Christopher's Expat Adventure

Postcards

2011-12-12T22:33:00.011+01:00

I always send six postcards back to the USA when I travel. Part of my routine is that I find a nice little cafe somewhere, have a latté, and write out my postcards. It helps me focus my thoughts for possible blog posts later. With every card I actually try to write something of substance as opposed to "Greetings from where ever" and "Bye".

At times, the biggest challenge is just getting stamps. Every country is a little different. Sometimes you can buy stamps from a postcard kiosk on the street. Sometimes you buy stamps at a tobacco shop or a newsstand. Sometimes you can purchase stamps in hotel lobbies. And other times you have to go to the post office. When I arrive at a new destination, one of the first things I find out about is the post situation. Especially if I arrive someplace on a Saturday morning because you never know at what time the post office will close.

In Kosovo, the only place you can buy stamps is at the post office which, of course, is closed on Sundays. I even went to the Grand Hotel to see if they possibly had stamps I could purchase. They did sell stamps. Great. However, on Sundays, the stamps are locked away upstairs and no one on duty had the key. Not so great. So my Kosovo postcards were all mailed from Albania.

I always ask for a postcard stamp to North America. Some countries charge different prices depending on where the postcard is going. For example, in Germany an international postcard stamp costs €0,75 regardless if it goes next door to Austria or all the way to Australia.

France charges €0,75 for the European Union and Switzerland but €0,89 for the rest of Europe or the USA.

Italy is expensive. There it's €0,75 for Europe, €1,60 for the USA and €2 for Australia.

In the Czech Republic, it's 20 Kč for Europe and 21 Kč (~$1.10) for the USA. I just budget in $15 for stamps and postcards on every trip I take and I'm covered.

There are normally mail boxes at airports and train stations. Most hotels will also mail things off for you, if you don't have time to find a box or the actual post office. In Albania, there are no mail boxes. The only mail boxes in the entire capital are in front of the post office so you have to go to the post office to mail anything.

My niece has a map of the world on her bedroom wall and she tacks up all of the post cards I send her. Someone else has a special album filled with the cards I've sent. My mom had the most creative idea. She pastes recipes on the back side of any postcard she receives and then puts them in an actual post card rack. Pretty clever.

Vienna Day Trip

2011-12-11T21:59:00.022+01:00

By train, Vienna is only 1.5 hours away from Brno. Miran came up from Murska Sobota for the weekend and we took a day trip on Saturday to do a little sightseeing and visit the Christmas markets. I can't believe that I've been so busy this year that this was the first time I've been to Vienna in 2011, aside from going to the airport.

Wien is a great city!! It's always funny to me that people consider Vienna as part of Western Europe and Prague is viewed as Eastern Europe when Vienna is actually further east than Prague. I know it goes back to the days of the Iron Curtain. However, one thing is for sure, Vienna is a major capital city with one of the highest quality of life standards in the world.

We started the day of by walking around the Schönbrunn Palace which used to the the summer residence of the Habsburg imperial family. It is one of the most impressive Baroque complexes in Europe. It was built to rival Versailles in France but the Habsburgs didn't quite have the funds necessary to outdo the French palace. The Schönbrunn complex contains the Gloriette, massive gardens, a palm house and a zoo. The entire complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was the first time I've been to Schönbrunn. I really want to go back in spring when all of the flowers are in bloom and, of course, to take a tour inside the palace.

However, my first visit will be to the zoo before next summer. Built in 1760, it's the oldest zoo in the world. Plus it has pandas! In 2010, Fu Hu was born but he will return to China in 2012 so I need to get to the zoo before he leaves.

Stephansdom, St. Stephen's Cathedral was built in 1147. It's in the city center and for many years its 137 meters (~450 feet) made it Europe's highest building. The cathedral is nice enough but the exterior has been undergoing renovation since before I moved to Europe and the inside is quite dark. Stephansdom is also very crowded but worth the visit. Here's a Rick Steves video I found out on YouTube.

I much prefer Peterskirche, St. Peter's Church. The medieval Baroque church was built in 1733. Many experts believe that the church was adapted from a previously secular building because it has three alters with an apse in the south instead of the normal eastern orientation. Renovation was completed in 2004. The inside is bright and quite lovely. Highly recommended.

There is always so much to see and do in Vienna but it seemed that everyone else had the same idea we did which was to visit the Christmas markets. The markets were great as usual. Granted it was a Saturday but it seemed so much more crowded this time compared to last year and the year before. I heard more Czech, Slovak, Slovenian and Hungarian spoken than I did German.

It was such a nice day. I only wish that I still had my camera so I could have taken pictures. Fortunately, Miran didn't seem to mind being the designated photographer for the day.

2011 Department Christmas Party

2011-12-09T22:23:00.007+01:00

On Wednesday night we had our annual IBM Project Management Department Christmas Party. This year's dress code was black and white and a mandatory mask. The party was a lot of fun and it was great to see everyone outside of the office.

Everyone voted before hand for our PM Oscars and I ended up the big winner. I was voted "Funniest PM" and "Best Boss". I was very flattered.

We rented out the same bar we used last year so it was only IBMers at the bar. Until late in the evening when the bouncer started letting in a few of his friends. At the end of the night we were all leaving and I made a big mistake. I accidentally took the wrong gift bag. The problem is that my gift bag contained my Oscars and my camera. My camera!! We've followed up with the pub but it hasn't turned up. My camera had a 32Gb memory card and it contained all of my photos from Steluta's birthday and Thanksgiving, and all of the my pictures from the Christmas party.

EDIT: Well my camera never turned up. That's bad enough but the thing that really sucks is that I lost all of the photos on my memory card.

Mikuláš Time

2011-12-05T22:43:00.009+01:00

Tomorrow is St. Mikuláš Day which means that today is when you will see Mikuláš giving out treats to kids. Often he is accompanied by an angel and a devil.

Today, Mikuláš visited IBM and went around our department giving out candy. No angel or devil this year but here are a couple of pics.

Everyone got a big kick out of Vilém dressed up as Mikuláš, with his big basket of sweets.

Děkuju Vildo!!

2011 Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T21:26:00.015+01:00

Well another Brno Thanksgiving has come and gone. This is my favorite time of year. I really fell that, to most Americans, Thanksgiving is more important than Christmas. With Thanksgiving it is all about being with family and friends and enjoying each others' company without all of the crazy commercialism. And I really like sharing it will all of my friends over here in Euroland.

Rather than use the same turkey farm I've used the past two years, I special ordered the bird from a local halal shop. I planned on an 11 kg bird to easily feed 25 people. When we showed up to pick up the turkey we were told that all they had for us was a 14 kg (31 lb) turkey. I wasn't sure if this Frankenturkey would even fit in to my oven. Whew! Just barely.

Of course, Thanksgiving here would not have been possible without help from the US. Thanks again to my mom for sending over a few key supplies. And a big thanks to Steven and Michael!! They brought me aluminum turkey pans when we met up in Paris this year. These disposable pans just aren't available over here. The pans have a 9 kg (20 lb) capacity so I was pushing it with a 14 kg bird. Fortunately it worked out fine and after 8.5 hours in the oven we were ready to eat.

I also had help this year with some of the prep work. Kamila came over on Friday and made all of the pie crusts. She also baked her very first red velvet cake. Claudia brought over her delicious pumpkin soup and Miran helped with peeling potatoes, carrots and he made the deviled eggs. It's amazing how just a little bit of help can make such a difference. I was able to get to sleep on Friday before midnight which was nice since I had to prep the bird at 4:30 AM.

Anyway, we had all of the traditional fixings and then some; turkey, dressing, pumpkin soup, sweet potato casserole, mac 'n cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, broccoli and rice casserole, corn bread muffins with honey butter, spinach dip, deviled eggs, glazed carots, pecan pie, Bundt cake, cherry cake, red velvet cake, and Prekmurska gibanica. Yum!! And definitely lots of leftovers for the office on Monday.

It's always fun introducing people to Thanksgiving because some of our dishes are just unheard of over here. People are always surprised by sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows. But they are always one of the first things that we run out of and I always have requests for the recipe.

Afterwards we were so full we could barely move. After the "turkey coma" had worn off and the alcohol had kicked in we headed off to the Brno Christmas market.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this such a great time.

Dr Pepper

2011-11-25T21:45:00.003+01:00

One of the things that I miss about living over here in the ČR is Dr Pepper. I never drank it hardcore but I would enjoy the occasional soda. I think that I may miss it more simply because it's not available here.

I've had Dr Pepper in the UK but they don't sell it here. One of my colleagues found it at Kaufland and brought me a bottle to work. I went to Interspar and they actually have Dr Pepper in stock. I almost cried with happiness.

Too bad I can't buy it at Albert or Tesco. A few of my Czech friends have said that I need to remove it from my blog's list of things not available here in Czechland. Not so fast! I'm first going to wait and see if this is just a passing fad. I got all excited last year when I saw passion fruit juice at Tesco. I was so happy that I bought all 8 liters they had on the shelf. And I've never seen it since then. But here's hoping that I'll now be able to enjoy a cold Dr Pepper whenever I feel like it.

Steluta's Birthday

2011-11-24T22:15:00.009+01:00

Yesterday was Steluta's birthday so Katka arranged for a few of us to surprise her with a cooking class. So here's the catch...wait for it...the cooking class was entirely in Czech. Oh good grief.

The class was held at the Míele store here in Brno. At first it seemed like it would turn out to be a big sales pitch but fortunately it wasn't. It was actually a lot of fun and Steluta was totally surprised.

Steluta, Katka, Sabine, Natalie and I joined in for an Italian cooking class, again, entirely in Czech. All of the participants were split in to two groups to prepare a four-course meal, complete with wine and coffee.

We started off with an eggplant, cheese, onion and peppers stack thing served with a parsley vinaigrette. We followed this up with a pesto pasta dish. Our entrée was fish served with risotto. It was all quite tasty! Dessert was tiramisu and it too was yummy!!

Pavel showed up at the end with a bottle of champagne for the birthday toast. A fun evening but now I have to get my head in the game and focus on Saturday's Thanksgiving fiesta.

Berlin Buddy Bears

2011-11-21T20:52:00.007+01:00

The bear is Berlin's mascot and appears on the city flag.

Throughout Berlin you can find the Buddy Bears. The 2 meter (6 foot) fiberglass sculptures are individually painted. You can find the colorful bears scattered all over the German capital.

The Buddy Bears started with an artistic event in 2001. Many of the bears have even gone on tour to 15 different countries.

Berlin Airport Protest

2011-11-20T23:43:00.008+01:00

Yesterday was my first German protest. After a little sightseeing we went by the Brandenburg Gate to see what was going on. About 10,000 people came to protest against the night time flight plans that will go in to effect once the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) starts operating in 2012.

The current international airport is Berlin Tegel (TXL), located about 8 km (5 miles) northwest of the central Berlin. Last year, Tegel served over 15 million passengers making it the 4th busiest airport in Germany (and Europe's 13th busiest).

Tegel is scheduled to close on June 3, 2012 which is when Brandenburg will open. Brandenburg is located in Schönfeld, about 18 km (11 miles) from central Berlin, and will incorporate some of the infrastructure at the existing Schönfeld airport. The new airport will be able to handle 27 million passengers per year and will become Germany's 3rd busiest airport. Construction costs for BER are €2.5 billion (+$3.2 billion).

Brandenburg International will receive the secondary name "Willy Brandt airport" named after the former West German chancellor, mayor of West Berlin and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The airport will be a hub for Air Berlin, Germania, Easyjet, Germanwings and Lufthansa.

Due to noise abatement regulations, flights are banned between midnight and 5 AM. Everyone at the demonstration was protesting the increased noise and pollution. No one wants planes flying over their houses at night. The demonstrators want a complete ban on flights from 10 PM to 6 AM.

