Berlin and the Island in the East

So I've returned from Berlin and Dresden in one piece. A little more depressed and harrowed for the tours and study bits we did, more full of life from the social side.

The time in Berlin was focusing on Germany throughout the ages. While there was a short time spent on Germany in Prussia and the Prussian Empire, most of the time was spent on Germany's part in WWII. I seriously can't take anymore of the Holocaust and war crimes, it's just depressing to have it drummed into you for four days straight.

We spent a good half day in Postdam, being a military and political stronghold of the Prussian Empire for a long period of time. It was awesome to hear so much history, and the tour guide was a fantastic story teller. It was a great start to the trip. Potsdam is a beautiful city, and in Autumn, it was just amazing. I'll share photos later, and probably expand on some stories when I do, as they do need visual aids.

After Potsdam, we went to the Wansee House. This is the house where the Wansee Conference was held. For those that are unaware, this is the conference where high ranking officials of the Nazi party resolved the adminstration and structures needed to implement "the Final Solution". Sobering. We spent a good four or more hours there having a lecture, and then having a seminar on the point. It was mentally stimulating, but incredibly draining.

So, to enliven our spirits we went out to dinner. All forty of us on the trip. To one restaurant. And it turned into chaos. At least when settling the bill. I'm still owed €7.60 but have no clue who owes me it. The good news was that the beer was good, the food was okay, and the conversations were just sparkling. It was a great time, and would turn out to be an indication of things to come.

The next day we ended up going to a tour of the city by bus and by foot. Berlin is pretty huge, and the stark differences between East and West are readily apparent. The tour focused on post modern architecture after the division of Germany, and then again after the reunification. All in all it was a good way to see the city and get acquainted with it again. A quick note, the Holocaust memorial near the Brandenburg gate is not nearly as daunting on a warm sunny Autumn day as it is during a bleak cold Winter day (ala last time I was here).

We then had the afternoon off. So a couple of us who were planning on going to the Jewish Museum later in the week, decided to see the things we'd miss - namely the Pergamon Musuem. The Museum is so named because of the Pergamon Altar it houses. This thing is cool. But not nearly as cool as the Ishtar Gate. Important thing to note is that these artifacts were in effect pillaged from their orginal resting grounds - go museums.

The night then turned into another social affair. Which was great fun, except for the fact I ended up having dinner with 7 girls, which turned into drinks with 9 girls. Not so bad you say? I was the only guy. And I got a little grilling on my prospects for next year, life, and of course - Elaine. With Elaine not being in Berlin, it gave people a good foot in the door to throw some questions out there regarding me and her, what actually happened and when, and where things are going. It was a little uncomfortable to answer such questions, but it helped put some things into perspective and give a little structure to how I need to approach things next year. I'm still no closer to knowing what I'm doing though. Anyways, things moved on and we all had a good night.

The next day saw a visit to the German National Musuem, spending our time on the divison in Germany, looking at the affect it had on daily life and people. It was fascinating, and very well presented by both the Museum and the tour guide.

This served a contrast to the final destination for the day - the former Stasi Prison in East Berlin. This was a containment facility for political prisoners in the DDR, beginning right from the fall of Berlin until the unification. The things they did to these people, how, and the extent to which they did them was just terrifying and harrowing. The fact people could have been treated in such a manner is plain wrong. The seminar we had on this at the facility was really engaging and thought provoking. It was well worthwhile. Needless to say that we needed a good stiff drink afterwards.

We obliged only to happily. A Cuban meal later, and 11 litres of Sangria between 14 of us - with yours truly in charge of the Sangria, so probably meaning I had the most. I say probably, because I can't be sure, except that the Sangria was superb. That night was good. But I'm glad I had a shorter and smaller night than most.

The majority of people showed up the next day to our tour of the Bundestag, and meeting with the President of the Bundestag's Comittee on Foreign Policy and Security, rather hungover. Nonetheless, the question and answer session was awesome in getting a better understanding of German politics and its foregin policy. It was pretty sweet. And of course we went up to the top of the Reichstag in the glass dome. Remember, photos coming soon. There then was a tour of the new Jewish Museum. The most interesting thing was the architecture, for which the building has won numerous awards.

This ended the trip in Berlin, and lead into the trip to Dresden. Which was amazing. Dresden was one of the most bombed cities in WWII, suffering two continuous days of fire bombs on 13 and 14 February 1942. It was a beautiful city, and once again, it's rebuilding itself into a stunning destination.

Highlights in Dresden included the visit to the New Green Vault in the former palace there. The palace is being rebuilt, and they've only just reopened the Historical Green Vault, which is fully booked out for visits until January next year by the way. There is however the New Green Vault, designed to display some of the most exquisit pieces from this treasure collection. And it truly was stunning. The pieces in there are just priceless and amazing. A tour through this place had to be the most fantastic experience in the entire week, it was uplifting, intriguing, and just plain sparkly.

