we hopped on a bus and went to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.  The group was silent with reverence as we walked along the road leading up to the camp.  The gate in front of the camp hid the barracks and museum behind the looming memorial sculpture.

We went to the museum first and began walking around, reading information and looking at pictures of the events that took place at Dachau.  We later watched a 20-minute video clip about the camp, looked around a bit more, and then ventured outside to the commons area.  We walked into one of the barracks and looked at the beds, bathrooms, and floors used by prisoners in World War II.  We plodded by the religious memorials and over a creek lined by a barbwire fence.  The bridge led to the gas chambers disguised as showers and to the crematoriums where dead prisoners’ bodies were burned to ash.

Dachau Concentration Camp

Following this emotional experience, we took the bus back to the train station and then took the train to Munich.  I grabbed a quick lunch on the way back and then hung out at the hotel for a little while.

BMW WORLD AND OLYMPIC PARK

Zac Remboldt, Jenae Pauls, Cassondra Huxman, Danelle Thieszen, and I used the train ticket that Doc gave us to travel to BMW World north of Munich.  BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) has their museum and headquarters located in Munich.  The BMW World, an exhibition center for the popular car company, contained interactive games, displays, videos, and information.  It had exhibits that taught about the cars’ mechanics, driving simulations, design-your-own-car programs, and a number of brand-new BMWs sitting out for people to look at, sit in, and touch.  It was an enjoyable experience.  We even entertained the idea of taking a new BMW on a test drive on the speed limitless German autobahn.  However, knowing that we’d have to sign our lives away due to insurance reasons, we decided not to risk it.

Me with a BMW 325i at BMW World

Instead, we took pictures of the nearby German highway.  It was not quite as thrilling as a ride on the autobahn would have been, but still pretty cool.  From the bridge over the highway, we were able to gaze up at the beautiful BMW buildings.  Their architecture was modern, sharp, and memorable.  One BMW representative described the BMW World as a “cloud” and the adjacent building as the “eye of the storm.”  The design was quite interesting.

We continued across the road, venturing into Munich’s Olympic Park.  Munich last hosted the Olympics in the summer of 1972.  The Olympic Games that year were tainted by the murder of a group of Israeli Olympians that were taken captive in the Israeli team quarters by a militant terrorist group.  After seeing Dachau earlier in the day, it was interesting to walk through Olympic Park and remember that some things never change (e.g. the existence of human evil).

However, the figurative stain left by the Munich Massacre did not prevent us from enjoying the sites of the Munich Olympic Park.  The tall tower (called the Olympiaturm), Schwimmhalle, Olympic Hill, and Olympiahalle were all interesting places to see.  We escaped the cold for a bit by going into the Schwimmhalle and watching some people dive and swim in the Olympic-sized pool (naturally).  The pointed, glass, tent-like structures of the complex served to unite Olympiapark with a single theme.  The fog and snow that enshrouded the area lessened our ability to see the sites and forced us to leave a bit earlier than originally planned.

MUNICH HARD ROCK CAFE

We took the train back to the city.  While Cassondra and Danelle elected to eat at the Hofbrauhaus, Jenae, Zac, and I met Tessa, Julia, Katie, Stephanie, Whitney, and Andrew at the Munich Hard Rock Cafe.  It was a taste of home.  The bacon cheeseburger and fries melted in my mouth.  I ate them with the glee of a poorly-cultured American tourist.  Perhaps even better to my spirits were the free refills of pop (if only they had served Coke, I would have been on Cloud Nine).  The first free refill restaurant of the trip motivated me to drink six 7Ups (we left before I could fit the seventh one into my stuffed stomach to complete the 7Up cycle).

Tessa, Katie, Stephanie, Whitney, Julia, and Jenae at the Munich Hard Rock Cafe

After the Hard Rock experience (my first ever), we walked by the neo-Gothic Rathaus and the Glockenspiel on our way back to the hotel.  Though it was a late night, I finally crawled into bed in preparation for another day.

REFLECTIONS

Although the day was filled with fun, the trip to Dachau seemed to hang with me.  The entire Dachau experience was extremely sobering and thought-provoking.  Realizing that humans committed the most terrible of atrocities against other humans on the very ground on which I was walking seemed to have that effect.  The snow, dead grass, and colorless buildings conjured up images in my head of barefoot, poorly-dressed, underfed prisoners standing at attention for daily inspections as Nazi officers hurled insults at them.  One of the darkest, most horrible chapters in world history was written at the Dachau concentration camp.  The slow fade of the German masses from good, upstanding citizens to participants in a ferocious slaughter of Jews, Russians, Slavs, and others made me think of times in my life that I’ve rationalized bad decisions in my mind.  Turning a wrong thing into a “right” thing by systematically lying to myself is a trap that I need to avoid in the future.  Thus, Dachau was good for me to see, but I can’t say that I “enjoyed” it.

TRAIN RIDE TO MUNICH

The day began in much the same way as the previous one: with a huge breakfast.  I awoke at 7 a.m. and ate the big meal before walking to the tram to head to the train station at Bahnhofstrasse.  In the rain.  Again.  With my broken umbrella sheltering me, we arrived at the pickup point and packed the tram full.  People were spilling into the doorways and sitting on luggage.  We made it to the station in all the glory of our maximum occupancy, and, after waiting for a while, boarded the train to head to Munich.

After leaving, the train passed through the beautiful, forested country of Switzerland.  We had a few stops in Austria on our way.  At one of these stops, Marcus and I stepped off the train and onto the ground just so we could say that we have set foot in Austria.  Back on the train, Jenae spilled her entire bottle of water in her purse because the lid wasn’t put on tight enough.  It was hilarious!  It went all over the floor on our side of the train, weaving its way up and down the aisle as the bumps and jerks of the train led it.

