LIVING and LOVING Europe

Thursday, August 15th: It is hard to believe that over six weeks has flown (no pun intended as I type this from 25k feet above, on my JetBlue flight back to Boston) by and a second straight summer in Europe glides peacefully to an end. As with so many other experiences in life, I return home with conflicting emotions. I am ready to return to my regular life in Boston but I also would have been content traveling another year (if I had a ton of money) and spending that year exploring Europe.  I wish I had done this ten years ago but I am glad I have also done this now. I am ready to be in one place again for a while but I am going to miss the anticipation and excitement of seeing new places every third day (or in some cases every 12th hour).  See what I mean here?  I am torn :).

So, I have some final thoughts, musings, poderances, or whatever you want to call them, and please realize these words cannot fully represent all that I have seen or done or felt. First off, my trip would not have been possible if it was not for the Goethe-Institut and the Transatlantic Outreach Program, and I am extremely grateful to both organizations for allowing me to participate in the study tour to Germany and enabling me to grow personally and professionally. I have learned so much about myself, Germany, the European Union, and the world and I know my students and colleagues will benefit as I share what I saw and accomplished in Germany.

Speaking of colleagues, I am really fortunate to work for an amazing department head and principal who both helped me earn the Study Tour and continue to support me as I work to become a better educator. The same can be said for my other colleagues at Natick. Look, not ONE DAY has gone by where I have not felt deep and unmatched gratitude for the opportunity to teach history at Natick High School and I owe everything to Josh, Rose, and so members in my department, as well as my kiddos and community members who have embraced this goofy, balding, Wegman's loving Buffalo Bills fan from Rochester, NY. I bring all of this up because Europe doesn't happen and my general happiness doesn't happen if not for them.  I BRAGGED everywhere I went (and I went everywhere) about Natick (ask Boris in Bratislava or Svedka in Tallinn)!

Now, final thoughts. First off, I do love Germany, especially. ......... BERLIN! Since both the end of the second World War and the end of the Cold War, the country has become a symbol of progress and even more significantly OPENNESS! While it has issues, it accepts people of different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds and many see themselves less as German and more as European, especially along the Franco-German - Luxembourg border area. That is important to realize as debates continue as to the success and challenges in regards to the EU. Germany as a whole has fewer of its own flags flying than any other European country I have visited and Germans are very friendly and welcoming. 

Two of the highlights of my past six weeks were visiting a high school in Heidleberg and seeing the European Union Parliament in Strasbourg, France. BOTH symbolize German progress and openness for different reasons.

On the topic of the EU, I know I said this in my last blog post last year, but it is worth reinforcing: I LOVE the EU and the Schengen Agreement. The fact that 28-32 countries with long, sordid histories of hatred and warfare can resolve differences, have free and open borders, and work to protect human and environmental rights is a model for my students to follow and demonstrates to the world that peace may be achieved. The EU is what makes me think that peace and acceptance between Israelis and Palestinians and Indians and Pakistanis is possible.

Other thoughts. The most important places I visited on this trip (and they are among the most important in my life) were Staszow and Kraków, Poland. When I saw my grandfather's home, I cried in a way I never thought I would. I tried to pit myself back into his childhood to gain some sort of insight into what it was like for him growing up (and just thinking about it now and I tear up) and I can never really understand how and why the Holocaust happened and he lost so much. 

I had similar emotions in Kraków as I saw the horrors of the Holocaust through visits to Schindler's Factory, the former concentration camp site at Plaszow, and Auschwitz. Like Staszow, Kraków was personal as I have the privilege of bringing in a Holocaust survivor to speak to my students who grew up in Kraków. In both Staszow and Kraków, six million murdered Jews became not a mere statistic but individuals.

As for Auschwitz - Birkenau, it was THE MOST disturbing, disgusting place I might ever visit in my life. It wasn't just what happened there or how and why it happened. It was alsp observations I had made in regards to the tens of thousands of visitors there who had no freaking clue of the nature of the place. People go to Kraków and then they go to Auschwitz because, for so many, it is the "thing to do".  Too many people go there hungover, smoking cigarettes, not fully paying attention and/or absorbing the severity of the most heinous killing factory ever!

On the subject of Kraków, on a happier note, I did LOVE it. It is one of the world's most special cities. The food, the people, the old town, the Jewish district, it was so lively! Going to the salt mines was also unique and fun and a much needed respite after going to Auschwitz and also trying to beat 100-degree heat.

Other final musings...

1) Switzerland is beautiful but ridiculously expensive.

2) If I never take an overnight train again, I could not be happier :)

3) Other than Berlin and maybe Kraków, my favorite cities I saw were ones the ordinary American might not think to visit: Ljubljana, Bratislava, and Tallinn. All three were gems!

4) The most beautiful coastline I have ever seen was the Adriatic Coast in Croatia!

4)  I wish I would have spent more time in....

