Hi All,
I just boarded my plane for New York. First of all, let me say that Heathrow Airport puts JFK to shame. I was able to go from my plane to a shuttle bus to a different terminal, go through security, and get my new boarding pass in less than 45 minutes. The staff was amazingly helpful as well.
Well, I think it's time to look back at the last six weeks and my trip all over Europe. I started out in Dublin where I not only got to see a new city, but met about 15 family members that I don't remember meeting before. I also saw the towns that my Grandma and Pop-pop grew up in. Then, I headed to London and had dinner with my Dad's cousin and his wife, David and Joan. The following night, I saw a traditional London play, Blues Brothers. I then hooked up with my first tour, the AESU Graduation Tour, where I met people that I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life (we are already having a mini-reunion in July). Together, we took on London and saw a lot of things that I did not see my first time like the London Eye and the world's biggest department store, Harrods. From London we went to Paris via train where I had one of the most memorable lunches of my trip, in the upstairs of a cafe overlooking a piazza where an orchestra was playing. We then took the overnight train from Paris to Rome. In Rome, I returned to my second home. I met up with all the administrators from my study abroad program and had drinks with my old Italian roommate and Italian teacher. I also showed a few people around my favorite restaurants and hang outs in Rome. Half of our tour group left us in Rome, but the other half of us continued to Sorrento where we spent one night wandering the town and I tried buffalo meat for the first time. Then, we headed to Pompeii where I saw a part of the ancient city that I did not see last year. After Pompeii, we boarded a bus to head to the port where we caught a mini-cruise ship to Greece. We arrived in Patras, but went by bus and boat to the small island of Poros. After three days of pure relaxation and cruising (and sunburn), we headed to Athens where I climbed to the top of the cliff and saw the world famous Acropolis and Parthenon first hand. In Athens, I bid farewell to my new friends and prepared for a week in Italy on my own. I caught a flight to Reggio di Calabria where I met up with a few of my Italian teachers and classmates from Penn State who were participating in a study abroad program. I was able to walk down the main street with my Italian professor who grew up in Reggio and gained a better understanding for the "small town Italy" as he ran into friends from his childhood. Then, I went to Naples which I used as a springboard for the most beautiful part of my trip, the Isle of Capri. I took a boat tour around the island and was able to enter the world famous Blue Grotto. From there, I went to Florence where I met up with one more of my professors from Penn State. Then, I went to another new city for me, Milan, where I saw the famous Duomo and completed my renaissance art tour. In the span of four weeks, I saw the Mona Lisa, Sistine Chapel, Statue of David, and The Last Supper. Then, I flew to Berlin where I met up with my second tour, Contiki's Eastern Road, or as I call it, the "Communist" tour. We took a tour of the city that divided and then reunited the world. I also realized how crazy the tour was going to be as the Euro 2012 tournament was getting underway. Then, on our way to Prague we stopped in Dresden, the place that the Protestant religion was started. Prague was as beautiful as I remembered it and I was able to see the Jewish museum which had the names of all 67,000 Jews sent to the concentration and death camps from Prague. We then moved onto Vienna with a stop at Kutna Hora on the way to see the infamous bone church. Vienna reminded me of Disney World with its pristine parks and amazing food, specifically the Sacher Torte. Budapest reminded me a bit of Rome and we sailed down the river for a dinner cruise with the best goulash I've ever had. After Budapest, we made a pit stop in a small town of Slovakia where we saw the square where the townspeople prayed they would be saved from the Black Death. Then, we moved onto Krakow where I wandered the streets of the Old Town and visited Oscar Schindler's factory. On our way to Warsaw, we made a very somber stop at Auschwitz, something I will remember for the rest of my life. Then, we made one more stop at Czechestowa which is home to the famous pilgrimage site of the Black Madonna. Finally, my tour ended in Warsaw, home of the Euro 2012 tournament.
The total distance I traveled from New York to New York is a 14,856 miles!
It was an amazing trip. I saw things that many people do not see during the course of their whole life. It was definitely the opportunity of a lifetime.
Michael
Friday, June 22, 2012
Last Night in Europe & Flight #1
Hi All,
I'm currently flying from Warsaw to London. I can't believe that my trip is actually over. It was an amazing experience.