Our train climbed into the foothills of the Alps, the countryside flew by at a breakneck pace, and a light snow began to fall.  We arrived in Munich to a heavier snow.  Along with the wintery flakes, a measure of charm fell on my first impressions of the city.

WELCOME TO MUNCHEN

Although Munich has a population of about one million, it had a small-city aura surrounding it as our train lurched to a halt.  We walked a few blocks from the train station (Hauptbahnhof) to our hotel, the Hotel Royal, as the snow turned into a rain/snow mix.  My roommates in our 7th floor room were Zac Remboldt, Andrew Pankratz, and Josh Reiswig.  We took our luggage up to the room and then met back in the lobby.

GERMAN CULTURE

Doc led our group to four churches in the Marienplatz area.  We saw Michaelskirche, Peterskirche, Frauenkirche, and Church of St. Johann Nepomuk (aka the Asam Church).  (Kirche is “church” in German).  All of the churches were Catholic, decorated magnificently on the interior, and built in a variety of architectural styles.  The Church of St. Johann (the Asam Church) stuck out in my mind.  It was a rococo-style church with flamboyant (and some would say gaudy) architecture and decorations.  We were also given the privilege (in all seriousness) to walk up the 300+ steps to the top of the steeple of St. Peter’s Church to see the panoramic view of the beautiful city enshrouded in a foggy, snowy mist.

Legend holds that the devil left his footprint in the Frauenkirche

After the church tour, Doc took us to see the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, a neo-Gothic building and tourist attraction which serves as the city hall.  He then led us to the Hofbrauhaus and the Munich Hard Rock Cafe.  Jenae, Tessa, Julia, Stephanie, Katie, Whitney, Zac, Andrew, and I went into the Hofbrauhaus to eat.  The Hofbrauhaus, one of the oldest surviving beer houses in the world, is a central hub of Munich culture.  Most of us ate old-fashioned German sausage.  It was a nice taste of ethnic cuisine.  A German polka band entertained us as we ate.  It was rather humorous and didn’t cause too much indigestion, so I was okay with the music I suppose.

I got swallowed by a random fish (Jonah-style)

After the dinner, we walked to the Munich Opera House and then stopped at Starbuck’s (editor’s note: I despise coffee).  Jenae, Zac, Andrew, and I broke off from the rest of the group because they wanted to shop.  We went to McDonald’s to supplement our German sausage dinner.  Yes, McDonald’s and Starbuck’s are ubiquitous.  We walked to see one of the old city gates of Munich called the Isartor.  We strolled through the closed-down market district called the Viktualienmarkt.  We went back to the Rathaus-Glockenspiel and walked around in the courtyard.  It was really beautiful at night.

The Rathaus, Munich’s Town Hall

We walked back to the hotel and had free drinks from the hotel’s espresso machine.  Naturally, I had hot cocoa and not coffee.  After a long day of traveling and exploration, I went up to bed.  The hotel was the nicest we’d stayed in yet.  I definitely slept like it.

The day began in glorious fashion.  I had a breakfast befitting of the natural beauty of the Swiss canton of Zurich.  Unlike the breakfasts in Paris, this one was quite delicious.  I had two bowls of cereal, yogurt and granola, a ham and cheese sandwich, bread and jam, and orange juice.  Though it may not seem like it would be worth mentioning, breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day.  This most important meal of the day was delicious too.  How could I not say something about it?

ZURICH’S CHURCHES AND THE ANABAPTIST TOUR

Having consumed that all-important breakfast, we walked to the corner to get picked up by the tram and rode back to the Old City around the Limatt River.  Doc led us to the famous churches of Zurich.  We visited St. Peterskirche, Fraumünster, and Grossmünster.  We were able to go inside of all the churches to see their beautiful interiors.  The Grossmünster had been pastored by reformer Ulrich Zwingli.  We walked to the top of the Grossmünster’s tall steeple.    The view was incredible!  The fog over the Alps, the rooftops of the city buildings, and the light glistening off the lake made the long walk up the stairs fade from memory rather quickly.

Zac taking pictures from the top of the Grossmunster

Lake Zurich and the Alps

Doc led us to the spot where the first Anabaptist was baptized, the first Anabaptist was martyred (drowned in the river), and where judgment was passed on Anabaptist prisoners.  He then took us to see Ulrich Zwingli’s house and his statue.  These sites were some of the first sparks of the  Anabaptist and Protestant Reformations.  Tabor College owes its Anabaptist history to some of the very places that we were able to see.  This fact made the brisk walk through the beautiful town seem more significant than it otherwise would have felt.

SWISS FOOD AND FRIENDS

I had a genuine Swiss lunch on my way to the grocery store with Andrew Pankratz and Zac Remboldt, eating a sausage and roll from a traditional Swiss cafe.  We took the tram to a grocery store in Zurich called Migros.  (I’m not sure what the Swiss fascination with “gros” and “gross” is, but it intrigues me).  I bought some bananas, honey, an apple, a big loaf of bread, and six Swiss chocolate bars.

Before we could buy those bars, we figured we needed some brand/price consultation.  Zac asked a lady for assistance and she fortunately spoke and understood English.  (It seemed like many of the Swiss people did).  She told us the prices of the ones we inquired about and what her favorite brand was.  She was very nice and helped to make us feel welcome in Zurich.  Pressed for time, we hurried to the tram stop.  Right as we were positioning ourselves to hop on a stopped tram, the same lady that helped us in the grocery store asked where we needed to go.  We told her and she told us to get on the tram traveling the other direction.  She helped us out again!  As a person could guess, we were very appreciative.

