There are some trips that are simply a way of getting from point A to point B, there are others that seem to be life changing experiences at the time, but turn out to be a simple collection of memories as time passes, then there are the truly life changing, the trips that have a paradigm shift in which you learn things about the world and most importantly, yourself. I firmly believe (and hope) that I am in the midst of one of these life changing trips. I am currently making my way across Norway on what can only be described as a breathtakingly beautiful trip… which of course means that you are free to ask why I am on my laptop rather than looking out the window. The places that I have experienced on my trip home have been fantastic, places that I already wish I was back in. The itinerary for the trip was such that I got just a taste of many different places, rather than the chance to really explore the inner workings of any one city. This has made for a frenetic pace, the feeling that I am constantly on the move. That part I am ready to be done with…but the places that I have been to, I can never be done with those.
Moscow was incredible, and very unexpected, like nothing I had ever imagined Moscow to be. It was a perfect transition between Beijing and Europe. Still slightly stuck in the communist era, but a big modern, bustling city firmly headed towards taking it place as a major European capital rather than the head of the Eastern Bloc.
St Petersburg stepped a bit closer to feeling like a European city, full of 18th century architecture, overwhelming museums, expansive palaces, historical sights and everything else that you would hope to find in European Capitals. The weather was hit or miss in St Petersburg, but that did little to take away from the splendor of this former Russian capital. It felt like I was in Amsterdam (the city St. Petersburg was modeled on) or Paris (the good parts). With just two days here, I had barely enough time to scratch the surface, making a cursory run through the Hermitage collection, a visit to Peterhof and a cathedral or two. There was so much here that I still want to see that a trip back is inevitable.
Helsinki was spectacular is a completely underwhelming way. It was calm, quiet, beautiful, and underwhelming. This is the only city where I felt like I did everything that I wanted to. Helsinki is a place that I could see myself living in, but I am not sure if I ever need to vacation there again. The people were outstandingly friendly and helpful which made my stay a complete joy. The food was excellent (though pricey), and the weather was good. It was a good midpoint for the trip, a rest before experiencing the rest of Scandinavia.
Stockholm has been my favorite stop so far. This is a wonderful city, full of history, beautiful architecture, water everywhere, good food and great museums. I could have spent another two or three weeks in Stockholm, there was way too much to do in the two days I had there. The best museum of the trip was found here, the Nobel Museum, which celebrates the achievements and lives of the Nobel laureates. The one downside of Stockholm, or for that matter all of the places I have been, was that they are not cheap places, you pay for the great weather, friendly English speaking people, clean cities and great infrastructure. That said, Stockholm is a must visit for everyone.
Oslo was the most recent place where I rested my head, and another great place. Oslo had a more industrial, big city feel to it than the other Scandinavian capitals, there was a certain charm to this. The museums here were excellent, showcasing Norway’s maritime history and unique place in the history of Europe, playing the role of neither power nor pawn, instead taking a place as intermediary, at times asserting their views into the shaping of European and World history.
The Capitals (and former Capitals) I have so far visited are now being left behind, for the more tranquil Norwegian interior and coastline. Bergen, the gateway to the Fjords awaits, sure to be even more impressive than anything I have experienced yet. After that, it is homeward bound, a time to return to the States after 6 months away. I am at a loss that it has only been 6 months, there are times whne it feels like much, much longer than that, but also times when it feels like there is no way that it has been that long. This trip and time away from home has taught me a lot, about the world and myself. The lessons learned in these last 6 months are bound to shape the decisions and experiences of the remainder of my life. I am thankful of the opportunities that I have had, the support that has been given to me in order to live through the experiences I have had.
7.30.2007
7.19.2007
Moscow
I am in the midst of my third day in Moscow, and I continue to be shocked and amazed at this city. I am pretty sure that none of my expectations about this city have been met, and I assure you that this is a very good thing. I love this place, it is everything that I like in a city, plus the weather has been nice, which is always a plus.