Wardrobes

2011-11-19T22:56:00.003+01:00

In the Czech Republic, and in most of Europe, homes do not normally have built-in closets. People here have free standing wardrobes.

In the USA, you can't describe a room as a room if it does not have a closet. One of the main reasons I chose my flat in Brno is because it actually has a walk-in closet.

Claudia's sister, Connie, is moving in to a new flat in Berlin so we offered to help move some furniture from her parents' house. No problem since it helped her parents out.

But dang...that wardrobe was heavy as hell!

Jupiter Jones & My Glorious

2011-11-19T06:47:00.001+01:00

Last night was my first German concert. I had never heard of either group before but it was a blast!! After dinner, we all went to Berlin's Astra Kulturhaus to see Jupiter Jones. Their opening act was My Glorious.

Jupiter Jones is a German punk rock band that came together in 2002. It's named after the young detective in the American adventure series The Three Investigators. The group has gone from being a small-town band to selling out major venues in Germany.

In August 2010, Jupiter Jones signed a record deal with Columbia Berlin (Sony).

In April 2011, their single Still was the most played German language song on German radio. Here's the video for Still that I found out on YouTube.

Here's last night's performance of Sonne? Scheint!

My Glorious is an Indie rock group out of Vienna. The trio consists of singer/guitarist Sami Goodenough from the UK and Austrian twins Gregor and Paul Sailer who play bass and drums respectively. They sing in both English and German.

Since coming together in 2008, they have played in Austria, Germany, the UK, Israel and the USA. Their debut album in 2008 did well on the US college radio charts. Here's their song Give Me Time. Enjoy!

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

2011-11-18T23:56:00.017+01:00

Sachsenhausen was a Nazi concentration camp located, 35 km (22 miles) north of Berlin, in Oranienburg. It was not originally intended to be an extermination camp. It was at first a training camp for SS officers who later served at extermination camps in the east. In 1942, large numbers of Jewish prisoners were sent to Auschwitz. Gas chambers and ovens were installed here in March 1943.

Between 1936 and 1945 around 200,000 people passed through the gates. At first, most of the prisoners were political opponents of the Nazi regime. Over time, those the Nazis considered racially or biologically inferior were also sent here.

Prior to the Nazis, Berlin was very liberal and was a mecca for gays. So it's no surprise that Sachsenhausen had more homosexual prisoners than any other Nazi concentration camp.

Each prisoner had to wear a colored triangle for easy classification. Red triangles were for political prisoners and communists. Black triangles were for social misfits, brown triangles were for Sinti and Roma (Gypsies), green triangles were for repeat criminal offenders (murderers and rapists), white triangles were for the "work shy", purple triangles were for Jehovah's Witnesses, pink triangles were for homosexuals and Jews wore two yellow triangles to form a six point star.

Sachsenhausen was home to the largest counterfeiting operation in history. The Nazis forced inmate artisans to produce fake currency in order to undermine the economies of the UK and America. Over £1 billion in counterfeited banknotes were recovered.

In the spring of 1945 the Soviet Red Army was advancing on Berlin. On April 20-21, the camp prepared for evacuation and 33,000 inmates were marched northeast. Those prisoners that collapsed along the way were shot. On April 22, 1945, the Red Army and Polish troops liberated the remaining 3,000 inmates, including 1,400 women.

After the war, Sachsenhausen was used as an NKVD (pre-KGB) special camp until 1950. It was then used by the East German military until 1990. However, in 1961, 5% of the original camp became a memorial.

East Germany's communist government emphasized the suffering of political prisoners above all other groups. The memorial obelisk has 18 red triangles (for communists) but no others. I guess honoring the Jews, gays and others who perished here wasn't a priority for East German communists.

One thing that most people don't realize is that in Nazi Germany, being gay was a criminal offense. So, in both East and West Germany, gays who were freed from concentration camps were transferred to civilian prisons to complete their sentences. Gays were also denied the reparations given out by the West German government to other groups who spent time in concentration camps.

Probably the most famous Sachsenhausen prisoner was the Reverend Martin Niemöller. He is best remembered for this famous quote.

In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up because I was Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time, there was no one left to speak for me.

We all need to stand up to injustice.

Dresden Frauenkirche

2011-11-17T23:49:00.014+01:00

The Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) is a Lutheran, Baroque church that was originally completed in 1743. It dominated the Dresden skyline for 200 years.

Unlike the majority of the buildings in the city center, it survived the two days and nights of heavy Allied bombing in 1945.

The sandstone pillars which supported the church's dome finally collapsed at 10 AM on February 15, 1945. When the outer walls shattered, nearly 6,000 tons of stone came crashing down. Fortunately the 300 people who had sought refuge inside the church got out before it all came down.

East Germany's communist government let the blackened stones sit in a pile in the city center for 45 years. It had been declared a memorial against war and was a symbol of British and American aggression.

Due to the continuing decay of the ruins, the government decided in 1985 that it would rebuild the Frauenkirche.

It wasn't until after German reunification that rebuilding efforts actually began. It took 11 years and €180 million (+$234 million) but the Frauenkirche was re-consecrated on October 30, 2005. Just in time for Dresden's 800th anniversary.

Approximately 3,800 of the 8,500 salvaged stones from the original church were used in rebuilding efforts.

It is a very beautiful church! There's a lot to see in Dresden but it's worth the visit just to go see this church.

Dresden, Germany

2011-11-17T22:49:00.020+01:00

Dresden is Germany's 14th largest city. It's the capital city of the Free State of Saxony. The city is on the Elbe River, near the Czech border. Dresden is 200 km (124 miles) south of Berlin and west of Wrocław, and 150 km (93 miles) north of Prague.

Dresden became a city in 1206 and in 2006 it celebrated its 800th anniversary. In the 18th century it was called the "Florence of the north" when it was an artistic center. During the 20th century it was a leading center for art, classical music, culture and science until it was destroyed in 1945.

Today Dresden is one of Europe's greenest cities. Over 60% of the city is filled with green zones and forests.

Over 90% of the city center was destroyed during WWII. On February 13 - 14, 1945, the city was bombed twice by the Royal Air Force and once by the U.S. Army Air Corps. To this day, it is still one of the most controversial Allied actions of the war. 1,300 bombers dropped over 3,900 tons of high explosives and incendiary devices causing a firestorm that destroyed 39 sq km (15 sq miles) of the city center. Dresden was bombed 12 weeks before the end of the war. The city had become a haven to over a half-million refugees and was not a high value military target. Some people think that the attacks were revenge on Germany for the Luftwaffe's bombing of London. Others think it was more of a warning to intimidate the Soviet Red Army that would arrive in Dresden within a few days.

There has been lots of restoration work and now the historic city center is quite impressive. There's a good deal to see here. Unfortunately, we only planned a couple of hours for Dresden but you can be sure that I'll be back once it warms up.

The Zwinger Palace is the town's most famous landmark. The Baroque complex of pavilions and galleries was built between 1710 - 1732.

The Semperoper is home to the Saxon State Opera. The original opera was completed in 1841. The opera wasn't rebuilt until February 1985.

The Katholische Hofkirche (Church of the Court) was built to counter the Protestant Frauenkirche. The Baroque church was built between 1738 - 1751. Reconstruction began in 1979 and in 1980 it became a cathedral.

The Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) was originally built in 1733. For almost 50 years, the church was nothing more than a pile of rubble. I know that resources were sometimes scares in the days of communism. But damn!! It seems like it took forever to rebuilt this town. The new church was finally consecrated in 2005.

The Dresden Elbe Valley was a UNESCO World Heritage Site for five years. In 2009, it was removed from the list due to construction of the Waldschlößchenbrücke highway bridge across the valley within 2 km (1.25 miles) of the historic city center. This was the first location in Europe ever to lose its status and only the second ever in the world to be de-listed.

In East Berlin they have Ampelmännchen, the little traffic light men. In January 2005, Dresden installed the first of ten Ampelfrauen traffic signals.

Upcoming Berlin Weekend

2011-11-17T04:21:00.011+01:00

Happy November 17th!! Today is Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day and it's a public holiday here in the ČR.

For my birthday back in July, Claudia's parents invited me up for a long weekend in Berlin. Sweet!! Like almost everyone else here I'm taking Friday off and giving myself a four day weekend. So in just a couple of hours I'm off to Berlin with Claudia and Norbert. It's normally about a six hour drive up to Berlin. Though today we're making a stop on the way, in Dresden, to do a little sightseeing.

On Friday night we're going to see some punk rock concert. A group called Jupiter Jones is performing and apparently they are quite popular. I believe the opening act is My Glorious which is a group out of Vienna. Other than that not a lot is planned. If we have time, we may try to visit Sachsenhausen which is a former concentration camp outside of the city.

I'm sure it seems like I'm never actually in Brno. But I actually do spend some time at home. However, it will feel good to get away for a few days. So Čau for now, or more appropriately auf Deutsch, tschüß!!

Boskovice

2011-11-13T21:47:00.019+01:00

Boskovice is about 35 km (22 miles) from Brno. It's in the north part of the South Moravian region. It's a cute little town with a castle, a chateau, a preserved Jewish quarter and one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in the Czech Republic.

The Gothic-Renaissance castle dates back to the mid 13th century. From up at the castle there is a good view of the Malá Haná and Drahany Highlands.

The chateau's origins go back to the 1820s. After 1991, it was finally returned to the original owners – the House of Mensdorff-Pouilly.

There is also a greenhouse. Unfortunately, in November everything is closed so a future trip needs to be planned in the Spring in order to see the interiors of the castle, chateau and greenhouse.

At the lower part of the main town square is the St. James the Elder church. The first written reference to the church was in 1346. Around 1500 it was reconstructed and in 1845-1847 it was remodeled in Gothic style.

Boskovice used to have one of the largest communities in Moravia. At its height there were 1,810 Jews living here. During the first Czechoslovak Republic there were only about 460 in Boskovice.

In 1942, the Jews were sent off to concentration camps and only 14 people returned. Today's Jewish Quarter is made up of 13 streets and 79 preserved houses. Over 25 buildings have been declared national monuments and are protected by the Czech government.

The Major Synagogue was built in 1639.

The Jewish cemetery is believed to be the third-largest in the country. The 2,500 marble, granite, limestone and sandstone tombstones date back from 1670 to the 2oth century.

The tombstones are written in Hebrew, German and Czech. Some are in better shape than others.

Near the town, there's even a Wild West town complete with Cowboys and Indians. I'm told it is one of the most popular Wild West cities in the ČR. I'm surprised that there's one, much less more than one, but oh well. I will be sure to check it out once it warms up a bit.

Hijacked Care Package

2011-11-03T21:36:00.008+01:00

My best friend Steven sent me a belated birthday care package from Atlanta. He is the best! I received the usual notification that I had a package waiting so I was very surprised when all that was waiting for me was a notification from the good people at Česká Pošta that they were holding my package in Prague.

Apparently, since April 1st, there was a change in the customs regulations in order to be more compliant with EU standards. The rule changes impact the allotted value of goods shipped from outside of the EU. There are certain things that get you red-flagged, such as tobacco, alcohol, perfume and cosmetics.

Among the many items that Steven declared on the customs form were 10 sticks of deodorant valued at $20. Deodorant equals cosmetics so my box was put in holding. The Czech government wanted its VAT. I felt so violated.

I had two choices. I could go to Prague and deal directly with the post office, and customs, and pay the tax on $20 worth of deodorant. I went with option #2 where I filled out a power of attorney form, allowing the post office to represent me with the customs office, and e-mailed it.

Two weeks later the postal worker showed up with my box and a bill. In total it cost me about $12 for the administrative fee of figuring out how much VAT to pay plus the VAT itself. Thank goodness no one opened the box to see my favorite shaving cream and after shave which would have jacked up the taxes even more. Thanks Steven!!