MUSEUM SOUVENIR SHOPPING

Our navigation troubles were not over yet.  When we arrived at our stop, we could not find the fountain in the Old City where we told Dr. Kyle that we would meet him after lunch.  Eventually, after much deliberation and speed walking, we found it.  Dr. Kyle gave Zac, Andrew, Jenae, and I money to buy tickets to the National Museum of Switzerland because we were the only ones who wanted to go.  When we got to the museum, we found that it was closed for the day.

Attempting to make the best of the situation, we wandered around the Bahnhof Station and part of the Old City, shopping for souvenirs.  I bought a Swiss Army knife, some postcards, and a Swiss flag.

Swiss Bank in the financial capital of the world

Throughout the day, rain had been falling almost constantly.  As we looked for souvenir shops, the rainfall (and wind) seemed to increase.  To make matters worse, my umbrella (which I had bought for next to nothing before leaving the states) kept flying off of its handle.  At one point after I let Jenae take a stab at controlling the unruly thing, the whole top blew off and began rolling down the sidewalk.  Fortunately, she grabbed it before it reached the busy street.  Thus, the rain and my cheap umbrella gave us trouble all day.

When we had all found what we wanted, we headed back to the homeward-bound tram.  I stopped by Migros with Jenae to buy more chocolate and then we walked back to the hostel in a light drizzle.  Jenae and I shared a banana and a few Nutella-topped slices of bread for dinner.  Due to the rain and the lack of notable famous sites to see in Zurich, we spent the rest of the evening playing cards and chatting with Stephanie, Tessa, Julia, Katie, Whitney, Zac, and Marcus. It was a peaceful end to a somewhat hectic day.

REFLECTIONS

Zurich, though big by both Kansas and Swiss city standards, was a fairly small city compared to London and Paris.  It was also adjacent to a lake and a mountain range.  Its people generally knew enough English to communicate with us somewhat clearly.  It was a charming old town famous for arguable the world’s #1 comfort food, chocolate.  For all these reasons and more, Zurich provided a nice break from the commotion and hubbub of big city life for us in the middle of our trip.  It was good to slow down and take a bit of a breather.  I was most relieved to “get away” for a couple days.  It served as a good transition to our next city, Munich.

TRAIN RIDE TO SWITZERLAND

This day began long before the first light of dawn had even begun to think about coming up.  I woke up at 6 a.m.  in order to be ready to meet with the group at 6:30 to take the Metro to the train station.  We arrived at the station and got our baggage and ourselves (not necessarily in that order) on the Rail Europe train to Zurich in time for “liftoff.”  We bade farewell to Paris.

The train was heavily populated by a contingency of Japanese tourists that seemed to be even more confused than we were.  However, they made it off the train at the correct stop and the car seemed to quiet down a bit after that.  I played Katie Chlumsky in a game of “War” (with playing cards) and beat her two games to one.  It was a sweet victory.  I was also to show off my new card shuffling skills after previously practicing on the train ride to France.

BEAUTIFUL ZURICH

When the speeding train halted at Zurich, I was still in the midst of taking in the beauty of the city and the surrounding area.  The chilly temperature and the cleanliness of the station also provided a nice contrast to our last stop in Paris.  We took the tram (above-ground Swiss monorail) to our stop at Morgental and walked to the hostel.  Compared to the Paris hostel, this one was extremely well-kept.  It was more like a nice hotel than a youth hostel.

The group avoids getting trucked by a tram

After checking into my room with roommates Zac Remboldt, Andrew Pankratz, Jason HIldebrandt, and Scott Latimer, I met with the big group in the lounge and we all took the tram to Zurich’s Old CIty district.  Dr. Kyle led us to Lake Zurich, the Limmat River, and the narrow, medieval streets of the Old City.  Strolling up the old cobblestone lanes of Zurich amidst the running fountains, aged houses, and quaint shops was a walk through history (as much of our Europe Tour had been thus far).

Me at Lake Zurich

DINNER AND A WALK

I went with Zac, Andrew, Tessa, Julia, Jenae, Whitney, Katie, and Stephanie to the Zurich Spaghetti Factory.  I ordered a big bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce.  It was very tasty, but, like many things in Zurich, also very pricey.  Following dinner, Jenae and I took a walk around Zurich’s river area with its glowing streetlamps, large churches, stone bridges, and white swans.  Though it was raining, the evening seemed peaceful.  We trammed back to the hostel, talked with Katie and Stephanie for a while in the lounge, and then headed up to bed.

Swiss Francs about to be spent

I tried to take care of my Internet responsibilities (*cough* *cough* blog *cough*), but the connection at the hostel was slow, expensive, and awkward to use (it’s no fun having the “z” and the “y” keys switched along with about seven others).  Thus, to bed I went.

REFLECTIONS

The main thing I noticed today was the difference between France and Switzerland.  Or, more accurately, I noticed the difference between Paris and Zurich.  However unfair it may be to compare a city of 10 million to a city of only a few hundred thousand, I found myself making those comparisons nonetheless.  Zurich was cleaner, less crowded, more nostalgic and relaxed, and perhaps friendlier.  Part of the reason can definitely be attributed to the population difference between the cities, but I think location, culture, and history all play their roles as well.