Last night, we had dinner in a traditional Polish restaurant where I tried a few things for the first time - none of which were my cup of tea. I'm happy I tried them, though, because now I know for the future. First, we had a mushroom and onion stew. I have tried mushrooms before and can tolerate them in moderation, but every bite was filled with mushrooms. Then, I had duck. I have NEVER had duck. It was okay, but I really don't like dark meat. Now I know what it tastes like and that, if I need to, I can eat it. Then, we had a dessert that tasted like butter cake. My sweet tooth got the best of me and I ate the whole thing.
After dinner, the group went out to a local beer garden, but I went back to the hotel since I had to wake up at 4:15 AM for my cab to the airport. Instead, I sat in the hotel restaurant and talked with a girl on my tour that decided to have an easy night as well. She's off to Russia next. I'd love to do that trip sometime soon!
This morning, I woke up and met my friends and we headed to the airport. We got to the airport by 5:20 AM and I was through security by 5:40 AM. I grabbed a coffee and donuts for breakfast and headed to my gate. My flight departed on time, so I'm happy.
The Warsaw airport itself, for me, seems to be a communist era airport. The colors were very plain and there was minimal extravagance. There was not a lot of space for stores. That was just my observation though.
I also forgot to write in my post last time that it is absolutely amazing and a testament to the Polish people that their language survived. They were occupied for a period of over 100 years in which they had to speak either Russian or German. Polish was not allowed. That was a very impressive fact that I learned yesterday.
Michael
I'm currently flying from Warsaw to London. I can't believe that my trip is actually over. It was an amazing experience.
Last night, we had dinner in a traditional Polish restaurant where I tried a few things for the first time - none of which were my cup of tea. I'm happy I tried them, though, because now I know for the future. First, we had a mushroom and onion stew. I have tried mushrooms before and can tolerate them in moderation, but every bite was filled with mushrooms. Then, I had duck. I have NEVER had duck. It was okay, but I really don't like dark meat. Now I know what it tastes like and that, if I need to, I can eat it. Then, we had a dessert that tasted like butter cake. My sweet tooth got the best of me and I ate the whole thing.
After dinner, the group went out to a local beer garden, but I went back to the hotel since I had to wake up at 4:15 AM for my cab to the airport. Instead, I sat in the hotel restaurant and talked with a girl on my tour that decided to have an easy night as well. She's off to Russia next. I'd love to do that trip sometime soon!
This morning, I woke up and met my friends and we headed to the airport. We got to the airport by 5:20 AM and I was through security by 5:40 AM. I grabbed a coffee and donuts for breakfast and headed to my gate. My flight departed on time, so I'm happy.
The Warsaw airport itself, for me, seems to be a communist era airport. The colors were very plain and there was minimal extravagance. There was not a lot of space for stores. That was just my observation though.
I also forgot to write in my post last time that it is absolutely amazing and a testament to the Polish people that their language survived. They were occupied for a period of over 100 years in which they had to speak either Russian or German. Polish was not allowed. That was a very impressive fact that I learned yesterday.
Michael
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Off to the Airport
Hi All,
I`m sitting in my hotel lobby in Warsaw waiting for my friends to get down and take a taxi with me to the airport. I will have more reflections and an update of my dinner last night, but I am officially on my way home.
Michael
I`m sitting in my hotel lobby in Warsaw waiting for my friends to get down and take a taxi with me to the airport. I will have more reflections and an update of my dinner last night, but I am officially on my way home.
Michael
Warsaw
Hi All,
Today was my łast full day in Europe. We started out with a tour of Warsaw at 9:00 AM. Our tour guide was very monotonous and did not provide a lot of stories to paralell what she was showing us. We did see the monument to Chopin, the fan zone for the Euro 2012 Soccer Tournament, and the old walled city of Warsaw. It was pretty short - only about two hours and a half.
I am honestly not a fan of Warsaw. For me, it is just like any other big city. I am not sure if it is because I did not have a great tour guide, but the city itself does not seem to have the same depth of history that I have come to expect from every other European city.
After our tour, we grabbed lunch at a restaurant near the old town square. It was not as good as I would have liked and the waiter was very rude. It was obvious that we were just another dollar sign to him. It was not what I had in mind for my lunch.
