My friend Rachel was attending the university in Montpellier during 2005-6 so she offered to let us stay at her place.
I had only briefly been to Montpellier (a matter of hours spent strolling vacant streets during a holiday) so the city was only vaguely familiar. It was only our third city on that trip and we were already ready to settle down for a week. Krystin was still attempting to do multiple online classes so it provided her a place to read and send homework back. But basically we stayed with Rachel for about 6 days (I think).
During this time, we visited the local sites, went to the university at least once to eat, took a day trip to Nimes, and explored the stores and French living, along with our host.
I think Montpellier is really where Krystin’s love of Kebabs took off. Rachel frequented a few places. Actually one interesting thing about southern French kebabs is that they do it in a different style, the meat and salad is wrapped up in a tortilla similar to a burrito. (Rachel calls them North African burritos or something like that)
Anyway. There are a number of kebab places run by various groups of north Africans that compete for local business, they all have names like “Star Kebabs” “King Kebabs” which is interesting because other than the university which has a small international student population, there really isn’t as much tourism to Montpellier as other southern French cities. This is not because the city isn’t wealthy, its more just a matter of location, Avignon, Nimes, Aix en Provence, Marseille, Cannes and Nice are much more popular for various reasons (history, wealth, movies, beaches, fashion). Anyway, Montpellier’s main attraction is the central square la Comedie, and perhaps the local aqueduct and arch de triumph . La Comedie is not too different from other European central squares; it has some significant buildings making up the sides as well as cafes, restaurants and stores. Often times street performers will gather in the center to make money, there is a fountain and a theater which the square is named after.
Montpellier also has an old quarter directly behind La Comedie, the winding streets often lead to old churches and what look like castle walls, but have mainly been transformed in to a small commercial district, where there are some interesting bohemian elements, tattoo shops, skateboard stores, hip hop stores, West African art stores, as well as some new age candle and craft stores, and small music alternative stores.
Also in this area are some fairly expensive name brand type stores, many of French and Italian design rather than American. A light rail system runs around the old city to the university where we had lunch one day in a cafeteria style set up. The cafeteria served multiple items, greek and Mediterranean salads, free bead (I took several) fries and sandwiches, as well as items to order.
The university looked much like an American university; it was geographically separated to make a campus feel. The classrooms and computer labs seemed very similar to Morris.
On the way back we stopped at a French patisserie which served traditional French pastries, tarts, croissants, strange fruit cookie things…
Krystin and Rachel about died and went to heaven.
We walked the tram line back, on one side was residential housing that looked like suburban style housing, a bit more colorful, but with green lawns and what not. On the other side was the wall and buildings signifying the old town.
I guess I was surprised by the West African influence in some of the shops. They sold the same things they sell in African countries, wooden goods, cloth, crafts… I don’t know why French is heavily associated with West Africa but West African influence is rarely associated with France (where as I think North Africa, does play a pretty significant cultural role in France).
We went to a grocery store that was similar to other European grocery stores –meaning it had multiple levels including items seen more in department stores.
We also went to stores like the virgin mega store, and things like that, very trendy European commercial electronics.
Rachel introduced us to some of her friends, one of whom was a Swedish/Bulgarian who had spent time in America, he was very excitable and outspoken and watching the Olympics with him was a treat, as he ridiculed every nation but the 4 he had called home, while the rest of us couldn’t have cared less.
I also went to a party at some of her friends house, but the party was hardly any different than an American party except that I didn’t speak the language of most of the people there.
We took a trip to Nimes, where denim comes from, with a friend of rachel’s specifically for the purpose of shopping at a local mall that had an H&M a very popular trendy European clothes store. While the girls shopped I walked around the mall.
3 of the 4 food places in the mall served the same style food. The 4th was a multi-style cafeteria place. We ate there. The other places served coffee and sandwiches.
The mall had a grocery store/that really reminded me of a mix between and office max and a grocery store… but probably was similar to a Super Wal-Mart.
While in Nimes, we also went to a creperie (spelling?) and Krystin got to try her first crepe I think she had a nutella one. Nutella being the European’s counter to peanut butter only in a chocolate nut form.
We also visited a church that was closed and a coliseum style arena that was Roman and also closed.
I guess in many ways Montpellier and Nimes are what I would call typically southern French cities. They have great historical pasts, lively centers, a mix of tradition and modernity. The culture is French, but with hints of north African, European and American influence. (my favorite being hip hop graffiti “American” and kebabs “Mediterranean?” )
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Marseille
this is probably an exaggeration...
I was not in Marseille long, during this trip, I have been before during the Christmas season in 2002 when American sailors were in port for a week.
Still I wanted to include a few brief thoughts because of how interesting the city is.
(One of my best friend’s family is from Marseille so I visited her while she was staying with her family.) Most of the description here is of the main inner city area (from the train station to the main street and the harbor –approximately 1-2 square miles at most), the suburbs of Marseille seem to have a much different –more traditional southern French look.
Basically from the moment you get off the train or bus in Marseille you can tell the city is not “typical” France. The Muslim influence, Arab and North African is tremendous. Not so much in the actual look of the buildings which are all very western european looking. But in almost every other way. The parks are full of men talking and trading. Several of the main streets have people selling items on blankets and card board boxes. The language is written and spoken in Arabic, most of the people have darker skin, and dress like North Africans. The smell of the food and the people is different; the stores cater to Muslim diets.
There is a McDonalds, there are expensive restaurants and bars along the harbor, but the main areas of this part of the city are very non “French.” I think I described it to a friend as being a French city colonized by or given to North Africans.