EARLY RISERS

My (mostly) free day in Paris started off a bit too early for my liking.  Zac Remboldt and I had decided the previous night to get up a little early and go to the post office to send our postcards and letters home before meeting with the rest of the group at ten to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  However, we kind of sort of maybe got a tad bit lost and could not find the post office.  Luckily, we had told some people at breakfast to tell Doc to leave without us if we failed to make it back to the hostel by ten.  We did not even try to make it back because we were already too far along on the Metro.

THE WAIT

We eventually found the post office, traveled to the Eiffel Tower, and began waiting for the group to arrive.  It was chilly and there was a slight drizzle coming down, so we took refuge under the tall metal structure (hoping that it would keep us dry and free of lightning strike wounds).  We bargained with some souvenir vendors, avoided persistent beggars, and took pictures.  Thus, we spent the next hour waiting…and waiting…and waiting.  We even “met” two Australian women, one of whom was wearing a Kansas City, Missouri shirt but claimed she’d never been there.  This was the second day in a row I’d seen someone wearing some Kansas City apparel in France.  Very interesting…  They just can’t get enough of the Midwest in France.

Me under the Eiffel Tower

Finally, Zac and I decided that the group was not coming and we’d had enough waiting, so we started to head back.  On our way back to the Metro, we found the rest of our group on its way to the tower.  That was fortunate.  Missing out on getting to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower would have left me feeling pretty depressed.

EIFFEL TOWER

We waited in line and then took the elevator up one leg of the structure to the second level.  We then switched elevators to one going up the middle and took it to the very top.  I looked out the windows of the top floor to the huge city below.  I later climbed up to the fenced-in, exposed-to-the-elements, observation deck.  The cold wind whipped around us and the temperatures were freezing, but the view was well worth it.  The view was spectacular!  I really enjoyed being on top of the Parisian world.

Jenae and I on top of the Eiffel Tower

SOUVENIR HUNTING

When we came down, a small group of us took the Metro to the Latin Quarter.  I bought a cinnamon and sugar crepe, a chicken panini, and a Coke.  It was rather tasty.  The rest of the afternoon, Jenae Pauls, Katie Chlumsky, Andrew Pankratz, Marcus Manny, and I shopped for souvenirs in the Latin Quarter.  I bought French and EU flags, some postcards, and a few gifts for people back home.

Marcus and Zac enjoying their French crepes

We took the Metro to the July Column, a pillar constructed in memory of the French Revolution.  We also saw the Opera House in the Bastille area.  Though we did not spend a lot of time at either of these places, it was good to catch a glimpse of the historical and cultural significance of these sites.

HORROR MOVIE IN THE MAKING

The Metro took us to the Cité des Sciences et de L’Industrie, the science and industrial center in the northeast part of Paris.  We wanted to see the Geode (a geodesic dome with a movie theater inside), but what we saw was way above and beyond that.  The place looked like the setting of an industrial accident-turned-bad zombie flick.  It was nearly deserted, dark, and creepy.  We saw what looked like industrial waste water pits, strange geometric art (including the anticipated Geode), night clubs in tents, and red-lit concrete buildings.  Everywhere we went, we heard eerie music.  We even descended some stairs into an empty parking garage.  It was a bad accident just waiting to happen.  Fortunately, nothing like that happened.

FRENCH CONVERSATIONS

On the Metro back to Saint-Michel, an old man in raggedy clothes pulled a bunch of dolls out of a big bag and started a long monologue in high-pitched French while play-acting with the dolls.  It was somewhat humorous and quite disturbing.  You could say he was getting his jollies with the dollies.

The long and embarrassing incident on the subway allowed us to start a conversation with a more pleasant French person.  A young(ish) lady who later told us that she was a lawyer was smiling during the crazy man’s “presentation,” which led us to ask her what the man was saying.  She spoke in broken English and told us that the man with the dolls mentioned something about Michael Jackson in his monologue (the weird got weirder).  We asked her questions about her job and life in France and she talked to us about our trip.  It was a good conversation.

When we got back to Saint-Michel, we stopped at a bakery and I bought some bread (with chocolate chip again) for 1€.  Then Marcus and I engaged the baker in some interlingual conversation.  She told us that her next job was going to be working for Donald Trump in  telecommunications position.  In the process, I learned a few French words (that I’ve since forgotten).  It was fun.

Andrew and I ordered some gyro sandwiches while the rest of our cohort bought crepes.  After watching some street performers, we headed to the hostel to get some sleep.

PALACE OF VERSAILLES

I started my day off with another round of cereal, juice, bread, and hot cocoa from the hostel.  Doc took us to the Metro to link up with the train station.  We took a train to the Chateau de Versailles, the location of the Palace of Versailles.  Dr. Kyle informed us when we arrived at the palace after the 20-minute ride that King Louis XIV turned his father’s hunting lodge into the marvelous palace that it is today only by taxing the life out of the French poor people.  With that somewhat sobering thought in mind, the golden gate of the palace seemed slightly less marvelous than it otherwise would have.

I followed Dr. Kyle around as we toured the palace, listening carefully for his insights about the building.  We saw the queen’s chambers, the king’s chambers, an art gallery, and the famed Hall of Mirrors (which was formerly used to entertain guests of the palace).  Doc appeared to be most amazed by the queen’s jewelry box, probably because it was the size of a modern-day chest of drawers.  The palace was covered in an extravagant amount of gold…everywhere!  When they weren’t overlaid in gold, the walls were a beautiful blend of red and white marble.

Zac, Jenae, Stephanie, and Katie at the Palace of Versailles

The gardens behind the palace had neatly-trimmed hedges, wide pathways, and carved fountains.  The gardens would have been downright amazing had it been spring or summer, but the rainy, cloudy, winter day did nothing to further their appearance.

