Jon Was Here

I got to Beirut just fine, sort of. Landed at 220am last Sunday morning (only 24 hours delayed). The ride from the airport to my apartment was so familiar. By that I mean, there are soldiers on almost every block, we saw two cars on the highway on the wrong side of the median going the wrong way, and we almost got into an accident (missed it by mere inches). "Welcome back to Beirut" was all I keep thinking haha.

And to make things better, the driver dropped me off at the wrong apartment. I asked the front desk guy for directions but they ended up being wrong because they led me to the wrong apartment building again. He spoke broken English so I think there was just some mistranslation. Anyway, it was already 330am and the mosques were already singing the call to prayer and I was walking around these dark streets (a lot of streets don't have lights) with all my stuff so asked the reception at the other apartment for directions again. They gave me some vague directions but I eventually found some familiar blocks so I remembered where I was and where to go. I got to my apartment at 4am and it is really nice but is missing the couch. Oh well. And the power went out so the AC didn't work and there was no running water so I could't shower.

I slept in until 2pm to make up for not really sleeping (2-3 hours since Tuesday night in DC and it was already Sunday morning in Beirut) and then just walked around Beirut. It feels so good to be back again. My apartment is literally a block away from Prime Minister Hariri's Palace in the Hamra district in mostly Sunni West Beirut. Security is high (soldiers and roadblocks everywhere) and it's generally an upscale part of Beirut. Though, it probably won't be a good place to be if fighting breaks out with the Shia militias again, who took over West Beirut in 2008 after fierce gun battles with Sunni militias.

I met a guy from Chicago and we went to a bar to watch the Germany-England game (great game) and then went out Sunday night to a bar to watch the Argentina-Mexico game (also an awesome game). All the Lebanese are either Brazil or Germany fans. As usual, they were people shooting off guns into the air when Germany won.

June 23 - 28

Madrid, Spain
Frankfurt, Germany
Prague, Czech Republic

Peace out DC.

I got to Madrid in the morning and spent the afternoon wandering around the city center with a personal hand-drawn map I made from Google Maps. After seeing Spain's colonial legacies in Ecuador/Colombia/Venezuela/Mexico, it was very fulfilling to see the Spanish capital where the empire originated. The two main plazas were good spots to get an initial feel for the city's bustle. I emerged from the Metro at Puerta del Sol, the plaza that is the so called heart of the city. The plaza is considered the center of Spain and is from where kilometer zero is measured for the national highways. Following my map sketch, I took Calle Mayor to get to Plaza Mayor, the other main plaza in Madrid. Calle Mayor got boring so I abandoned my hand-drawn map and headed into some narrow back alleyways full of outdoor sidewalk cafes and shops and headed in the general direction I estimated Plaza Mayor to be. I found it no problem after taking the scenic route detour and took a cerveza break upon reaching the plaza. Plaza Mayor was perfect for voyeurism so I just sat in a sidewalk cafe, ordered a beer, watched the World Cup, and enjoyed the ambience. I got to practice my Spanish too. My Spanish is horrible but I am glad to say it did get me around Madrid for the day, even though I had to throw in a few English words at times for stuff I didn't know (World Cup).

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor is more a tourist trap than a real plaza. Though impressively grand and aesthetically pleasing, most of the people were foreign tourists and not Madrileños. So as usual, I paid the tourist price for the beer and local touts tried to solicit business with the groups of Asian tourists. For an authentic feel for Madrid, Puerta del Sol is where it's at. After leaving the plaza, I headed straight for Catedral de la Almudena, the massive cathedral that faces the Palacio Real. A bronze statue of Pope John Paul II stands outside in the courtyard in front of the Cathedral.

Catedral de la Almudena and Pope JP II.

From Madrid

Across from the colossus Catedral is the even more colossal Palacio Real (Royal Palace). This enormous Spanish palace is even larger than the French Versailles. From the palace, I walked by the nearby Teatro Real (Royal Opera Theatre) and made my way back to Puerta del Sol to take the Metro back to the aeropuerto. The city of Madrid, short and sweet.

Palacio Real

From Madrid

Puerta del Sol

My afternoon flight to Frankfurt was cancelled and they rebooked me on the night flight. The night flight kept being delayed and was finally cancelled at 8pm. There's a air traffic controller strike in France so a lot of the planes for Iberia Airlines are stuck there. The French soccer team is so embarassing right now so I guess I don't blame them. I then stood in line at the Iberia Airlines customer service office from 8pm until 4am to get a hotel and another flight. I didn't even leave to use the restroom or eat dinner. But when I got to the hotel back in Madrid (which was pretty nice.. not bad for free), there were so many people with kids that I let check-in before me and I had to call Czech Airlines to rebook my Frankfurt-Prague-Beirut flight that I did not go to bed until maybe 7am. By this point, the last time I had slept was Tuesday night at home in DC and it was already Friday morning in Madrid so I had been awake for 38 hours. I woke up at 830am to get on the bus back to the airport but my 1150am morning flight to Frankfurt was delayed again. Figures.

Free hotel in Madrid

The flight was delayed until about 630pm. By the time I got to my hostel in Frankfurt (in the red light district...), I had only slept 1.5 hours in the last 55 hours but I don't want to sleep because I still haven't seen Frankfurt. Well, I've seen the red light district, which is really sketchy, because that's where my hostel is. I walked around here a bit until I could finally a normal looking bar to watch the World Cup and have a beer (Beck's!) before going back to my hostel around midnight. My flight was at 9am the next morning so I woke up at 530am to watch the sunrise on the Eiserner Steg bridge above the Main river and headed for the main square, the Römerberg. Even at 5am, I kept getting hassled by sketchy club touts to go inside and spend money. It was nearly a ghost-town in the main square area though since it was so early on Saturday morning. At most points, I would look all around me and not see a single other person. For a major city, I was kind of surprised but it was nice and relaxing to explore. Good thing this was only a transit visit. While at Notre Dame, I had been contemplating catching a cheap direct flight from Chicago to Frankfurt on a Fall or Spring Break. Definitely not worth flying transatlantic for, unless we were to take regional trains to Munich, Cologne, or the Rhine Valley.