It’s a really interesting and dynamic city. But there is a feeling of tension in the air sometimes… I stayed at a hotel on my first trip owned by Algerians, the hotel mainly served Muslim men who stayed for long periods of time. The day before the American soldiers were to leave, the hotel owner in excitement (not realizing or perhaps forgetting that I was American) said something like “Yes the Americans are leaving” then turned to me and “said your people, they leave tomorrow, we are excited” I asked him why they said they didn’t like the sailors ruining their town… I understood at the time, because that morning (Dec 26th) I had seen a drunken sailor stumble out of a public fountain where he seemed to have spent the previous evening… (the water doesn’t run in the winter).
Anyway Marseille is sort of interesting… it does also have a street of really high class western stores, trendy American type stores like Claire’s accessories, and the gap, but also high French and Italian fashion. This street is mainly frequented by white French women, tourists and teens of both sexes of all ethnicities.
I was not in Marseille long, during this trip, I have been before during the Christmas season in 2002 when American sailors were in port for a week.
Still I wanted to include a few brief thoughts because of how interesting the city is.
(One of my best friend’s family is from Marseille so I visited her while she was staying with her family.) Most of the description here is of the main inner city area (from the train station to the main street and the harbor –approximately 1-2 square miles at most), the suburbs of Marseille seem to have a much different –more traditional southern French look.
Basically from the moment you get off the train or bus in Marseille you can tell the city is not “typical” France. The Muslim influence, Arab and North African is tremendous. Not so much in the actual look of the buildings which are all very western european looking. But in almost every other way. The parks are full of men talking and trading. Several of the main streets have people selling items on blankets and card board boxes. The language is written and spoken in Arabic, most of the people have darker skin, and dress like North Africans. The smell of the food and the people is different; the stores cater to Muslim diets.
There is a McDonalds, there are expensive restaurants and bars along the harbor, but the main areas of this part of the city are very non “French.” I think I described it to a friend as being a French city colonized by or given to North Africans.
It’s a really interesting and dynamic city. But there is a feeling of tension in the air sometimes… I stayed at a hotel on my first trip owned by Algerians, the hotel mainly served Muslim men who stayed for long periods of time. The day before the American soldiers were to leave, the hotel owner in excitement (not realizing or perhaps forgetting that I was American) said something like “Yes the Americans are leaving” then turned to me and “said your people, they leave tomorrow, we are excited” I asked him why they said they didn’t like the sailors ruining their town… I understood at the time, because that morning (Dec 26th) I had seen a drunken sailor stumble out of a public fountain where he seemed to have spent the previous evening… (the water doesn’t run in the winter).
Anyway Marseille is sort of interesting… it does also have a street of really high class western stores, trendy American type stores like Claire’s accessories, and the gap, but also high French and Italian fashion. This street is mainly frequented by white French women, tourists and teens of both sexes of all ethnicities.
madrid
a poem I had forgotten from madrid...
this is about a hostel kitchen, the people were simly making dinner, actually not a whole lot of conversation going on...but i recorded what people cooked and whatnot and it seemed interesting
Communal Kitchen 20:45 Madrid Espana
The representatives gather
Displaying common
Instinctual
Individual…. Desires
Each assigned their place, their nation, their role
They stand… and dance
Cooking
Communally displaying their talents
A different language
Alien ingredients
A pinch of tengo
A dab of salsa
A teaspoon of polka
And we whirl around
The gestures impromptu
The colors
And smells
Of estrangement
What is my dance, my flag, my cuisine?
The French eat Italian -and become the EU
Americans eat tortillas and the Americas unite
Japanese eat European food and Eurasia is reborn
Continents come together in the kitchen
Communal dancing
Community of life.
this is about a hostel kitchen, the people were simly making dinner, actually not a whole lot of conversation going on...but i recorded what people cooked and whatnot and it seemed interesting
Communal Kitchen 20:45 Madrid Espana
The representatives gather
Displaying common
Instinctual
Individual…. Desires
Each assigned their place, their nation, their role
They stand… and dance
Cooking
Communally displaying their talents
A different language
Alien ingredients
A pinch of tengo
A dab of salsa
A teaspoon of polka
And we whirl around
The gestures impromptu
The colors
And smells
Of estrangement
What is my dance, my flag, my cuisine?
The French eat Italian -and become the EU
Americans eat tortillas and the Americas unite
Japanese eat European food and Eurasia is reborn
Continents come together in the kitchen
Communal dancing
Community of life.
paris
too much stuff in paris, but heres some...
In Paris Krystin and I stayed at a hotel near one of the main train stations. The Hotel advertised much more than it offered, and Krystin was quite peeved, but I didn’t mind too much.
Paris is a massive city, and me and Krystin were fairly sick of each other so we spent much of our time apart.
We did go to the Eiffel tower and several other tourist attractions together (she went up the Eiffel) I watched the tourists and soldiers who were guarding it. There were many Asian tourist groups, but the weather was rather cold so there were not too many people out. The soldiers were in full camouflage minus the makeup, and with berets, they carried some fairly heavy seeming weaponry, assault rifles… one of the guys looked like he had some sort of rocket launcher or something.. it was odd. Later at the Louvre I saw some more soldiers. I guess in the US we are more used to seeing police than soldiers.
Krystin and I split up in the Louvre, I had already been but it is also just impossible to stick with a person in a building so big. She said she really only wanted to see the Mona Lisa, I think she took a picture even though you aren’t technically allowed to… everyone does.
Outside of the Pompidou I saw a group of Tuvon musicians, using traditional instruments and wearing traditional costumes. Tuvon musicians are known for their throat singing, and the crowd seemed impressed.
One of the main things about Paris that is noticeable is how many people of color there are. Many of the younger people especially didn’t seem to be French born, most were North African -Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan. Of course in a huge city like Paris, you expect some diversity but the changing demographics really seemed much more apparent in Paris than any other place. At one point I got lost (I do this intentionally while traveling) and ended up walking down a street that had 3 or 4 ethnic hair care places, it was interesting to see how the advertisements were marketed towards certain non white ethnicities, (similar to the US) but in no other place in Europe had I seen so many stores like that. One man asked if I wanted to get my hair locked or braided.
