Hey, here I am. So much has happened since I last blogged you. I picked Bryn up in Frankfurt, and we traveled up the Romantic Rhein, where each small town is equipped with a castle and a vineyard. On my way to pick her up, I went through the incredibly charming town of Marburg. Its not just the half-timbered buildings that give it the charm, although they create a very cohesive and German feel. But, there is something about cities built on hillsides. Maybe its just fun to explore when you can gain elevation so easily, and look back down on the city. I was doing this very thing when I walked through a pedestrian tunnel. Inside was a traveling guitar player, and a group of people who had banded with him for the night and were singing folk songs. The acoustics of the tunnel created a warm haunting sound, and the single torch lighting the way added to the ambiance.
On the top of the hill was a castle/palace, that now of coarse serves as a museum. I walked around the back, and sneaked off into a small trail that went through the bushes between two buildings of the palace. I discovered a dark staircase going down into the darkness to an unknown destination. Looking into the darkness and thinking about going in was terrifying, and this fueled my curiosity. Then I remembered, I had my head lamp. I turned it on, and it gave my the confidence I needed to take the plunge into the unknown. The stairs went down about 15 feet, to a huge wooden door. I started thinking about the prisoners who were tortured there, or the lepers who where banished there. . . I went up the stairs faster than I went down.
I had borrowed a tent from my friend Jan, and stayed the night at a campground in Marburg, right on the edge of the river Lahn. The camper next to me was a man in his 50's, who was biking from Dortmund to Berlin and back. He had done some impressive cycling trips. Once, he went from Rome to Dortmund in 8 days. Another time, he biked from Budapest to Dortmund. He told me his stories in broken English while we shared some wine.
Its getting late, but one more. I had dinner at this small medieval restaurant in Frankfurt. The owner was the barkeep, his wife was the service wench, and their large sheepdog slept on the floor. They served beer from larg clay mugs, and the owner also made his own mead. They specialized in wild game of Germany, and when they said the saddle of venison was for four or more people, I settled for the loin of a wild-boar. The food was the best I've had in Germany. The brushed steel fork and knife were also made by the owner. I'm pretty sure he was a long lost cousin. (see photo at http://picasaweb.google.com/autorec). When I asked about the bottles with handwritten labels above the bar, he explained that they have a man that distills liquor for them. In fact, in a recent competition, he was awarded 10 gold medals for his different liquors, and was crowned the best distiller in Europe. So, I had to try. I had a shot of the Hazelnut. It warmed my belly, and made for a pleasent walk back to the hotel.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Castle Concert
Just down river of Bochum, the Ruhr river is dammed, creating Lake Kemnade to the south. This turned out to be the center of my activities last weekend.
In the summer, there is a Castle on the edge of the lake that hosts concerts. Its a small castle surrounded by a mote. The concert I went to was held inside within the medieval courtyard. There were two rotating stages. The reason I hear about he concert is that Theodosii Spassov would again be playing, and he plugged it at the Kulturecafe. He was the first act I saw. He was great again, but some of the magic from the Kulturecafe was missing.
The next act was a gypsy band with a Jewish woman on vocals. She stole the show with her energy and exuberance. She was extremely animated, and reminded me of my Jr. High substitute music teacher (Ms. Shepard), except Jewish. She sang a lot of Jewish folk songs like you would expect to hear in "The Fiddler on the Roof". The musicians in the band were very good too, and they provided a somber counter the her, kind of like when James Brown's band calls back to him.
The last act, was this sort of extravaganza. The main band was a funky jazz band, headed by a German David Bowie. He played a killer guitar, and his band had some incredibly talented musicians on trumpet, clarinet, trombone and precussion. And the cool part was the show would cycle on and off different acts to play with the band, each with a cultural theme. There was sort of medeival marching band, a classical music section, some belly dancers and persian music, and even an American gospel piece. The next act would usually start in the middle of the courtyard, behind the audience. They would start playing as they approached the stage, creating a fade-in effect. Then the band would sort of work into the style, with some solos and some accompaniment. After the concert, one of the Castle towers was turned into a disco and with a DJ and a live latin drummer. You can tell I've been in Eruope for a while, because I used the word "disco". As luck would have it, I left in time to catch the last bus back into town.
