Thursday, 31 May 2007
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
More 5/30 notes, and opera
Truth be told, I don't know that I really have that much more to add about today's adventures...
In regards to the aforementioned statue: one of the many statues of Christ on the Charles Bridge has in gold, the Hebrew words "Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh" ("holy, holy, holy) above it (quoting a verse from Isaiah, and a common declaration of faith for Jews, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts"). In the 17th century, a Jew was put on trial for defaming the statue (spitting on it, allegedly), and the Jewish community was forced to pay for the letters as a means of humiliation. (There's an explanatory plaque next to the statue, which I photographed as well.)
Peter is a wonderfully friendly person; he didn't mind, thankfully, that I left the flowers I had bought in my room. The opera was, as I expected, not really my cup of tea, but the singing and music were at, least, very impressive. I was a tad taken aback that one scene topless female singers (and full frontal from one); nobody seemed fazed, so maybe this was just American prudishnes on my part.
In regards to the aforementioned statue: one of the many statues of Christ on the Charles Bridge has in gold, the Hebrew words "Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh" ("holy, holy, holy) above it (quoting a verse from Isaiah, and a common declaration of faith for Jews, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts"). In the 17th century, a Jew was put on trial for defaming the statue (spitting on it, allegedly), and the Jewish community was forced to pay for the letters as a means of humiliation. (There's an explanatory plaque next to the statue, which I photographed as well.)
Peter is a wonderfully friendly person; he didn't mind, thankfully, that I left the flowers I had bought in my room. The opera was, as I expected, not really my cup of tea, but the singing and music were at, least, very impressive. I was a tad taken aback that one scene topless female singers (and full frontal from one); nobody seemed fazed, so maybe this was just American prudishnes on my part.
A note on cathedrals, and Day 3 in brief
I need to get ready for the opera, so I can't update in detail (will try to do that later tonight, or back in Nottingham tomorrow, depending on how late I get back tonight). But I did make it to the Prague Castle and the Museum of Communism (and yes, Mom, I did see that statue on the Charles Bridge).
St. Vitus Cathedral -- impressive? Sure. Pretty? You bet. Did I feel anything more than the most perfunctory sense of awe and wonder (if that)? Hell no. Yes, folks, I'm officially 100% jaded when it comes to cathedrals. Though admittedly, after Notre Dame and the Vatican, it's pretty much inevitably downhill.
St. Vitus Cathedral -- impressive? Sure. Pretty? You bet. Did I feel anything more than the most perfunctory sense of awe and wonder (if that)? Hell no. Yes, folks, I'm officially 100% jaded when it comes to cathedrals. Though admittedly, after Notre Dame and the Vatican, it's pretty much inevitably downhill.
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Prague Day 2: Terezín
I thought I had plans well figured out, but not quite. Upon exiting at the appropriate Metro station, it took me a disconcertingly long time to actually find the bus terminal, and then to find the correct ticket kiosk, by which time I had missed the bus I intended to catch. The next bus wasn't for an hour and a half.
The tour of the camp itself (the Small Fortress) was quite informative; I usually dislike guided tours, preferring to see things at my own pace, but this was worthwhile. I hadn't been aware of how much history the area had; the whole fortress (which, in its entirety, encompasses the town as well) was built in the late 18th century. Before WWII, the camp was where Gavrilo Princep (at the risk of sounding elitist, I hope I don't need to provide any biographical info there) was imprisoned in the years prior to his death.
The camp is as dreary and depressing as one would expect (complete with an ironic "Arbeit Macht Frei" inscription); it was on several occasions "beautified" to use for propaganda purposes (it worked, persuading international inspectors that conditions were far better than they actually were). The sight of a still-intact gallows was chilling, although I'm told it was only actually used once (to execute several would-be escapees, as a warning to other prisoners).
The town itself, which is surprisingly pretty (though the weather helped), was a ghetto during World War II. There's a very informative Ghetto museum (with more of those heartbreaking children's drawings), as well as a number of smaller museums (including a Jewish museum) that I didn't have time to visit. I did, however, stumble across one with surprisingly extensive exhibits on the art, music, and writing that occurred in the ghetto -- it's remarkable -- as well as a reproduction of a very cramped apartment from the period.
On tomorrow's itinerary: Prague Castle and, I think, the Museum of Communism. Also meeting up with Dad's old friend Peter (Mom, I keep forgetting if you know him as well) and going to the opera -- not necessarily my sort of thing, but it should be a valuable cultural experience nonetheless. (The opera in question is Verdi's "La traviata," of which even an opera philistine such as myself has at least heard.)