I am going to try and hold out some levels of judgment about Moscow until I have visited a few more cities on my journey home. I fear that one of the reasons that I have been so enchanted by Moscow is that it is the polar opposite of Beijing. They may share a legacy as capital cities of Communist nations, but Moscow has emerged from this shadow and embraced their role as a leading European Capital city. The weather is much less humid than Beijing, cooler, I actually can see the blue sky, there is a gentle breeze, in short it is a refreshing break from the weather in Beijing. It is a much more compact city than Beijing is, which makes it much easier to get around as well.
The city has everything that you think of when you think about Europe, or at least it has everything that I think of when I think about Europe. It has shopping, a long history, cobblestone-paved streets, Greek revival architecture, nice cars, friendly people, and good food. This should not be surprising, but I set out on this journey expecting communist era apartment blocks, Russian mobsters, expensive cars, a relatively high police presence which I am sure is here, I just have not really found these things, except for the expensive cars, those are everywhere. This city has been revitalized by the presence of the Russian Oil money; there are luxury stores all over the central downtown area.
The History of Russia is as long and complicated as any nation in the world, and many of the events that shaped this history happened right here in Moscow, which make for great sightseeing. The Kremlin is beautiful, the Red Square much more appealing than Tiananmen Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral is as unique as any picture you have ever seen of it, there are great parks throughout the city, in short, it is a great destination, a very surprising destination, but a great one.
I have absolutely no Russian language skills, which is incredibly refreshing. I am able to plead complete ignorance here, which has been awesome. It is not too limiting (may people here speak at least some English) and compared to feeling like I should have understood more Mandarin than I did, it is very freeing to be a complete ignoramus. I like it!
This trip has had some costs and surprises that went with it, mostly dealing with the logistics of Russia. I tried to access my ATM card here with no success. Upon calling my bank, I was informed that all Russian transactions are blocked and there is no way to override this, in short, I have no access to my ATM card because of fraud in Russia. Fortunately, I had cash to exchange, otherwise it would have been a trip where I needed to beg borrow and steal to get by. My Credit Card works from time to time, so it has made me watch my rubles a bit closer, which is a good thing given that this is a pretty expensive city to stay, eat and see sights in.
I am here for one more day before heading to St. Petersburg and then Scandinavia. I can only hope that the rest of the trip compares favorably to Moscow, this is a great city that I would recommend as a destination to anyone looking for a European destination that does not come to mind right away.
I am going to try and hold out some levels of judgment about Moscow until I have visited a few more cities on my journey home. I fear that one of the reasons that I have been so enchanted by Moscow is that it is the polar opposite of Beijing. They may share a legacy as capital cities of Communist nations, but Moscow has emerged from this shadow and embraced their role as a leading European Capital city. The weather is much less humid than Beijing, cooler, I actually can see the blue sky, there is a gentle breeze, in short it is a refreshing break from the weather in Beijing. It is a much more compact city than Beijing is, which makes it much easier to get around as well.
The city has everything that you think of when you think about Europe, or at least it has everything that I think of when I think about Europe. It has shopping, a long history, cobblestone-paved streets, Greek revival architecture, nice cars, friendly people, and good food. This should not be surprising, but I set out on this journey expecting communist era apartment blocks, Russian mobsters, expensive cars, a relatively high police presence which I am sure is here, I just have not really found these things, except for the expensive cars, those are everywhere. This city has been revitalized by the presence of the Russian Oil money; there are luxury stores all over the central downtown area.
The History of Russia is as long and complicated as any nation in the world, and many of the events that shaped this history happened right here in Moscow, which make for great sightseeing. The Kremlin is beautiful, the Red Square much more appealing than Tiananmen Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral is as unique as any picture you have ever seen of it, there are great parks throughout the city, in short, it is a great destination, a very surprising destination, but a great one.
I have absolutely no Russian language skills, which is incredibly refreshing. I am able to plead complete ignorance here, which has been awesome. It is not too limiting (may people here speak at least some English) and compared to feeling like I should have understood more Mandarin than I did, it is very freeing to be a complete ignoramus. I like it!