Saturday, Jan and I went to this new bar that just opened up on the lake. They brought in a bunch of white sand, and created boardwalks, all inside the bar. You could choose between sitting in lounge chairs under umbrellas, or laying on a shaded bed. Nobody really swims there, because, well, its still the Ruhr. In fact its the Ruhr that has been stagnated and allowed to warm up. But to be fair, the Ruhr is clean enough now that people have begun swimming below the lake, after the dam.
On the way home from the bar, I saw not one, but two types of glowing insects. The first was a tiny green butted firefly. It was only my second firefly encounter, so I was pretty excited. These were very small, and quite green in color, and they stayed lit for a pretty long time. They were different than the flashing yellowish type in North Carolina. Then, as we walked along a wooded trail back to campus, we saw several green glows under the trees. At first we thought they were more fireflies, but as we approached them, they didn't fly off. So, I reached down and picked one up. . . and it was actually a glow worm. It was short and fat and had three glow spots on each side of its body.
In the summer, there is a Castle on the edge of the lake that hosts concerts. Its a small castle surrounded by a mote. The concert I went to was held inside within the medieval courtyard. There were two rotating stages. The reason I hear about he concert is that Theodosii Spassov would again be playing, and he plugged it at the Kulturecafe. He was the first act I saw. He was great again, but some of the magic from the Kulturecafe was missing.
The next act was a gypsy band with a Jewish woman on vocals. She stole the show with her energy and exuberance. She was extremely animated, and reminded me of my Jr. High substitute music teacher (Ms. Shepard), except Jewish. She sang a lot of Jewish folk songs like you would expect to hear in "The Fiddler on the Roof". The musicians in the band were very good too, and they provided a somber counter the her, kind of like when James Brown's band calls back to him.
The last act, was this sort of extravaganza. The main band was a funky jazz band, headed by a German David Bowie. He played a killer guitar, and his band had some incredibly talented musicians on trumpet, clarinet, trombone and precussion. And the cool part was the show would cycle on and off different acts to play with the band, each with a cultural theme. There was sort of medeival marching band, a classical music section, some belly dancers and persian music, and even an American gospel piece. The next act would usually start in the middle of the courtyard, behind the audience. They would start playing as they approached the stage, creating a fade-in effect. Then the band would sort of work into the style, with some solos and some accompaniment. After the concert, one of the Castle towers was turned into a disco and with a DJ and a live latin drummer. You can tell I've been in Eruope for a while, because I used the word "disco". As luck would have it, I left in time to catch the last bus back into town.
Saturday, Jan and I went to this new bar that just opened up on the lake. They brought in a bunch of white sand, and created boardwalks, all inside the bar. You could choose between sitting in lounge chairs under umbrellas, or laying on a shaded bed. Nobody really swims there, because, well, its still the Ruhr. In fact its the Ruhr that has been stagnated and allowed to warm up. But to be fair, the Ruhr is clean enough now that people have begun swimming below the lake, after the dam.
On the way home from the bar, I saw not one, but two types of glowing insects. The first was a tiny green butted firefly. It was only my second firefly encounter, so I was pretty excited. These were very small, and quite green in color, and they stayed lit for a pretty long time. They were different than the flashing yellowish type in North Carolina. Then, as we walked along a wooded trail back to campus, we saw several green glows under the trees. At first we thought they were more fireflies, but as we approached them, they didn't fly off. So, I reached down and picked one up. . . and it was actually a glow worm. It was short and fat and had three glow spots on each side of its body.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
quark, kaval, and kulturcafe
Quark! I feel like I discovered a new food group. Quark (pronounced kvark) is a yogurt meets cream cheese dairy product, with a nutritional content more like cottage cheese. German's dig it. And if you buy the lower fat version, its pretty healthy (I hope). You can mix it with herbs and spices, or fruit, or you can just spread it on some hearty German rye bread. German bread is really good. Don't know why the French get all the credit anyway.
