Prague, Czech Republic - Coldplay and Czech Baseball!!

The original plan was to stay in Berlin for another day but we found out that Coldplay was going to be in Prague on Sunday. While I really enjoyed everything about Berlin, you can't NOT go to the COLDPLAY concert in PRAGUE. The walking tour in Berlin allowed us to cram a lot of things in to one day and made the decision to leave a day early an easy one. We left early Sunday morning for the train ride to Prague to get there in time for the concert.

One of my high school baseball coaches is currently living in Prague and coaching the Tempo Titans of the Ceskomoravska League. He was nice enough to let a few friends and me stay with him for the extra night that we didn't have a hostel reserved. This was a great experience because it was a way to see the outskirts of Prague that I wouldn't have seen other wise and it was so cool to see the baseball facility and how they operate in the Czech Republic. Joey also offered to take us around the city the day after the concert see the sights. After dropping our stuff off at the baseball facility and getting a quick tour of that, we hopped back on the bus to get to the concert. I was very impressed with the public transportation system in Prague, it was very easy to use and allowed us to get all around the city for the three days we were there.

The group at Coldplay

The Coldplay concert was at the local soccer stadium and it was beginning to fill up when we got there 2 hours before the concert. The whole place was buzzing with excitement and you could tell everyone was getting ready for a great show. Leading up to this trip I had always heard about how cheap eastern Europe was, especially Prague. That is actually an understatement, and I got to experience it first hand in my few days there. I spent 50 Czech koruna on dinner and got a sandwich, chips, and a drink. That's about $2.50!! Inside the concert was even more impressive, they were selling beer for 50 also. That is $2.50 for the same size beer that costs 9 bucks at a concert at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. Once we got food and some drinks we took our spots at around the 50 yard line on the field. The first two bands were basically just background music as everyone was starting to pack tighter and tighter trying to get as close to the stage for Coldplay as possible. When the lights went out everyone went crazy. From then on it was a huge party with people from all around the world enjoying music. Coldplay jammed for over 2 hours and played 21 songs with 2 encores. We got the special treat of hearing both an acoustic version and regular Clocks. It was different from a typical concert I would go to in the states in that it felt more like a show than a concert. All kinds of lights and special effects that went right along with each song. Saying that the field was packed does not do it justice. I went out to the bathroom right before Coldplay came on and it was one of the biggest challenges of my life getting back to our spot. Everyone was so crammed together and no one wanted to move because they had to keep their spot for the show. It suffices to say that we made the right choice leaving Berlin a day early to come to the concert, I already see it as being a potential highlight.

The Astronomical Clock

After the concert we met up with Joey in downtown Prague to check out some of the Prague nightlife. He took us to Old Town Square to see some of the most famous buildings in Europe lit up at night. We saw the Tyn Church, St. Nicholas Church, and the Astronomical clock. It was cool to walk through a busy town like Prague at night to experience Czech nightlife. There are all kinds of people walking around trying to sell you stuff and handing out flyers. Its kind of funny to mess with them at first but after a while it gets annoying.

Czech Goulash

The next day we headed into the main city in the morning to walk around before meeting up with Joey later in the day to get a tour. I had Czech Goulash for lunch at a restaurant on one of the main streets. I can honestly say I wasn't impressed by the famous Czech dish. Players on the Titans told me they call the dumplings that come with it Big Mac's and I can see why. It was so heavy and I felt like I was eating 5,000 calories. It tasted ok but I don't think I would get it again. After lunch Joey and one of his players met up with us and they took us around the city. Our first stop was a street market that had everything from food, to pottery, to a blacksmith working with iron. European markets continue to grow on me every time I go to a new one. I really like to just walk through them and see all the different things that each part of the world has to offer. The chance of getting some free samples doesn't hurt either.

A store effected by Prague Prohibition

After that we went to the Absinth Museum. We happened to be in Prague during what locals were calling 'Prague Prohibition 2012'. In the past couple weeks 19 people had died from alcohol poisoning or other alcohol related causes and that forced the government to ban the sale of all liquor or spirits over 20% alcohol content. The Absinth Museum and other liquor stores were either boarded up or had tarps blocking off the shelves that sell the banned drinks. We continued for the rest of the day seeing all the amazing sites that Prague has to offer. We saw the Charles Bridge, the Astronomical Clock again, Prague Castle, the John Lennon wall, and the U.S. embassy. One of my favorite things about Prague was walking on the Charles Bridge. Not only did it have amazing views Vltava River, but there were all kinds of artists and street performers up and down the bridge. My favorite was this jazz band that was playing Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World, they were unbelievable!