VERSAILLES VS. PARIS?

Following our time of palace-touring, I explored the city of Versailles to find lunch with a few friends.  Compared to the dirty streets of Paris, Versailles was clean and welcoming.  However, that assessment is not completely fair.  Our hostel in Paris was not very nice, not in a good part of town, and located in a huge city.  Also, we were probably walking around the main streets of Versailles.  All the same, Paris generally seemed to be a dirty city.  Once we had sufficiently traversed several blocks of businesses, we decided to buy something from a small bakery operated by a solely French-speaking manager.  Despite the lack of spoken communication, I was able to buy a loaf of French bread covered in and filled with chocolate chips for only 1€.

Doc and the group gather at a McDonald’s in Versailles

NUTELLA TIME

The big group gathered together again to take the train back to Paris.  I caught a few winks of sleep on the half-hour ride as I sat on the second level of the locomotive.  Back in the Saint-Michel area (Latin Quarter) in Paris, Zac Remboldt, Andrew Pankratz, and I went to the Monoprix grocery store to shop for some cheap(er than restaurant) food.  We all bought some bread and I elected to purchase some Nutella (chocolate/hazelnut spread) to accompany mine.  We browsed a few clothing shops and then met up with Jenae Pauls, Katie Chlumsky, and Stephanie Friesen to do some more sightseeing.

ARCHE DE LA DEFENSE

On the way to the Arche de la Défense on the west side of the city, our subway was delayed by some mechanical fauilures on another vehicle up ahead (not a pleasant thought), so we got out and wandered through a nearby park.  It’s amazing what life’s little detours can show you.  The walk provided a view of the cloud-enshrouded Eiffel Tower to the right, an observation ferris wheel overlooking the Avenue des Champs-Élysées behind us, and a carousel sitting idly in the middle of the park.  We later stumbled upon a city square in which stood the hieroglyph-covered Egyptian obelisk that Napoleon Bonaparte brought back to France with him as plunder during one of his military expeditions.

The girls wanted to do some laundry in the hostel, so they took the Metro back as Zac, Andrew, and I continued on our sightseeing quest.  We took the Metro to the Arche de la Défense.  As we emerged from the underground subway tunnels to see the sky above, it was dominated by the Arch, a huge, boxy, modern, hollow tower of sorts which provided an excellent vantage point of the cosmopolitan side of Paris.  It was the object of many of our pictures.

Me at the Arche de la Defense

THE FRIENDLY FRENCH

We hopped onto the Metro yet again to see if we could find a nice part of the city top see, but a friendly French woman engaged me in conversation and changed our sightseeing objective.  She was quite cordial and, along with a Canadian man and another French woman, recommended that we see a different landmark from the one that we had in mind prior to talking to them.  We followed their knowledgable instructions, going to the Louvre to take pictures of the exterior of the museum, reflective fountains, and glass pyramids in the glow of the courtyard lights.  It was a rather epic photography session.  The Louvre was absolutely beautiful at night.

We attempted to return to the Metro once again, only to find that the entry point near the Louvre had already been closed for the evening.  Slightly concerned (we did not want to get stuck in the middle of Paris without a ride home), we followed a young French man who had also been deterred by the same Metro entry obstruction.  He apparently heard us wondering aloud as to the location of the next-nearest Metro entry gate and asked us in English if we wanted to know how to find the closest Metro station.  We responded in the affirmative and followed him as we dialogued about our respective life situations.  He asked us about our trip, we asked him about his schooling, etc…  He eventually led us to the correct location and bid us adieu.

FRENCH CREPES AND SLEEP

We rode back to Saint-Michel and each bought a Coke, panini (sandwich), and crêpe for about 5€.  It was delicious!  We took the Metro back to the hostel and I attempted to use the in-house Internet for a while, but the slowness kept me from using it for too long.  I climbed into bed, wondering what my free day in Paris would bring.

REFLECTIONS

My night on the upscale, clean(er) part of town and random encounters with friendly, English-speaking, French people changed some of my perceptions of my stay in Paris.  Though it is indeed somewhat dirty, before this day “dirty” is what primarily defined Paris for me.  After the day, “friendliness” and “beautiful big city” are ideas that contribute to my view of Paris.  Despite the unclean nature of some parts of the town and rudeness of some people, my idea of France will not be exclusively influenced by those traits.

I saw a random French youth wearing a Kansas City Royals baseball cap during the day.  It was interesting to see Kansas City and my all-time favorite baseball team represented in Paris, France.  I loved it!

BRITISH LIBRARY

Another delicious Mowbray Court Hotel breakfast greeted us in the morning.  I packed a clementine and a crescent roll for later and headed out to spend my free day.  A small group of us went to the British Library to begin the sightseeing.  Here we were able to see such momentous documents as the Magna Carta, the Gutenberg Bible, and some of Shakespeare’s manuscripts.

Jenae and Zac in front of the British Library

WESTFIELD

We departed to the Tube to go to the second-largest shopping mall in all of Europe: Westfield.  The 4-story plus building was enormous and was home to a large number of well-known stores.  Though I was separated from my friends for an hour, I had fun wandering around the gigantic building.  I even stopped at a Mac store and checked my e-mail.  As you will find out if you continue reading, I also had a great conversation with a random Londoner while sitting in one of the mall’s lounges.

THE BUCK AND BRIDGES

Following the European shopping experience, the group took the Tube to Buckingham Palace to take some pictures that we weren’t able to capture on the previous day.  The royal residence thoroughly captured by our cameras, we walked through St. James’s Park to another Underground station.