Then, we walked around the old town and grabbed a few souvenirs. I left the group and went to wander around somewhere else. Then, I ran into a few other friends and we sat down at a restaurant and waited for our bus to pick us up and bring us back to the hotel.
Tonight, we have one final dinner in Europe which is organized and paid for by Contiki. Then, I have a taxi to the airport at 5:00 AM for a 7:50 AM flight. I have a four hour layover in London, then I will be back in the states!
Michael
Today was my łast full day in Europe. We started out with a tour of Warsaw at 9:00 AM. Our tour guide was very monotonous and did not provide a lot of stories to paralell what she was showing us. We did see the monument to Chopin, the fan zone for the Euro 2012 Soccer Tournament, and the old walled city of Warsaw. It was pretty short - only about two hours and a half.
I am honestly not a fan of Warsaw. For me, it is just like any other big city. I am not sure if it is because I did not have a great tour guide, but the city itself does not seem to have the same depth of history that I have come to expect from every other European city.
After our tour, we grabbed lunch at a restaurant near the old town square. It was not as good as I would have liked and the waiter was very rude. It was obvious that we were just another dollar sign to him. It was not what I had in mind for my lunch.
Then, we walked around the old town and grabbed a few souvenirs. I left the group and went to wander around somewhere else. Then, I ran into a few other friends and we sat down at a restaurant and waited for our bus to pick us up and bring us back to the hotel.
Tonight, we have one final dinner in Europe which is organized and paid for by Contiki. Then, I have a taxi to the airport at 5:00 AM for a 7:50 AM flight. I have a four hour layover in London, then I will be back in the states!
Michael
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Black Madonna & Warsaw
Hi All,
We have arrived at the final stop of my grand European tour, Warsaw. After our stop at Auschwitz, the bus was very quiet. We listened to a few songs like ˝Imagine˝ by John Lennon and really just reflected.
We then arrived at Czestochowa, home of the Jasna Gora Monastery which is home to the famous Black Madonna painting. The painting is said to have healing powers and is a main pilgrimage site for many Catholics from around the world. There was a mass going on, so we were only able to walk up and see it, say a prayer, and leave, but the church was pretty cool. It had rosary beads all over the wall as well as crutches and wheelchairs for people that were miraculously healed. Before you ask, no, I was not healed. My shoulder did, however, feel better, so maybe there is some special power. It was a great experience, though.
Then, we boarded the bus for another three and a half hour drive to Warsaw. We arrived at around 7:30 PM and checked into our hotel. I am taking it easy tonight, so I ate dinner at the hotel as I did not want to make the 30 minute walk each way into the city center for dinner.
Tomorrow, we have a coach tour of the city with four hours free time. Then, we have our last dinner.
On a side note, the Euro 2012 is being held in Warsaw, so the place is crawling with tourists. It will be packed tomorrow, but it has been an absolutely amazing experience to be in Europe and especially Poland during the tournament. Every country is proudly showing their colors and rooting for their home team. It is very cool!
Michael
We have arrived at the final stop of my grand European tour, Warsaw. After our stop at Auschwitz, the bus was very quiet. We listened to a few songs like ˝Imagine˝ by John Lennon and really just reflected.
We then arrived at Czestochowa, home of the Jasna Gora Monastery which is home to the famous Black Madonna painting. The painting is said to have healing powers and is a main pilgrimage site for many Catholics from around the world. There was a mass going on, so we were only able to walk up and see it, say a prayer, and leave, but the church was pretty cool. It had rosary beads all over the wall as well as crutches and wheelchairs for people that were miraculously healed. Before you ask, no, I was not healed. My shoulder did, however, feel better, so maybe there is some special power. It was a great experience, though.
Then, we boarded the bus for another three and a half hour drive to Warsaw. We arrived at around 7:30 PM and checked into our hotel. I am taking it easy tonight, so I ate dinner at the hotel as I did not want to make the 30 minute walk each way into the city center for dinner.
Tomorrow, we have a coach tour of the city with four hours free time. Then, we have our last dinner.