That night, Elaine took us to the Indian resturant she frequented when living here. The promise of good curry was all to enticing. Until we hit where it was supposed to be. There's something daunting about walking through a dark shady street filled with a punk gathering, loud music and general drunken activities. I almost waivered. But I'm glad we didn't, the inside of this restaurant is in stark comparison to its outside. The food was mind blowing, and the local beer was tasty as hell. It was the most memorable meal I've had in a while. I'm sorry for even showing any essence of doubt. Thank you.

The next day we got a guided tour through the Frauenkirche. This was the most famous church in Dresden, but was completely destroyed by the Fire Storm in the bombings. It was rebuilt and opened last year. We were lucky enough to have a tour through the church, and up to the Cuppola. Such tours run every hour, every day, and are completely booked out until March next year. So we were in good fortune with Bucerius. The view at night was amazing, and the stories behind it were stunning. I'll post the photos when I get a chance to compile it good and proper.

Oh, and we also got to go through the VW Transparent Factory, where they make the VW Phaeton. It's pretty cool, and the factory itself it ultra modern. It is however a sales pitch in essence. For that I was slightly disappointed. It's still a pretty cool experience though.

And with that, that was my trip to Dresden and Berlin in short. There's heaps more stories to tell and they'll come out with the photos and some may not come out at all. But it was a fantastic time.

Who would have thought the former DDR could be such an interesting place?

Alive and Well

So I'm back from Berlin and Dresden in one piece, and with many stories to tell coupled with numerous photographs. I'm currently sorting through the hundred odd photos to decide which ones go up.

I've also got errands to run before class starts tomorrow, so I'll write up something more substantial when I get the chance.

Patience is a virtue.

The Facade of Freedom

With my last exam this morning I feel free. At least more free than the others who still have exams till the end of the week. I suppose this leaves me more time to work on the Vis Moot.

In brief, the exam this morning was entertaining. I say that because the first question contained a very complicated fact problem requiring a resolution of no less than eight different tortious actions, six parties, four heads of damages, and an explanation of the underlying principles of tort law along the way. Thank god the exam required only two out of eight questions to be answered. The gambling members of the auidence would have put good money on me not answering that question. Collect.

As for life in general, the weather here is superb. Clear skies, crisp air, and a warming sun. Perfect Autumn weather (whoops I should use 'Fall', otherwise I'd not be understood by the others here). It's looking good for the excursion to Berlin and Dresden next week.

There's no real news, I just felt like writing. Currently sitting here in the library killing time until the class I have to help take for the Vis Moot. You see, Jim's organised a class around it. Students have the option of taking the class and not doing the moot, the idea being that we have one big think tank. So far there's more leading than discussion and getting ideas out. Things should change this afternoon, we're making them think and present some arguments for a snippet of an issue. Should be good fun.

Then there's the meeting tonight. I don't know what to expect. Apart from a late dinner.

For the link of the day, I'm going to send you to Pandora - where I get my music fix. You start off by selecting an artist or a song you like, then it builds a stream of music based on that and the responses you give to the music it plays. You can have up to 100 "channels", so play around with it. I find it great. Only warnings are that because it's a live stream it can chew into any internet-thingy-limits you have; and that it may cause you to want to purchase multiple CDs. Free internet at Law School never looked so good.

Procrastination - The Return

So I had my Conflicts exam this morning. I was freaking out beforehand thinking I had not studied enough, and that when the proctor told us they looked at the exam and decided it should be two and a half hours instead of the scheduled two I was ready to change my pants.

Then I looked at the exam paper. I almost freaked. Then I remember my cardinal rule - stay calm and read through the entire exam before you react. I'm so glad I did. Part two was so much sweeter and it started me off on the right foot. Needless to say I finished the exam with a huge grin on my face, holding onto the glorious feeling of an A effort. Here's hoping for it.

Anyways, I'm supposed to be studying Torts right now, with an exam tomorrow at 9 am it should be happening. But as you can see, it's not. So I thought I'd share a little gem with you: Fairliebt - a German T-shirt company. What sets them apart from the rest, apart from the pretty sweet designs, is that they're all printed on Fair Traded 100% cotton t-shirts. They are just awesome. The other factor is that they're made by Elaine's flatmate, it's his own business done with one of his best friends. Good stuff. They have my full endorsement. Plus he's said they'll ship to New Zealand, and in fact they'll ship anywhere. I've already bought two t-shirts (one of which has a design not yet up for general sale).

For those of you who speak German, you should recognise the play on words. It sounds alot like "vorliebt" the German word for falling in love, while containing the nod to Fair Trade. I think it's pretty cool, I'm the fan of linguistics remember - most of you have already heard me tell the "pianist" joke. Numerous times.