Here's the deal. As long as you don't have any tobacco, cosmetics, or alcohol, then just make sure that the total value is less than €22 ($28). Then there's no problem and the package is delivered normally.

If the value is between €22 and €150 ($196) then you have to pay the appropriate VAT which I believe is around 20% of the value. If the value is over €150 then you still have to pay the VAT but it is more complicated.

EDIT: I received Mom's Thanksgiving care package. On the customs declaration form she listed "Baking Mix PKGS, Canned Foods, Food PKG Mixes, Candy PKGS" with the value stated at $32. No problems at all and it only took about 10 days to receive the package from Arizona. Thanks Mom!!!

All Saint's Day

2011-11-02T21:01:00.010+01:00

In Slovenia, November 1st is All Saint's Day. It's also known as Day of the Dead and it is a public holiday.

All Saint's Day is observed by Catholics, Anglicans and Protestant churches. In Central Europe, it is a big deal in Slovenia, Austria and Poland.

Everyone is supposed to bring flowers to the graves of family members and to light candles. Families normally get together for big meals, go to church and then visit multiple cemeteries. This is an especially big deal in Slovenia! This country only has 2 million inhabitants but just for All Saint's Day about 2 million candles are sold.

Annually, the country goes through 21 to 23 million candles per year. Some environmentalists would like to reduce this number by using electric candles.

2011 Tuscan Road Trip Summary

2011-11-01T22:31:00.009+01:00

My first proper European road trip went really well. From Murska Sobota, Miran and I drove to Tuscany.

Our first destination was San Gimignano, followed by Siena and then the regional capital, Florence. From there we headed to San Marino before eventually making our way back to Slovenia.

Toscana, Italian for "Tuscany", is probably the most photographed and romantic region in Italy. It is known for its beautiful landscape and is regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Tuscany has been home to some very influential people such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Puccini, Dante, Botticelli, Machiavelli, Galileo Galilei and Amerigo Vespucci.

Tuscany is home to six UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Roughly 10% of World Heritage is found in Tuscany.

San Marino made for a great day trip. It is Europe's 3rd smallest country and the world's oldest republic.

The four day road trip came out to around 1,800 km (1,120 miles). Gas in Slovenia is cheaper than in Italy so we made sure to fill up before we left. However, gas still ran us about €210 ($275) and the Italian road tolls came to €70 ($91). This was a wonderful trip and all of the photos are already posted on Flickr.

San Marino City, San Marino

2011-10-31T23:49:00.019+01:00

The independent country of San Marino, located inside of Italy, is a 210 km (~130 mile) drive from Florence.

It's capital city is also called San Marino and it's a beautiful town with winding, hilly, cobblestone streets. The historic center was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

The Basilica di San Marino is the town's main church and is located in the northeast part of the city. The Catholic church was built in 1836. It's next to the Church of St. Peter which was originally built in 600 AD.

The neo-Gothic Palazzo Pubblico is San Marino's town hall.

In front of the town hall is the Statue of Liberty. It was dedicated in 1876. Lady Liberty's crown features the three towers of Monte Titano.

Guaita was the first fortress built. It was carved out of the mountain in the 11th century. It was an important guard tower and for a brief time it served as a prison. This is the most impressive tower. However, from the second tower you get the best views of the first and third towers.

The second tower, Cesta, was built in the 13th century due to the Crusades. It is located on the highest of Mt. Titano's summits. Cesta houses a museum of antique weapons.

The third tower, Montale, is the smallest of the three towers and sits on the lowest peak. It was built in the 14th century. The first two towers are open to the public but the third tower is closed.

The three towers are worth exploring and offer great panoramic views. Unfortunately, it was kind of cloudy today but not enough to put a damper on the sightseeing.

Back to Florence, Italy

2011-10-30T22:12:00.019+01:00

The third stop on our tour of Tuscany was Florence. I guess rubbing Porcellino's snout last year must have worked. Yeah Porcellino!!

Florence is the capital of Tuscany and is one of the world's most beautiful cities. It's no wonder why it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was so nice to come back even if only for a day.

My favorite square is still the Piazza della Signoria. You've got to love all of the free art.

Most people climb to the top of the Duomo for a great view of the city. The line was way too long today for a trip to the top.

However, the best panoramic view of Florence's famous sights, including the Duomo, is a 25-minute walk away at Piazzale Michelangelo, high above the city.

The square was built in 1869 and there's also a bronze copy of David here. Plus you don't have to pay €8 (~$10.50) to enjoy the view.

It was a great day in Florence. And you can be sure that I went back to rub Porcellino's snout to insure another visit.

Siena, Italy

2011-10-29T22:39:00.018+02:00

After San Gimignano, our second stop of the day was Siena. During the Middle Ages it was an independent city-state until it was defeated by Florence. Afterwards, for a few hundred years, it was so poor that it could not afford to tear down its medieval buildings and replace them with more modern ones. Today, it is a beautifully preserved city right in the heart of Tuscany. Siena was built on three hills, has winding cobbled streets, and is more or less still surrounded by 13th century walls. The historic center was declared a UNESCO Word Heritage site.

The Piazza del Campo is one of the greatest medieval squares in Europe. It is shaped like a shell with scalloped edges. This is where the Palazzo Publico (city hall) and the Torre del Mangia are. At 102 meters (334 feet), the bell tower is the city's second tallest structure. When it was built in 1848 it was the exact same height of the Duomo to show that the state and church had equal amounts of power. We wanted to visit the tower but unfortunately we got there right after it closed. Next time.

The white marble Fonte Gaia (Fountain of Joy) was built in 1419. The original is in a museum somewhere in the city. However, the fountain in the square, which all of the tourists take pictures of, is an exact replica of the original from the mid-19th century.

The Cathedrale di Santa Maria is Siena's cathedral and is simply called Duomo. It was completed in the 13th century. In the 14th century, work began to make the Duomo as grand as St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. However, the plague put an end to that effort in 1348.

It is gorgeous!! The façade is white, red and a dark greenish-black marble. The interior has the same greenish-black and white marble. The main attraction inside is the marble inlaid floor with ornate mosaics that cover the entire floor.

Inside is the Piccolomini Library with beautiful frescoes and old choir books.

Il Battistero di San Giovanni is the baptistery. The 14th century building is right behind Il Duomo.

During the Middle Ages, Italian cities were made of districts/wards called contrade. Siena used to have 59 contrade but consolidation over time has left the city with 17. Each of the 17 contrade has its own name, coat of arms, traditional colors, etc.

Siena is best known for the Palio – a horse race that is held twice a year on July 2nd and August 16th. Ten horses and riders, dressed in the colors of each respective contrada, race against each other. The race is bareback, three times around the Piazza del Campo and lasts about 90 seconds.

Only 10 of the 17 contrade get to participate in each race. The honor goes to the seven that didn't get to ride in the previous Palio and three more chosen in a drawing. I've heard that the pageantry and rivalries between the contrade are not to be missed. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be back in Siena again on a July 2nd or August 16th.

It was 72 km (~45 miles) from Siena to Florence. The drive through Tuscany this afternoon was so beautiful!!

San Gimignano, Italy

2011-10-29T22:08:00.009+02:00

Last night, Miran, his friend Brane, and I began our Italian road trip to Tuscany and San Marino. We left Murska Sobota at 6 pm and spent the night in Monselice. It's in northeast Italy, about 20 km (12 miles) from Padua, near Bologna and Venice. We didn't have any time to explore Monselice but it looked like a cute little town and I'll be sure to put it on the list of places to visit. Possibly next year since I hope to visit Venice in 2012. Anyway...moving on.

From Monselice we made our way down to Tuscany. Our first stop of the day was the small town of San Gimignano. The town looks like a little medieval metropolis with its 14 preserved stone towers. San Gimignano is sometimes called the "Medieval Manhattan".

The city was founded in the 3rd century BC by the Etruscans. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance era it was an important stop for Catholic pilgrims on the way to Rome and the Vatican. The city did well until 1348 when, like the rest of Europe, it was hit hard by the plague. It wasn't until the 19th century that San Gimignano became popular as a tourist destination.

San Gimignano is a beautiful hilltop city but you can pretty much see everything in just a few hours. At the Piazza del Duomo is the cathedral, town hall and the Torre Grossa.

The best part for me was the Torre Grossa which, at 177 feet, is the tallest tower in town. Once you climb up to the top of the bell tower you have a great view of the city and the surrounding vineyards.

In 1990, San Gimignano's historic city center was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

One of the best things about being in a car, as opposed to taking a bus tour, was that we were able to explore the surrounding hills to find a great view of the town's towers.

After we took all of our photos it was time to drive about 45 minutes to Siena.

Rick Steves does a far better tour that I do so here's his video on San Gimignano which I found out on YouTube. Enjoy!

Murska Sobota, Slovenia

2011-10-28T14:45:00.027+02:00

Murska Sobota, with around 15,000 residents, is the largest city in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia. It is the northernmost town in Slovenia. It's 30 minutes from Maribor but only 10 km (6.2 miles) from Austria, 20 km from Hungary and 30 km from Croatia.

It's a quiet little town but there are a few things worth checking out.

The Church of St. Nicholas was built in the 13th century. In 2006, it became the cathedral of the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Murska Sobota.

The Neo-Gothic Evangelical Church was built in 1910.

Across from the Evangelical Church is a nice city park.

This is also where to find the local 13th century Renaissance style castle which is home to the Regional Museum of Murska Sobota. I'll hit the castle on a future visit.

In the center of town is Trg zmage (Victory Square) and the Victory Monument which was a gift from the Soviet Union. It commemorates the Soviet Army which liberated the town from Nazi occupation in May 1945. It features statues of a Red Army officer and a partisan, with cannons on the side and a star on top.

Like I said, it is a very small town. I loved the yellow bicycles that the post men use to deliver the mail.

There wasn't enough time today to make it to the train station. In January 2010, the first Holocaust memorial in Slovenia was unveiled. It is dedicated to all of the Jews that were exiled from Prekmurje during WWII. I'll be sure to see it next time.

Prekmurje, Slovenia

2011-10-26T21:14:00.014+02:00

I'm headed back to Slovenia tomorrow. I will change trains in Vienna and then Miran will pick me up in Maribor. From there it's just a half hour drive to Murska Sobota – the regional capital of Prekmurje.

Prekmurje is in the north east part of the country. The name means "over the River Mura" which separates this region from the rest of Slovenia.

The region is located near both the Austrian and Hungarian borders. There are Hungarian and Roma (Gypsy) communities here but the majority of residents are ethnic Slovenians. Prior to WWII, there was a large Jewish community.

The majority of people here speak Prekmurščina which is a dialect of Slovenian. People here have no problem understanding Slovenian. However, the people in the rest of Slovenia have a really difficult time understanding Prekmurščina.

I believe that the region is best known for Prekmurska gibanica (Prekmurian layer cake). It's a pastry made with layers of poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins, cottage cheese and apples. It sounds super sweet but I'll be sure to give it a try.

If you look at a map, the shape of the country sort of resembles a chicken. Residents consider Prekmurje to be the "head of the chicken" and people in Murska Sobota consider their city to be the chicken's brain. I guess I'll see.

Republic of San Marino

2011-10-25T20:51:00.022+02:00

The Republic of San Marino is the 3rd smallest country in Europe, after the Vatican and Monaco. Like the Vatican, it is an independent country located inside of Italy. The entire country is 61 sq km (~24 sq miles). It is about 1/3rd the size of Washington, DC. It has a population close to 32,000 and the capital city is Città di San Marino.

Founded in 301 AD, it is the world's oldest republic. The country's constitution was enacted in 1600 making it the world's oldest constitution still in effect. Oddly enough, it had the world's 1st democratically elected communist government from 1945 to 1957, and then again from 2006 to 2008.