View of the main strip in Prague from the market

Matt and I with Coach Kamide after the game

The next day the Tempo Titans had an inter squad scrimmage to get ready for their upcoming playoff run and Joey asked if Matt (another former player of his on the trip) and I wanted to play. We both jumped at the chance to play international baseball. I got to take batting practice on the field before and it was so much fun. All the players were very friendly and eager to make us feel like part of the team. I played all 6 innings in centerfield and Matt played a couple innings in right and got to pitch the last 2. This was a once in a lifetime experience for both of us and it was so great to be back out on the diamond. It was very interesting to see how baseball works in a country like Czech Republic. Once you get past the language barrier you can see it is no different than what I am used to from back home. Just a bunch of guys getting together playing a game they love. They had inside jokes and certain habits just like I did when I played with all my best friends in high school. It was easy for Matt and I to get along with the team because once you get on the field everyone speaks baseball. Our whole group came out to the facility to watch and all the guys said it was the biggest crowd they had ever had for a scrimmage.

After the game Matt and I hung out at the clubhouse for dinner and to hang out with the guys on the team. They continued to be very nice and accommodating and we had some great talks about the differences we noticed between our two cultures. That night we went out with Joey and some guys on the team and once again saw all kinds of cool stuff that you wouldn't find in America. One place we went to delivered drinks on a train that ran through your table. Another stop was the Prague Beer Museum, where they had over 30 different beers on tap.

After another great night in an amazing European city, we had a little bit of trouble waking up in time for our 8 am train. Once we eventually got everyone up and ready to roll, we caught a 10 am train for Salzburg, Austria. Prague was a beautiful city and a great time and I definitely think this was the most 'thorough' experience of any city that I have had so far.

View of Prague Castle from Charles Bridge

Berlin, Germany

After two semester's and 6 credit hours of Finance, Corporate and International, we got our first extended break of the trip. We were officially kicked out of the Villa for 10 days and I was ready to travel with a group of friends to Berlin (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), Salzburg (Austria), and Daccau/Munich (Germany). The train to Berlin is 12 hours long so we made a deal with our finance teacher to let us take our final exam at 7am to make a 9:15 train. My favorite part of the long train was that it was to the north and we were able to completely avoid Italy. For some reason, I have had a lot of bad experiences with Italian trains so far. This train ride was uneventful with a lot of naps mixed with celebrating the end of finance while enjoying the views of Swiss mountains and German hillsides. At the end of our long train from Zurich to Berlin we met a German guy who was going back to Berlin to visit his family. It's always good to talk to a local before you go somewhere and Lars was no exception. He gave us advice on all the good spots to see, where to eat, and what touristy spots to avoid. He even helped show us how to get to the metro to our hostel.

New Synagogue

We arrived at the famous Circus Hostel at around 9:30. I could really get used to this routine of getting to new cities on Friday's at night. It's been so cool to walk into the all the busy streets and tall buildings when they are lit up with people all around. After we settled into the rooms, a couple of people and I went down to the hostel bar to hang out for a while. They offered a 2 liter boot shaped mug that I split with my friend Cody. In the spirit of Oktoberfest later in the week we had to try it. There was a guy next to us who I got to talking to that is originally from Canada but now lives in Australia. One of my goals on this trip is to talk to as many people from different countries as possible about their different political systems. I asked him straight up if he would explain the types of healthcare systems in his home countries. After we both agreed to 'not argue' we ended up talking for almost 2 hours. This was a great experience to hear what someone who has lived in those place had to say, especially with the election coming up. While we disagreed on a lot, he opened my eyes to some new ideas and I am proud to say he called me the most open-minded American he had ever met.

Some of the graffiti we walked through

The next morning we woke up bright and early to do a walking tour of Berlin. It was a perfect day for walking around the city. With a city like Berlin that is so rich in significant history, we decided that a guided tour was the best way to go. Our tour guide was another Australian (easily the most popular home country of people I've met so far) named Theo who has lived in Berlin the last few years. He took us all around Berlin and was very informative about not only all the buildings and sites, but interesting, in-depth stories. We started off at the New Synagogue which is a gigantic building that sits right on a normal street in between regular shops and buildings. It is significant because it was badly damaged during World War II bombings and was almost completely destroyed. Most of the framework of the building has been renovated over the years because of this. This was just the beginning of a strong Jewish culture in Berlin that I was unaware of. As we walked to our next location, we went through an artistic hub of Berlin. It was a series of allies and walls that get painted on by graffiti artists from all over the world. It was amazing to see how different artists choose to express themselves. After that we went to a courtyard where Theo drew a map of how Berlin was divided after the fall of Germany in World War II. This was a great foundation of knowledge for the rest of the trip as he showed us parts of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the site of the Berlin book burning, and other significant buildings that recall memories of World War II and the Cold War.

