Today I took a tour to Sachsenhausen, one of the first Nazi concentration camps, and the main administrative camps for Nazi Germany. This has been the most horrific and disturbing experience of my life.
Walking towards the front gate of the camp, our guide did an amazing job of making us relive the experiences that the new prisoners had as they were herded to the front gate. From the cleansing new prisoners (both hygienically and mentally) to the hours upon hours of standing during the morning and evening role-calls, we were introduced to the entire bit of life in a Nazi concentration camp.
There were multiple sites in the camp that had been refurbished (or rebuilt as much of the camp was destroyed by the East German Government) into mini-museums displaying various bits of clothing and other artifacts. However, when we made our way to Station Z, the area where the mass execution took place, my heart sank. We walked past a dug-out ditch which lead to an in-ground bunker. Supposedly the area was used for the mass executions in the earlier years of the camp, where prisoners where lined up in the ditch against a wall lined with logs while guards stood opposite to them and shot them. The bodies were then thrown into the bunker. It got even worse when the camp finally got a crematorium, with a small gas chamber. Though the chamber was rarely used (as Sachsenhausen was a Concentration Camp, not a e Death Camp like Austwitz), but the execution of prisoners still took place by gunfire. The crematorium is now gone and only its foundation remains, but walking around the area was horrific.
Even more disturbing was the Pathologist's building, which the original. Here we got to see the rooms and tables where autopsies took place, and a few experiments (again, the more famous and sickening ones took place at other camps). When we went downstairs, we were informed that the basement was where the guards stored the corpses after the autopsies. Walking through large and cavernous rooms knowing that I was standing where a pile of bodies to the roof laid almost made me lose my lunch.
I am pleased to have had the chance to visit such a horrific place, but at the same time this experience has been incredibly disturbing.
NOTE - I am having trouble uploading any photos to the internet (Facebook, Flickr, etc.) because the internet connection here is slow. I will get the photos up as soon as I can.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sachsenhausen
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Berlin
Berlin is an amazing city. I enjoyed my time in Edinburgh and I really had a great time in the Scottish Highlands, but nothing on this trip can compare to Berlin. The people are friendly (even if my German is poor and limited, and yes, I did learn a little bit of German before coming to Berlin), the streets are clean, the public transport is efficient, and the city has a diverse history. From my hostel room window I have a very clear view of what i believe to be the former Communist Party Headquarters. There is a large banner that says "F*** off Amerika!" on it.
I definitely plan to come back to Berlin at some point in my life.
Heck, I even tried Currywurst, which was really a brautwurst with ketchup and curry powder. It was really uneventful...
The only problem is that the internet connection here at my hostel is too slow, which is makes uploading photos very difficult and nearly impossible...
Tomorrow I am off to visit a Holocaust concentration camp just north of Berlin. That should be an interesting experience.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Paris and Versailles
I've been in Paris for a few days now, and I have had the chance to see a few places of interest. This city is different than London. Initially I found London to be hurried and rather complicated, but compared to Paris, London is just a friendly little place. There is no doubt that the excess of tourists in Paris have made the Parisians quite cold to one another. Heck, after being in some of the heavily tourist areas, I fully understand why the Parisians are so tired of them. Nonetheless, Paris is really a remarkable city.
Seeing the Eiffel Tower was something else. Just seeing photographs of the structure cannot measure up to seeing it in person. I only went up to the second platform, but from there I got some amazing view of the city.
The Arc de Triomphe was also interesting. I dd in fact buy a ticket to go up, and us, I did climb each and every step all the way to the very top. After, I decided to take a nice long (cold, wet and windy) walk down the Champs-Elysee. I could have stopped to see the famous department stores adn all of the trendy fashion, but I'm a man, so I went to the Mercedes-Benz Boutique instead. The tenants in the boutique could tell that there was possibly no way I could afford any of the vehicles on display, but seeing some of the most elegant and amazing German-Engineered cars made the trip worth it. Now I know what I want for my 20th birthday!