Well, I should get the head down and do some real work before sleep. Before I go, I'll show you what international students do at a law school for late night study, and confirm that Swiss Balls seem to drop at a slow rate and don't bounce very high. Unless thrown.

Procrastination

As interesting as Comparative Torts Law is, procrastination is looking mighty tempting. But everyone here is working hard, and it seems to be rubbing off on me.

So all I'll do is simply post the picture I meant to in the Barcelona entry. This is looking down from Park Guell to the North part of the central city towards the Southern section where the Port Olympia is situated. Just see how densely contained the city is, it's just astounding. I mean, even Tokyo had more ground space.

Okay, you can laugh now

So after all of the fun and sun I had last week, and into the midst of this week, you can finally ease your concerns about the extent of my enjoyment. I have finals next week. Currently I'm taking a break from my studies to write this up. If there was a paper in procrastination, I'd get top honours.

With all the good times stories I've been sharing with you, I thought it about time to share the real life nitty-gritty stuff. Like studying, and work, and education. Three words I haven't spoken in awhile.

I'm not too overly stressed about my exams, one is on International Private Law, focusing mainly on choice of applicable law. Those in the know should be laughing right now - that's the topic the Vis Moot took on last year. It's good fun to get into it in some more detail, and to finally be able to provide a concrete answer and finish the statement: "The applicable law is..." with some certainty.

The other exam is Comparative Tort Law. Sounds difficult I hear you say. Considering the exam is made up of four questions asking us to reflect on the principles of Tort Law, its direction, and comparisons between Common Law concepts and Civil Law principles, I'm not too overly concerned. It's the art of bullshi...I mean writing opinion pieces is what I do best.

Only concern is that they're on consecutive days. Ouch.

The other nitty-gritty in my life at the moment is the release of the Vis Moot problem. Things are starting to get into motion with that again. And I'm really looking forward to being involved again. This year's problem looks to be good fun.

Of course there's other concerns going on at the moment - like the fact I didn't get the job I was looking for in New Zealand. So I'm stressing a little on what I'll be doing next year. Only a little. On option is the JET exchange to Japan to teach English or be invovled in a coportation for international relations. Either way it'll improve my Japanese, which should make me a more attractive prospect for MFAT, or other internationally minded organisations where ever they may be. It's just an idea. Something to give me a little hope.

Add to that the fact that my sinuses are acting up again, and I've got a little bit of a head cold. Coming from hot Barcelona to colder Hamburg is not a healthy move, and damn that recycled air in airplanes, it always does this to me. I just hope to shake it before my exams.

Anyways, I should return to study. I'd rather get a pass in my papers than an A in procrastination.

Go on, Loathe Me.

You know you want to. At least I know you probably will after reading this entry, seeing the photographs, and then the jealousy will eat away at you. That's how good Barcelona was. First though, to make it seem all the more sweeter, I should begin with the anxieties Elaine and I had before our departure.

See, we discovered that the hotel was in fact situated in Calella, and that meant it was not actually in Barcelona. About an hour from not actually in Barcelona. So we freaked out a little. Just a little. Then we realised we'd have to get from the Airport to Calella. Most likely by train. Most likely passing through pick-pocket territory. Then we realised we didn't know how to get there, or know where to even start. So we freaked out. After getting some directions from the Hotel by email on how to get from the Airport to the train stop near the hotel, we felt a little bitter. Just a little. Then we freaked out about whether dinner was actually included in the hotel cost or not.

So by now you're probably feeling pretty good about our misery. Just wait. We arrived at Barcelona to see "Cavanaugh x 2" held up by this touristy guide like lady. Turns out we had transport to and from the Airport. Sweet. We arrive at the hotel to see that it is indeed on the beach front, we have dinner included in the hotel cost, and the trains run frequently into Barcelona. Also turns out we had a room facing the beach and lighthouse. Sweet. Dripping with envy yet?

The very next day we decide to head into Barcelona. The train trip takes about an hour, at low cost so no one minds. The city turns out to be just pure amazing. Add into that the non-stop sun we were having, and the pleasant heat of around 25 degrees, and we were content. After arming ourselves with a sense of direction we headed for La Sagrada Familia.



Now, construction on this cathedral started in 1882, with Antoni Gaudi working on it for his whole life. Construction is still going, and isn't expected to finish for another 20 years. That's how massive this project is. The place is just mind-blowing. The photos don't quite do it justice. To give you an idea, the main tower which is under construction at the moment, will be 170 metres high. That's no small feat. These photos represent two opposing faces of the Cathedral: the Passion facade, and the Nativity facade. Look closely and you'll see the detail in the carvings and stone work. Actually, everything is all stonework opposed to carvings. That makes it all the more crazy and marvellous.