San Marino is not a member of the EU but it is a member of the Eurozone. Euro coins issued in San Marino tend to be popular collector's items.

The entire country is hilly. The highest point is Monte Titano. San Marino is best known for its three towers – Guaita, Cesta, and Montale, built on Mount Titano.

In 2008, Mount Titano and the historic center were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

On Thursday, I'm headed back to Slovenia to visit this really nice guy I met while on vacation. We're then taking a short road trip to Tuscany (San Gimignano, Siena, and Florence) and San Marino. This will make San Marino the 24th country I will have been to since moving to Europe. I wonder what #25 will be. But one step at a time.

Here's a short Rick Steve's video on San Marino that I found out on YouTube.

Expat Tram Ride

2011-10-24T20:55:00.002+02:00

The Brno Expat Centre is an NGO that was founded here in Brno a little over a year ago. It's goal is to help make the transition to living in Brno a little easier. If only the information that they provide had been available when I first moved here in 2009. Of course, then settling in here might not have been as big of an adventure as it was.

The good folks there organized a free tram ride tour, for yesterday, through the city. Even though it was an RSVP event way more people showed up there were planned for. But it was still a good time.

We met up at a tram stop near Lužanký park. Our private tram then took us around town to several different points in the city where we got to mingle with other expats. It was cool to find some new places worth checking out.

2011 Balkan Trip Summary

2011-10-23T22:46:00.007+02:00

I made it back from my latest Balkan adventure. I traveled well over 1,200 km (745 miles) and I managed to do it all by bus.

Sofia was my starting and ending point. Bulgaria was fine except for that confusing head nod thing that they do. The next time I fly to Sofia it will be to visit Plovdiv, about 150 km (~93 miles) away. On the east side of the country, on the Black Sea, I still want to see Bourgas and Varna.

Macedonia was fine and Skopje made a good one-day visit. I'll wait and see what the capital looks like after all of the construction is completed.

I wasn't that impressed with Kosovo. Prishtina wasn't what I expected. I can see going back to Kosovo to visit Prizren. But that would be the only reason why.

Albania was interesting because I really didn't know too much about it before. Tirana was fine, except for having to dodge cars. I'll go back one day to visit Shkodër, Krujë and Berat. And of course, to see the completed museum exhibition. But, if Durrës is any indication then I can guarantee I won't be planning any beach holidays in Albania.

For me, the best part of the whole week was the brief time I spent at Lake Ohrid. For some reason it took me a while to get the name right. I kept saying Orhid or Orchid. But it is pronounced "Oxh-rid". You can bet that now that I've got the name down, I'll be back there for sure.

Overall, this was a good little adventure. Four new countries (again, all by bus), four currencies, and three languages (none of which I know). It was worth it. But it felt so good to sleep in my own bed last night. At least I'll be able to do that for a few more days. Then I'm headed back to Slovenia for a couple of days and then a road trip to Italy and San Marino.

Sofia's Soviet Army Memorial

2011-10-22T05:34:00.013+02:00

One of the large parks in Sofia has a Soviet Army monument that is a point of controversy.

The monument of a Red Army soldier, with a Bulgarian man, woman and child, was erected in 1954 to honor the role of the Soviets in defeating fascism in WWII.

When the monument was built, Bulgaria was a communist state that was firmly entrenched in the Soviet Bloc. It was commonplace to find monuments to Lenin and Karl Marx. Red Army memorials too. There's still a Red Army memorial in Brno's Moravské náměstí.

Today there are mixed views on the monument in Sofia. Some people feel that it represents an important part of the country's history and should be maintained. Some people view it as a never ending symbol of Bulgaria's occupation by the Soviet Union.

The problem is that Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the monument can not be moved or dismantled. The basis of the ruling is that, according to the Bulgarian Territorial Organization Act, it is a memorial object which means that it can only be dismantled with agreement by the creators which is impossible to obtain.

On June 17, 2011, overnight, a street artist painted over the bronze figures on the side of the memorial transforming them into American superheroes and pop culture icons – Superman, the Joker, Wolverine, Santa Claus, Ronald McDonald, the Mask, Captain America, Robin, and Wonder Woman. The Soviet flag was repainted as an American flag. In Bulgarian, the phrase "In step with the times" was spray painted below the figures. This obviously upset Moscow which took it as a huge insult.

The monument was cleaned on June 20th but you can still see a bit of paint remaining. Many east European cities have had to come to terms with the communist years. Some statues were destroyed. Some were moved to out of the way areas or became part of socialist art exhibits. Budapest, for example, opened a communist memorial theme park outside of town.

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

2011-10-21T22:13:00.024+02:00

From Sofia, it is about a two hour drive (120 km / ~75 miles) south to the Rila Mountains and the St. Ivan of Rila Monastery.

It is the largest and most famous monastery in Bulgaria. The Eastern Orthodox monastery was founded in 927 AD.

Ivan (John) of Rila was a hermit who founded the monastery. The monastery was built by students who came to be taught by him.

The cave he lived in is about a 30 minute walk from the monastery. It's a nice place to do a little hiking.

The outer walls of the main church are decorated with Bible scenes. Inside the church are various relics on exhibit. I don't have any pictures from inside the church because there is a strict no photography rule. Near the main church, in the middle of the inner courtyard, is the stone Tower of Hrelyu which is the oldest structure in the complex.

The residence has cells for 300 monks. There are also four chapels, an abbot's room, a kitchen and a library.

The monastery was restored in the 15th and 19th centuries. During periods of foreign rule the monastery acted as a depository for Bulgarian culture and language. In 1976 it was declared a national historical monument and in 1983 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Burek

2011-10-21T05:25:00.011+02:00

One of the good things about traveling in the Balkans is the burek. Burek is popular for breakfast, but it also makes a great snack or midday meal.

It originated in Turkey but is popular in all of the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

The pastry consists of layers of thin, flaky phyllo dough that is filled with various ingredients and then baked or fried. Normally it has a type of feta cheese or ground meat & onions. While not as popular as the meat or cheese variety, my favorite is the spinach burek. In Ljubljana you can even find apple burek. I never tried the apple because to me that sounds less like burek and more like strudel.

You can find burek at most bakeries. You can even find dedicated burek stands. Burek and a cup of plain yogurt makes for a great, cheap breakfast.

Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

2011-10-20T18:21:00.029+02:00

From Tirana it is a 5.5 hour bus ride to Struga, Macedonia, and then a €5 ($6.75) cab ride to Ohrid. Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe. The lake itself is over 3 million years old. One-third of the lake belongs to Albania and two-thirds belong to Macedonia.

With a maximum depth of 288 meters (940 feet) it is the deepest lake in the Balkans.

Old Town used to be surrounded by walls. The Upper Gate is the only one of the three remaining gates to the city and dates back from the 3rd century BC.

The King Samuel Fortress is one of the largest preserved fortifications in Macedonia. It sits on a hill above the town. There are a few towers but not much else to see at the fortress. The best thing about the fortress is the views of the town and the lake.

Below the fortress is the open theater. The amphitheater is just over 2,000 years old. It is the only Greek theater in Macedonia; the other three are Roman amphitheaters. It was buried for centuries and fully uncovered by the 1990s. During the summer it is used for outdoor concerts.

Near the bazaar and the town fountain is a large tree. It's a local landmark and somewhere between 800 and 1,000 years old.

Ohrid used to be the city of 365 churches, one for each day of the year. There are no longer that many churches here now but there are a few interesting ones.

The 13th century St. Jovan Kaneo church sits on a cliff overlooking the lake. The view is great. The church is known for its frescoes and Armenian-influenced architecture. Below the cliff is a great place to catch a short water taxi ride around the lake for nice views of the town.

St. Sophia Church is an 11th century cathedral. It was built in 1035 and is the oldest church in Ohrid. It is one of the largest medieval churches in the area and home to the world's largest composition of preserved 11th century frescoes.

St. Bogorodica Perivlepta is a 13th century church that was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church was built in 1295.

The monastery church of Sts. Kliment and Pantelejmon sits on a hill overlooking Lake Ohrid. This is the place where the Cyrillic alphabet was created. Opened in the 10th century, this was the first and oldest discontinued university in Europe.

On the south-east side of the lake, near the Albanian border, is the St. Naum Monastery. I really wanted to visit it but unfortunately, I just didn't have enough time. This time that is. I'm for sure coming back to Ohrid.

In 1979, Lake Ohrid was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 2010, NASA named one of the lakes on Titan (one of Saturn's moons) after Lake Ohrid.

Durrës, Albania

2011-10-19T06:20:00.000+02:00

Durrës is Albania's second largest city. It's home to around 202,000 residents.

It is also one of the oldest cities in the country. The area has been continuously inhabited for 2,700 years.

Durrës is only 33 km (21 miles) away from Tirana and a one-way ride in a furgon costs 100 lekë ($0.95).

The city was founded by ancient Greeks and today it is the country's main port. There are several ferries that run between Durrës and Italy. Brindisi is 200 km/124 miles away and Bari is 300 km/186 miles away.

To be honest there is not a lot to see here. The main attraction is the Roman amphitheater that was discovered in 1966. It was built between 117 - 78 BC. Up to 20,000 people used to watch gladiators do battle here. Up to 25% of the archeological site is still buried beneath houses. This is the largest Roman amphitheater in the Balkans. Currently it is under consideration to become a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Near the port is the ancient Byzantine city wall.

The Venetian Tower was built in the city center during the 16th century.

The primary reason that people come to Durrës is because it is home to the largest and most popular beach in Albania. Around 600,000 tourists visit annually and many people from Tirana spend their summer vacations here.

I don't get it. There's no way on earth that I would use the beach here. The "beach" wasn't sand or pebble or even rock. It looked like garden mulch!! Looking at it made my skin itch. I saw some kids going out in to the water and they looked like they were having fun. Good for them.

I found this clip out on YouTube. It's not about Durrës per se. However, I found it interesting, and sad, and I'm glad that I didn't hit the beach.

Furgons

2011-10-18T23:45:00.004+02:00

Furgons are a popular means of getting around in Albania. They had them in Istanbul too but I never tried it there. A furgon is a privately owned minivan that is basically a group taxi for 8-15 people. First, you figure out where you want to go to and then you ask around for where the furgons are that are headed to your desired destination.

Once you find the appropriate furgon you ask "how much?" and get in. Schedules are very fluid because the furgon doesn't leave until there's a full load. If it does depart with a couple of empty seats then it's not uncommon to trawl through the streets along the way looking for additional passengers. You don't pay until you get out.

Most furgons depart either early in the morning or in the early afternoon. After that, you're pretty much stuck wherever you're at.

Today was going to be my first furgon experience on my way to Durrës. But it turned out that Durrës is such a main destination that my furgon was actually just a normal long-distance bus. It's funny to me that, given train service here isn't what it is in Western/Central Europe, buses are so important but Tirana doesn't even have a bus station. You find the buses right alongside the furgons. The big difference is that with the bus you don't pay when you get off. After the bus departs, someone will come along later and collect the fare. So I guess I missed out on my furgon adventure today but I'm OK with that. The bus was at least a bit roomier.

Tirana, Albania

2011-10-18T23:35:00.038+02:00

Tirana is the capital of Albania and has over 750,000 residents. Tirana is located almost right in the center of the country. It's a six hour (€20/$27) bus ride from Prishtina.

The Tirana area has been inhabited since Paleolithic times but the city wasn't founded until 1614 and it didn't become the capital city until 1925.

Skanderbeg Square is the city's main square. It was completed in 1929 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Albania's national hero. Skanderbeg managed to create an independent Albanian princedom for 25 years. Albanians consider him to the father of the country and the one who saved all of Europe from the Ottoman Empire. There was also a Skanderbeg monument in Prishtina. At the main square is the opera, the national history museum, the Et'hem Bey Mosque and some government buildings. Right now the square is a full on construction zone. The entire square is being renovated with funds from Kuwait. No one seems to know when the project will be finished.