Kaval! The kaval is a wooden shepherd's flute from the Balkans. Its one of the oldest instruments in Europe. Last night I heard a performance by Theodosii Spassov, who is basically the best kaval player in the world. He was playing in a trio, with a drummer and a keyboard player, who were also amazing. They play this mixture of traditional Bulgarian music and jazz, which Theodosii invented, some describe it as a new form of music. They play songs in 4/4, 6/4, but mostly 11/16 time. Try keeping track of that. And not only is he a master of the kaval, but he also does this crazy Bulgarian scat, and sort of beat-boxes through his kaval. The end of the kaval is open, unlike a flute, and at one point he played the thing backwards. Crazy. After his set, he invited the opening jazz group, to jam with him. So they played some classic jazz tunes, stuff that they all new well enough, then he would just jump in and improvise. For an encore, he got up and played an 8 minute solo, without stopping for breath. He has mastered the art of circular breathing, so he can basically play non-stop. I am reluctant to put his web page up, because it just doesn't do him justice. His stage presence is also just incredible. You can see that he truly loves playing.
http://www.theodosiispassov.com/theo.php
Kulturcafe! Not only was the performance amazing, but it was free! It was at the Kulturcafe, a student run place on campus. On Monday I saw a Kurdish folk band there. Its a big open space, a lot like something you would find in Portland. The beer is cheep, and they apparently get some great performances.
Okay, I have to go now because I am out of exclamation points.
Kaval! The kaval is a wooden shepherd's flute from the Balkans. Its one of the oldest instruments in Europe. Last night I heard a performance by Theodosii Spassov, who is basically the best kaval player in the world. He was playing in a trio, with a drummer and a keyboard player, who were also amazing. They play this mixture of traditional Bulgarian music and jazz, which Theodosii invented, some describe it as a new form of music. They play songs in 4/4, 6/4, but mostly 11/16 time. Try keeping track of that. And not only is he a master of the kaval, but he also does this crazy Bulgarian scat, and sort of beat-boxes through his kaval. The end of the kaval is open, unlike a flute, and at one point he played the thing backwards. Crazy. After his set, he invited the opening jazz group, to jam with him. So they played some classic jazz tunes, stuff that they all new well enough, then he would just jump in and improvise. For an encore, he got up and played an 8 minute solo, without stopping for breath. He has mastered the art of circular breathing, so he can basically play non-stop. I am reluctant to put his web page up, because it just doesn't do him justice. His stage presence is also just incredible. You can see that he truly loves playing.
http://www.theodosiispassov.com/theo.php
Kulturcafe! Not only was the performance amazing, but it was free! It was at the Kulturcafe, a student run place on campus. On Monday I saw a Kurdish folk band there. Its a big open space, a lot like something you would find in Portland. The beer is cheep, and they apparently get some great performances.
Okay, I have to go now because I am out of exclamation points.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Dusseldorf
I had planned on just staying around Bochum this weekend. Then, when I realized I can see stuff in Bochum during the week, I got this panicky feeling like I was missing out on something. So, I took the subway to the train station and jumped on the first train to Dusseldorf, the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia. To add adventure to the trip, my debit card had been deactivated by my bank, so I only had the cash in my hand for the trip. However, my Lonely Planet reassured me that there was a friendly hostel where I cold stay for cheep, and I hoped to use my credit card when possible. I haven't had a lot of luck with places excepting plastic. America has warped my budgeting skills.
I got on the wrong train. But this turned out to be a good thing, because I accidentally rode the very fast express train, with a regional train ticket, saving myself time and money. Upon arrival, I went straight to the hostel called "Backpackers". I was pleased to find room available, and acquired one of six beds in a vacant room. I jumped on the internet (yes, mom, hostels have the internet now), and bought myself tickets to the symphony. Well, it wasn't a symphony, but a cello soloist named Heinrich Schiff, performing Bach suites #2, 4 and 6. I guess the odd ones are no good. The guy was incredible. I don't think he had any music in front of him. Is this possible (Nelly, Mike, and Cara)?