Jenae and Stephanie in front of Buckingham Palace

We headed off to the less-than-spectacular London Bridge.  The more aesthetically pleasing Tower Bridge glistened off in the distance over the river and we decided to walk to a third bridge that we thought was nearby.  We meandered through the London streets for what seemed like quite a long time, finally coming to the beautiful Millenium Bridge.  Despite the energy-draining quality of the long walk, it allowed us to see a side of London that we had not yet seen.  The big dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral stood out clearly from the dark sky as we stood on the Millenium Bridge.

SAME NAME AND TASTE, DIFFERENT COUNTRY

We took the oft-utilized Tube to Covent Gardens to enjoy some street performers’ productions and look for a place to eat.  The Gardens area was very nice, but our hungry stomachs, empty wallets, and high prices prevented us from staying there to eat.  Having worked up quite the appetites, we decided to go where food is abundant, somewhat tasty, and cheap.  You guessed it: McDonald’s!  I hastily consumed a carton of fries and two double cheeseburgers without batting an eze.

SHOPPING AND LAST NIGHT FUN

In the aftermath of the meal destruction, we wandered around Leicester Square’s souvenir shops looking for bargains.  I bought a British flag and a Manchester United futbol jersey.  Having become quite accustomed to the Tube (and the navigation mistakes that we made on it), Jenae, Zac, and I decided to ride a double-decker bus around for our last night on the town.  We were having a great time sightseeing and cruising when all of the sudden the bus was empty and the bus driver was yelling up at us.  After two prior attempts, we finally realized that the bus driver had been yelling, “Last stop!”  We hurried down the stairs and I apologized in a British accent for not hearing sooner.  I think she bought it, but I can’t be too sure.  We went back to old faithful(ish) and Tubed back to the hotel.  I went to an Internet Cafe and spent 1.5 pounds for an hour of Internet time and then headed back to the hotel to get some shut-eye.

The train station in London

REFLECTIONS

My favorite part of the day and best cross-cultural experience yet occurred at the Westfield Mall.  I was sitting in a chair in one of the mall’s lounges when an older gentleman came and sat down close enough to say hi.  I returned his greeting and began talking with him a bit.  By the end of the conversation, I had made my best London friend yet, we had talked for a good half of an hour, and I felt that I understood the English culture and people much better than before.  We talked about World War II (he vividly remembered the Blitz on London), English and American politics (he disliked Prime Minister Brown), avoiding thievery in Rome, his trip to America (he loved the Grand Canyon), family, and the upcoming Olympics in London in 2012.  It was a great conversation and the highlight of my limited interaction with Londoners.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, WESTMINSTER ABBEY

After enjoying another hot English breakfast, the group ventured to the Tube to speed over to the Houses of Parliament (aka the Palace of Westminster).  The House of Commons and the House of Lords stood very stately in their positions overlooking the Thames River from the Parliament building.  The seat of government of the United Kingdom, the Parliament building was built in a neo-Gothic style with noticeably pointed towers.

The Eye of London across the Thames River

The nearby Westminster Abbey, the current site of the coronation of the kings/queens of England and the burial site of many noteworthy individuals, was another photographic target for our snappy-happy group of American tourists.  (Count me in as one of the ones snapping my camera at opportune moments).  It was an amazing-looking building, another in the long line of impressive ones in London.

Part of the group and I in front of Westminster Abbey

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

We later saw the changing of the guard at the Horse Guard Parade Grounds.  The stone-still guards were a page right out of London lore.

We walked along a pond at St. James’s Park and enjoyed the accompanying wildlife on the way to Buckingham Palace, the present home of English royalty (the reigning monarch is currently Queen Elizabeth II).  Fortunately, we were able to see the changing of the guard at the Buck as well.  With the Union Jack (British flag) waving atop the flagpole on top of Buckingham, the soldiers marched out to the rhythmic beat of drums, trumpets, and other band instruments.  After the military band finished playing and the guard had been switched, so to speak, we walked to the Tube to go to the Tower of London.  On our way, we were able to walk by 10 Downing Street, the home of the British Prime Minister (currently Gordon Brown).

THE TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London, a castle on the Thames River built by William the Conqueror and added to in later years by other English monarchs, was an impressive site to see.  The location of many political executions and torturings, the Tower’s history and character made it that much more enjoyable to experience.  The Tower yeoman warders (commonly called “beefeaters”) took us on a tour of the fortress.  We explored the castle palace, chapel, and original White Tower constructed by William for defense of the London area.  In our touring of the complex, we talked to a supposed English monk, a legitimate tower security guard, and a couple of Americans from Colorado and Utah (a welcome site after hearing a lot of British accents over the last couple of days).  I enjoyed getting to see the armaments located in the White Tower.  Its guns, swords, helmets, gauntlets, and cannons made me wish for a bit of target practice in the courtyard range.

View from the Tower of London of the Tower Bridge over the Thames River

The world-renowned crown jewels of the United Kingdom were also available for our viewing pleasure.  The extravagant platinum, solid gold, and cut diamonds of the royal crowns, orbs, and scepters were quite impressive.  It made me think of the movie Ernest Rides Again, in which the most excellent Ernest P. Worrell wore the crown jewels upon his kingly brow.  That is, the crown jewels were great…

WICKED

Moving on…  A group of us went to eat at a bagel shop in the entertainment district.  I, again, had fish & chips and a Coke.  Tessa, Julia, Jenae, Zac, and I then Tubed to the Apollo-Victoria Theater to watch “Wicked,” a musical portraying a different side to the Wizard of Oz story that Kansans know so well.  The singer-actors did a wonderful job and I truly enjoyed the theatrical presentation, storyline, stage setup, and special effects.  The lead character had a beautiful voice and the supportings characters were no slouches either.