The Et'hem Bey Mosque was built in 1789. Not only did it survive WWII but it managed to escape the communist crack down on all things religious. The frescoes on the outside depict trees, waterfalls and bridges which I'm told is rare in Islamic art because still life isn't the usual subject matter. The inside is small but well worth a visit.

Behind the mosque is the 35 meter (~115 ft) clock tower. It was built in 1830. For a long time it was the tallest structure in town. The USA provided the funds to restore it. Albania is a poor country but apparently has lots of friends. America paid for the clock tower, Kuwait is taking care of the square, I was some university building renovations under way compliments of Italy and few historic sites are currently funded by the EU.

Not far from the main square is an area called the bllock (block). An entire block of the capital was off-limits to the general public until 1991. During communism this is where the party leaders lived and there were armed guards to keep average people out. Today the area is filled with cafes, shops and pubs and is home to the nightlife scene.

In 2007, George W. Bush became the first U.S. President to visit Albania. He even has a street named after him. At least Prishtina has a boulevard name President Clinton. Anyway, on George W. Bush Street is the Statue of the Unknown Partisan. It was built to honor all of the people who died fighting the fascists in WWI. Today, this is where day laborers hang out waiting for work.

The National Art Gallery was looted in 1997. The current collection covers 13th century icons to modern art. There is a large section containing socialist art from the 1940s to the 1990s when the government dictated the subject matter. Behind the museum are the last statues of Lenin and Stalin.

Enver Hoxha was the country's ruler for almost 40 years. When he died, his daughter and son-in-law designed a museum called the Pyramid which opened in 1988. The marble and glass building was allegedly the most expensive building in Albania. After the regime changed the building became a conference center and then a disco called "The Mummy". NATO used it during the Kosovo crisis. In front of the Pyramid is the Bell of Peace as a memorial to the country's struggle. Schoolchildren collected bullet cases, in the 1990s, from which the bell was forged. The government was to demolish it and use the space for more parliament buildings. It's a real eyesore.

The National Museum of History has a huge mosaic illustrating the country's history from the Illyrians to the partisans of WWII. The first part of the museum's exhibits are labeled in Albanian and some also have French translations, but no English. In the second part of the museum the French is replaced by the occasional English caption. I had heard that this was the best place to get more information on the totalitarian years. So this was the whole reason that I went to the museum. It sure wasn't to see the usual collection of Balkan prehistoric arrowheads. I made it up to the middle of WWII and the museum ended. The whole final third of the museum is closed for renovation. Nice that there was no mention that 1/3rd of the museum is closed when you purchase a ticket. I mentioned that the entire reason I came to the museum was to see the section that was closed. A staff member asked me where I was from. After I said the USA, she told me not to worry because it would re-open one day. I still don't really get the connection but whatever. At least the admission price was only 200 lekë (~$1.92).

The Martyrs' Cemetery is up on a hill that overlooks the city. This is where 900 partisans who died in WWII are buried. It is also home to a 12 meter tall statue of Mother Albania. Enver Hoxha was buried here in 1985 but his remains were moved to another cemetery in 1992.

Albanians are the worst drivers in Europe. Never again can I complain about how bad Czech drivers are. Until 1991, only communist party officials were allowed to drive or own cars. There were only 600 cars in the whole country. My Albanian colleague at work says that they went from donkeys to Mercedes overnight. All of a sudden there was a flood of second-hand cars but there were no traffic rules, no driver's licenses, no traffic lights and zero enforcement. I have never been so scared in my whole life of just crossing the street. The drivers that do slow down or stop aren't really worried about pedestrians. They are simply worried about denting their cars. I found that the safest thing to do was wait until other people crossed the street and simply use them as human shields.

Republic of Albania

2011-10-17T22:50:00.013+02:00

Albania is a mystery to most people. All that I really knew was that we went to war with them in the movie Wag the Dog. Fiction aside...here's what I have discovered.

In Albanian the country is called Shqipëria. The Republic of Albania is a bit smaller than Maryland. Its capital city is Tirana. Albania sits in Southeast Europe and has a population close to 3 million people. It shares borders with Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Greece. Italy is only 72 km (45 miles) away across the Adriatic. For a long time Albania was the most isolated country in Europe.

Albanians are descended from Illyrians who came to the Balkans around 2000 BC. Ancient Illyria fell to Rome in 165 BC and then came under Byzantine rule in 395 AD when the Roman Empire split in two. Albania was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1385-1912 during which time most of the people converted to Islam. In 1912, Albania finally became an independent state.

In 1939, Italy invaded and occupied the country until the Germans took over in 1943. After WWII, the communists, led by Enver Hoxha, took over and that's when things get weird. Under Hoxha, Albania became an ultra-Stalinist state. In 1948, Albania broke off relations with Yugoslavia because of Yugoslav desires to absorb the country. It was a close ally of the Soviet Union until 1961 when Albania broke off diplomatic relations and became allies with China.

Like China, Albania had its own cultural revolution in 1967. People were transferred to remote areas while younger party members were given leading positions. Agriculture was completely collectivized. There was such a huge clamp down on religious activity that Albania declared itself the world's 1st atheist state. People were unable to give their children religious names without having to answer to the authorities.

In 1968, Albania quit the Warsaw Pact in protest of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. Albania then embarked on a self-reliant defense policy. People had to construct concrete bunkers from where they could defend the country from an external invasion. The country is still littered with around 700,000 of these things. Then in 1978, the Albanian-Chinese alliance came to an end and Albania became even more isolated.

Hoxha died in 1985 and the system continued to fall apart. In 1992, the first free elections ended 47 years of xenophobic communist rule. In 1999, the struggling country had to deal with 465,000 refugees escaping the Serbian ethnic-cleansing campaign in Kosovo.

Today Albania is a parliamentary democracy and has joined NATO. Albania wants to join the EU but its application for candidate status was rejected because it has not yet met all of the requirements to join. The country needs to continue fighting organized crime and government corruption, reform property rights, encourage media freedom and protect minority rights. Although the population is mostly secular, Albania, along with Kosovo and Turkey, is one of the only three Muslim-majority countries in Europe. Albania is still one of the poorest countries in Europe.

Prishtina, Kosovo

2011-10-16T22:49:00.025+02:00

Prishtina is Kosovo's capital and it has around 200,000 people. A lot of construction has taken place since the war. I've never been here before so I can't tell if things are getting better or if they are getting worse. There are lots of brand new, very modern, government office buildings. But at the same time there are statues, less than 12 years old, which are already crumbling.

I'm not quite sure what I expected from Prishtina. Granted, I did arrive on a Sunday and most everything was closed. But I still managed to walk around and see most of the city. This isn't difficult to do because there's not a whole lot to see.

I think that the best-known landmark is on Bill Clinton Boulevard. There is a large billboard of President Clinton and a three meter (nine foot) bronze statue which was unveiled in 2009. The statue shows him holding the 1999 agreement that permitted U.S. troops to enter Kosovo.

The "Newborn" obelisk, in front of the Palace of Youth and Sports, was inaugurated for Kosovo's independence in 2008. For some reason, Kosovo's president and prime minister signed the thing. Then others started signing it and now it's just covered in graffiti. I can't stand tagging.

At the end of the city center are several government buildings. On one of the fences are the Photos of the Missing. There are nearly 1,900 people who are still missing from the Kosovo conflict with Serbia in the 90s.

The Skanderberg monument is for the Albanian king who, in the 15th century, fought off the Ottomans for decades. The statue was designed in 2001.

Zahir Pajaziti was a commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). He was killed in action in 1997. In 2008, he was declared a Hero of Kosovo.

Mother Teresa was born in Skopje but she was an ethnic Albanian. I guess the Mother Teresa statue makes sense because around 88% of Kosovo is Albanian.

Down the road there is the new Mother Teresa Cathedral. It was consecrated in September 2010 and is still under construction. Albanians abroad raised €1 million for the construction. Since the majority of the population is Muslim I'm surprised that there's really a huge need for a full on Catholic cathedral.

The National Library was unveiled in 1982. It is covered in a metal "fishing net" which makes it pretty groovy looking. I was told that it once held a huge amount of Albanian literature but that a lot of it was destroyed in the early 1990s by ethnic Serbs under Slobodan Milošović.

The bus from Skopje to Prishtina is only €5 ($6.75). It only takes about 20 minutes to get to the Kosovo border and then another couple of hours to get to Prishtina. This was the easy part. The difficult part was getting to where I was spending the night.

There are no hostels in Prishtina. At least not yet. There are plenty of hotels but you can find a couple of guest houses in town that are much cheaper. Through Hostelworld I found a couple of students with a private room for €10. The apartment is at a block of flats between the Bill Clinton statue and the Mother Teresa Cathedral. The address written on the building in pen was a nice touch. Do you know how difficult it is to find a place when the address is only written on the building in pen!?!? Yes, the building did look a bit run down, and the elevators don't work at all, but inside the flat was fine.

I wanted to visit Prizren on my way to Albania. The problem is that there is no luggage storage at the bus station there and I really don't feel like walking around town for several hours as I drag along my suitcase. So instead I'll just skip Prizren and go directly to Tirana. I'm off to bed now because my 6 hour-long bus leaves at 5 AM.

Republic of Kosovo

2011-10-16T21:43:00.014+02:00

History plays a big role in Kosovo. But damn! At what point is enough enough? Here's the high, high-level run down.

The central Balkan region was part of the Roman Empire and then part of the Byzantine Empire. In the 7th century ethnic Serbs migrated to what is now Kosovo. In medieval times Kosovo became the center of Serbian culture and home to many Serbian Orthodox monasteries.

In 1389, the Serbs were defeated at the Battle of Kosovo which led to 500 years of Ottoman rule. During this time many Turks and Albanians moved in to the area and by the end of the 19th century Albanians became the dominant ethnic group.

The Ottoman Empire lost Kosovo to Serbia in 1912. After WWII, Kosovo became part of Yugoslavia as an autonomous province of Serbia. In the 1980s Albanian nationalism increased and demanded full republic status for Kosovo. Slobodan Milošević fanned Serb nationalism and revoked Kosovo's status as an autonomous province of Serbia.

In the early 1990s the Kosovars used passive resistance to gain international recognition for an independent Kosovo while Serbia repressed Kosovo. Albanians who were tired of passive resistance formed the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and fought back. Serbia hit back hard and ethnic cleansing began. Over 800,000 Albanians were forced from their homes.

In March 1999, NATO began a three-month operation against Serbia that forced them to remove their military and police forces from Kosovo. The UN Security Council placed Kosovo under UN control. Today, several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers (including Czech forces) continue to maintain the peace between the Albanian majority and the Serb minority in Kosovo.

In February 2009, Kosovo declared itself independent and over 70 countries have recognized the Republic of Kosovo. Several countries can't recognize an independent Kosovo because it opens a Pandora's box at home.

If Spain recognizes Kosovo then what about Basque claims of independence? Israel can't recognize Kosovo and deny independence for Palestine. Russian would have problems with Chechnya. China has Tibet.

Clearly Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo's independence which causes problems for travelers. No one can get in to Serbia if they first travel to Kosovo. If you enter Kosovo from Montenegro, Albania or Macedonia then you have to leave Kosovo and enter Serbia directly without going through Kosovo. It's a real pain in the ass.

Kosovo is a little larger than Delaware and has a population of 1.8 million. The capital city is Prishtina.

Even though Kosovo isn't part of the Eurozone it uses the Euro as its official currency.

The dominant language here is Albanian but lots of people here speak either English or German. I can't use my Czech here because people assume it is Serbian which isn't too popular.