Before the concert, I had a steak coated with a sweet mustard paste, and a few SMALL glasses of Alt beer. Alt is the popular style of beer in Dusseldorf, and it is basically an amber. They make about 10 different kinds in Dusseldorf. The beer halls, which were packed all weekend, have great German character form both the people and the decor. You know you're in Germany. After the concert, I wandered around the pedestrian only streets of the Altstadt area until the early morn. One group of college aged guys made me take shots of vodka that had been poured into these pouches containing a kool-aid type mix. They had four flavors, and they insisted I try them all. I also had my face drawn on by a bachelorette group, played some darts at an Irish pub (threw a 121), and got kicked out of a wood fire pizza place for trying to take pictures. The owner was not happy with the camera, for some reason, maybe his secret recipe was in danger. So we exchanged a few words in different languages, and I left. But I really wanted a pizza, so I had some guy on the street buy it for me, then I ate it in front of the window where the guys spread the dough. And I managed to get the pictures I wanted through said window. See pictures on my picassa page. (http://picasaweb.google.com/autorec)
Despite the lively night, I managed to wake up at a reasonable hour, and go to the K20 art museum. Dusseldorf has a very nice permanent collection, including work by Klee, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Matisse, Beckmann, etc. Really not a lot of names missing. I was also lucky enough to catch the last day of a Picasso installment. It was his late work from the 60s and early 70s. He knew he didn't have long to live, and he was working at a feverish pace. His work from this period is the work of a man who is racing against the clock, trying to create and live as much as he can, while he can. The works are vibrantly colored, extremely sexual, and quite alive. There were a lot of vaginae, and penises, and eyes on the wrong sides of the heads. Anyway, I think it accomplishes what it set out to do, make you feel alive. After the museum, checked out some old and new architecture around the city. The old harbor is now called the "media harbor", and is home to some really cool modern architecture (again, see picassa page). For lunch I had a curry wurst, and a very cold altbier, before heading for the train station to go back to Bochum.
I got on the wrong train. But this turned out to be a good thing, because I accidentally rode the very fast express train, with a regional train ticket, saving myself time and money. Upon arrival, I went straight to the hostel called "Backpackers". I was pleased to find room available, and acquired one of six beds in a vacant room. I jumped on the internet (yes, mom, hostels have the internet now), and bought myself tickets to the symphony. Well, it wasn't a symphony, but a cello soloist named Heinrich Schiff, performing Bach suites #2, 4 and 6. I guess the odd ones are no good. The guy was incredible. I don't think he had any music in front of him. Is this possible (Nelly, Mike, and Cara)?
Before the concert, I had a steak coated with a sweet mustard paste, and a few SMALL glasses of Alt beer. Alt is the popular style of beer in Dusseldorf, and it is basically an amber. They make about 10 different kinds in Dusseldorf. The beer halls, which were packed all weekend, have great German character form both the people and the decor. You know you're in Germany. After the concert, I wandered around the pedestrian only streets of the Altstadt area until the early morn. One group of college aged guys made me take shots of vodka that had been poured into these pouches containing a kool-aid type mix. They had four flavors, and they insisted I try them all. I also had my face drawn on by a bachelorette group, played some darts at an Irish pub (threw a 121), and got kicked out of a wood fire pizza place for trying to take pictures. The owner was not happy with the camera, for some reason, maybe his secret recipe was in danger. So we exchanged a few words in different languages, and I left. But I really wanted a pizza, so I had some guy on the street buy it for me, then I ate it in front of the window where the guys spread the dough. And I managed to get the pictures I wanted through said window. See pictures on my picassa page. (http://picasaweb.google.com/autorec)
Despite the lively night, I managed to wake up at a reasonable hour, and go to the K20 art museum. Dusseldorf has a very nice permanent collection, including work by Klee, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Matisse, Beckmann, etc. Really not a lot of names missing. I was also lucky enough to catch the last day of a Picasso installment. It was his late work from the 60s and early 70s. He knew he didn't have long to live, and he was working at a feverish pace. His work from this period is the work of a man who is racing against the clock, trying to create and live as much as he can, while he can. The works are vibrantly colored, extremely sexual, and quite alive. There were a lot of vaginae, and penises, and eyes on the wrong sides of the heads. Anyway, I think it accomplishes what it set out to do, make you feel alive. After the museum, checked out some old and new architecture around the city. The old harbor is now called the "media harbor", and is home to some really cool modern architecture (again, see picassa page). For lunch I had a curry wurst, and a very cold altbier, before heading for the train station to go back to Bochum.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Ruhr
Ruhr is the main river that passes through the valley where the University is located. You think it would be pronounced like sir, bit with an R. But in fact, it is a combination of sounds that I can't even comprehend. The main problem being the German R, which kind of rolls on the back of your tongue, but not quite. This is a problem, because people are curious what I am doing in Germany. When I tell them I am a traveling scientist, they ask where. I respond with a flem clearing/vomiting noise, and. . .well its not what you want from your Embassador of American Science. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=flem
Now that I have left the hotel life, and the restaurant paradise of Budapest, I finally made it to a grocery store. There is a supermarket type place at the Uni-Center on campus. The Uni-center is like a strip mall contained within the campus. Convenient and disgusting at the same time. I was pleased to find the usual sort of supermarket layout, with your meat at one end, and your dairy at another. There was a larger than expected section of canned meats.