FREE RIDE

After the musical, we decided on a whim to ride one of the famous London double-decker buses.  We sat on the top level (of course) and were somewhat frightened every time the bus drove by a car or pedestrian, thinking that we would hit them.  However, the skill of the bus driver and the optical illusion created by the extended second level made us realize that we would most likely avoid any major collisions.  However, we barely made it back to the Underground and to the Hotel before the Tube began its nightly shutdown.

REFLECTIONS

Some of the more interesting cultural experiences of my day simply involved engaging the English people (and others) in discussion.  A group of us talked to a worker pretending to be a Medieval monk at the Tower of London.  He was never short on jokes.  He told us to bring the “king” a monkey as a present and not to feed elephants red wine because you might kill them prematurely.  It was quite the educational experience.  Another worker at the Tower, a security guard, talked to a group of us about our trip as we were browsing through the nooks and crannies of the Tower.  These people, and others, were quite friendly and opened up another aspect of London that had previously been lacking in our American eyes.

Before we had dinner, I asked a random gentleman walking by to recommend a good dining establishment in the area.  After we had talked for a bit, he told me that he was from California.  Hearing my response to his inquiries about my hometown (Topeka, Kansas), he told me that his wife was from Topeka also!  A completely random guy… but the story gets better: he told me that his wife’s parents live on the same exact street as my grandparents in Topeka!  Our conversation revealed that it truly is a small world after all.  Who needs six degrees of separation when you can have just one?

I woke up to the smell of four guys living in one hotel room. Had I been a few rooms over, the olfactory sensors in my nose would have been able to detect the scent of a full English breakfast. After getting ready for my day, I indulged in some toast, cereal, fruit, and hot cocoa, thoroughly enjoying the meal that was to be the largest of my day.

ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, ANGLICAN CHURCH SERVICE

Under the leadership of Dr. Kyle, the group headed over to St. Paul’s Cathedral on the east side of London. We browsed the beauty of the Anglican Church from the outside, peering up at its picturesque Renaissance-style dome. The interior was equally amazing, its partially Baroque-style interior begging us to take pictures while the church attendants implored us to refrain. The crypt in the basement held the physical remains of some of the most famous of people to grace the streets and fields of England. I used some of my down time (while we were waiting for the Sunday service to begin) to buy some postcards in the gift shop in the basement to send back to family and friends.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

The Anglican service was highly liturgical and involved a lot of church member participation through responsive readings, songs, and communion. The sermon was about the baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist and how that applies to our lives today. I participated in the Eucharist by taking from the bread and the cup offered by the deacons and the Bishop of London. I did my best to follow along with the choir (comprised of both boys and adult men) in the singing, despite the different style of worship and British accent. Overall, the service was highly educational and even somewhat inspiring.

HYDE PARK ‘SPEAKERS’ CORNER’

We took the Tube to Hyde Park, which is famous for the Speakers’ Corner where the freedom of free speech transforms from an idealistic human goal to in-your-face reality. On this day, there was a large amount of people gathered for a pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel/save Gaza rally. A speaker shouted his views about the precarious situation in the Middle East and people yelled back their support. The rally-goers were mostly Muslim, with the men standing in the front and the women in back. The scene was exciting and interesting to witness firsthand.

Protesters at Speakers’ Corner

A small group of us had a quick lunch at the McDonald’s across the street. It served food very similar to the American Mickey D’s to which I am familiar. I bought a few souvenirs at one of the many souvenir shops in the area, many of which were nearly identical.

BRITISH MUSEUM

At our scheduled meeting time, I joined up with the big group, which Dr. Kyle led to the Tube to ride to the world-renowned British Museum. The admission-free museum held an enormous collection of statues, busts, books, figurines, weapons, armor, paintings, structures, and artifacts from the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations to the modern United Kingdom. It was quite the historical spectacle to behold.

Me at the British Museum

When the museum closed and my camera began panting and sweating due to the workout I put it through, a small group of us (Andrew Pankratz, Zac Remboldt, Tessa Siebert, Julia Carlton, Jenae Pauls, Stephanie Friesen, Katie Chlumsky, and I) decided to take the Underground over to the Eye of London for our free evening. The Eye of London is a massive observation ferris wheel from which a person (usually a tourist) can see the skyline of London and many of its most famous landmarks. Sadly, we discovered that the Eye was closed for “annual maintenance” on this evening, and every other evening on the 4 days of the entire year that we were to be in London. It was a disappointment.

Not to be discouraged, we walked around the area looking for a place to eat. After turning down a few options due to high prices, we settled on Cucino’s Italian Restaurant. I ordered a ham & cheese panini. It was delicious and somewhat affordable as well, so I was pleased. Figuring out how to cover the tab and make change was a challenge in the group of eight (they refused to put each person’s order onto a separate receipt).

THAMES RIVER, PARLIAMENT AND BIG BEN

We walked the bank of the Thames River, gazing at the Parliament building and Big Ben on the skyline.  The visual sight was about as epic as the historical site.  After taking a few pictures across the river, we headed back over to the entertainment district.

LATE NIGHT SHENANIGANS

We decided to do some price comparisons on theater tickets in the Leicester Square area.  Having found some good seats at a decentish price, Tessa, Julia, Jenae, Zac, and I bought tickets to go see “Wicked” in a London Theater for the following night.