Checkpoint Charlie with a unique, authentic
German restaurant in the background

Theo called Checkpoint Charlie 'The Disney World of Berlin' and I can see why. There were no less than 10 tourist groups just like us lined up along the Wall there along with hundreds of other people there to see it. There was all kinds of typical touristy things complete with some guys dressed as American soldiers who couldn't speak a word of english except for "2 euros for a picture". This was one part of the tour that I didn't particularly enjoy. What made the tour so great was the things 'off the beaten path' that we saw, or little things that Theo added. One such thing was a local market that was going on in the city. We walked around trying local foods, looking at all kinds of art and street performers, and listening to good music. Coming into this trip through Europe I hated shopping more than anything in the world. So naturally, I thought markets would be one of my least favorite parts of Europe. It turns out they are one of my favorite. This one was no exception. It is always a great chance to walk around and see parts of the culture the best way possible -- interacting with people. We finished up with two very powerful locations in Berlin that were not crowded like Checkpoint Charlie, but had a much greater feeling to them.

The first of the spots was a parking lot. Not just any parking lot though, it was a parking lot on top of the bunker where Hitler killed himself as the War was coming to an end. Theo told us about how they made it into a parking lot for a reason. No one wanted to have any building over a place that represented so much negativity, so they just covered it up once and for all. The only thing left to mark its place is a map of the bunker to show what it was like. After that we walked over to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. It is designed with a big open area that slopes down toward the middle with solid stone pillars that line up to give the feeling of a maze. As I was walking through I got the uncomfortable feeling of being lost or alone. By the time I made it out to the other side I was confused and not really sure how this structure could represent anything related to the Holocaust. Theo explained the architects intentions and it started to make perfect sense. The stone pillars are shaped so that they have the look and feel of a casket and to represent the many deaths. As for the downward slope and maze feel, the idea is that the farther you go into the monument, the more alone you feel. This is to portray the feelings of all the jews that were taken from their homes and away from their feelings. It was an excellent expression of so much sorrow and looking back on it after thinking about that was amazing.

Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe

After leaving the 7 hour tour much more educated and cultured than we started, we decided to check out some German night life for the first time. We went to dinner at a brewery called Brauhaus Lemke where I got a sampler of 4 different german beers. After that we went to a underground jazz bar called Zosch. Theo recommended this on our tour earlier because it used to be a homemade bomb shelter during World War II that was eventually changed into a bar. It was cool to be able think about how much could have happened in history at that place while we were just there to hangout with people.

I had no idea how much history the city of Berlin had and it was definitely the experience of a life time to be able to walk the streets and learn as much as I did.

Interlaken, Switzerland

View from the train

Before I decided to study abroad for the semester I got all kinds of advice from friends and family that had been to Europe. One of the most popular places that I heard about was Interlaken, Switzerland. It is a town in the shadow of the Bernese alps with amazing views and all kinds of extreme sports to do. My weekend to go experience Interlaken is finally here. We caught a train from Riva around 12 on Friday and went the farthest north I had been yet. It was such a relief to be off Italian trains for the weekend. The Swiss trains I have been on this trip are much cleaner and everyone is nicer than on Italian trains. It's just an overall better travel experience. The amazing views of the alps along the way doesn't hurt either.

People gathered at the finish line,
paraglider landing in the field

After about 5 hours we arrived in Interlaken to the best introduction to a city yet. There were tons of people crowded around this huge field where there was a finish line for the Jungfrau Marathon. The first thing you notice when you walk through Interlaken is that at  any given time there are paragliders flying through the air and landing in the big field. We stood there for a couple minutes just taking it all in and watching the paragliders land. We had been in Interlaken for less than 5 minutes and already experienced some of the extreme sports they offer. Checking into the hostel was another pleasant surprise. The world famous Balmer's was all booked up so we stayed in a hostel called Funny Farm. It ended up being a hostel connected to a 4 star hotel that was really nice. The room wasn't anything special but it was a place to stay and had an amazing view from the porch. After getting settled in, we walked out into the town to a place to get dinner. One of our friends had told us about a pizza place next to Balmer's that we ate at.