●BERLIN (always)
●Tallinn
● Ljubljana
● Sarajevo
●Belgrade

5) I wish I would have spent less time in
in....
●Salzburg (should have only been there for one night, although, the ice caves were AWESOME)

6) I met so many Aussies who quit their jobs just to travel for 6 months to one year.  Must be nice :).

7) I really gained appreciation for how lucky I am to be from the States and, after a while, I got tired of American bashing.  

8) I am so glad I have come to Europe by myself the past two years and I feel like a VERY YOUNG 33-year old.

9) With that being said, I cannot wait to share Europe with someone special in the future!

10) I am really looking forward to Wegmans in two days and kale chips tomorrow and am really actually ready to go home! Football season is here and I realized how much I LOVE the Bills when, visiting Riga, I was trying to get the heads up on the first PRE-SEASON game!

I cannot wait to be back next summer and I did not simply "visit" Europe; I LIVED it!

Ich Bin EIN BERLINER Yo!

Thursday, August 15th, 2013: I write this with heavy heart as I get ready to say goodbye to my FAVORITE European city (and one of my favorite cities in the world), eating breakfast at the Main Station Hostel and trying not to think about the three flights I have in front of me on my trek back to my FAVORITE CITY in the WORLD, BOSTON! Right now, I need to just reflect on my final 36 hours in Berlin and I will do a separate post later on the past five weeks. 

Okay, so I arrived back in Berlin around 8 Tuesday night after a beautiful flight from Helsinki and I felt this unmatched excitement that I only really get when I come here.  As my plane was getting ready to land at Tegel, I saw the TV Tower by Alexanderplatz and, in so many ways, I was like "Yeah baby, I'm home".  Almost immediate after I got to my hostel (the first one I had ever stayed at in my life when I came to Berlin last summer), I went out for a kebab and beverages and enjoyed the city.  Knowing that yesterday was going to be my last day, I did something I rarely do, I made a PLAN of places I wanted to see and started prioritizing.  This plan was based a lot on my interests and trying to see museums and places I had not been to here.  As a teacher, there is NO BETTER city than Berlin,  especially when educating about the 20th century to the present.  The First World War, the rize of liberalism during the interwar period, the rise of Nazism, the Holocaust, the Second World War, the Cold War, the end of the Cold War, the emergence of the European Union, environmental progress and modern education....Need I go any further :)!? So much happened here and I could spend another 2 weeks here and still not be satisfied.

Anyway, I went to three very unique places yesterday that will ultimately bring unique experiences into the classroom.  I started by going to the former East German Stasi Prison, Gedenskstätte.  Here, George Orwell really comes to life as I learned how the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, DDR, or East Germany) used to spy on its citizens and look for "suspicious" activities against the State. People were taken here for such heinous crimes as making fun of Stalin or criticizing the government. They would be held in isolation or in cramped cells without being able to see any light, would be taken from their homes by individuals who dressed in plain clothes, whisked away in trucks that had a facade on the outside giving it the appearance of a food vehicle, and they would be tortured to extract false confessions and to make the state appear democratic at trials (even though the international community knew the whole judicial system was a farce).  Ultimately, usually after 36 hours of sleep deprivation, exposure to intense temperatures, types of water boarding, and fear of retribution against family members, suspects usually confessed and were sentenced to jail or hard labor. The whole tour of the prison, which ironically was set up as a Nazi welfare house to help its poor German citizens before being taken over by the Soviets, was sickening and really eerie!

On the subject of Russia, after the tour of Gedenkastte, I went to the house where the Nazis surrendered to the Soviets on May 8th, 1945 (they signed a separate treaty with France, the US, and the UK in another part of the city). The house in and of itself is also a museum that has documents, clothing, weapons, and various artifacts from World War II.  In one of my pictures, the one with my face and flags and table in the background, there is the actual room where the treaty was signed, and that was really great to see.

The last place I went to yesterday was the famed (or actually infamous) Berlin Olympic Stadium. The stadium is most known for hosting the 1936 Berlin Olympics, otherwise known as the Nazi Olympics. The games were actually awarded to Berlin in 1931, before Hitler came to power and to make up for its cancelation in Berlin in 1916 due to World War I. Hitler had initially hoped to personally congratulate every gold medalist and had his seat deliberately extended outward to have a prime viewing spot.  On the first day of the games, Jesse Owens quickly changed Hitler's plans by winning gold, and Hitler had refused to honor a non - white athlete.

Since World War II, the stadium has been redesigned and outfitted with completely modern seats, artificial turf, and holds the largest score board in Europe. It has hosted major concerts such as the Rolling Stones and U2 and has even hosted former Pope John Paul II. It has upgraded for the 21st century while maintaining its brick facade.

Okay. Last night, I really just walked around, grabbed a kebab, and packed. I leave Berlin satisfied but wanting so much more. Ultimately, my plan is to be back here again next year and to run the Berlin Marathon within the next five years. Yes, it is AWESOME :)!