Near the Pompidou is a building that seems to have been taken over by artists or activists (both) they have decorated the outside of the building with colorful banners and flags. They have also made the outside of the building look like a mask of some sort.
The neighborhood we lived in seemed to have a high Arab population, local restaurants and grocery stores catered to Arab dietary rules. One of the restaurants we frequented (they gave us good deals) was run by what appeared to be a family, Im not sure where they were from maybe Jordan or Syria… anyway, at one point I was eating dinner and noticed that the two men who usually ran the place had gone to have a meeting at a table full of men. They seemed to be discussing business and family matters (in a celebratory fashion) but the woman (the wife or sister of one of the men?) was left behind to do the dishes… she was not a cook, and did not handle money, for other customers but when she saw me and Krystin she seemed to step outside of her normal role, and give us extra food or ask if we were ok.
The French, Dutch (and Belgians –I found out later) have a strong interest and attachment to comic books and cartoons. Near the Latin quarter I stumbled upon a block that had roughly 4 comic book stores. These stores had similar items that American stores would have, but the age range of people in the stores seemed sort of odd. Its mostly older men, from 30-60. The cartoons and comic books have many different themes, politics, comedy, satire, action, mystery, sex, etc they also tend to sell action figures and what not.
In Paris the McDonalds have what are called McCafes attached (at least to their major restaurants –especially near tourist areas) these McCafes sell richer style espresso drinks and food items associated with cafes rather than the American style fast food.
The McDonalds breakfast was different too. Pancakes don’t seem to be a French thing, even though they love crepes….
Krystin and I did not go in the Moulin Rouge but we saw the trashy neon lights outside… after checking out Sacre Coeur. Wasn’t much to comment on, except that a guy got mad at me around Montmartre and threatened to hit me because I wouldn’t buy drugs from him. Later when Krystin left I spent a night at a hostel in the area. And a similar thing happened again, only with the aggressors asking me to sell them drugs (which I did not have)… I wrote a poem called Little Town on a Hill about Montmartre and the strip clubs around it and what not. (will follow)
The Montmartre area of the city is still semi bohemian, they sell art and have street performers during the day, at night it is full of small cafes and bars where people play music.
I had some Finnish roommates at the second hostel who listened to really loud rock music, including American rock, and they drank a lot. Im not sure what else I remember about them. The hostel was full of Australians and Canadians and English people, that night I talked to a man about being a podiatrist in Australia, and about areas of Vancouver where you can buy drugs legally. The Canadians were in Europe to party.
My third hostel in Paris was on the outskirts of town, in what seemed to be a more suburban style neighborhood (only still apartment buildings and nice cafes… it was cleaner and newer looking) There were several Chinese, Japanese and Indian restaurants in the area, but the people seemed to be traditional middle class white French.
In this hotel/hostel we (my girlfriend came out to visit) got to meet a couple of Americans who were strongly suited for the Obnoxious American stereotype. When we left the cleaning ladies, said they were sad, because they wished the other couple had left instead.
Lastly… Krystin ate at a French Chinese restaurant… me and Krystin like Chinese food, but I was intimidated by the fact that the food looked like it had been sitting in the window all day (and it had been)… I guess the style is to pay for the weight you want… then microwave and serve.
She said it was good.
Stories about more micro waved food later.
Oh little town on a hill,
we have over run your barricades
of shady dealers, sketchy, meager monstrosities, fantastic glow façade with closed curtains
bombarded you again with the sweetness we call freedom
Oh little town on a hill
why does thou allow our unsavory ways?
Oh little town on a hill
sacred and cherished, delightfully lighted
why are your alleys full of hash and coke dealing baddies?
Oh little town on a hill
So distinct with magnificent fury
Wrap yourself in the paint strokes
The piano notes, the mystic made fashionable so long ago
Oh little town on a hill
Have you grown old, accustomed to our banging and brashness?
Have you slept through the days, spent all of your nights ecstatic?
Oh little town on a hill
Your moat seems to fill quick with men
sneaking behind those dark velvet curtains
Oh little town on a hill
I swear it almost got me, but claiming artist I snuck by
And wonder if it’s a lie
Oh little town on a hill
Passion has been your disastrous decadence
Is it still, and is it our will?
Oh little town on a hill
Capped and domed to surmount your mount
We catch glimpses from far off distances and
Dreamt of sacrosanct asylum in your presence
Oh little town on a hill
Forgive a pleasant dreamer,
Smile serenely but don’t hold my squeamish hand
Oh little town on a hill
Your cobbled roads are rag tag riches,
Don’t pay them for the face lift
Oh little town on a hill
Pull bread from your pockets
These bondsmen have our
Precious passes
and we have spent our loot
on your fine wine and grasses
Oh little town on a hill
Is your love as strong and
Would you wrap us in it for we have been walking all day in the rain
and need your calming bisou greetings
Oh little town on a hill
Proclaim once and for all that you are no madam,
neither the whore
And let us in to fool around some more
Oh little town on a hill
In grace, your star burned bright boheme
spill life on to us and our hearts may weep with joy again
In Paris Krystin and I stayed at a hotel near one of the main train stations. The Hotel advertised much more than it offered, and Krystin was quite peeved, but I didn’t mind too much.
Paris is a massive city, and me and Krystin were fairly sick of each other so we spent much of our time apart.
We did go to the Eiffel tower and several other tourist attractions together (she went up the Eiffel) I watched the tourists and soldiers who were guarding it. There were many Asian tourist groups, but the weather was rather cold so there were not too many people out. The soldiers were in full camouflage minus the makeup, and with berets, they carried some fairly heavy seeming weaponry, assault rifles… one of the guys looked like he had some sort of rocket launcher or something.. it was odd. Later at the Louvre I saw some more soldiers. I guess in the US we are more used to seeing police than soldiers.