LA-Hollywood Pizza

I got a 'LA-Hollywood' Pizza that had bbq sauce, bacon, ham, french fries, and two hamburger patties on it. Believe it or not it was excellent. I still consider that taking in European culture because I had never seen a pizza like that in the U.S. before. After dinner we went into Metro Bar & Night Club underneath Balmer's. It seemed like Metro is the place to be in Interlaken because in no time it was packed with locals. After a while I went up to the lobby of Balmer's with a friend of mine to cool-off and ended up meeting a Chinese man who just finished his doctorate in London. He wrote his dissertation on the effect of exchange rates on the credit card industry. That might sound boring, but it is almost exactly related to what we are learning in International Finance these two weeks. We ended up talking to him for almost an hour, getting our friend Fan to translate anytime he couldn't explain in English. I also met a Engineering student from Bern, Switzerland who plans to study at Virginia Tech next year. What are the odds?? One of my favorite parts of this trip is being able to talk to people from all around the world, the fact that we have this much in common is just a plus.

View of Jungfrau from our Hostel

On Saturday we woke up with no plans since Canyoning wasn't until Sunday. Walking through the town of Interlaken was a great chance to see all kinds of shops and once again people flying through the air above us. We stopped for lunch to get Doner Kebab's, my new favorite food. It was a sandwich with chicken, lamb and an amazing mixture of vegetables and sauces. After lunch we took a train to the other side of town to go up on the Harder Kulm, which is a mountain peak that gives a view of the surrounding alps. We took a funicular train up the mountain, and after a ten minute ride and a bit of getting yelled at by locals for being too loud we were at the top. At the top of the mountain is a restaurant and a platform that goes off the edge of the mountain. Even though it was solidly built, I was still scared when I walked up to the edge. The Harder Kulm itself is 'only' 1,322 meters high, but has perfect views of the mountains on the other side of town. The tallest of which is Jungfrau at 4,158 meters high. The landscape of mountains was perfectly situated right across from the Harder Kulm, with Jungfrau flanked by other huge peaks. Another unreal coincidence was meeting a traveler from Roanoke, Virginia. On the top of a mountain in the middle of Switzerland and we run into a guy who is from 40 minutes away from Blacksburg. It turns out he had just quit is job from Facebook and was traveling the world for 5 months!! - talk about loaded. He may or may not have spent 50 bucks on flaming shots later that night for the group.

Chocolate show

After taking pictures and walking around the peak as much as we wanted we headed back down the train to make it back into town in time for a chocolate show at Grand Restaurant Schuh. A chef that worked for the chocolate company told us the most information about chocolate than I have heard since the Chocolate Ride in Hershey, PA. He then showed us how to make a hollow chocolate cow and caramel filled chocolate mountains. The ticket for the show also allowed an 8 franc credit in the store so I was able to sample a variety of what they make at Schuh. My favorite was still the caramel filled chocolate mountains that he made in the show though.

View of Jungfrau from the top of the
Harder Kulm

After another night at the club under Balmer's we woke up at 7:30 am for our Canyoning trip. We had to be at Outdoor-Interlaken to get all our gear and meet with the guides at 8:30. We each got a pair of water proof shoes, full wetsuit, life jacket, rappelling harness, and helmet. My helmet name for the day was 'Cartman'. They put funny names on them so they can give you important instructions without having to learn everyone's names. After getting geared up we took a 45 minute van ride into the mountains to our canyon Chli Schliere. After a 20 minute hike we were in the canyon and ready to go. The next 4 hours consisted of sliding, jumping, climbing, repelling, swimming and a whole lot of 'graceful falling' down the canyon. Being the over confident American tourists that we are, my group chose to do Chli Schliere even though it is considered the advanced of the three choices. While it was challenging, everyone made it through without injury. Some of the highlights included a 9 meter jump over rocks into a water fall. Another one was a rock slide that you have to jump into so your back hits it before you slide down. My personal favorite was a repel down THROUGH a waterfall. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was definitely challenging but you can tell these guides are professional for a reason. They are in the canyons everyday and are very helpful with each jump or slide, always telling you exactly where to land or what to do with your arms, legs, and feet. It was my favorite part of the trip so far and I would recommend it to anyone. When we finally finished we hiked to a spot where they drove the vans and were served a traditional Swiss after canyoning meal of fresh bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh cheese, and beer. After the van ride back we had about an hour before our train so we stopped by the Doner Kebab place one last time and headed for the train station. To finish our weekend and continue the theme of Interlaken being over the top and awesome there was a parade going through the streets as we walked.