After soaking in the sun and the English tour of the Cathedral and it's construction site, we headed to Park Guell, another Gaudi architectural feat. This place is just amazing to see. Landscaping and stonework never worked so well together. Plus the view over Barcelona (or part of it was astounding). That was it for day one. What?! That's it? Well, it did involve literally walking from one side of Barcelona to the other and back again in the sun and heat. Did I mention I've gone brown?

Day two involved going to the Parc de la Ciudadella, the major Park in the central city. It was astounding. We then moved on through to the Gothic Quarter and saw some pretty neat, and old sites. The best part of the day though was finding the restaurant recommend by Elaine's flatmate's girlfriend. We got a pleasant surprise to find out it offered a three course lunch with wine for only €8.90 and it turned into an amazing meal at an amazing price. Needless to say we returned there the next day.

Speaking of the next day, we went to the Museu Picasso. Housed just outside the Gothic Quarter in these little sidestreets, it's quite a quaint place really. Thank god, as we had to wait 20 minutes to get in. And we arrived early morning. I feel sorry for those we saw waiting as we left. This museum is huge by the way. It took us well over three hours to get through the Permanent collection, which houses alot of Picasso's pre cubism pieces, and the Temporary collection on loan from the French Picasso museum, which contained a focus on Picasso's ceramics and pieces around the Fawn and Nymph in his later life. It was awesome.

Then that night, we were strolling on the beach and stumbled across a rather large marquee. Intrigued we ventured further, to find an Oktoberfest. In Spain. An Oktoberfest. It was a rather large affair, with numerous stalls and bands. And it turns out this is the 19th annual Oktoberferst in Calella. What the hell? Well, we didn't question it too badly, the beer was good and the atmosphere joyous. So we stayed. And returned the next night.

As for the Saturday, we headed in early again to try and get onto a guided tour of the city. We hit the jackpot. There's a bus tour for €18 that has three lines to different parts of the city. You pay for one or two day tickets and can jump on and off the bus at different stops all over the city to see the sights and sounds. We spent the entire day travelling on the buses seeing the whole city. It was probably one of the best times of the trip. The buses go everywhere and it's just amazing to see all these sights. I took well over 50 photos from the bus alone. I'll tag some on the end of this entry for your pleasure.

As for Sunday, well we decided it would be the day to stay in Calella, hit the beaches, soak up some sun and all that jazz. The weather kind of came in a bit. Don't think there was any rain, there was just some cloud, and the temperature dropped below 25. So we did some study instead. As it happens, this meant we did more study on our holiday than anyone did back here in Hamburg. Whack. Plain whack.

Monday was simply a travel day - the transport arrived at 9:45 am, which gave Elaine enough time to win a game of pool (by scratch only). And admittedly we were both looking forward to Hamburg. I mean, there's such a thing as too much sun and fun.

You can of course hate me more

So this weekend nor this the travel plans for this week really worked out. We didn't go to Köln, nor did we book flights to Rome. I'll start at the beginning, then you can really hate me some more.

So Friday involved the Commencement Ceremony for Bucerius Law School. Sounds fun. Then we found out that sitting in a very hot Hall wearing a suit, all the while listening to people drone on in German that we couldn't understand for two hours was not our idea of fun. The celebratory drinks at the School though afterwards was. Bucerius provided free drinks and food from 2 pm at the conclusion of the Ceremony. Bad mistake. There were about 5 of us imbibing in the free white wine. Needless to say that at about 5 pm when Elaine and I decided it might be a good idea to stop, we had lost count of the bottles we had gone through. The upside was that it was free. But the reason I tell you this is because it stopped us from booking flights to Rome, and was part of our downfall for not getting to Köln for the weekend. That and the huge blisters Elaine got from her heels. So we decided to rest up.

That meant the weekend was more laid back than it otherwise would have been. It started well with a trip to the Elbtunnel and a walk through to the otherside of the harbour to see Hamburg from that perspective. It was pretty sweet. This then lead to a small excursion to the Botannical Gardens in Klein Flottbeck again. This time there was even more colour.


Then there was dinner at Kara's flat with six others. It was a really good time. The scary thing was that her flatmate, Wilm, looks almost exactly like Jamie, along with the long curly hair, the love of guitars, and the mannerisms. It scared me.

So Sunday rolls around, and this is when you will really start to hate me. We find out that to go to Rome now would cost alot. I mean alot. We missed the cheap flights and we'd have to get to Frankfurt mid-week, which is not a cheap thing to do. So instead we looked at the last minute holiday deals. And guess what we found:

Barcelona. That's right folks, I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for Barcelona. I'll be there 6 days. Best part was the cost. Flights, Hotel with breakfast and dinner included all for €470. It might sound expensive at first, but factor in the cost of flights, then it's dirt cheap. I'm happy to pay that much and be in Spain for 6 days with the sun and beaches.

It may not be Rome, but it's Barcelona.