Despite getting lost on the Tube for a while, we eventually found the right stop to see the Tower of London against the night sky.  The famous London castle looked ominous against the night sky.  Not wanting to get stuck without a ride home (the Tube starts shutting down around 11 p.m. on weeknights), we took the Tube back to the hotel just before 11 p.m.  After swapping stories with my roommates, I settled into bed for another too-short night of sleep.

Reflections

One thing I noticed particularly about London, aside from the amazing historical and architectural sites, was the multiculturalism.  So many different colors, languages, cultures, and homelands collide (and mix) in the city.  In Kansas, the hugely predominant language is English and essentially the only color skin you see is white.  In London, I heard English, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Japanese, etc…  The faces I saw were black, brown, tan, peach, white, etc…  I appreciated this aspect of London.

(Editor’s note: I’m not doing the greatest job of keeping up on my blog here.  The Internet is slow, somewhat sketchy as to the reliability of U.S. sites, and not very cost effective in some cities.  I haven’t been able to use Flickr because paying for an Internet connection on a public computer here doesn’t ensure the use of document functions for uploading pictures.  The only reason I was even able to change the header picture was because Whitney Allen let me borrow her computer for the night (thanks, Whitney!).  Sorry!).

Despite the acute insomnia and minor fits of turbulence, the flight to London, England was fairly uneventful until it was time to land. Once we had crossed the Atlantic Ocean, the pilot made the announcement that “ice fog” was covering the city and there would be a delay before we could land and exit the plane.

The delay, which lasted for two hours, set us back a bit in our schedule of events. However, we were informed by Dr. Kyle, the group leader, that we could compensate for the delay on following days. That issue cleared up, we arrived at Heathrow Airport in London surrounded by a foggy, cloudy mist.

After showing my passport to the proper officials and picking up my luggage (none of which was lost), I stepped into London, England and Europe for the first time. I and the rest of the group exchanged our American dollars for British pounds. Dr. Kyle told us the station at which we should be getting off the Underground (as the Londoners call their subway) and we took off down the “Tube” (another London name for it) at a high rate of travel. Jam-packed full of people and luggage, the speeding subterranean vehicle showed me my first glimpses of the city. Though I didn’t see any buildings I recognized from pictures, I did see some snow on the ground and some seemingly typical apartment complexes.

Upon arriving at Earl’s Court Station and walking to the Mowbray Court Hotel, our accommodations for London, I discovered that my roommates in Room 1 at the hotel would be Marcus Manny, Andrew Pankratz, and Zac Remboldt. Though our room was a bit small for four people, it was nice and had a working toilet and shower, so we couldn’t complain.

My roommates and I walked a few blocks away to grab a quick lunch at the Baker’s Oven and experienced using British currency for the first time. I counted my change, just to make sure they didn’t try to swindle the silly American tourists. Dr. Kyle then led the entire group to the entertainment district, consisting primarily of Covent Gardens, Piccadilly Circus, and Leicester Square. We checked out the prospects for our London night lives and listened to Doc tell us about the area.

NATIONAL GALLERY AND TRAFALGAR SQUARE

Dr. Kyle took us to the National Gallery, a free art museum containing paintings by Rembrandt, Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo (I couldn’t find the fourth Ninja Turtle’s paintings), and others. Though I was not able to see the entire gallery (it was massive!), I did see a number of beautiful paintings and enjoyed the atmosphere.

The National Gallery

Due to the fact that Trafalgar Square was right outside the gallery, Jenae Pauls, Zac Remboldt, Andrew Pankratz, and I wandered around the plaza taking pictures. The square was a memorial to Admiral Lord Nelson, the commander of the British ships that defeated Napoleon’s fleet in the early 19th century. We walked around the cold and people-filled streets of London, snapping pictures of the Horse Guard Parade Grounds, red taxis, and double-decker busses. We eventually ate at Mermaid’s Tail, a local fine-dining restaurant in the entertainment district. I enjoyed my first plate of London’s famous fish and chips.

Jenae and I in front of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square

The Lion and I hanging out in Trafalgar Square

To cap off the night, we saw a shoplifter being chased by two men out in the street. We thought about helping in the pursuit, but our legs were tired after a long day of walking and we did not want to get in a fight on our first day in London.

Having exhausted all of our energy, we returned to the Tube and meandered back to the hotel for some much-needed rest.

My journey to Europe began with a trip to the Wichita Mid-Continental Airport in Wichita, Ks on January 9 (my 21st birthday). After checking in our bags and getting ready to board the plane, the group was informed that we would have to take our first and only test over the notes that we had studied over Christmas break. Thus, the quick flight from Wichita to the DFW Airport in Dallas, Tx was more significant than it sounds at first. Speaking of first, not only did I have to take our first (and last) test during the flight, but it was my first time to fly on a commercial airline. Thus, my “flight log” was spent answering a question, then looking out the window in awe, then taking a swig of the Coca-Cola I was given, and then repeating the cycle until both the test and the Coke were gone and the awe had worn off slightly.

The DFW airport was huge! It was filled with shops, restaurants, benches, and massage chairs. In fact, it reminded me of a big mall without the sales taxes (international space) and with the prices compensating for the lack of sales taxes with higher costs.

Prior to flying out of DFW and on to our first stop on the Europe trip, I met a geology professor from the University of New Mexico who was on his way to a geology conference in Scotland. It was quite interesting to talk to a complete stranger about his vacation plans and to see how the pursuits of higher learning can coincide in such a random meeting.

After boarding the plane, being served a meal, listening to some music, and watching part of a movie, I realized that sleeping on the plane was going to be hard to do. Nearly impossible, in fact. I spent the remaining hours of the first day of the 21st year of my life receiving a few timely presents and trying to nod off to sleep, eventually getting about an hour overall.