EDIT: This month (October 2011) the Czech military ended their mission as part of the Kosovo Force (KFOR). Over 8,000 Czech soldiers were deployed over the course of operations there. Currently 90 Czech reservists will remain but all will probably leave by the end of 2012.

Skopje, Macedonia

2011-10-16T07:46:00.033+02:00

Skopje is the capital city of Macedonia. It's home to around 1/3rd of the entire population. It's about a 5 to 6 hour bus ride from Sofia, plus the one hour time change (Bulgaria is an hour ahead).

Like many other Balkan cities it has a long history. It was part of the Roman Empire and then under the Ottoman Empire for more than 500 years. In 1912, it was conquered by Serbia and after WWI it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In WWII, it was invaded by Bulgaria and later became part of Yugoslavia.

In 1962, there was a 6.1 earthquake and Skopje suffered significant damage. So a lot of the architecture here now is that 1960s Socialist prefab stuff. However, most of the old Turkish section survived the earthquake.

Today, there are cranes everywhere and most of Skopje looks like a construction zone. The Skopje 2014 project is rebuilding the Old National Theater and the Old National Bank that were destroyed in the 60s. Plus there is the new Macedonian Struggle Museum, the Archeological Museum, a national archive, a constitutional court, a philharmonic theater,a triumph arch, lost of new monuments to famous Macedonians and expansions bridges, the national stadium and the airport. I wonder where all of the money is coming from to fund this? I heard that Skopje 2014 should now finish in 2015. I wouldn't mind coming back in 2016 to see everything completed.

The crowning glory of all this construction has already been completed. The Alexander of Macedonia monument is huge!! The bronze statue weighs 30 tons and sits on top of a 15 meter high pedestal, with a fountain, in the central square. You can see this thing from everywhere. This monument alone cost over €5 million ($7.5 million). And you know that this statue just got Greece riled up.

The Millennium Cross is the biggest cross in the world. It sits up on Mt. Vodno and was built to celebrate 2000 years of Christianity.

The Kale Fortress overlooks the city and was built by the Byzantines in the 6th century.

The 6th century Stone Bridge was built by Byzantine emperor Justinian. It has always been the city's symbol. Somehow I think that this will change now with the arrival of the Alexander statue.

The central post office kind of looks like a space ship. It's pretty funky. And inside are all of these Socialist Realist paintings. I heard that security doesn't let you take photos inside but when I went to buy stamps there was only one clerk working. She was nice, spoke basic French and let me snap a couple of photos.

Mother Teresa may have been an ethnic Albanian but she was born in Skopje. In 2009, the Memorial House of Mother Teresa opened on the very spot where she was baptized. The only problem was that I got there at 4:30 PM and it closed at 4 PM. Dang it.

Skopje's Old Town reminds me a lot of Istanbul or Sarajevo. But I guess that's normal for a city that was under Turkish rule for over 500 years. There's a clock tower, lots of shops, a huge bazaar and it's a great place to take a break and grab a coffee.

Republic of Macedonia

2011-10-15T22:21:00.025+02:00

Macedonia is a landlocked Balkan country. It shares borders with Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Greece. The country is a bit larger than Vermont and its capital is Skopje.

The country only has 2 million people. Macedonian Slavs make up about 66% of the population and ethnic Albanians make up around 23%. The rest is made up of Turks, Roma and Serbs.

Macedonia was one of the six republics of communist Yugoslavia. In 1991 it peacefully seceded and today it is a parliamentary democracy.

Macedonians are proud that their republic was the only one to peacefully leave Yugoslavia. There are a number of possible reasons. One reason is that there was not a sizable enough Serb population for Slobodan Milošević to fight over. The more likely reason is that Macedonia was the least developed of the former republics and only ever produced 5% of Yugoslavia's total output.

I had read in a Milošević biography that there were secret plans for Serbia and Greece to actually divide up Macedonia. Obviously, this never happened. Besides, if Greece had tried to annex part of the country it would have gotten in to trouble with both the EU and NATO.

The Republic of Macedonia. That's what most of the world calls the country. However, the United Nations (and the Olympic Games) still lists it as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). This is because of a long running dispute with Greece.

Macedonia shares a border with the Greek region of Macedonia. Greece thinks that FYROM is trying to take credit for Greek history (especially Alexander the Great) and may have aspirations on Greek territory. Greece didn't like independent Macedonia's first flag so they changed it to the current one. I think the current flag looks like the WWII Japanese Army/Navy flag but whatever. Clearly Macedonia doesn't want to give up its name. Who can blame them?

Here's an interesting video I found out on YouTube about the whole name issue.

Currently the two countries are still in a legal battle over the use of the name. Macedonia has been a candidate to join the EU and NATO. But guess who is blocking them from joining? Doesn't Greece have more important things to worry about? Perhaps their focus should be on not bringing down the Euro by defaulting on its loans. Things are so bad there now that all international train service, in and out of Greece, has been suspended indefinitely. Just saying...

EDIT: The craziest thing about Macedonia is their liquor law. In an effort to curtail drinking, especially among young people, the country has modified its trade law. Only licensed stores are allowed to sell beer, wine or spirits, and no sales are allowed between 7 pm and 6 am. WTH!?!? If you want a beer after 7 pm then you have to go to a restaurant or a bar where you may legally purchase it. I thought Atlanta's prohibition on Sunday alcohol sales was bad but dang. At least Atlanta has finally repealed its laws and people will now be able to purchase alcohol on Sundays.

Sofia, Bulgaria

2011-10-14T23:16:00.034+02:00

Sofia is Bulgaria's capital and is in the western part of the country. With around 1.25 million people it is not only the largest city in Bulgaria but it is also the 12th largest city in the EU.

St. Sofia is the city's patron.

Sofia started off as a Thracian city called Serdica in around the 7th century BC. Later it became part of the Roman Empire and then part of the Ottoman Empire. With so much history it's no surprise that archeological discoveries, such as the old town walls, are commonplace.

Sofia isn't a very big city. You can see most of the city in a single day. Everyday Free Sofia Tour offers two English-language free walking tours of the city. It's a great way to get orientated to the city. Highly recommended.

The biggest attraction is the St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral. It is home to the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. It can easily hold 10,000 people. It's the second biggest cathedral in the Balkans after St. Sava in Belgrade. However, the locals here will point out that this church is functional while St. Sava's interior is still under construction.

The Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker is known as the Russian Church since it's the city's Russian Orthodox Church. It was consecrated in 1914. While the church is beautiful the crypt is more popular. That's where you'll find the remains of Bishop Serafin who died in 1950. Even though he was never made a saint, many people believe that if you put a hand-written message in a box your wish will come true.

The St. Sedmochislenitsi Church is another Bulgarian Orthodox church. It was converted from an abandoned mosque and inaugurated in 1903. It is named after Cyril and Methodius and their five disciples who in the Orthodox church are collectively known as the Sedmochislenitsi.

There were once 70 mosques in Sofia but the Banya Bashi Mosque is now the city's only functioning mosque. It was completed in 1576 by the same architect that built Istanbul's Blue Mosque. The mosque is built over natural thermal spas.

Across from the mosque are the city's thermal baths. They were built in 1913 but are currently closed while restoration takes place. The only problem is that restoration has been going on for years no one has any idea on when the completion date will be.

I didn't know that Sofia is known for its mineral water. Locals bring empty bottles to fill up at public fountains. The water is warm but it tastes fine once you let it cool down.

Sofia has a yellow brick road. I guess the yellow brick road goes from Oz to Sofia. The Austro-Hungarian Empire gave the cobblestones to Czar Ferdinand I as a wedding gift.

In the city center is the National Theater. It was founded in 1904 and it is the oldest theater in the country.

The oldest building in Sofia is the St. George Church. The red brick rotunda is in the inner yard of the Presidency, right behind the Sheraton Hotel. The 4th century building sits amid remains of ancient Serdica.

One of the large parks in Sofia has a WWII monument to the Soviet Army that was built in 1954. More on this one later.

One thing that I found interesting is that Sofia does not have a centralized traffic light system. At all of the major intersections, there are policemen who sit up in these kiosks and manually control the lights.

All in all it was a good first day of my little Balkan adventure.

Republic of Bulgaria

2011-10-14T22:08:00.013+02:00

The Republic of Bulgaria is in South Central Europe, in the Balkans. The country is a little larger than Tennessee and has 7.3 million inhabitants. The capital is Sofia.

Bulgaria has lots of archeological sites because this was home to ancient Thrace. The Bulgars came to Europe in the second century AD from what is today northern Afghanistan and eventually mixed with the Slavs.

In 1396 Bulgaria became part of the Ottoman Empire for over 500 years. The country gained independence in 1908. However, they made a couple of very bad decisions because Bulgaria was on the losing side in both WWI and WWII.

Since Bulgaria was allied with Nazi Germany, in 1941, Jews were striped of their property, livelihood, and civil rights. In 1943, Bulgaria agreed to transfer its Jews to concentration camps in Poland. However, Bulgarian Jews and Roma were not deported. Instead Bulgaria resettled Sofia's 25,000 Jews to rural areas and the Orthodox Church helped 50,000 Jews to survive the war. Bulgaria permitted Jews to freely emigrate to Israel after the war.

From 1944 - 1989 the communists ruled the People's Republic of Bulgaria. It was allied with the Soviet Union as a member of the Warsaw Pact. Eventually free elections were allowed and the country became a parliamentary democracy.

Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and joined the EU in 2007. The country had hoped to join the Schengen zone in 2011 but it looks like that won't happen until at least 2012.

Bulgarians do the craziest thing. They nod their heads up and down to mean "no" while they shake their heads side to side to mean "yes". This is completely backward (at least it's backward to me). Sometimes Bulgarians will switch this when they speak to foreigners but that just makes it even more confusing.

Visa Check

2011-10-14T06:13:00.001+02:00

My biometric ID finally worked. It hasn't worked at airport security and it didn't work at the DMV.

My bus from Brno to the Vienna Airport was supposed to leave at 3:20 AM. Right before it was time to depart three Brno police officers got on the bus and said that this was a random spot check.

Everyone had to show their passports. I gave the officer my ID card, he scanned it, handed it back to me and that was it. Everyone must have passed the inspection because by 3:30 we were on our way. This was the first time I've ever had my papers checked by the police. I guess this was the Czech version of an INS raid. Oh well, the important thing is that I passed and I'm now at the airport waiting for my flight to Sofia. Let the adventure begin.

The Balkans

2011-10-12T22:22:00.018+02:00

At the end of the week, I'm headed back to the Balkans for a week-long holiday. The region gets its name from the Balkan Mountains. The Balkans is a cultural and geopolitical region of Southeast Europe with over 50 million people. When most people think of the Balkans they think of Yugoslavia and ethnic fighting.

There tends to be some debate as to which countries actually make up the Balkans. Everyone pretty much agrees that this includes Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Most people also agree that Romania makes the list too. There is some debate as to whether Moldova, Greece and Turkey (the European part) should be included. Sometimes Slovenia gets included only because it used to be part of Yugoslavia but Slovenia is actually more central Europe.

Every Summer, about 10% of the Czech population heads to the Balkans, mostly to Croatia, for sunny vacations at the sea. The funny thing is that I've heard Czechs say "To je hotový Balkán" which is the Balkan way of doing things. But it is always said when something is either messed up, corrupt, or chaotic.

Here's my upcoming Balkan adventure...
On Friday morning I have a 3:20 AM bus from Brno to the Vienna Airport. Then an Air Berlin flight to Sofia, Bulgaria. I'll spend one night in Sofia and then head to Skopje, Macedonia.

From there I'm off to Prishtina, Kosovo. If I have time I may try to squeeze in a visit to Prizren before heading on to Tirana, Albania. In Albania, I'll try to fit in a day trip to Shkodër, Berat or Durrës.