Krystin and I split up in the Louvre, I had already been but it is also just impossible to stick with a person in a building so big. She said she really only wanted to see the Mona Lisa, I think she took a picture even though you aren’t technically allowed to… everyone does.
Outside of the Pompidou I saw a group of Tuvon musicians, using traditional instruments and wearing traditional costumes. Tuvon musicians are known for their throat singing, and the crowd seemed impressed.
One of the main things about Paris that is noticeable is how many people of color there are. Many of the younger people especially didn’t seem to be French born, most were North African -Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan. Of course in a huge city like Paris, you expect some diversity but the changing demographics really seemed much more apparent in Paris than any other place. At one point I got lost (I do this intentionally while traveling) and ended up walking down a street that had 3 or 4 ethnic hair care places, it was interesting to see how the advertisements were marketed towards certain non white ethnicities, (similar to the US) but in no other place in Europe had I seen so many stores like that. One man asked if I wanted to get my hair locked or braided.
Near the Pompidou is a building that seems to have been taken over by artists or activists (both) they have decorated the outside of the building with colorful banners and flags. They have also made the outside of the building look like a mask of some sort.
The neighborhood we lived in seemed to have a high Arab population, local restaurants and grocery stores catered to Arab dietary rules. One of the restaurants we frequented (they gave us good deals) was run by what appeared to be a family, Im not sure where they were from maybe Jordan or Syria… anyway, at one point I was eating dinner and noticed that the two men who usually ran the place had gone to have a meeting at a table full of men. They seemed to be discussing business and family matters (in a celebratory fashion) but the woman (the wife or sister of one of the men?) was left behind to do the dishes… she was not a cook, and did not handle money, for other customers but when she saw me and Krystin she seemed to step outside of her normal role, and give us extra food or ask if we were ok.
The French, Dutch (and Belgians –I found out later) have a strong interest and attachment to comic books and cartoons. Near the Latin quarter I stumbled upon a block that had roughly 4 comic book stores. These stores had similar items that American stores would have, but the age range of people in the stores seemed sort of odd. Its mostly older men, from 30-60. The cartoons and comic books have many different themes, politics, comedy, satire, action, mystery, sex, etc they also tend to sell action figures and what not.
In Paris the McDonalds have what are called McCafes attached (at least to their major restaurants –especially near tourist areas) these McCafes sell richer style espresso drinks and food items associated with cafes rather than the American style fast food.
The McDonalds breakfast was different too. Pancakes don’t seem to be a French thing, even though they love crepes….
Krystin and I did not go in the Moulin Rouge but we saw the trashy neon lights outside… after checking out Sacre Coeur. Wasn’t much to comment on, except that a guy got mad at me around Montmartre and threatened to hit me because I wouldn’t buy drugs from him. Later when Krystin left I spent a night at a hostel in the area. And a similar thing happened again, only with the aggressors asking me to sell them drugs (which I did not have)… I wrote a poem called Little Town on a Hill about Montmartre and the strip clubs around it and what not. (will follow)
The Montmartre area of the city is still semi bohemian, they sell art and have street performers during the day, at night it is full of small cafes and bars where people play music.
I had some Finnish roommates at the second hostel who listened to really loud rock music, including American rock, and they drank a lot. Im not sure what else I remember about them. The hostel was full of Australians and Canadians and English people, that night I talked to a man about being a podiatrist in Australia, and about areas of Vancouver where you can buy drugs legally. The Canadians were in Europe to party.
My third hostel in Paris was on the outskirts of town, in what seemed to be a more suburban style neighborhood (only still apartment buildings and nice cafes… it was cleaner and newer looking) There were several Chinese, Japanese and Indian restaurants in the area, but the people seemed to be traditional middle class white French.
In this hotel/hostel we (my girlfriend came out to visit) got to meet a couple of Americans who were strongly suited for the Obnoxious American stereotype. When we left the cleaning ladies, said they were sad, because they wished the other couple had left instead.
Lastly… Krystin ate at a French Chinese restaurant… me and Krystin like Chinese food, but I was intimidated by the fact that the food looked like it had been sitting in the window all day (and it had been)… I guess the style is to pay for the weight you want… then microwave and serve.
She said it was good.
Stories about more micro waved food later.
Oh little town on a hill,
we have over run your barricades
of shady dealers, sketchy, meager monstrosities, fantastic glow façade with closed curtains
bombarded you again with the sweetness we call freedom
Oh little town on a hill
why does thou allow our unsavory ways?
Oh little town on a hill
sacred and cherished, delightfully lighted
why are your alleys full of hash and coke dealing baddies?
Oh little town on a hill
So distinct with magnificent fury
Wrap yourself in the paint strokes
The piano notes, the mystic made fashionable so long ago
Oh little town on a hill
Have you grown old, accustomed to our banging and brashness?
Have you slept through the days, spent all of your nights ecstatic?
Oh little town on a hill
Your moat seems to fill quick with men
sneaking behind those dark velvet curtains
Oh little town on a hill
I swear it almost got me, but claiming artist I snuck by
And wonder if it’s a lie
Oh little town on a hill
Passion has been your disastrous decadence
Is it still, and is it our will?