I also had the chance to see Notre-Dame and the l'Hotel Invalides, which is home to the tomb of Napoleon.
As for Versailles, the palace itself was amazing as expected, but due to "severe" weather the gardens were closed. By "severe" weather they really meant 2 inches of snow that was already begining to melt... Oh well.
...Off to Berlin on Tuesday!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
La Louvre and the British Museum
In less than a week I have had the chance to see two of the most famous and enlightening museums Europe has to offer. However, even dedicating one entire day to each them, I could not see everything both had to offer.
...but I did see some of the famous pieces in their collections...
The British Museum was interesting (and free), offering rooms upon rooms of artifacts from different places around the world. From my visit i only had a chance to see the Ancient Greek, Roman (some) and Egyptian areas, as well as most of the Ancient and Medieval Europe areas. The amount of information I took in was overwhelming.
La Louvre was much more magnificent, and the building itself was something to behold. Here I only had a chance to see most of the Italian Art, the Medieval Louvre, Much of the sculptures, and a few others. Of course, no visit is complete without the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.
Now, the only problem is that I cannot remember much of the information off the top of my head to put with the photos. Even if I did, I would need a day just to type it all in...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The City Formally Known as Aquaes Sulis
For only 25 pounds I was able to purchase a round day trip to Bath by train. It was worth every penny, as the City of Bath is quite a remarkable and beautiful city. I looked into various tours before hand, and eventually purchased a tour from Tourist Tracks, which happened to be two different walking tours of Bath (total of 5 pounds, really cheap!) that took me to most of the attractions in the city centre. If you ever have the chance to go to Bath and would prefer to walk the city centre rather than taking one of the guided tour buses, or are a little adventurous, I would highly recommend the tour. Just purchase the MP3 from Tourist Tracks (through PayPal) and they will send you a link to download the tracks and two maps of the routes.
Before starting the first tour, I grabbed a chance to see Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. Bath Abbey is considered on of the last great Gothic abbeys in Britain, complete with the amazing architecture. The East Window on the opposite end of the abbey from where you enter depicts the entire story of Jesus. Needless to say, it’s massive. Connected to the abbey (and underground) is a little museum that displayed the abbey’s past, even pieces of the previous abbeys that rested on the area before the current one.
The Roman Baths was worth the 9.50 entrance fee (student). The history dates back over 2000 years, and much of the uncovered ruins are still in their original spot. It took a bit of time to get through the museum, and sometimes I did get bored of the audio tour as it tended to drag on while the audio points were only metres apart, but seeing over 2000 years of history and artifacts was completely astonishing. Included in the ticket they gave you a free tasting of the filtered bath water, which was supposed to have healing abilities, but it left you with a bitter and rather disturbing after taste.
For Bath Abbey photos click here.
Roman Baths Photos click here.
The first tour took me around the Abbey and the Roman Baths, past the Royal Theatre and to the Royal Crescent just off of the Royal Avenue. From the Royal Crescent I went to the Circus, and back down to the Abbey. More details on the various locations are given with the photos from the link below.
For photos from the first tour please click here.
The second tour took me across the River Avon, up to the Kennet and Avon Canal, down to Sydney Gardens, past the Holbourne Art Museum, down Great Pulteney Street and Pulteney Bridge and back to the Abbey. This one felt longer and more strenuous than the first, mostly from the long walk along the canal. Though it was incredibly peaceful, the trail was muddy and slippery, while walking under the bridges became a pain since the puddles often took up most of the path. The bottoms of my blue jeans were brown by the time I got to Sydney Gardens.
For Photos from the second tour please click here.
If you ever want to see a city with culture, history and amazing Georgian, Gothic and Roman architecture, I highly recommend Bath. Stonehenge is also really close, but I did not get a chance to see that sight this time around. As for the ride back into London, due to a technical fault on the train, we were not able to reach full speed on the tracks. When the train came to Bath it was 25 minutes late. By the time we got to London it was 48 minutes late.