Sunrise on the Main River.

From Frankfurt

The Römerberg seemed like an excellent square like any other in any European/Latin American major city, but unfortunately all the outdoor sidewalk cafes and shops were closed in the square. So were all the various buildings and churches in the square. The least I could do was admire the traditional Gothic architecture from the outside. The Römer itself is the town hall of Frankfurt. The Dom (Saint Bartholomeus' Cathedral)in the square is the main cathedral and was built in Gothic style in the 14th century. From 1562 to 1792, emporers of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned in the cathedral. Next to the cathedral you can see the remains of the Roman settlements that gave this place its name while the modern steel and glass Frankfurt skyscrapers tower in the distance. At the Römer was also the Alte Nikolaikirche (12th century church). Walking towards the Main river, I coould also see the Rententurm (Wharfinger's Tower), an old 15th century fortified tower in late Gothic style, which is connected to the Saalhof, an old 12th century castle building that was later modernized but never completely destroyed. While walking back towards my hostel, I also passed by the Börse (Frankfurt Stock Exchange) and the Paulskirche (St. Paul's Church) was the seat of the first democratically elected parliament in Germany in 1848.

Römerberg

There wasn't really much else to see in Frankfurt besides the Römerberg and the area around it since all the churches were closed so I just went back to my hostel at 7am, checked out, and then took the train to the airport to catch my flight to Prague. I had a currywurst for dinner the night before and again for breakfast. Frankfurt is famous for this special kind of bratwursts called Currywurst since they have so many immigrants from Asia. It's just a regular German bratwurst but they cook it with spicy hot curry and it is amazing. I love bratwursts and I love curry so it was perfect.

Currywurst. mmm.

Prague was BEAUTIFUL. I am still in awe about it. I was literally overwhelmed by Prague when I stepped off the metro and into the main square. It is absolutely stunning. I am not too easily overwhelmed by new places I go to but I am adding Prague to my list of favorite cities to visit (Jerusalem, Istanbul, etc.)

"This magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes, has been mirrored in the surface of the swan-filled Vltava River for more than ten centuries. Almost undamaged by WWII, Prague's compact medieval centre remains a wonderful mixture of cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, cathedrals and countless church spires all in the shadow of her majestic 9th century castle that looks eastward as the sun sets behind her. Prague is also a modern and vibrant city full of energy, music, cultural art, fine dining and special events catering to the independent traveller's thirst for adventure. It is regarded by many as one of Europe's most charming and beautiful cities, Prague has become the most popular travel destination in Central Europe."

Prague was mostly spared during WWII, so most of the old architecture is still intact and not just in the main square, but all over the city. You could just be walking down a random street and you'd see so really great looking apartment buildings or church from the 17th century. It literally is one of the most beautiful and inspiring cities I've ever been to. I passed by the neoclassical Estate Theatre where Mozart's Don Giovanni was first performed. They had a big screen set up in the main square so I watched the South Korea-Uruguay game. It was really funny because half of the crowd in the square were Korean tourists who were so into the game. Then when Uruguay scored the first time so quickly they all got really quiet. All the Czechs were cheering for Uruguay. The only bad thing about Prague is that it is so awesome that there are tourists EVERYWHERE; most of them being Asian.

South Korean Tourists and the South Korea-Uruguay match watch in Old Town Square. Uruguay just scored to make it 1-0.

Arrived by bus and metro from the airport into the Old Town just before noon. Headed straight for the Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock for it to strike high noon. It was really easy to find. I just looked for the big crowd of foreign tourists gathered in one part of the main square. The clock struck high noon and the tourist crowed went wild. As they later dispersed, I ascended the clock tower and admired the grand views of Prague from the top and stayed until it struck 1pm. From there, I just wandered around the Old Town Square, took some illegal pictures inside the Týn church (no flash of course so no harm done..), bought another grilled sausage for lunch, and walked over to the New Town area and the Wenceslas Square, which the Czech Tourist pamphlet claims is the largest in Europe. Except it's more a boulevard than a square...From there I crossed Charles Bridge over the Vltava River to the Hradčany district. After climbing the 214 steps of the St Nicholas Church tower (formerly used by the Communist government to spy on locals and foreign embassies), I climbed another epic set of stairs to the hill on which Prague Castle overlooks all of Prague.

Old Town Square with the Astronomical clock and Týn Church

Astronomical Clock

Týn Church

Czech sausage for lunch in Old Town Square

National Museum in Wenceslas Square

Crossing Charles Bridge over Vltava River to Prague Castle

Prague from the top of St Nicholas Church

Prague Castle is the largest castle in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the former seat of the King and is now the seat of the Czech president. After watching the changing of the guards at the main gate at the top of the hour, I explored the castle interior and walked along the castle's ramparts, which provided grand views of all of Prague.

Entrance to Prague Castle

View of Prague from the ramparts of Prague Castle

I had a 11 hour layover so after walking around the city all day, my feet really hurt so I just went back to the airport and watched the US-Ghaha game in a bar after ordering another Czech sausage for dinner and a pint of the local Pilsner Urquell. I only got to watch the first half because I had to board my flight to Beirut at 10pm and I actually did not know who won the game until the next afternoon when I asked this random guy at a bar in Beirut.