Then it is off to visit Lake Ohrid in southeast Macedonia. Then I'll make my way back to Sofia for a final day in Bulgaria before flying back to Vienna.

Western and Central Europe are known for the efficient train service. That's not really the case in the Balkans. Bus service is more frequent and cheaper. As soon as I hit Bulgaria I'm going to try to do all of my traveling by bus. Considering that I can't speak any of the local languages and they each have their own currencies, this should be a right proper little adventure. Wish me luck!

2011 Nohejbal Outing

2011-10-10T21:02:00.012+02:00

Last April, one of the guys at work organized a BBQ and nohejbal match. Nohejbal is that Czech football tennis game.

I'm not sure why but for some reason this year it didn't happen until October. Last year was a lot more fun. The weather was better and a lot more people showed up.

This year it was way too cold and we had a bit of rain as the day went on. There was a very poor turnout this year as compared to last year. And I'm not quite sure how they broke the ball this year. We really need to do this again next year but much earlier in the year.

My friend Vilém put together another video montage of this year's outing.

EDIT: Wow! This is my 400th post.

Maribor, Slovenia

2011-10-09T14:10:00.023+02:00

Maribor is Slovenia's second largest city. It's just two hours from Ljubljana and four hours from Vienna, on the way back to Brno. So I decided to get off the train, store my luggage in a locker and explore the town for four hours until the next train came.

With a population around 158,000 it is a small town. There is a bit of construction going on now as Maribor prepares to be a European Capital of Culture in 2012.

The town hall was built in 1515 and is found at the main square.

Across from it is the marble plague column built in 1743. The plague epidemic in 1680 killed one-third of the town's population.

The St. John the Baptist Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor. The cathedral dates back to the 12th century.

At Liberty Square is the National Liberation monument. The bronze WWII monument was dedicated in 1975. It has graphical reproductions of old public proclamations about hostages and rebels being shot during the war. I was told that the locals call it "Kodžak" because it reminds them of the fictional, bald detective Kojak.

The Franciscan church was built from 1892 - 1900. It is dedicated to St. Mary Mother of Mercy and is the biggest church in Maribor.

The main attraction is the Old Vine. It is the oldest vine in the world that still produces grapes. It is around 440 years old and in 2004 it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. 440 years!?!? That means it was around when the Ottoman Turks invaded, when Napoleon's army held Slovenia, two world wars and communism. Wow!!! This grape vine is older than my country.

The one thing that I didn't get a chance to see was Maribor's synagogue. It is one of the only two left in Slovenia and one of the oldest preserved synagogues in Europe. Next time.

Wandering Earl

2011-10-09T08:52:00.005+02:00

I met this guy Derek at the hostel, where I stayed, in Ljubljana. He was one of the people that went on the tour to Bled and Bohinj. A really nice guy.

What I didn't realize until the next day was that Derek is actually Wandering Earl. Who knew that I had been in the presence of blogging royalty?

Back in 1999, he went on a three month trip to Asia and the trip has yet to come to an end. OK, so my little blog is basically just my diary. I started it so that I would not seem so far way from my family when I moved over here to Euroland. Wandering Earl's blog is a right, proper travel adventure.

Be sure to check it out here. He has had some pretty amazing adventures. Wait until you read about the time he got kidnapped in Bangledesh. Crazy!

EDIT: Cool deal! I got mentioned in a Wandering Earl post about Bled.

Bled, Slovenia

2011-10-08T09:38:00.021+02:00

The good folks at the hostel I stayed in arranged a small group tour for a few of us to Bled. It's about an hour (55 km) from Ljubljana and is a major tourist attraction. The town is over 1,000 years old. It is best known for the island in the emerald green lake, its castle, stunning scenery, and some sort of cream cake.

The place is so beautiful! The glacial lake is surrounded by forests and the Julian Alps. Slovenia only has one island and it's here. The only way to get to it is by row boat. Somehow I ended up rowing the six of us over to the island. I'm still not sure just how that happened but oh well.

From the dock there are 99 steps up to the top. The local tradition is that the groom must carry his bride up the stairs to the church and the whole time the bride must be silent.

At the top of the island is the 15th century Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church. Inside you can make a wish and then ring the bell three times.

Slovenia's oldest castle overlooks the lake. It dates back to the 17th century and it offers some amazing vies of the lake and the Alps. We planned to skip the castle and just hike up some paths to get a better view of the island. Well, we ended up charming one of the maintenance guys and he let us all in the back door of the castle. So we got to see everything and save the €7 admission. Sweet!

The only thing that we didn't do was go hiking along the Vintgar gorge. I'll for sure be back to do some hiking there. And to try that cream cake (somehow we missed that too).

After Bled we drove about 45 minutes to Lake Bohinj, inside Triglav National Park. It is the country's largest glacial lake. It's 4.2 km long, 1 km wide and 45 meters deep. Also known as 2.6 miles long, 0.6 miles wide and ~148 feet deep. Dang metric system.

Bohinj was far less touristy then Bled but just as beautiful. A few of us actually went in to the water for a bit. Let me just state the obvious. Glacial lake...in the Alps...YES, it was cold.

These Slovenes have it really good when it comes to beautiful scenery.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

2011-10-07T20:15:00.024+02:00

Ljubljana is Slovenia's capital city but it is a small town with only 270,000 people. The city's symbol is a dragon and it is everywhere.

The city's architecture is a mix of Renaissance, Baroque and Secessionist. The Slovene architect Jože Plečnik left his mark throughout the city.

Ljubljana Castle is a medieval castle, built in the 12th century, which overlooks the city. The area around the castle has been inhabited since 1200 BC.

Preseren Square is the town's main square. It is dedicated to Dr. France Prešeren - the greatest Slovenian poet. There is a statue of him in the middle of the square. This is the main meeting point in the city.

The pink Franciscan Church of the Annunciation is the town's parish church. It was built between 1646 and 1660. Next to the church is a 13th century Franciscan monastery.

Plečnik's triple bridge is one of the best known landmarks in the city. The main bridge was replaced for automotive traffic and pedestrian bridges were added on both sides. In 2008 the whole area was turned into a pedestrian zone. The bridge is great but it is really tough to get a photo clearly showing all three. Even from up at the castle tower.

The St. Nicholas Cathedral is the city's main church, and the biggest. Slovenia's major religion is Roman Catholicism and the cathedral serves as the Archdiocese of Ljubljana.

The Dragon Bridge, with four green dragons, was built between 1900 and 1901. This is one of the first bridges in Europe made of reinforced concrete. Word is that the dragons waive their tails when a virgin crosses the bridge.

Tivoli Park is the largest park in Ljubljana. In the park is the National Museum of Contemporary History. The museum chronicles Slovenia from before WWI until present day. I was really interested in seeing what they had on the last twenty years, in particular the 10-day war of independence. The museum exhibits were well done and all of a sudden ended with the early 80s. Everything since then is still a work in progress. I guess a return visit is in order once the exhibits are finished.

Near the park is the Serb Orthodox Church. It was built in 1936 as the church of St. Cyril and Methodius.

The skyscraper was inaugurated in 1933. At 70.35 meters (~231 feet) tall, for a while, it was Europe's tallest residential building.

You can get anywhere in town, on foot, within 20 minutes and there are cafes everywhere. Ljubljana is a great little town. While on a free city tour a man passed us while talking on his mobile. It was Milan Kučan – Slovenia's first president. A former president walking through the center of town without body guards? Unfortunately, I didn't realize who the man was before it was too late to get a photo.

I had a feeling that I would like Ljubljana but I had no idea just how much. A return visit is a definite must.

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

2011-10-02T21:58:00.001+02:00

It's almost two hours (135 km / 83 miles) by bus from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park. Founded in 1949, it is the largest national park in Croatia and the oldest in Southeast Europe.

It is about 297 sq km (+73,000 acres) and in 1979 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is open all year round and receives over 900,000 visitors annually.

Plitvice is absolutely stunning!! There are 16 lakes (12 upper lakes and 4 lower lakes) that interconnect through a series of waterfalls, all surrounded by heavy woods and mountains. It is a great place to go for a hike and lose one's self in the scenery.

The water is so clear that you can see the fish swimming. Depending on the minerals in the water and the angle of the sun, the water's color ranges from azure blue to green.

To date, 1,267 different types of plants have been cataloged in the park.

There are different paths you can take to cover the park. I elected to go for trail "H" which is the 4 - 6 hour path. From the entrance I rode the shuttle train to the upper lakes area. I hiked down to where a shuttle boat dropped me off on the other side of the main lake. Then I hiked through the lower lakes canyon and up by the great waterfall. Then it was up along the east side of the canyon until I made it back to the starting point.

I did it in about 3.5 hours. I should have taken the 8 hour path but I didn't want to take a chance on missing the last bus back to Zagreb.

Oh well, there is always next time. I wonder how much of the lakes freeze? I would love to see the park in the winter with all of the snow and ice.

Zagreb, Croatia

2011-10-01T23:35:00.028+02:00

About a month ago I found a discount (7oo Kč / $40) on a one-way bus ticket to Zagreb. The bus left last night at 11:30 and it took a little over six hours to get here from Brno. I was able to sleep for a while during the trip I was fine to tackle the city.

Zagreb is Croatia's capital and has around 1 million inhabitants. There are two parts to the city. The lower town has wide boulevards, large squares, parks, the botanical garden and some cool buildings. The upper town is much more historic with St. Mark's church, the cathedral, government buildings and nice views of the city.

Between upper and lower town is Ban Jelačíć Square. This is the main meeting point in the town center. The square has a large statue of Josip Jelačíć on a horse that was put in place in 1866. He was a Croatian viceroy who defeated the Hungarians in an 1848 battle. In 1947 the Yugoslav communist government removed the statue because it was thought to fan the flames of Croatian nationalism. The statue put back when Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia.

The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is the tallest building in Croatia. The neo-Gothic church can accommodate 5,000 people.

In front of the cathedral is a plague memorial.

Lotršcak Tower used to be the main city fort. It was built in the mid-18th century. Every day at noon a cannon is fired from the tower.

Zagreb's botanical garden has founded in 1890 and has over 10,000 different plants. It is a very peaceful place in the city. And the best part is that it is free to visit.

St. Mark's is an 18th century church. It's known for its multicolored tile roof featuring the crests of Croatia the city of Zagreb. Most churches tend to be more ornate on the inside than on the outside. Not so here. The outside of the church is definitely nicer than the inside. There is a regular changing of the guard performed in front of the church.

Near the church is parliament. Croatia will be the 28th country to join the EU next year. Everywhere you look in Zagreb are Croatian and EU flags together.

OK, I'm off to bed now. I have an early bus in the morning to Plitvice.

Slovenia

2011-09-27T22:18:00.018+02:00

In a few days I'm taking my first overnight bus from Brno to Zagreb, Croatia. The plan is to spend a two days in Croatia seeing the capital and going to Plitvice. Then it's just a couple of hours on a train to Slovenia. Slovenia – not Slovakia.

The Republic of Slovenia is a bit smaller than New Jersey with a population just over 2 million people. It's in Central/Southeastern Europe. It sounds like the perfect place for nature lovers because it has the Alps and borders the Mediterranean. Plus, more than half of the country is forested.

Slovenia was part of the Holy Roman Empire and then under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After WWI, they formed the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. During WWII, the Kingdom was invaded and Slovenia was carved up between Germany, Italy, Croatia and Hungary. After the war it became part of Yugoslavia.

Slovenia was the economic power in communist Yugoslavia. It only had 8% of the population but produced around 20% of the GDP and 1/3rd of all exports. As Yugoslavia became dominated by Serbia, Slovenia had had enough and declared its independence on 25 June 1991. After a 10-day war with the Yugoslav army, which left 66 people dead, a truce was signed and Slovenia was free for the first time in its history. It just celebrated its 20th anniversary as an independent country.