Links to the photos will be up in a moment, just as soon as I get the photos on the internet in the first place...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Glens, Bens, and Lochs
For only 33 pounds I had the opportunity to see a good part of the Scottish Highlands in 12 hours, and it was worth it. I have a totally new appreciation for this area and its history, and it makes me want to stay.
Starting in at 8:00 this morning I loaded the small 18-seat bus, which took off towards Sterling. The driver/tour guide was amazing. His knowledge of Scotland and its history made the trip interesting, rather than sitting in the bus for two hours at a time watching the scenery go by. Driving past Sterling Castle allowed him to set the scene for the story of William Wallace... and the unfortunate Hollywood mistakes in the movie Braveheart, such as the casting of Mel Gibson. Apparently, Mel is only about 5'3", where William Wallace, who Mel's character is based off of, was about 6'8" tall (seriously). Mel's height was compensated, however, by the use of a Shetland Pony...
I trip had almost everything, from Glen Coe (a "glen" is a valley in Gealic, which a "ben" is a mountain), the site of the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692, Ben Nevis, the largest mountain in the UK, to the Great Glen, a 60-mile valley extending from Fort William on the west coast to Inverness on the east coast, and filled with three large lochs, Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness. Standing on the shore of Loch Ness was exhilarating.
The Scottish Highlands have made me feel like I am home. Even if the job market is total crap here, seeing the landscape has made me want to stay. I may even move up to Inverness or Perth instead to search for a job...
Photos can be seen here
On an unrelated note, television in the UK is certainly screwed up:
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Izziafiz Blidy Chump?!
After sending a few CVs out this morning, I decided to take a break and tour the city a bit. Ediburgh is really a nice and historic city with lots to see and do. The views of the castle and the city skyline were amazing from different areas.
I also did a bit of tartan searching today, but the popularity of the Carmichael tartan is really small, as I was only able to find a couple rolls of the nice fabric for either 19.50/yard of the single length, or 39.00/yard of the double length. Otherwise, there wasn't much else (not even a glass or a scarf or anything). The Herdman tartan seems to be nonexistant in Edinburgh.
I also got a chance to view the Palace of Holyrood House, but photos are not permitted on the grounds of the palace.
If my connection was better I could upload photos, but I'll have to try another time.
I think I should redirect my search to finding a home since I have already sent out my CV to many people. Maybe having a home might give me a better chance.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Came at the Wrong Time
I spent most of the morning and early part of the afternoon on the streets trying to find a job, but I ended up with almost nothing. Fortunately I passed my CV along to the HR departments at the Scottish Whiskey Experience and the 3D Loch Ness Experience, as well as the HUB on the Royal Mile and the Fruitmarket Gallery on Market Street.
I spoke to the manager at the Kilt Manufacturing Museum, and she expressed to me that Edinburgh is very slow in January, and things most likely will not pick up until Easter. I guess I came at the wrong time.
I checked all over Gumtree, with the NHS in Scotland, schools, Universities, but things are slow.
...at least I got a chance to try Irn Bru. It's basically like an orange-coloured cream soda.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
In Need of a Home
My original plan today was to just do some sight seeing (and I have a couple of photos, but I can't upload them to the internet because the WiFi is being a pain), but I decided just to spend my time being a little more productive and find a home, and since most face-to-face job hunting techniques are not as effective on a Sunday, I did some flat hunting instead. I only was able to see two flats (1 flat, 1 house). I could have seen a third, but I get very discouraged by the incredably slummy area and the very shady characters that loitered nearby.
The house I looked at seemed legit and in pretty good shape. The location is nice, the house is clean and the tenants are friendly (and foreign). However, the local supermarkets are smaller than most, and that might be more expensive.