This trip has had some costs and surprises that went with it, mostly dealing with the logistics of Russia. I tried to access my ATM card here with no success. Upon calling my bank, I was informed that all Russian transactions are blocked and there is no way to override this, in short, I have no access to my ATM card because of fraud in Russia. Fortunately, I had cash to exchange, otherwise it would have been a trip where I needed to beg borrow and steal to get by. My Credit Card works from time to time, so it has made me watch my rubles a bit closer, which is a good thing given that this is a pretty expensive city to stay, eat and see sights in.
I am here for one more day before heading to St. Petersburg and then Scandinavia. I can only hope that the rest of the trip compares favorably to Moscow, this is a great city that I would recommend as a destination to anyone looking for a European destination that does not come to mind right away.
7.17.2007
Two Mongolians, one Chinese Businessman and a Frozen Fish
My trip home was the part of my experience that from day one I was looking forward to the most. I could not wait to spend six days on a train, sitting, sleeping, reading, looking out the window, nothing sounded quite as nice as this did. And for all intents and purposes, it lived up to its billing. There were a couple of times, especially today, when I really just wanted to be off of the stupid train. The tight quarters were getting to be a bit much, but overall, a rockin’ good time.
There were a couple of parts of the journey that I was a bit worried about….getting to the train station on time and my cabin companions. I had no problem with getting to the train station, I actually had a bit of time to kill. As for my cabin mates…let’s just say that they did not quite fit my idea of dream cabin mates, single, attractive, smart females that happened to be looking for a tall American that wants to more or less live abroad for a while and has been known to be hard to please. As I boarded the train I sat in my compartment in car #5 looking at the others that filed onto the train….they were, without exception male and Chinese. It began to dawn on me that the fact that I had booked my ticket in China probably meant that I would not be surrounded by other Westerners, something I had been expecting since the Trans-Mongolian route (which I took) is dominated by Westerners. As more and more people began to fill the car, a strange thing happened though, no one put their stuff in my compartment… It turns out that, perhaps because I was a foreigner, there was no one else booked into my compartment. This changed a little, when a Chinese businessman realized that he could have a lower bunk in my compartment instead of the upper bunk that he had in his, but no one else came in, we were joined for about 12 hours by a Mongolian father and son from Erlian (Chinese-Mongolian Border town) to Ulan-Bator. The only other thing to join us was a frozen fish (along with someone else’s luggage) while we crossed the Russian border to spread out how many goods him and his companion were taking into Russia. This had the wonderful quality of stinking up the car, but no other real benefit. All in all it was a very peaceful trip, highlighted by sleeping and reading.
The journey produced a couple of notable occurrences, all dealing with language issues. This was one of the first times that I had a lengthy conversation in Chinese, since Hu Zhangli spoke no English. I pretty much exhausted what I have gotten to in my tutor lessons so far by the end of the first day, rather the first hour, but that did not stop us from trying to learn a bit more about each other as time went on. I found out a lot about him while getting ready to cross the Russian border. The mounds of paperwork that we had to fill out to cross (ok, just three sheets, but two copies of each) gave me a chance to ask odd questions, like, how much currency do you have with you, how many bags do you have, important things. Most of the paperwork was given to us in Russian only, though one form also had English on it. Neither of us spoke any Russian, nor can we read the Cyrillic alphabet. This made for a difficult situation where, using a guidebook and the one form in English, I translated the Russian form into English and then tried to explain the information that went in each spot using a phrasebook and my little Chinese to Hu. All in all it worked pretty well, and we both made it through Customs without any worries or too many extra questions.
The scenery was impressive, but especially through Mongolia and the first day in Russia. After that, the sights began to look a lot like Michigan. The Gobi desert was beautiful, a place that I will be sure to visit again. The Mongolian plain north of Ulan-Bator was even more impressive. In Russia it rained all the first day, the day that we passed by Lake Baikal. What I could see was impressive, but I am sure that on a clear day the lake and surrounding mountains would have been even more majestic.