The group getting ready to jump down some mountains

Bellinzona, Switzerland and 2am Hokie Football

View From Train

After 2 weeks and 9 days of class we had to wake up early Saturday morning in Riva to take our final exam for Finance. The first 'semester' of class was over. After the test it was nice to just relax and hangout around Riva San Vitale for the day. The more time I spend in this town, the more I like it. Even though there is a major language barrier and some cultural differences, all the locals are so friendly and try their best to be accommodating. My favorite part is the unspoken competition between the different bar owners to try and get our business. Our favorite is Nancy at Bar Ticino who always brings out free plates of her homemade appetizers. Prosciutto, salami, bologna,  and fresh bread. One thing I have noticed about the food here is that everything seems fresher, I don't know if it is the lack of preservatives or what, but I can definitely get used to it. The meals at the Villa are cooked every day by Guytano and Luigi and consist of daily fresh bread with pasta for lunch and some kind of amazing entree for dinner. I am trying all kinds of foods I wouldn't get a chance to have otherwise.

View of CastelGrande

Sunday morning we woke up and caught a 45 minute train to Bellinzona, Switzerland for the day. It was the first time I had been north of Riva and the whole train ride was amazing. Most of the beginning was following along the edge of Lake Lugano. It was cool to see all the different towns and buildings in between the lake and mountains. After the short ride we arrived in Bellinzona a little after lunch time ready to check out the town.

'Great-Wall of Bellinzona'

Bellinzona is famous for having beautiful mountains and castles. We also happened to be there on the weekend of one of their open air markets. Since it was later on a Sunday though, we weren't able to shop there. It was still cool to see how the town was decorated and set up for it. After walking through the main part of town we came to Castelgrande, the biggest of 'The Three Castles' in Bellinzona. From the very beginning right when we saw it it was unbelievable. Everything from the high walls to the stone walks gave you the feel of walking through a castle back in the 1st century. We first walked through a tunnel that brings you to a gradually ascending stone walkway. The walls had windows that were small on the outside and large on the inside that were used for watching and protecting the castle.

View from the top of the highest tower

The walkway led to a huge staircase that took us up to the main courtyard area of the castle, and completely out of breath. The courtyard was where we first got some amazing views. There were multiple towers connected by grass covered 'great-wall' type walls. After walking around that entire level of the castle we walked up to the tallest point in the castle. We took a very narrow spiral staircase to the top that let us see the entire city and miles beyond. From the top of the mountain we could see all the buildings and plazas in Bellinzona. It was also a great view of the surrounding mountains.

Bellinzona Mushroom Festival

After checking out that tower we headed back down to have lunch in the courtyard. There were a bunch of locals just hanging out there and you could tell it was a popular spot for even them. After lunch we headed back down to the city to walk around. Bellinzona is one of the coolest cities I've been to yet because it had the feel of a 'true' European city. All stone roads and alleys with fountains and plazas. The narrow streets allowed us to take in a lot of the surroundings without having to choose between what we did and did not want to see. Somehow we ended up in the middle of some kind of mushroom festival. It was one of the weirdest, yet most interesting things I've ever seen. Everything was in Italian, so we could just look around and guess what was going on. It was in the middle of a plaza and there were tables and tables of mushrooms lined up with people presenting them and comparing them. After a while we got a feeling that it was pretty obvious we were American tourist that didn't know what they were doing so we decided to head out. Everyone was getting hungry so we stopped at a Gelateria and I had my first gelato of the trip. It was amazing! Once again, something about the freshness that makes European food different. After getting Gelato we walked back into town and made our way back to the train station to catch dinner back at the Villa. Bellinzona was a great city and I would recommend it to anyone that is traveling to Switzerland.

2 am set up in the Classroom

Monday night was the first Virginia Tech football game so naturally everyone on the trip was excited for the big game against Georgia Tech. Being on a monday, it was nationally televised on ESPN back home so it was definitely a big deal. The only problem for us was that it didn't start in Riva until 2 am. Our teacher canceled class Tuesday morning so everyone decided we were gonna stay up for the game. We made our kind of 'tailgate' at Bar Ticino in town with Nancy's prosciutto and bread. We set up a projector in the classroom with a live online feed from ESPN3. It was really nice to be able to watch the game with a bunch of Hokies. Even though I wish I could have been there it felt almost like home watching it with a big group like that. The game went in to over time and we didn't get to sleep until around 5:30 but it was all good because we got the win!