You should all just GO TO HEL.....SINKI :)

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2013: So I sit on a Berlin- bound Lufthansa flight after spendia mere nine hours in the Finnish capital and I am extremely exhausted after a whirlwind three days through the Baltics and Finland. Like so many other places in Europe I visited, I had no expectations going in, which is actually really nice because it is hard to be disappointed and easy to be excited at the smallest sites and experiences.

Before I visited Helsinki, I had heard that Finns are insular, that they won't really talk to you, that Helsinki in and of itself is dull and can be seen in little more than a few hours. The reality is, I found native Helsinkians to be really friendly and the city to be incredibly beautiful (albeit more modern than most European cities). I love the Scandinavian architecture and Helsinki has a beautiful waterfront and well-developed ports. Yes, the city is somewhat expensive (not like Switzerland or Denmark, but still...) and it is very modern and lacks a lot of the medieval architecture that covers the landscape like Tallinn.   However, it has character and some beautiful parks. It did rain incessantly while I was here and that made it difficult to explore as much as I wanted to, but once the rain broke and the sun came out, I did a fantastic 9-mile run through downtown and various parks. Had I known going into the trip that the Helsinki Marathon was this weekend, I would have ended my trip here on Sunday and run it! Oh well :)

Now, I hit the final stage of my trip, back to my favorite European city, where I will spend two great nights before heading back to the States.   Last year, I made the mistake of coming to Berlin before flying home and then trying to squeeze in another city. That will not happen for me tomorrow, as I will hit up museums and soak everything up! To quote JFK: "Ich bin ein Berliner yo "!

I'm Tallinn everybody, I LOVE Estonia

Tuesday, August 13th: As I sit on a ferry crossing the Baltic Sea and bound for Helsinki, I need to really confess one regret: I WISH I had come to Estonia sooner and spent more than one day in Tallinn. The timing did not work out and I am catching a flight from Helsinki back to Berlin tonight, and such is life traveling solo.  Of course there is a reaon for my regret. This is just another incredible city with beautiful people, a medieval old center, wonderful food, and some of my favorite weather and locale.  It is in the 60s and 70s during the day, chillier at night, and it is right on the Baltic Sea.

I will say that in 24 short hours, I went to one museum and climbed a church tower overlooking the city, had an awesome dessert in a cafe in Old Town, saw the entire city, snuck in a short nap, and then, around 5 in the afternoon, ran four miles to a beach and swam in the Baltic Sea before then running barefoot on the beach for another 10 minutes. I LOVED AND LIVED IT:)!

Thanks a LAT-via Riga for such a beautiful city :)

Monday, August 12th: When I first knew I was comin back to Europe this summer, I wanted to make it a point to get to the Baltics (and ultimately St. Petersburg, which will not hapoen because of the pain it is to get a visa). Why the Baltics? They just seemed beautiful and completely different. So, yesterday, after spending four days in Poland, I took a short flight on LOT Airlines to Riga, Latvia, a large port city on the Baltic Sea and one that has a varied, rich history.  I was there for little more than 12 hours, during the day, before hopping on a cheap 4-hour bus ride to Talinn, Estonia at two this morning (I am typing this on the bus).

In 12 hours, I walked all over the city , haf dinner, and I relaxed (while also trying to follow Bills preseason football 10k miles away).  Not much to say now except just check out my pictures. They soeak loudly about how beautiful this city is. It is also crazy to think I went from the Balkans to the Baltics in a week! The joys of EuroTravel :)

POLISH-ING OFF Krakow and Warsaw

Sunday, August 11th: On a short flight from Warsaw to Riga, I leave Poland with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude for the heavy-hearted, emotional experiences I lived through the past four days. As far as travel, seeing the dark realities of the very worst of humanity, a history that is still very recent and personal, is not easy but it is soooooooo important and I know that I have gained so much insight and appreciation for my own life, and I have learned numerous lessons that I will share with my own students, colleagues, and family, with the aims of changing the way we think about how we treat others and experience the world around us.

With that being said, I think it is important to share how beautiful Krakow is and how much I loved the people and the city.
It has a charming old town that rivals Prague's and I felt everyone here was friendly and open. The city also teems with cultural and religious diversity with fantastic food stands and wonderful restaurants. I would say that, behind Berlin and in a tie with Prague, Krakow is my second favorite European city.

Not much to say about Warsaw except for it was a nice place to sleep. Pretty much all I saw there was the back of my eyelids and the ancient walls of the Best Western Felix Inn.  I was there for less than 12 hours before leaving for the airport. It just gives me ever the excuse to come back.

Now, I reach the home stretch of EuroTrip 2013 and I will inevitably FINN-ish off like a Rolling E-STON-IA :).  In Riga today then off to Talinn tomorrow, ferry to Helsinki Tuesday and back to Berlin Wednesday. FYI-- including Warsaw and Bratislava, that will make five capital cities in eight days. MAN I LOVE TRAVELING :)!