Oh little town on a hill
Capped and domed to surmount your mount
We catch glimpses from far off distances and
Dreamt of sacrosanct asylum in your presence
Oh little town on a hill
Forgive a pleasant dreamer,
Smile serenely but don’t hold my squeamish hand
Oh little town on a hill
Your cobbled roads are rag tag riches,
Don’t pay them for the face lift
Oh little town on a hill
Pull bread from your pockets
These bondsmen have our
Precious passes
and we have spent our loot
on your fine wine and grasses
Oh little town on a hill
Is your love as strong and
Would you wrap us in it for we have been walking all day in the rain
and need your calming bisou greetings
Oh little town on a hill
Proclaim once and for all that you are no madam,
neither the whore
And let us in to fool around some more
Oh little town on a hill
In grace, your star burned bright boheme
spill life on to us and our hearts may weep with joy again
Monday, January 8, 2007
Split and Hvar
In Split I stayed at a woman’s house who rented it out to travelers. On the way in to town on the train I talked to a man who had lived during the war period and had his own questions about America and about Christianity.
We talked for a little while about the war, and he mainly stated that it was about nationalism, and that healing was an important thing. His view on the whole thing was that people were aware that these ethnic and religious lines were not worth fighting over, but some of the leaders were power hungry. –thus everyone should be better now. At the same time he talked about the Serbs as being vicious because to him they were responsible for the deaths of women and children which was unforgivable… the comment through me off –after hearing that he thought they should all live in peace. Unfortunately he was not able to clarify.
He asked what sport we like and told me a little bit about how soccer and basketball were popular in Croatia. He also asked about the role of women in the bible and in Christianity… he was worried that his new faith (born again?) did not give women the respect they deserved (part of his view that all people should be accepted and supported). I pointed out a few verse for him, and he thanked me.
The woman who I stayed with did not speak English very well, and I didn’t ever meet her other renters. Her house seemed like a sort of summer villa. Open to the air, and not much space inside. The streets in the neighborhoods of Split sort of wind and snake around each other, and it is easy to get lost. The two big spots in Split are Diocletian’s Palace and the Croatian Opera house.
The rest of the town seems fairly low key, though the main streets are very attractive and seem to speak of wealth. (the sidewalks looked like marble-probably weren’t, but had a look of money and time spent making things look nice)
The main strip of stores also had this sort of look. I think these few streets and the port were made to look good for the tourists, if you stray off the path a little, things start looking less wealthy.
Diocletian’s Palace is an old Roman building, now destroyed, but its remains have been built in to, and are used for churches, stores and the tourist office (I think).
The Palace has one large bell tower that you can climb (many stairs) and offers amazing views.
The Croatian Opera house where I bought tickets to the cheap balcony seats-tattered covers, no one else around –had a opera about the Turks invasion of Bulgaria. I couldn’t figure much out but the costumes were cute and the music was nice. On the bathroom door at the opera some one had put a “Just Do it” sticker.
There were also a couple movie theaters in the town I think, but none of them were showing English movies (probably because it was not the tourist season).
I guess one interesting thing, is that along the harbor they had a number of large stands where the vendors would sell sports team items and tourist stuff, and wallets and whatever, but they also had Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles… many of them, and it seemed odd because I wasn’t aware that the cartoon, comic book or movie had been so international.
I also saw a store that was selling t shirt in English, with similar –stupid slogans -a popular trend in the US now… like the “I’m with stupid” kind of shirt. But at this store many of the shirts were really sexual, or used a lot more profanity than we would in the US, and this was a high end (teen-young adult) store. Some of the shirts also mocked popular brands –or would say the brand name and include in captions (not fake).
Not sure what it means –just clearly they are aware of marketing trends, English phrases, and interestingly mocking high class (western European) brand names.
There was a boat show in Split while I was there. Speed boats. I couldn’t enter without paying a fee.
I often refer to Croatia as the place where Italians go to vacation, and I think that’s fairly true, one often hears Italian spoken, the styles and food are similar and the cultures of the two countries have obviously shared many connections.
That being said, I might be wrong, but I came to believe that many of the upper class, owners and buyers on the coast of Croatia have Italian connections or background.
Cant really back up that claim.
Hvar Island
On Hvar (a neighboring island) I spent a day (starving because the prices were high) and bored because most of the stuff was closed. I walked near a monastery, a castle, some random streets and what not… but didn’t find much till I was ready to leave.
On the way out, I stopped at store near the port to use the bathroom and inside found it to be another department store, but lower class like a K-mart –it also had an adjoining restaurant but I couldn’t identify where the kitchen was...
Then on the way back I met an interesting woman on the boat. We sat with a Japanese couple, and she made negative comments to me about them (secretly) while talking to them. She was Croatian and actually asked me to come back and live with her and grow lavender. It was from her I got the quote about people being stupid and wanting to think things were better just because they could call themselves Croat now rather than Yugoslavian. She was very cynical about most people, her neighbors, tourists, Japanese and all Asian people. But she was also extremely friendly. Near the end of our boat journey she asked me for money, which I wasn’t down for, but she then explained she was joking… sort of. Two houses and her own business and asks strangers for money… odd. She was definitely nostalgic for the Tito era, and was disappointed with the current situation. Felt the war was ridiculous and silly, but didn’t seem to care too much.
Anyway that was Hvar…
We talked for a little while about the war, and he mainly stated that it was about nationalism, and that healing was an important thing. His view on the whole thing was that people were aware that these ethnic and religious lines were not worth fighting over, but some of the leaders were power hungry. –thus everyone should be better now. At the same time he talked about the Serbs as being vicious because to him they were responsible for the deaths of women and children which was unforgivable… the comment through me off –after hearing that he thought they should all live in peace. Unfortunately he was not able to clarify.
He asked what sport we like and told me a little bit about how soccer and basketball were popular in Croatia. He also asked about the role of women in the bible and in Christianity… he was worried that his new faith (born again?) did not give women the respect they deserved (part of his view that all people should be accepted and supported). I pointed out a few verse for him, and he thanked me.
The woman who I stayed with did not speak English very well, and I didn’t ever meet her other renters. Her house seemed like a sort of summer villa. Open to the air, and not much space inside. The streets in the neighborhoods of Split sort of wind and snake around each other, and it is easy to get lost. The two big spots in Split are Diocletian’s Palace and the Croatian Opera house.