On a side note, the Euro 2012 is being held in Warsaw, so the place is crawling with tourists. It will be packed tomorrow, but it has been an absolutely amazing experience to be in Europe and especially Poland during the tournament. Every country is proudly showing their colors and rooting for their home team. It is very cool!
Michael
Reflections on Auschwitz
Hi All,
We just left Auschwitz and all I can say is wow. I honestly don't think it has sunk in yet. I am going to find a lot of difficulty putting what I saw into words, but I will do my best.
We started out by walking through the old "registration" building where the inmates names were switched out for numbers. It was surreal thinking that 60 years ago, all this was actually happening.
Then, we walked through two old converted barracks which now house exhibitions. We saw maps of Auschwitz and pictures that were taken over the first few months that Auschwitz was open. We then walked upstairs which really started to show the magnitude of everything. First, they had the blueprints and a miniature model of the gas chambers. You saw photos of the cremations. Inmates cremated the bodies of fellow inmates. In the Jewish religion, there is a belief that you will one day be reunited with your body. This is not possible when your body is cremated.
Then, we walked into a room with 20 thousand kilos of human hair that was shaved off of the heads of the murdered women. It was hard to look at, but I forced myself to. It is important to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust. We found out that the hair was used to make things like carpet. It was sickening.
Then, we walked down to another barrack where we saw a window filled with charred eyeglasses. Another room had a window filled with old crutches, prosthetics, and wheelchairs. Another with suitcases. Another with children's shoes. Another with adult shoes. Some rooms were massive. Others small. Just writing about it is hard.
Then, we walked to one of the barracks where we saw the chronology of the sleeping conditions. They started with just hay on the floor, then got mattresses on the floor, then came toilets over the buckets they were using, then came sinks. The average life span was two months for a woman and eight months for a man.
We then saw the gallows for those that broke the rules of the camp. There were many different types of cells. Normal ones with a bed, interrogation ones, death cells, and standing cells for four people where you had to stand the whole time.
Then, we saw the death wall where they had hangings and death by shooting squad. There were flowers everywhere. It was quite moving.
Then we passed the hospital where experiments were performed and saw more hanging posts. When the first people escaped from the camp, the whole camp had to stand on their feet for 18 hours. Many people died from heat stroke. Then, they implemented a rule that for every escapee they would randomly choose 10 people to starve to death.
Then came my "favorite" part of the tour - the hanging post for the Auschwitz Gestapo. He was hung a few years after the war. It's a very bittersweet thing.
Then, we walked into the gas chambers. They still smelled weird and I was sick to my stomach as I walked through them. Right next to the gas chambers were the cremation ovens.
They said that the Nazis were always trying to find cheaper methods to kill people because "bullets are expensive." It made me sick to my stomach.
Then, we boarded our coach and went to Auschwitz II or Birkenau which is the more well known Auschwitz. It is the one that the trains arrived at and where many people were immediately sent to death. Most people did not resist, even though they knew what was happening, due to sheer exhaustion. Some had been traveling for nine days.
We walked up to the top of the main guard tower and saw the whole camp. It was disturbingly large. Then, we walked to the bathroom house to see the conditions. There was no privacy. It was just big latrines and concrete benches with holes in them. The bathrooms were the place where people talked freely, found out news about the war, and traded for things on the black market. People traded shoes for bread. Good shoes meant you worked faster which meant you may be able to survive. The officers stayed away from the bathrooms because they smelled and were filled with disease.
Then, we had time to walk around by ourselves. I walked down the railroad tracks and saw one of the cars that prisoners were transported in. 60 people plus luggage for nine days.
The whole experience was unbelievable. It makes you think. Why were the Nazis able to gain so much power? How did so many people think it was a "good" idea? Does the human race truly have enough free will to deviate from the group and stand up for what is wrong? How bad were the conditions in post-war Germany to allow something like that to happen? Can something like that happen again? How do we stop the genocides going on in Africa right now? I honestly don't know what to think anymore. It will take me a while for my faith in humanity to be restored.
Michael
We just left Auschwitz and all I can say is wow. I honestly don't think it has sunk in yet. I am going to find a lot of difficulty putting what I saw into words, but I will do my best.
We started out by walking through the old "registration" building where the inmates names were switched out for numbers. It was surreal thinking that 60 years ago, all this was actually happening.