The tour of the camp itself (the Small Fortress) was quite informative; I usually dislike guided tours, preferring to see things at my own pace, but this was worthwhile. I hadn't been aware of how much history the area had; the whole fortress (which, in its entirety, encompasses the town as well) was built in the late 18th century. Before WWII, the camp was where Gavrilo Princep (at the risk of sounding elitist, I hope I don't need to provide any biographical info there) was imprisoned in the years prior to his death.
The camp is as dreary and depressing as one would expect (complete with an ironic "Arbeit Macht Frei" inscription); it was on several occasions "beautified" to use for propaganda purposes (it worked, persuading international inspectors that conditions were far better than they actually were). The sight of a still-intact gallows was chilling, although I'm told it was only actually used once (to execute several would-be escapees, as a warning to other prisoners).
The town itself, which is surprisingly pretty (though the weather helped), was a ghetto during World War II. There's a very informative Ghetto museum (with more of those heartbreaking children's drawings), as well as a number of smaller museums (including a Jewish museum) that I didn't have time to visit. I did, however, stumble across one with surprisingly extensive exhibits on the art, music, and writing that occurred in the ghetto -- it's remarkable -- as well as a reproduction of a very cramped apartment from the period.
On tomorrow's itinerary: Prague Castle and, I think, the Museum of Communism. Also meeting up with Dad's old friend Peter (Mom, I keep forgetting if you know him as well) and going to the opera -- not necessarily my sort of thing, but it should be a valuable cultural experience nonetheless. (The opera in question is Verdi's "La traviata," of which even an opera philistine such as myself has at least heard.)
Czech tidbits
1. I forgot to mention this in yesterday's update, but I did get to a few non-Jewish locations (the Astronomical Clock and the Charles Bridge (well, at least one end of it -- I plan on seeing the whole thing tomorrow.)
2. On Czech keyboards, the letters Y and Z are reversed from the usual layout.
3. My favorite Prague native (um, that I can think of): weirdo cult surrealist animator Jan Švankmajer. I recommend Faust in particular.
2. On Czech keyboards, the letters Y and Z are reversed from the usual layout.
3. My favorite Prague native (um, that I can think of): weirdo cult surrealist animator Jan Švankmajer. I recommend Faust in particular.
Monday, 28 May 2007
Prague, Day 1
I don't anticipate much of anything else of interest happening today, so I might as well summarize today's events.
Had breakfast at the hostel (inconsistently spelled as "Chili Hostel" or "Chilli Hostel") -- very simple, but adequate. Then hiked off to Josefov, the old Prague Jewish quarter -- still in remarkably good condition, which can (perversely) be attributed to the Nazis' desire to maintain a "Jewish Museum." It still is a Jewish Museum, of a different sort, split among several old synagogues. A lot of interesting artifacts; some of the displays, particularly in regard to Jewish holidays, are clearly aimed at those with absolutely no familiarity with the religion.
Mom, you may or may not be pleased to know that there's a decent amount of Golem-themed tourist kitsch (I took a photo of a Golem Restaurant, miniature ceramic Golems are pretty ubiquitous, and I saw an ad for a very tacky-looking musical based on the story.)
This is stream-of-consciousness, so I think I may be getting ahead of myself, for those of you unfamiliar with family history. My great-great-great-great... (et cetera, et cetera -- no clue what the correct number of "greats" is) grandfather was Rabbi Judah Loew, a somewhat famous rabbi known as the Maharal of Prague. Legend (admittedly, I don't really believe it, but it's an interesting story nonetheless) has it that he once created a Golem (a living creature made out of clay) in order to defend Josefov from anti-Jewish attacks, but was forced to destroy it when it became too violent. (I may not want to cite Wikipedia for papers, but their entry on this has a lot of interesting context. Take a look, people.)
Anyway, I managed to visit Rabbi Loew's former synagogue, the "Old-New Synagogue" (aka Altneushul, aka Staronová) which is still in use -- quite impressive, given that it dates back to the 13th century -- and the Old Jewish Cemetary next door, which has Rabbi Loew's tombstone. It's quite a sight -- the Jews were forbidden to expand it, which forced them to stack graves vertically, and also resulted in a rather dense collection of tombstones.)