This was a trip of a lifetime, one that is just beginning. At the end of my stay in China I was just beginning to feel like I had some command of the language, that I could compose myself in public in bits and pieces of the native language, now I find myself again in a place where I speak nothing….and I kind of really like it. I have no desire to learn Russian, so I just shrug and act like the ignorant American that I am. My first impressions of Moscow are that I am really impressed. A lot of these feeling may be that I am in a European city, with fresh air, blue skies and cool air for the first time in a long time, but all in all I really enjoy it here so far. Much more to come later on as I continue to make my way across the Northern Hemisphere.
There were a couple of parts of the journey that I was a bit worried about….getting to the train station on time and my cabin companions. I had no problem with getting to the train station, I actually had a bit of time to kill. As for my cabin mates…let’s just say that they did not quite fit my idea of dream cabin mates, single, attractive, smart females that happened to be looking for a tall American that wants to more or less live abroad for a while and has been known to be hard to please. As I boarded the train I sat in my compartment in car #5 looking at the others that filed onto the train….they were, without exception male and Chinese. It began to dawn on me that the fact that I had booked my ticket in China probably meant that I would not be surrounded by other Westerners, something I had been expecting since the Trans-Mongolian route (which I took) is dominated by Westerners. As more and more people began to fill the car, a strange thing happened though, no one put their stuff in my compartment… It turns out that, perhaps because I was a foreigner, there was no one else booked into my compartment. This changed a little, when a Chinese businessman realized that he could have a lower bunk in my compartment instead of the upper bunk that he had in his, but no one else came in, we were joined for about 12 hours by a Mongolian father and son from Erlian (Chinese-Mongolian Border town) to Ulan-Bator. The only other thing to join us was a frozen fish (along with someone else’s luggage) while we crossed the Russian border to spread out how many goods him and his companion were taking into Russia. This had the wonderful quality of stinking up the car, but no other real benefit. All in all it was a very peaceful trip, highlighted by sleeping and reading.
The journey produced a couple of notable occurrences, all dealing with language issues. This was one of the first times that I had a lengthy conversation in Chinese, since Hu Zhangli spoke no English. I pretty much exhausted what I have gotten to in my tutor lessons so far by the end of the first day, rather the first hour, but that did not stop us from trying to learn a bit more about each other as time went on. I found out a lot about him while getting ready to cross the Russian border. The mounds of paperwork that we had to fill out to cross (ok, just three sheets, but two copies of each) gave me a chance to ask odd questions, like, how much currency do you have with you, how many bags do you have, important things. Most of the paperwork was given to us in Russian only, though one form also had English on it. Neither of us spoke any Russian, nor can we read the Cyrillic alphabet. This made for a difficult situation where, using a guidebook and the one form in English, I translated the Russian form into English and then tried to explain the information that went in each spot using a phrasebook and my little Chinese to Hu. All in all it worked pretty well, and we both made it through Customs without any worries or too many extra questions.
The scenery was impressive, but especially through Mongolia and the first day in Russia. After that, the sights began to look a lot like Michigan. The Gobi desert was beautiful, a place that I will be sure to visit again. The Mongolian plain north of Ulan-Bator was even more impressive. In Russia it rained all the first day, the day that we passed by Lake Baikal. What I could see was impressive, but I am sure that on a clear day the lake and surrounding mountains would have been even more majestic.
This was a trip of a lifetime, one that is just beginning. At the end of my stay in China I was just beginning to feel like I had some command of the language, that I could compose myself in public in bits and pieces of the native language, now I find myself again in a place where I speak nothing….and I kind of really like it. I have no desire to learn Russian, so I just shrug and act like the ignorant American that I am. My first impressions of Moscow are that I am really impressed. A lot of these feeling may be that I am in a European city, with fresh air, blue skies and cool air for the first time in a long time, but all in all I really enjoy it here so far. Much more to come later on as I continue to make my way across the Northern Hemisphere.