The rest of the town seems fairly low key, though the main streets are very attractive and seem to speak of wealth. (the sidewalks looked like marble-probably weren’t, but had a look of money and time spent making things look nice)
The main strip of stores also had this sort of look. I think these few streets and the port were made to look good for the tourists, if you stray off the path a little, things start looking less wealthy.
Diocletian’s Palace is an old Roman building, now destroyed, but its remains have been built in to, and are used for churches, stores and the tourist office (I think).
The Palace has one large bell tower that you can climb (many stairs) and offers amazing views.
The Croatian Opera house where I bought tickets to the cheap balcony seats-tattered covers, no one else around –had a opera about the Turks invasion of Bulgaria. I couldn’t figure much out but the costumes were cute and the music was nice. On the bathroom door at the opera some one had put a “Just Do it” sticker.
There were also a couple movie theaters in the town I think, but none of them were showing English movies (probably because it was not the tourist season).
I guess one interesting thing, is that along the harbor they had a number of large stands where the vendors would sell sports team items and tourist stuff, and wallets and whatever, but they also had Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles… many of them, and it seemed odd because I wasn’t aware that the cartoon, comic book or movie had been so international.
I also saw a store that was selling t shirt in English, with similar –stupid slogans -a popular trend in the US now… like the “I’m with stupid” kind of shirt. But at this store many of the shirts were really sexual, or used a lot more profanity than we would in the US, and this was a high end (teen-young adult) store. Some of the shirts also mocked popular brands –or would say the brand name and include in captions (not fake).
Not sure what it means –just clearly they are aware of marketing trends, English phrases, and interestingly mocking high class (western European) brand names.
There was a boat show in Split while I was there. Speed boats. I couldn’t enter without paying a fee.
I often refer to Croatia as the place where Italians go to vacation, and I think that’s fairly true, one often hears Italian spoken, the styles and food are similar and the cultures of the two countries have obviously shared many connections.
That being said, I might be wrong, but I came to believe that many of the upper class, owners and buyers on the coast of Croatia have Italian connections or background.
Cant really back up that claim.
Hvar Island
On Hvar (a neighboring island) I spent a day (starving because the prices were high) and bored because most of the stuff was closed. I walked near a monastery, a castle, some random streets and what not… but didn’t find much till I was ready to leave.
On the way out, I stopped at store near the port to use the bathroom and inside found it to be another department store, but lower class like a K-mart –it also had an adjoining restaurant but I couldn’t identify where the kitchen was...
Then on the way back I met an interesting woman on the boat. We sat with a Japanese couple, and she made negative comments to me about them (secretly) while talking to them. She was Croatian and actually asked me to come back and live with her and grow lavender. It was from her I got the quote about people being stupid and wanting to think things were better just because they could call themselves Croat now rather than Yugoslavian. She was very cynical about most people, her neighbors, tourists, Japanese and all Asian people. But she was also extremely friendly. Near the end of our boat journey she asked me for money, which I wasn’t down for, but she then explained she was joking… sort of. Two houses and her own business and asks strangers for money… odd. She was definitely nostalgic for the Tito era, and was disappointed with the current situation. Felt the war was ridiculous and silly, but didn’t seem to care too much.
Anyway that was Hvar…
Sunday, January 7, 2007
zagreb
One is aware of the beauty of Zagreb the moment you step outside the train station. I didn’t find much to do there however and spent the majority of my time sitting in the central square watching people and writing silly poems.
I did however meet a girl named Mateja who told me a bit about the country and the people but she was something like 14, so I’m guessing that skews the picture a little. One of the interesting things was how easily we related, it was like 14 yr olds in Croatia go through the same things 14 yr olds go through in the US - The same angst, the same rebelliousness. It was sort of fun hearing her talk about her friends who are followers and how she has dreams of doing something bigger, but was stuck there for now.
I did a lot of walking, the city seemed to have some very modern features as well as a more 1950s (rebuilding Europe look) I was in the center of the city, and I assume that the further out you go the differences become more apparent (I would assume both poor/old and new/wealthy neighborhoods. Croatia and Slovenia seem at pace with most of Western Europe.
I did not eat there, but one of the funniest restaurant names I have seen was in Zagreb, a place called Pizza Duck Cut or Pizza Cut Duck (one couldn’t tell by the sign) me and another American I had met were dumbfounded as to what that could mean. But it seemed like a western style pizzeria (pizza hut, dominoes). The McDonalds in Zagreb (like McDonalds in all warm countries of Europe) had café outdoor seating.
There were many nuns and priests walking around, which I had gotten used to because of Poland but was still semi out of the ordinary for an American to see.
There was a giant T mobile billboard in the main square, the sign was translated, but recognizable by the product and logo.
While in Zagreb I went to some cd stores where they had the cds in large cases that you would swing from left to right (similar to how they sell posters at stores in the US) . I bought 4 Roma cds –considered to be popular musicians, but relegated to a second class category of music because it comes from their traditions. Many of the store owners had none, or were surprised that I would want any. People spoke fairly good english. I did not have a hard time communicating with anyone.
At a local kebab stand, the owner sang to the customers… didn’t say much about globalization but it was cute. Coke and Fanta seem to dominate eastern Europe with the exception of Pizza Huts and KFC (which have deals with Pepsi) but you have to look for Pepsi, Coke is easy to find.
The hostel I stayed at was owned and operated by Japanese people, who said they had visited several years before and loved the location, but also were capitalizing on the fact that the market for hostels in the former Yugoslavia was just beginning to open up. The Hostel had a great deal of Spanish speakers, I wasn’t sure where they were from, they did not talk a lot to anyone but themselves.
In general I guess the impression from Zagreb was that it was a central European state, with a strong influence of the past, but looking forward to the future with the doors newly opened.