The most moving exhibit was a Holocaust memorial at the Pinkas synagogue, with thousands of names of victims surrounding its walls, and a collection of lovely (and, given the context, disturbing) children's art from Terezín (Theresienstadt). More on that tomorrow, since I'm planning on visiting the site then (it's less than an hour from Prague by bus), based on a parental suggestion. (No, Dad, I don't feel like you pressured me into it; it seems interesting, and I didn't really have enough planned to fill three full days, anyway.)
As you may have gathered, there's not so much wacky fun stuff I'm doing... this trip is, I guess, mostly educational. What can I say?
Had breakfast at the hostel (inconsistently spelled as "Chili Hostel" or "Chilli Hostel") -- very simple, but adequate. Then hiked off to Josefov, the old Prague Jewish quarter -- still in remarkably good condition, which can (perversely) be attributed to the Nazis' desire to maintain a "Jewish Museum." It still is a Jewish Museum, of a different sort, split among several old synagogues. A lot of interesting artifacts; some of the displays, particularly in regard to Jewish holidays, are clearly aimed at those with absolutely no familiarity with the religion.
Mom, you may or may not be pleased to know that there's a decent amount of Golem-themed tourist kitsch (I took a photo of a Golem Restaurant, miniature ceramic Golems are pretty ubiquitous, and I saw an ad for a very tacky-looking musical based on the story.)
This is stream-of-consciousness, so I think I may be getting ahead of myself, for those of you unfamiliar with family history. My great-great-great-great... (et cetera, et cetera -- no clue what the correct number of "greats" is) grandfather was Rabbi Judah Loew, a somewhat famous rabbi known as the Maharal of Prague. Legend (admittedly, I don't really believe it, but it's an interesting story nonetheless) has it that he once created a Golem (a living creature made out of clay) in order to defend Josefov from anti-Jewish attacks, but was forced to destroy it when it became too violent. (I may not want to cite Wikipedia for papers, but their entry on this has a lot of interesting context. Take a look, people.)
Anyway, I managed to visit Rabbi Loew's former synagogue, the "Old-New Synagogue" (aka Altneushul, aka Staronová) which is still in use -- quite impressive, given that it dates back to the 13th century -- and the Old Jewish Cemetary next door, which has Rabbi Loew's tombstone. It's quite a sight -- the Jews were forbidden to expand it, which forced them to stack graves vertically, and also resulted in a rather dense collection of tombstones.)
The most moving exhibit was a Holocaust memorial at the Pinkas synagogue, with thousands of names of victims surrounding its walls, and a collection of lovely (and, given the context, disturbing) children's art from Terezín (Theresienstadt). More on that tomorrow, since I'm planning on visiting the site then (it's less than an hour from Prague by bus), based on a parental suggestion. (No, Dad, I don't feel like you pressured me into it; it seems interesting, and I didn't really have enough planned to fill three full days, anyway.)
As you may have gathered, there's not so much wacky fun stuff I'm doing... this trip is, I guess, mostly educational. What can I say?
Sunday, 27 May 2007
As should be apparent, I did, in fact, make it to Prague safely. Unfortunately, I am very, very, very short on sleep -- I seem to be turning into an insomniac -- so I'm not planning on seeing or doing much of anything tonight.
The weather when I left England was very cold and rainy, whereas here it's almost 80 F. Since I was wearing a sweater, this meant that the walk to the hostel was a sweaty one indeed.
Will keep this updated. Planning on visiting some family history at the Old-New Synagogue (Altneushul) tomorrow.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that I took off the sweater en route. And it seems to have disappeared in the interim. Fortunately, I'm not normally quite this absent-minded, but damn, do I hate feeling stupid.
The weather when I left England was very cold and rainy, whereas here it's almost 80 F. Since I was wearing a sweater, this meant that the walk to the hostel was a sweaty one indeed.
Will keep this updated. Planning on visiting some family history at the Old-New Synagogue (Altneushul) tomorrow.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that I took off the sweater en route. And it seems to have disappeared in the interim. Fortunately, I'm not normally quite this absent-minded, but damn, do I hate feeling stupid.
Leaving for Prague (well, for a bus into town, from where I will take a bus to the airport) in less than an hour. I'd like to pretend I have this all well planned, but I don't have anything resembling a clear schedule planned out in advance. Then again, I didn't in Paris, Barcelona, or Rome, either, and those worked out adequately...
EDIT: Forgot to mention -- I will hopefully take plenty of pictures, but none of them will have me in them. As Nathan can attest, my camera is in such a state of disrepair that I cannot reasonably ask anyone else to use it.
