Visited Tito Andreas and my cousin Alex in Cyprus over the weekend. I was there on Tuesday which marked the 36th anniversary of the Turkish invasion (July 20, 1974) and the beginning of the subsequent Turkish military occupation of northern Cyprus (the internationally unrecognized "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus"). Turkey continues to transfer Turkish settlers from mainland Turkey to occupied north Cyprus in order to solidify its hold on the island.
Nicosia is the last divided capital in the world. The Greek Cypriots control the south, the UN peacekeepers maintain a buffer zone (the Green Line), and the Turks control the north. Many buildings on both sides of the Green Line have been destroyed and abandoned; they can still be seen throughout the old city today. Crossing into Turkish northern Cyprus is like going back 30 years in time. Compared to the affluent Greek side with its advanced and high-income economy (32nd internationally in the Human Development Index), the Turkish side is mostly underdeveloped and underpopulated. Tito Andreas was a Lieutenant in the Greek Cypriot Army when the Turks invaded in 1974. Driving around the Green Line on the first day, he regaled me with his war stories of commanding his platoon to fight the Turks on the Green Line during his glory days in the Army. We ended the day by crossing over into the Turkish side of Nicosia and visiting his old house that his family was forced to abandon in 1974 when the Turks invaded. They were only able to take what they could carry as they fled across to the Greek-controlled area of Nicosia. The next time he would be able to go back to his old house was in 2008.
Most Cypriots today identify themselves with mainland Greece and the Turkish minority with Turkey. Like Lebanon across the sea (a mere 30 min flight away), Cyprus suffers from the same unfortunate paradox: naturally beautiful yet plagued by constant conflict. Greek mythology believes Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was born in Cyprus and the island has since been referred to as Aphrodite's island. The beaches in Cyprus are world famous as some of the best in the Mediterranean (much better than Lebanon's...) The cultural past of Cyprus includes occupation by the ancient Hittites, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Rashiduns, Umayyads, Lusignans, Venetians, Ottomans, and British. Isolated in the Mediterranean Sea, the whole island is a gold mine for archaeology and ancient ruins.
Four days in Cyprus was definitely not long enough. It was more of an introduction to entice future visits. I already want to go back. I know I definitely will.
Pictures
July 22, 2010
July 21, 2010
Good Morning, Lebanon
I was deeply struck when I found this picture in Walid Jumblatt's personal library and immediately stood transfixed and reflected on it for a few minutes. It was taken during the Lebanese Army's 2007 war against Palestinian militants in the Palestinian refugee camps. To me, it brilliantly captures and personifies the natural Lebanese spirit that I have developed a high admiration and fascination for. It is an unwavering spirit that is boldly unique in character among all the cultures I have encountered in my travels. Despite Lebanon's long, tragic history of wars, political instability, and foreign military occupation and its ongoing conflicts today that will indefinitely continue with no resolution in sight into its future, the Lebanese--whether Shia, Sunni, Christian, or Druze--remain optimistic in character and resolute in heart in the face of the vast uncertainty and many challenges that beset this small but strong country.
Good morning Lebanon
Good morning Lebanon
May you know no more pain
Good morning Lebanon
We will get to Beirut
We will get to Beirut
Your humus is worth dying for
Good morning Lebanon
Your dreams will come true
Your nightmares will vaporize
All your life is a blessing
Good morning, Lebanon
You're tearing apart
Bleeding in my arms
Love of my life
My short life
Rip me apart
Bleeding in your arms
Love of your life
Good morning, Lebanon
Good morning Lebanon
Give me a Rolex
Have a candy bar
We will extend our bleeding hand to you
Good morning Lebanon
Good morning Lebanon
Tomorrow we will be as one
Good morning Lebanon
Lebanon, you are not alone
July 10, 2010
Lebanon: First 2 Weeks
I'm behind. Oops. Stories and pictures on the following to come:
-Meeting with Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Druze sect and Progressive Socialist Party, at his compound in the Chouf Mountains east of Beirut. He was a longtime ally of the US and its allies in Lebanon but just recently switched sides to ally himself with Syria.
-Visits to Hezbollah-controlled South Beirut and their stronghold in the Bekaa Valley.
-Meeting the family of Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, the so-called spiritual guide of Hezbollah, at his tomb in the Hassanein Mosque in South Beirut. He passed away on July 4 at the age of 74.
-Visiting the infamous Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp in South Beirut. Site of the 1982 massacre of thousands of Palestinian refugees by Christian militias and the Israeli Army.
-Food poisoning from free falafel some guy gave us in South Beirut.
-Visit to to Tripoli, the Cedar Forest, and the Christian strongholds on Mount Lebanon in the North.
-Celebrating the Fourth of July in Beirut by doing the most American things possible.
-Lebanese World Cup Fever. Everyone is either a fan of Brazil of Germany. Some are for Spain. Others for Argentina or really any team in the World Cup that wins. So lots of celebratory gunfire at the end of every game because the Lebanese cheer for whoever wins.
-etc.
-Meeting with Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Druze sect and Progressive Socialist Party, at his compound in the Chouf Mountains east of Beirut. He was a longtime ally of the US and its allies in Lebanon but just recently switched sides to ally himself with Syria.
-Visits to Hezbollah-controlled South Beirut and their stronghold in the Bekaa Valley.
-Meeting the family of Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, the so-called spiritual guide of Hezbollah, at his tomb in the Hassanein Mosque in South Beirut. He passed away on July 4 at the age of 74.
-Visiting the infamous Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp in South Beirut. Site of the 1982 massacre of thousands of Palestinian refugees by Christian militias and the Israeli Army.
-Food poisoning from free falafel some guy gave us in South Beirut.
-Visit to to Tripoli, the Cedar Forest, and the Christian strongholds on Mount Lebanon in the North.
-Celebrating the Fourth of July in Beirut by doing the most American things possible.
-Lebanese World Cup Fever. Everyone is either a fan of Brazil of Germany. Some are for Spain. Others for Argentina or really any team in the World Cup that wins. So lots of celebratory gunfire at the end of every game because the Lebanese cheer for whoever wins.
-etc.
July 05, 2010
Arrival in Beirut
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.
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 19, 2010
Eurotrip 2010
June 23 - 28
Madrid, Spain
Frankfurt, Germany
Prague, Czech Republic
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cheers!
Madrid, Spain
Frankfurt, Germany
Prague, Czech Republic
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| 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.
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| Catedral de la Almudena and Pope JP II. |
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| 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.
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| Palacio Real |
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| From Madrid |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Sunrise on the Main River. |
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| 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 |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Old Town Square with the Astronomical clock and Týn Church |
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| Astronomical Clock |
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| Týn Church |
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| Czech sausage for lunch in Old Town Square |
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| National Museum in Wenceslas Square |
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| Crossing Charles Bridge over Vltava River to Prague Castle |
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| 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.
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| Entrance to Prague Castle |
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| 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.
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| While watching the US-Ghana game at the Prague airport |
Cheers!