Silly poems from Zagreb
Poem 1
When the flock flees a feared and scatters
The child stands trumpeting triumphant
The parent stands idle not realizing it matters
To correct young sadists before their screaming announcement
2
If you are in Europe in any town
There is a statue of a man on a horse
This is the man who nobly led
And who was victorious in war
Around the statue will be some birds
Who happen to be the source
And upon his noble majestic head
Will be what these birds know the statue is for.
3
When you see the lonely Babushka selling flowers
With her “help me?” sales pitch
Don’t be deceived by her cunning powers
For in reality she is quite rich
With basements full of hydroponics
Her flower fields bloom in the coldest of winters
And the Babushka Mafia pushes out competitors
While their corporate alliance never splinters
I did however meet a girl named Mateja who told me a bit about the country and the people but she was something like 14, so I’m guessing that skews the picture a little. One of the interesting things was how easily we related, it was like 14 yr olds in Croatia go through the same things 14 yr olds go through in the US - The same angst, the same rebelliousness. It was sort of fun hearing her talk about her friends who are followers and how she has dreams of doing something bigger, but was stuck there for now.
I did a lot of walking, the city seemed to have some very modern features as well as a more 1950s (rebuilding Europe look) I was in the center of the city, and I assume that the further out you go the differences become more apparent (I would assume both poor/old and new/wealthy neighborhoods. Croatia and Slovenia seem at pace with most of Western Europe.
I did not eat there, but one of the funniest restaurant names I have seen was in Zagreb, a place called Pizza Duck Cut or Pizza Cut Duck (one couldn’t tell by the sign) me and another American I had met were dumbfounded as to what that could mean. But it seemed like a western style pizzeria (pizza hut, dominoes). The McDonalds in Zagreb (like McDonalds in all warm countries of Europe) had café outdoor seating.
There were many nuns and priests walking around, which I had gotten used to because of Poland but was still semi out of the ordinary for an American to see.
There was a giant T mobile billboard in the main square, the sign was translated, but recognizable by the product and logo.
While in Zagreb I went to some cd stores where they had the cds in large cases that you would swing from left to right (similar to how they sell posters at stores in the US) . I bought 4 Roma cds –considered to be popular musicians, but relegated to a second class category of music because it comes from their traditions. Many of the store owners had none, or were surprised that I would want any. People spoke fairly good english. I did not have a hard time communicating with anyone.
At a local kebab stand, the owner sang to the customers… didn’t say much about globalization but it was cute. Coke and Fanta seem to dominate eastern Europe with the exception of Pizza Huts and KFC (which have deals with Pepsi) but you have to look for Pepsi, Coke is easy to find.
The hostel I stayed at was owned and operated by Japanese people, who said they had visited several years before and loved the location, but also were capitalizing on the fact that the market for hostels in the former Yugoslavia was just beginning to open up. The Hostel had a great deal of Spanish speakers, I wasn’t sure where they were from, they did not talk a lot to anyone but themselves.
In general I guess the impression from Zagreb was that it was a central European state, with a strong influence of the past, but looking forward to the future with the doors newly opened.
Silly poems from Zagreb
Poem 1
When the flock flees a feared and scatters
The child stands trumpeting triumphant
The parent stands idle not realizing it matters
To correct young sadists before their screaming announcement
2
If you are in Europe in any town
There is a statue of a man on a horse
This is the man who nobly led
And who was victorious in war
Around the statue will be some birds
Who happen to be the source
And upon his noble majestic head
Will be what these birds know the statue is for.
3
When you see the lonely Babushka selling flowers
With her “help me?” sales pitch
Don’t be deceived by her cunning powers
For in reality she is quite rich
With basements full of hydroponics
Her flower fields bloom in the coldest of winters
And the Babushka Mafia pushes out competitors
While their corporate alliance never splinters
Geneva
Geneva was quite a hassle for me and Krystin, the exchange rate was not kind, and neither was the weather –leaving us with little to do and not much desire to explore.
Our first adventure lead to the waterfront to check out the enormous fountain in the lake that shoots water something like 50-100 feet high. It seems to have no purpose except to say “hey look what we can do!” but might serve some sort of symbolic purpose.
Our walk towards the hostel led us past many stores, the usually assortment of department stores, but prices (I always check prices where ever I go) looked obscene, even the McDonalds we past by was something like 10-12$ after the exchange. Some of the other kids at the hostel did actually buy McDonalds and were quite disappointed with the normal size for such a high price.
The 2nd adventure led us to the middle of the city, where we passed by a clock on a lawn, some churches and cannons… Geneva looks like a small French city, nothing very exciting, actually I think we were rather disappointed with what was saw.
On the way back we passed by a grocery store, which we later relied on for food.
Later (maybe the 2nd day) we went to where the UN building is, and took pictures with the flags, across the street was a protest for peace of some kind, but I couldn’t communicate with the crowd of mostly men (they looked more like laborers in winter coats than what I commonly associate with activists) they had signs in a variety of languages, I think it was a demonstration for a less known situation because I could not recognize the language on the signs…it might have been something like the Kashmir region… ?
We did not go in the UN, I think we weren’t sure how to take a tour, or they weren’t open that day…
So we progressed down the road (I made her walk every where) to the red cross and red crescent museum. Outside the museum did not look very interesting, just a sign or two… but then when you get near the doors they have these statues representing people (prisoners of war?) who are blindfolded and handcuffed. It seemed a fairly inspiring symbolic representation of suffering.
I wasn’t aware necessarily of how or why the red cross was started, so we took a tour of the museum reading all the little information they provided us.
Some sections that were really interesting included, the red cross’s work with letters during war time, the use of the red crescent and the peace agreements that sanctioned the red cross as being an international group respected by all countries despite being a private group. Near the end they had a number of videos displaying current prisoner of war situations, and I watched a number of the interviews which was really hard. In the museum they highlight a number of things, international law regarding humane treatment, the history of the NGO, battlefield medicine, and many other things. I was surprised how little they covered the other accomplishments and pursuits of the group.