Then, we walked through two old converted barracks which now house exhibitions. We saw maps of Auschwitz and pictures that were taken over the first few months that Auschwitz was open. We then walked upstairs which really started to show the magnitude of everything. First, they had the blueprints and a miniature model of the gas chambers. You saw photos of the cremations. Inmates cremated the bodies of fellow inmates. In the Jewish religion, there is a belief that you will one day be reunited with your body. This is not possible when your body is cremated.
Then, we walked into a room with 20 thousand kilos of human hair that was shaved off of the heads of the murdered women. It was hard to look at, but I forced myself to. It is important to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust. We found out that the hair was used to make things like carpet. It was sickening.
Then, we walked down to another barrack where we saw a window filled with charred eyeglasses. Another room had a window filled with old crutches, prosthetics, and wheelchairs. Another with suitcases. Another with children's shoes. Another with adult shoes. Some rooms were massive. Others small. Just writing about it is hard.
Then, we walked to one of the barracks where we saw the chronology of the sleeping conditions. They started with just hay on the floor, then got mattresses on the floor, then came toilets over the buckets they were using, then came sinks. The average life span was two months for a woman and eight months for a man.
We then saw the gallows for those that broke the rules of the camp. There were many different types of cells. Normal ones with a bed, interrogation ones, death cells, and standing cells for four people where you had to stand the whole time.
Then, we saw the death wall where they had hangings and death by shooting squad. There were flowers everywhere. It was quite moving.
Then we passed the hospital where experiments were performed and saw more hanging posts. When the first people escaped from the camp, the whole camp had to stand on their feet for 18 hours. Many people died from heat stroke. Then, they implemented a rule that for every escapee they would randomly choose 10 people to starve to death.
Then came my "favorite" part of the tour - the hanging post for the Auschwitz Gestapo. He was hung a few years after the war. It's a very bittersweet thing.
Then, we walked into the gas chambers. They still smelled weird and I was sick to my stomach as I walked through them. Right next to the gas chambers were the cremation ovens.
They said that the Nazis were always trying to find cheaper methods to kill people because "bullets are expensive." It made me sick to my stomach.
Then, we boarded our coach and went to Auschwitz II or Birkenau which is the more well known Auschwitz. It is the one that the trains arrived at and where many people were immediately sent to death. Most people did not resist, even though they knew what was happening, due to sheer exhaustion. Some had been traveling for nine days.
We walked up to the top of the main guard tower and saw the whole camp. It was disturbingly large. Then, we walked to the bathroom house to see the conditions. There was no privacy. It was just big latrines and concrete benches with holes in them. The bathrooms were the place where people talked freely, found out news about the war, and traded for things on the black market. People traded shoes for bread. Good shoes meant you worked faster which meant you may be able to survive. The officers stayed away from the bathrooms because they smelled and were filled with disease.
Then, we had time to walk around by ourselves. I walked down the railroad tracks and saw one of the cars that prisoners were transported in. 60 people plus luggage for nine days.
The whole experience was unbelievable. It makes you think. Why were the Nazis able to gain so much power? How did so many people think it was a "good" idea? Does the human race truly have enough free will to deviate from the group and stand up for what is wrong? How bad were the conditions in post-war Germany to allow something like that to happen? Can something like that happen again? How do we stop the genocides going on in Africa right now? I honestly don't know what to think anymore. It will take me a while for my faith in humanity to be restored.
Michael
On Our Way to Auschwitz
Hi All,
We left Krakow this morning at 7:30 AM to head to Warsaw with what should be a very somber stop at Auschwitz. I honestly have no idea what to expect. I think it will be a very emotional four hours for the whole group. It is one thing to learn about something, read about something, and watch a movie about something. It is completely different to visit something. I am about to visit a place that some of the worst crimes of human history took place.
Michael
We left Krakow this morning at 7:30 AM to head to Warsaw with what should be a very somber stop at Auschwitz. I honestly have no idea what to expect. I think it will be a very emotional four hours for the whole group. It is one thing to learn about something, read about something, and watch a movie about something. It is completely different to visit something. I am about to visit a place that some of the worst crimes of human history took place.
Michael
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