EDIT: Forgot to mention -- I will hopefully take plenty of pictures, but none of them will have me in them. As Nathan can attest, my camera is in such a state of disrepair that I cannot reasonably ask anyone else to use it.
Saturday, 26 May 2007
Grammar
The computer network here displays a screen with various notices whenever one logs in. There's one currently up that refers to "cyclist's" and "user's."
APOSTROPHES ARE USED FOR POSSESSIVES AND CONTRACTIONS. THEY ARE NEVER, EVER USED TO INDICATE PLURALS. Thank you.
Had a good night last night, which I'm not really going to elaborate on (nothing too crazy, though), and I'm off to Prague tomorrow. Should be fun, I hope.
APOSTROPHES ARE USED FOR POSSESSIVES AND CONTRACTIONS. THEY ARE NEVER, EVER USED TO INDICATE PLURALS. Thank you.
Had a good night last night, which I'm not really going to elaborate on (nothing too crazy, though), and I'm off to Prague tomorrow. Should be fun, I hope.
Thursday, 24 May 2007
Thrown like a star in my vast sleep...
1. I am pleased to say that I am done with my exams. The South exam went well, I thought; I kind of had to rush through my conclusions, and I'm worried I did too much name-dropping of supplemental reading I had done, but... so be it. I can't begin to express what a relief it is not to have academic obligations hanging over my head... for now.
Anyway, though I feel a need to celebrate the end of my exams, that will be saved in earnest for tomorrow night (when certain recreational expenditures, which I will leave to the imagination, will reach... higher than usual levels. Look, I'm only young once.) Instead, I went to see Zodiac, which I had been looking forward to for... over a year, at least. It came out in the US in early March and flopped (God bless the taste of the American public), but wasn't released here in the UK until last Friday. I decided I should wait until my exams were over with to see it, but anyways, it is a brilliant (though long) film, and one which I strongly recommend you all see.
Note: The title of this post is the first line of Donovan's 1967 hit "Hurdy Gurdy Man," which is used to fantastic effect in the film.
Anyway, though I feel a need to celebrate the end of my exams, that will be saved in earnest for tomorrow night (when certain recreational expenditures, which I will leave to the imagination, will reach... higher than usual levels. Look, I'm only young once.) Instead, I went to see Zodiac, which I had been looking forward to for... over a year, at least. It came out in the US in early March and flopped (God bless the taste of the American public), but wasn't released here in the UK until last Friday. I decided I should wait until my exams were over with to see it, but anyways, it is a brilliant (though long) film, and one which I strongly recommend you all see.
Note: The title of this post is the first line of Donovan's 1967 hit "Hurdy Gurdy Man," which is used to fantastic effect in the film.
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
Breaking news
Well, not really, but I watched this online just now...
The Daily Show, which I love so much, called Wesleyan a safety school on last night's episode. I'm heartbroken. Well, not really, but a tad frustrated.
The clip in question
The full segment, for context
The Daily Show, which I love so much, called Wesleyan a safety school on last night's episode. I'm heartbroken. Well, not really, but a tad frustrated.
The clip in question
The full segment, for context
instead of studying (or, um, "revising") I offer some insights into British food
Standard british condiments:
"Salad Cream" - apparently this is sort of like mayonnaise. But it isn't actually mayonnaise, which is also a popular condiment.
"Brown sauce" - akin to steak sauce. I like it.
Mint sauce - made with mint leaves soaked in vinegar. Unaesthetically appealing, but I've acquired a taste for it.
Golden syrup - sugar syrup, a common ingredient in desserts
Hard candies are called "boiled sweets."
Wine gums are gummy candies. They do not actually contain wine.
Flapjacks are not pancakes; they are, rather, bar cookies, usually with oats and butter (or oil of some sort) as a main ingredient. They're very dense, and very, very high in calories and fat; I've stayed away from them.
"Fudge" is similar in consistency to its American equivalent, but here it does not contain any chocolate unless specified.
Lemonade -- well, Brits don't know what it is, really. "Lemonade" here is simply lemon-flavored soda, often devoid of any actual lemon-based ingredients. The closest thing to American lemonade I've seen here is lemon squash.
(Yes, I have a sweet tooth. Sue me.)
"Salad Cream" - apparently this is sort of like mayonnaise. But it isn't actually mayonnaise, which is also a popular condiment.
"Brown sauce" - akin to steak sauce. I like it.
Mint sauce - made with mint leaves soaked in vinegar. Unaesthetically appealing, but I've acquired a taste for it.