They also had a video (I think at the museum) about refugees and people in poverty living in Switzerland, they seemed to present it as if these people were often struggling in other European countries and moved to Switzerland where they found a better life. It is hard to imagine someone in poverty moving to Switzerland considering the prices. If one were to mention a prominent bias in the museum it would be the fact that they paint an image of Switzerland as being a peaceful and wonderful country that is trying to solve all the world’s problems… They do not mention negative things about the country during war time, and praise neutrality.
They had a temporary exhibit on a famous prison in Ireland called the maze or the h blocks, used to torment and demoralize active IRA people (and other criminals or those who were accidentally picked up) it was sort of a strange exhibit because the purpose was to show how confusing and monotonous the prison was.. It gave the prisoners a strange sense of never knowing where they were, because the grounds all looked exactly the same. It was kind of interesting though that the exhibit only displayed pictures and some quotes from prisoners but was basically just photos documenting the existence of the place.
On my own, I walked around certain sections of town. I found another department store that looked very similar to American style, or closer to the El Corte Ingles style in Spain. (later I found similar buildings in many many of the European countries.)
The grocery store was also surprisingly expensive (I guess that’s what you get in a country that is landlocked and rich) I ended up buying pretzels to save money. Even things like milk, water, cheese and bread were expensive. Chocolate (everyone wants Swiss chocolate) was about 2-3 dollars a bar. Swiss knives were something like 18-26$ I think. More than you spend here.
As far as the make up of the city, I saw a lot of different types of people, a lot of different languages. I even though about asking an American businessman to take me out to eat… (decided against it). I guess because the city is so full of international people, diplomats, advisors, NGO representatives, Businesses etc… it makes for a fairly strong mix of people, but it was hard to imagine anyone who did not have a well paying job living in the city.
Our first adventure lead to the waterfront to check out the enormous fountain in the lake that shoots water something like 50-100 feet high. It seems to have no purpose except to say “hey look what we can do!” but might serve some sort of symbolic purpose.
Our walk towards the hostel led us past many stores, the usually assortment of department stores, but prices (I always check prices where ever I go) looked obscene, even the McDonalds we past by was something like 10-12$ after the exchange. Some of the other kids at the hostel did actually buy McDonalds and were quite disappointed with the normal size for such a high price.
The 2nd adventure led us to the middle of the city, where we passed by a clock on a lawn, some churches and cannons… Geneva looks like a small French city, nothing very exciting, actually I think we were rather disappointed with what was saw.
On the way back we passed by a grocery store, which we later relied on for food.
Later (maybe the 2nd day) we went to where the UN building is, and took pictures with the flags, across the street was a protest for peace of some kind, but I couldn’t communicate with the crowd of mostly men (they looked more like laborers in winter coats than what I commonly associate with activists) they had signs in a variety of languages, I think it was a demonstration for a less known situation because I could not recognize the language on the signs…it might have been something like the Kashmir region… ?
We did not go in the UN, I think we weren’t sure how to take a tour, or they weren’t open that day…
So we progressed down the road (I made her walk every where) to the red cross and red crescent museum. Outside the museum did not look very interesting, just a sign or two… but then when you get near the doors they have these statues representing people (prisoners of war?) who are blindfolded and handcuffed. It seemed a fairly inspiring symbolic representation of suffering.
I wasn’t aware necessarily of how or why the red cross was started, so we took a tour of the museum reading all the little information they provided us.
Some sections that were really interesting included, the red cross’s work with letters during war time, the use of the red crescent and the peace agreements that sanctioned the red cross as being an international group respected by all countries despite being a private group. Near the end they had a number of videos displaying current prisoner of war situations, and I watched a number of the interviews which was really hard. In the museum they highlight a number of things, international law regarding humane treatment, the history of the NGO, battlefield medicine, and many other things. I was surprised how little they covered the other accomplishments and pursuits of the group.
They also had a video (I think at the museum) about refugees and people in poverty living in Switzerland, they seemed to present it as if these people were often struggling in other European countries and moved to Switzerland where they found a better life. It is hard to imagine someone in poverty moving to Switzerland considering the prices. If one were to mention a prominent bias in the museum it would be the fact that they paint an image of Switzerland as being a peaceful and wonderful country that is trying to solve all the world’s problems… They do not mention negative things about the country during war time, and praise neutrality.
They had a temporary exhibit on a famous prison in Ireland called the maze or the h blocks, used to torment and demoralize active IRA people (and other criminals or those who were accidentally picked up) it was sort of a strange exhibit because the purpose was to show how confusing and monotonous the prison was.. It gave the prisoners a strange sense of never knowing where they were, because the grounds all looked exactly the same. It was kind of interesting though that the exhibit only displayed pictures and some quotes from prisoners but was basically just photos documenting the existence of the place.
On my own, I walked around certain sections of town. I found another department store that looked very similar to American style, or closer to the El Corte Ingles style in Spain. (later I found similar buildings in many many of the European countries.)
The grocery store was also surprisingly expensive (I guess that’s what you get in a country that is landlocked and rich) I ended up buying pretzels to save money. Even things like milk, water, cheese and bread were expensive. Chocolate (everyone wants Swiss chocolate) was about 2-3 dollars a bar. Swiss knives were something like 18-26$ I think. More than you spend here.
As far as the make up of the city, I saw a lot of different types of people, a lot of different languages. I even though about asking an American businessman to take me out to eat… (decided against it). I guess because the city is so full of international people, diplomats, advisors, NGO representatives, Businesses etc… it makes for a fairly strong mix of people, but it was hard to imagine anyone who did not have a well paying job living in the city.
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