It joined the UN in 1992 and in 2004 it joined both NATO and the EU. Slovenia was the first former communist country to join the Eurozone when it replaced the tolar with the euro as the national currency in 2007.

When I go to Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, I just speak Czech, with a few Serbo-Croatian words thrown in, and I get by with very few problems. Several times, people have asked me if I'm Slovene. They speak Slovenian in Slovenia. So I wonder if my Czech will work better or worse there. I'm sure that it will be fun finding out. The plan is to spend a couple of days in the capital Ljubljana with day trips to Bled and Maribor.

Vatican Post

2011-09-23T23:15:00.015+02:00

Ever since Vatican City became an independent country in 1929 it has had its own postal service.

All of the Vatican mail is sent directly to Switzerland to be routed worldwide. I'm sure that everything is billed at the international rate. I mean there can't be that much internal mail when the country is only 0.2 square miles.

Not all of the mail is from tourists. Italian mail is notoriously slow. Lots of Romans make weekly trips to the Vatican to send important letters and packages.

Since Vatican City is a separate country you can't use Italian stamps in the yellow Vatican post boxes. And you can't use Vatican stamps in the red Italian post boxes.

More letters are sent each year, per inhabitant, from Vatican City than from anywhere else. Not too bad for the world's smallest country.

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

2011-09-22T22:56:00.015+02:00

The biggest attraction at the Vatican is Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter's Basilica).

Until 1989 it was the largest church in the world. It still has the largest interior of any Christian church and can hold 60,000 people.

St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. This is where St. Peter, who was one of Jesus' twelve apostles and who was the first pope, was crucified and buried. His tomb is directly below the basilica's altar.

The original 4th century basilica was begun by the Roman Emperor Constantine from 319 - 333 AD. Construction of the current basilica began in 1506 and was completed in 1626.

The church is amazing! Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We even managed to attend mass, in Italian, in one of the side chapels. There is a strictly enforced dress code - no shorts, bare shoulders or short skirts. Even if you make it past the fashion police at the security check, the attendants at the door will turn away anyone that is showing too much skin.

The apartment that we rented during our Roman holiday was only about a seven minute walk to St. Peter's Square. Anyone who does not get up and go early in the morning is a big fool!! We were there by 7:30 AM and it felt like we had the place all to ourselves. By 10:30 the place is crowded and waves of tour groups begin taking over. We really enjoyed our early morning walks as we watch the sun come up over the square.

Around the corner is the Vatican Museum. Again, if you go early then the crowds aren't bad and you don't have to worry about purchasing tickets in advance.

The Roman Catholic Church has an amazing art collection. I really enjoyed all of the sculptures. Of course the highlight of the museum is the Sistine Chapel. The museum is pretty liberal about letting people take pictures except, of course, when it comes to the chapel. There is a strict no camera policy. Here are a couple of photos I found on the Internet of the chapel. It is much more impressive in person.

Vatican City

2011-09-20T21:36:00.016+02:00

Vatican City is the world's smallest country whose territory is an enclave within Rome. The Vatican is approximately 44 hectares (~110 acres) and is smaller than the National Mall in DC.

The Holy See dates back to early Christianity and is the "central government" of the Roman Catholic Church. Vatican City was established in 1929, by the Lateran Treaty, between the Holy See and the Italian prime minister Benito Mussolini.

Around 500 people actually have Vatican citizenship. Citizenship is given to those appointed to work on behalf of the Vatican in certain capacities. Most citizens don't even live at the Vatican but are assigned to posts overseas. When the postings are over then citizenship and the Vatican passport is revoked.

Swiss guards have protected every Pope here since 1506.

As a sovereign country it has its own postal service and has its own currency (but good luck actually finding a Vatican Euro coin in circulation). Vatican City is the only independent state that is not a member of the UN, but it does have permanent observer status.

Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The two most well-known sites here are St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum which is home to the Sistine Chapel.

I really wanted to send my grandmother a post card from the Vatican. I'm sure that she would have loved that. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it there before she passed away this year. Though I'm sure that she knows I finally made it.

Rome, Italy

2011-09-19T23:34:00.034+02:00

Janelle came back to Europe to attend a wedding in Slovakia. So we decided to take a trip to Rome with Liz and Eiko (the Bratsville chicas). What a great idea!! I figured that I would like Rome. That's an understatement. Rome was awesome!! You've got to love a city where every time you turn around you see something that's +2,000 years old.

Rome is Italy's largest city with 2.7 million people, as well as, home to Vatican City. Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire and the city's history covers 2.5 thousand years. Again, every where you look you will find something historic. There are lots of monuments, museums and the center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Colosseum is incredible!! It's in the city center and by far the city's biggest attraction.

It was the largest amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire. Built between 72 - 80 AD, the Colosseum was where gladiators battled to the death and where up to 70,000 people could watch.

The place was designed so that there really wasn't a bad seat in the house.

Between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum is the Arch of Constantine. Dedicated in 315 AD, it is the newest of the triumphal arches in Rome. It was built to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius in 312 AD. You know the stuff is old when you need to write "AD" as part of the date.

Il Foro Romano (the Roman Forum) was the center of commerce, politics and social life in the Roman Empire. Here are ruins and archeological excavations that go back over 2,000 years.

The 17th century Spanish Steps are at Piazza di Spagna and lead up to a beautiful 16th century church, Trinità dei Monti, that has a great view of the city. The Spanish Steps are the widest staircase in Europe.

The Pantheon was a temple for worshiping all of the Roman gods. The building was designed to support the weight of the biggest brick dome in the history of architecture. A hole in the dome's center is the only light source. Today there are a few famous people entombed there including the artist Raphael.

La Bocca della Verità (the Mouth of Truth) is a marble carving that is believed to be either part of a 1st century fountain or a manhole cover. Many think that the image represents the ancient god of the Tiber River. From the Middle Ages, people thought that if one told a lie while one's hand was in the sculpture's mouth then it would be bitten off. Perhaps the world's first lie detector?

One of my favorite things about Roma was the Trevi Fountain. It is simply gorgeous. I just don't know if it is prettier during the day or at night. The Neptune statute was added in 1762. It is the largest Baroque fountain in the city (and Rome has plenty of them). The legend goes that if you throw a coin in to the fountain then you are fated to return to Rome. You can be sure that we all tossed in our coins.

This is a great city. We spent 3.5 days here, did things from early morning until late in the evening, and we only scratched the surface what the city has to offer. I could go back for two weeks and still probably not get to see and experience everything. Those coins in the fountain had better work. If not, then at least I've got a few photos to remember Roma by. Well...between the four of us there are over 2,300 photos and videos out on Flickr.

Pharmacies

2011-09-13T23:02:00.007+02:00

Pharmacies and drug stores are not the same thing over here. In the USA, every drug store has a pharmacy inside it. As do lots of grocery stores. Not so over here. Here there are pharmacies where you buy medicine. And there are drug stores where you can purchase toiletries.

If you want cold medicine, aspirin or even baking soda then you have to visit an actual pharmacy. Just look for the big green cross outside the building. When you go to the lékárna you find that everything is behind the counter. Even the over-the-counter (no prescription required) stuff is behind the counter. You tell the pharmacist what medicine you want, or what symptoms you want to treat, and he or she will get it for you. It was such a joy when I first moved here and had to purchase aspirin. Fortunately, many of the pharmacists speak either a little English or German.

When you have an actual prescription then things get a little fuzzy with the math. There is a mandatory 30 Kč (~$1.75) fee per medicine. So two different medications cost 60 Kč, etc. Then your health insurance picks up part of the cost and you pay the difference.

I went to the doctor's office this morning and it turns out that I have tonsillitis. The doctor wanted to excuse me from work for a few days. Oh hell no!! I'm catching a plane to Rome tomorrow night. Honestly, how in the heck do I get tonsillitis before I'm supposed to go on holiday?!?!

The doctor prescribed Aulin. I've never heard of it before. It's an anti-inflammatory and analgesic, kind of like Aleve...I guess. The receipt was very confusing. It looks like the Aulin cost around 90 Kč. I had to pay 49 Kč (~$2.80) but that included my mandatory 30 Kč fee.

Most pharmacies are only open Monday to Friday from 8 AM until 6 or 7 PM and some have limited hours on Saturday morning. Big cities will have a few 24-hour pharmacies and I know where there are two near me.

Dušan Jurkovič House

2011-09-12T22:23:00.002+02:00

Dušan Jurkovič (1868 - 1947) was a Slovak who was one of the best 19th century architects in Central Europe. In 1906 he built his own house in Brno. His style combined folk construction with a typical English country home.

The house was sold in 1919 and in 2006 it was purchased by the Czech government and acquired by the Moravian Gallery.

With a grant from Norway, the house was remodeled in 2009 - 2010 and opened to the public in 2011. I'm not quite sure why Norway kicked in the money but OK.

On Sunday, I headed over with the Kiwi contingent for a tour. The tour guide was excellent.

There was plenty of material available in Czech, English and German. The guide was very patient and explained things in English even though we had not booked an English language tour. It was nice to not feel rushed.

Vinobraní

2011-09-11T22:59:00.001+02:00

Vinobraní is the traditional grape harvest that takes place in September. It's also a celebration that kick starts the harvest season in the vineyards. Throughout Moravia, people get together to celebrate with a parade, traditional costumes, folk art, lots of food and plenty of burčák.

Natalie's parents, Roger and Robyn, came from New Zealand for a European holiday. And of course, to visit their daughter. On Saturday, Audrey and I joined in and we all headed to the vinobraní at Uherské Hradiště, about 80 km east of Brno.

Robyn's cousin, Linda, lives in Prague so she met us at the festival. The festival was lots of fun and we sure enjoyed the burčák.

Personal Physician

2011-09-06T20:29:00.005+02:00

Under Czech law, employees have to have a general physical to prove that they are healthy enough to work.

People who have physically strenuous jobs or who work split shifts need a yearly physical. Since I have an office job and only work day shifts then I just need a physical every two years.

In the ČR, everyone has a personal physician. Since the doctors at the clinic all speak English then it was a no-brainer to select the clinic as my personal doctor. In order to do this all I had to do was fill out a short form. The fee for visiting a doctor is 30 Kč (~$1.50). Significantly cheaper than the $10 - $20 co-pays in the U.S.

Irina's Black & White Party

2011-09-04T21:52:00.011+02:00

Last night was Irina's Black & White party. It was officially an "end of summer" party and unofficially her belated birthday party.

The festivities started with dinner on the rooftop of Empire Terrace in the city center. As each person arrived he or she drew a card with the name of a real person or a fictional character. The game was to act in character for the entire evening.

I ended up with James Bond so it was very easy to get in to character. All I had to do was drink martinis. However, in Europe, martinis are not like martinis back home.

In the U.S., a martini is either vodka or gin, with a dash of vermouth, served straight up or on the rocks. My personal favorite is a "dirty" vodka martini which just means that there is some olive juice with the vodka.

Here, when you order a martini, you are served either dry or sweet Martini & Rossi vermouth. The closest I can get to a real martini here is just to order vodka with an olive. Oh well, what can you do?

Afterwards we ended up dancing at a local club. It was a great time hanging out with friends.

Czech Driver's License

2011-08-31T22:33:00.011+02:00

Oh HAPPY Day!!! I finally have my Czech driver's license. I patiently waited my two weeks and went back to the Magistrát (city hall/DMV) this morning. I paid my 50 Kč (~$3) and they gave me my driver's license. But why in the heck is it pink?

My license is good for 10 years. I think a new adventure is in order. I'll have to give some thought as to where the first road trip should be. But at least now I can rent a car and drive.

I think this license here means more to me than the license I received when I was 16. Probably because it was easier to get a license in California than it was here with the lessons and the driving exam drama.