7.06.2007
Swim Team
This will probably be my second to last post from China and perhaps the last one actually posted when I am physically in China. It is so hard for me to grasp the reality that I am leaving China in less than 6 days. Wednesday, July 11 is the big day and I get more excited as the time gets closer and closer.
I joined a master's swim team here in Beijing, by which I mean I showed up today for the master's workout at a park. It was good to get in the water if only for two workouts (today and Saturday). I have not swam all that much in the last few years and it felt pretty good to be back in the water. There were only three of us there today, but it is so much easier to have people to swim with rather than trying to come up with motivation for yourself.
It was not a spectacular workout, but it was something. I did 2000 meters which is actually probably one of the longest workouts I have done since my Calvin days. To make it worse it was in LCM, a 50 meter pool...it is hard to swim that far with half the number of walls. I know that I give my swimmers crap if they complain about things like this, but it is amazing how quickly your tune changes when the shoe is on the other foot. I would try to cram another cliche into that sentance but I feel that I have reached my cliche quota for this post.
The pool was pretty nice, situated in a park in the northeast part of the city. I really enjoy swimming outdoors, looking at the buildings that ring this urban oasis. What I did find odd though was the behavior of so many people that were using the pool. There were signs posted everywhere that said no diving but when people dove no one said anything (the water was about 1.5 meters deep). The attention that the lifeguards were paying to the patrons made my head lifeguard stomach turn. There were conversations, eating and generally not paying much attention to the people in the pool that really left something to be desired when it came to swimming skill. I was yelled at for drinking water while still in the pool, I needed to get out of the water to consume the shui, yet it seemed totally normal for most of the patrons to go for a dip, swim a few laps then get out for a cigarette. The amount of smoking that occurs in this country puts any European nation to shame. It is really something else how much a part of culture smoking has become here.
After the workout I rewarded myself with my last massage this trip in Beijing. I will miss the bi-weekly treat that I have allowed myself, but there is just no way that I can afford that in the States. I am going back to the park on Saturday morning for one last swim. I figure I need all the exercise I can get before sitting on the train for 6 days. I will update as often as possible on the trip home, but many of the updates may need to happen when I get back to the States.
Zai Jian
I joined a master's swim team here in Beijing, by which I mean I showed up today for the master's workout at a park. It was good to get in the water if only for two workouts (today and Saturday). I have not swam all that much in the last few years and it felt pretty good to be back in the water. There were only three of us there today, but it is so much easier to have people to swim with rather than trying to come up with motivation for yourself.
It was not a spectacular workout, but it was something. I did 2000 meters which is actually probably one of the longest workouts I have done since my Calvin days. To make it worse it was in LCM, a 50 meter pool...it is hard to swim that far with half the number of walls. I know that I give my swimmers crap if they complain about things like this, but it is amazing how quickly your tune changes when the shoe is on the other foot. I would try to cram another cliche into that sentance but I feel that I have reached my cliche quota for this post.
The pool was pretty nice, situated in a park in the northeast part of the city. I really enjoy swimming outdoors, looking at the buildings that ring this urban oasis. What I did find odd though was the behavior of so many people that were using the pool. There were signs posted everywhere that said no diving but when people dove no one said anything (the water was about 1.5 meters deep). The attention that the lifeguards were paying to the patrons made my head lifeguard stomach turn. There were conversations, eating and generally not paying much attention to the people in the pool that really left something to be desired when it came to swimming skill. I was yelled at for drinking water while still in the pool, I needed to get out of the water to consume the shui, yet it seemed totally normal for most of the patrons to go for a dip, swim a few laps then get out for a cigarette. The amount of smoking that occurs in this country puts any European nation to shame. It is really something else how much a part of culture smoking has become here.
After the workout I rewarded myself with my last massage this trip in Beijing. I will miss the bi-weekly treat that I have allowed myself, but there is just no way that I can afford that in the States. I am going back to the park on Saturday morning for one last swim. I figure I need all the exercise I can get before sitting on the train for 6 days. I will update as often as possible on the trip home, but many of the updates may need to happen when I get back to the States.
Zai Jian
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