Golden syrup - sugar syrup, a common ingredient in desserts
Hard candies are called "boiled sweets."
Wine gums are gummy candies. They do not actually contain wine.
Flapjacks are not pancakes; they are, rather, bar cookies, usually with oats and butter (or oil of some sort) as a main ingredient. They're very dense, and very, very high in calories and fat; I've stayed away from them.
"Fudge" is similar in consistency to its American equivalent, but here it does not contain any chocolate unless specified.
Lemonade -- well, Brits don't know what it is, really. "Lemonade" here is simply lemon-flavored soda, often devoid of any actual lemon-based ingredients. The closest thing to American lemonade I've seen here is lemon squash.
(Yes, I have a sweet tooth. Sue me.)
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
I'm happy to report that my second exam (Politics of Science Fiction) went much better. I kind of had to rush a little towards the end of the second essay, but overall I think I -- to quote a certain TV series -- nailed it; I knew what I was talking about, and I think I explained myself well. Anyway, it's not as though an essay written in an hour can be held to quite the same standards as an essay that one is given several months to work on.
Speaking of essays, my professor for Representing the South is supposed to have the essays ready in her office... right now. So I'm off to take care of that -- hoping for the best.
Speaking of essays, my professor for Representing the South is supposed to have the essays ready in her office... right now. So I'm off to take care of that -- hoping for the best.
Saturday, 19 May 2007
Survived (in a manner of speaking) my first exam - Television Cultures. I don't think it went terribly well, though since it only counts for 40% of my grade, and I've done very well on the other 60%, I'd have to have done disastrously not to wind up with something passible in the final equation. I really, really, don't like these types of exams -- lots of questions asking me to explain something "as discussed in lecture," which to me suggests valuing memorization and near-verbatim regurgitation of lecture notes, as opposed to an actual understanding of the underlying concepts. Hopefully I got at least partial credit on most questions, though.
Saturday, 12 May 2007
Exciting update on upcoming travels
Made my reservations.
In addition to the aforementioned Prague trip at the end of the month:
Edinburgh - June 3rd-6th
Amsterdam - June 6th-9th
Leaves me with a few days to pack up and say my goodbyes before I head home. The last night in Amsterdam, I'm staying in a Christian (!) hostel, of all places; I'm leaving on a Saturday, and most of the other hostels seem to require that one stay for the whole weekend (if during a weekend at all). Fortunately, according to the reviews I've found online, it's not a shove-bibles-in-your face sort of Christian establishment. It is, however, both drug- and alcohol-free, which strikes me as a tad... odd in what may well be the world's most decadent city.
In addition to the aforementioned Prague trip at the end of the month:
Edinburgh - June 3rd-6th
Amsterdam - June 6th-9th
Leaves me with a few days to pack up and say my goodbyes before I head home. The last night in Amsterdam, I'm staying in a Christian (!) hostel, of all places; I'm leaving on a Saturday, and most of the other hostels seem to require that one stay for the whole weekend (if during a weekend at all). Fortunately, according to the reviews I've found online, it's not a shove-bibles-in-your face sort of Christian establishment. It is, however, both drug- and alcohol-free, which strikes me as a tad... odd in what may well be the world's most decadent city.
the continual butchering of the English language
"Located just off the Royal Mile (High Street), this hostel is literally within spitting distance of the Edinburgh Castle, the Waverly train/bus station, and a slew of the best restaurants and pubs in Edinburgh."
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
thrills
Certain parties (ok, one "certain party") have expressed concern over my lack of updates. Look, if I really thought there was anything remotely enthralling to post, I'd have done it...(OK, I saw a couple good performances by the student theatre. And there was a really impressive rainbow yesterday (it disappeared by the time I got my camera, though).
Aside from that, the past two weeks have been full of such enthralling incidents as... writing essays... and procrastinating by browsing web sites when I should have been writing my essays... and writing my damn essays.
As of this morning, I am finally done with both of them, PRAISE THE LORD. Now I just need to start studying (um, "revising," in crazy Brit-speak) for my three exams. I'm actually not that worried, though... hopefully that's not naive.
Aside from that, the past two weeks have been full of such enthralling incidents as... writing essays... and procrastinating by browsing web sites when I should have been writing my essays... and writing my damn essays.
As of this morning, I am finally done with both of them, PRAISE THE LORD. Now I just need to start studying (um, "revising," in crazy Brit-speak) for my three exams. I'm actually not that worried, though... hopefully that's not naive.
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