The other flat semed to be in a good area, close to two different large supermarkets and other beneficial services. However, the flat was more of a U-shaped hall with locked doors to different rooms. No living room, a small kitchen and you do not interact with the other tenants. The carpet in the room was pretty dirty and in need of an update, but the killer part was that there were no smoke detectors in the falt at all. The landlord said that he plans on installing them in mid-February when the inspector stops by.
Overall, I didn't get to see as many flats as I had hoped, but the house seems to be my best bet so far. The other people in the house habe to decide on who they let take the room, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Fatality on the Rail
I left for Edinburgh this afternoon, and everything seemed to go pretty smoothly. However, at the second stop in York on the way to Edinburgh, we ended up sitting in the station for an extra 15 minutes. After we got going, the crew informed us that there had been an accident not too far ahead just past Darlington.
The further along we got, the worse things seemed to get. All that I know now is that there was an accident which led to a fatality on in the path of my train. Things got further backed up, and just before Newcastle, we were informed that the train would have to stop there and could not go any further.
Luckily, Nation Express managed to organize another train that I was able to catch from Newcastle to Edinburgh, but I ended up arriving in Edinburgh well over an hour late.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Covered a bit of ground
I spent quite a bit of the day around London, and after that much walking I am incredibly tired. My feet just do not want to go any further.
However, I did get to see most of what I wanted to, along with getting my mobile set up with a UK number.
I first went to Westminster to get a glimpse of the Thames, Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. That area is quite the sight to behold. Fist of all, the Underground station at Westminster is by far the cleanest and most pleasing station to be in. Most stations are pretty old, run-down and down right dirty, but this one was modern.
Walking along the Thames is sort of relaxing. I was able to enjoy the architecture while listen to Big Ben chime away. The London eye is currently closed for maintenance, but since I'll be here for quite some time I will just have to go another day. The London Aquarium, on the other hand, was fairly disappointing. It was partially under construction, and I most of the time I was forced into an area to have your photo taken for a steep price.
Westminster Abbey, on the other hand, was quite amazing... and cheap. However, Photography was not permitted in the abbey. Still, the history behind it was astonishing.
After a short trip down the Jubilee Underground Line I managed to get my self out to Green Park. According to the signs, the exit I took was supposed to take me to Buckingham Palace. Really, it took me to the opposite side of Green Park, where I had to walk the entire length of th
e park to get to the Palace. Since the Changing of the Guards only occurs every other day in the winter, I did not get a chance to view that event. But, Buckingham palace was nice all the same.
Afterward, I made my way to Hyde Park for lunch, then to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. I decided not to go into the Tower of London based on time, and instead went to into the bridge, which provided some nice views of the city.
I'm dead tired, and tomorrow I have to start job hunting. Maybe in a few weeks I can start touring again like this.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Mind the Gap.. Please
The London-Bound flight was delayed for departing (though early for arrival). I only got two hours of sleep. It was cramped, stuffy and the food was sub-par (the chicken was just not worth it). Overall, the flight was business as usual.
London is certainly different. The city is so large, yet incredibly compact. Trying to find your way around is quite difficult, since the street signs are often placed in awkward places (if there is one at all), and the streets them selves run in every way imaginable. I had quite the adventure trying to find my hostel.
I don't think I will want to stay in London permanently. It's just busy and overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing city, but if I have the opportunity to go elsewhere (like Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, etc.) I will probably go.
I didn't do too much today, so I will post today's photos along with others in the next few days.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Greetings from... Minneapolis!
Not quite there yet, but I guess I could at least get this started while I wait five and-a-half hours for my London-bound flight. For once I wish my first flight was delayed instead of being early (20 minutes).
Not much else to say. If you ever find yourself in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, go to the Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express, it's worth it.
It's kind of ironic that I am typing on my computer in the airport, where there is a large screen directly behind repeating the same commercial over and over again about "Keeping wandering eyes off of your laptop". It's actually quite annoying.