Lasting Images

One morning I was in Paris and by afternoon I was back in Houston, TX.  To be able to be on two different continents on the same day is a feat that will never lost its luster in my mind.  On my final day in Paris I walked the city until I felt saturated with its beauty.  30 days of rapid fire travel leaves little time for reflection.  I was reminded that reflection can not occur by force, but will only happen naturally over time. Over the coming months before law school begins again I will learn from all the sights, sounds, and feelings experienced and endured during my European Tour.  As it was art and image that dominated my experiences I believe it was only fitting that my blog became more visual than literary. With that I bring the blog again to a temporary close, and do so with a singular photo.

One Night in Paris

I grew the 'stache so I could look the part in what is my favorite city of the entire trip.  I hope its not a cop out to claim that Paris is my number 1. My blog doesn't reach the depths required for a proper exposition of why the city has captured my attention.  The architecture, sights, diversity, food, and style are all obvious reasons - although some, including my cousin, could legitimately argue the food point.   As a person who purposively doesn't watch movie previews I made an effort not to judge based on preconceptions.  I couldn't help it. However, Paris, above all other cities, met and surpassed its reputation. I'm already figuring out how I can get back for an extended stay next summer.  These picks were taken on our last day in the city before flying out.  I had to say good-bye, or au-revoir, for now.

Back in Amsterdam

As all of my loyal blog readers would know, I was in Amsterdam for a week over spring break this year.  I loved it, and still do.  Not for the reasons most would incorrectly suggest, but because the Netherlands is one of the most pristine places I have ever been.  Good food and good people are found on every corner.  It was just as impressive this time around, but this being the tail end of the trip I took it very easy.  I took Max to the places I had been before.  Not wanting to repay entrance fees, I simply read outside.  I believe I took a grand total of 8 pictures in the city which is evidence of my travel exhaustion.  Having visited many cities in Europe, Amsterdam is still one of the best.

Best Pic Nominee 7

The Berlin Wall

Contemplating what is left standing.

Brandenburg Gate

Olympic Grounds

Among the rhetoric of Berlin Olympics Jesse Owens accomplished what most know today to have always been possible.  His spirit remains strong in that stadium and I was swept with emotion thinking about his courage.  To be significant - it's inspiring.

Berliner Dome

A gorgeous protestant cathedral in the heart of Berlin.  Reminisced on my Lutheran upbringing with every religious symbol.

Around Berlin

Office space.
Strike.
Park Ping-Pong.
Don't Know.

Berlin

I need to upload all these posts before heading out for the last night in Amsterdam, but Berlin deserves an insufficient paragraph.  The city is amazing.  Next to Paris, my favorite.  Diversity is prevalent, history evident, and style unfiltered. Cafes and boutiques exist around every corner.  Great cheap eats.  Graffiti is as much an art form here as that in the galleries of italy.  Two nights is not enough. I'm coming back.

Franz Kafka Museum

One of the best experiences of the trip.  I empathize with author Kafka (From one of the exhibitions):

The Civil Servant

The are common existential conflicts in the lives of all men which feed the background of ill ease that marks our culture.  The traditional discrepancy between vocation and profession is one of them.  For Franz Kafka, this conflict was catastrophic.  When he chose literature as the only possible terrain for his liberation, he was still a lawyer in the service of Austro-Hungarian bureaucracy.  The problem lay in the anguish that this double life caused him, the erosion that it meant for his organism. The tremendous tension that it involved.

Kafka revealed himself to be a singular example of the "double agent."  On the one hand at the service of the imperial bureaucracy, one of a brand of lawyers, in the world of bureaucrats, he himself was a candidate for the annual lawyer's convention he imagined in one of his short stories.  And at the same time, on His Majesty's secret service: literature. An activity which drained him of all his forces and drove him to become a representative witness of last century.

Now That's Art

I already contacted the artist to put up one of these fountains in the backyard of my future home.  A friend told me that the same artist did both works pictured.

Outside Prague Castle

The kid ran over to the guard and did a quick incorrect form 20 push-ups.  The group thought it was hilarious.  I think it would have been funnier if the guard would have broken rank and used the sharp end of his weapon to teach the funny man a lesson.  That would have been something to laugh at.

St. Vitus's Cathedral

Light Lunch

Old Town Square

"You guys been partying at Senior Frogs. My cousin and I been partying in the squares of Prague" - Max Garcia
Disney's inspiration?
Another language I unfortunately do not understand.

Everyone loves the astronomical clock.

Prague

Cool Architecture

A building visible from the train platform in Salzburg - looks like a Starburst factory.

Mirabella Gardens

Salzburg was the setting for my sister's favorite movie The Sound of Music.  Although I didn't get to see too many of the sites from the classic, I did get to spend the afternoon in this garden - the one in which Do Re Mi was sung (I think).  Even the pictures can't capture the vivid colors.  They definitely can't capture the smells of the flowers.

Best Wurst

Any country in which processed meat is a staple is top tier according to my rankings.  Turkey hot dogs helped me survive through college and Bratwurst helped me survive my first year working for a non-profit.  I'm the self-proclaimed Sausage King and Chorizo Champ.   

Mozart

"Soon as my flow starts, I compose art, like the ghost of Mozart, even though they all say that they're real, I know that most aren't" - Eminem. I've been listening to the new Eminem CD for the entire trip and found a subtle connection between him and Salzburg.  One of the reasons for stopping over in Salzburg was to visit the hometown of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  One of the first movies I remember watching with my parents was the Academy Award winning Amadeus.  I was both frightened and fascinated.  I walked the streets that the child prodigy once walked and even entered his childhood home.  No pictures were allowed inside unfortunately.

Salzburg, Austria