Then I came to the wine section. And there wasn't a single bottle over about 8Euro, and most were between 1.50 and 3.00. So, I decided to include in my blog an under $3 wine log.
Piemonte Barbera (Italia 2005)
A nice bright, calm and sensible red. Actually calling it red would do a disservice to this plum hued vixen. Her sweet smell and front seems to be a rouge, which is quickly snapped away by a dry turn of the shoulder. Then, she teases you with only a hint of spice, only to console you with a mild caress of vanilla oakishness. Good with sausage and kraut.
Goes well with all the motorcycle racing and tennis on tv. Seriously, could I get some soccer at least. Or how about some poker. By the way, I am disappointed to say I haven't found a game yet. Apparently, the rest of the world is catching up.
So, my expectations of the Ruhr region were low. Dr. Simoyi (a wild and crazy professor at PSU from Zimbabwe) informed me that it was ugly and stinks. For once, I took what he said as literal. Everyone else I told where I was going sort of curled there nose and said, "Oh". However, I find Bochum to be just fine. Its no Budapest, but its a relatively clean small town surrounded by river valley and farmland. The views from the Univesity are nice. It is on something of a hill overlooking the river valley. You cannot see the river, but its life giving presence is all around. Why do you notice the songbirds more in foreign lands? The architecture and layout of the campus is very modern, and stark, but there are a lot of trees and plants. The stark contrast gives you the feeling that the plants are trying to take back the area for mother nature. Sometimes it feels like I was walking though the jungle and stumbled onto ancient ruins from 1975. The campus is also very difficult to navigate. It built on various man made levels. And just because you see the building you want to go to, the level you are on may not let you go there. Its like Metroid (video game reference, Mom).
Okay, enough blog. Enjoy the songbirds, wherever you are.
Now that I have left the hotel life, and the restaurant paradise of Budapest, I finally made it to a grocery store. There is a supermarket type place at the Uni-Center on campus. The Uni-center is like a strip mall contained within the campus. Convenient and disgusting at the same time. I was pleased to find the usual sort of supermarket layout, with your meat at one end, and your dairy at another. There was a larger than expected section of canned meats.
Then I came to the wine section. And there wasn't a single bottle over about 8Euro, and most were between 1.50 and 3.00. So, I decided to include in my blog an under $3 wine log.
Piemonte Barbera (Italia 2005)
A nice bright, calm and sensible red. Actually calling it red would do a disservice to this plum hued vixen. Her sweet smell and front seems to be a rouge, which is quickly snapped away by a dry turn of the shoulder. Then, she teases you with only a hint of spice, only to console you with a mild caress of vanilla oakishness. Good with sausage and kraut.
Goes well with all the motorcycle racing and tennis on tv. Seriously, could I get some soccer at least. Or how about some poker. By the way, I am disappointed to say I haven't found a game yet. Apparently, the rest of the world is catching up.
So, my expectations of the Ruhr region were low. Dr. Simoyi (a wild and crazy professor at PSU from Zimbabwe) informed me that it was ugly and stinks. For once, I took what he said as literal. Everyone else I told where I was going sort of curled there nose and said, "Oh". However, I find Bochum to be just fine. Its no Budapest, but its a relatively clean small town surrounded by river valley and farmland. The views from the Univesity are nice. It is on something of a hill overlooking the river valley. You cannot see the river, but its life giving presence is all around. Why do you notice the songbirds more in foreign lands? The architecture and layout of the campus is very modern, and stark, but there are a lot of trees and plants. The stark contrast gives you the feeling that the plants are trying to take back the area for mother nature. Sometimes it feels like I was walking though the jungle and stumbled onto ancient ruins from 1975. The campus is also very difficult to navigate. It built on various man made levels. And just because you see the building you want to go to, the level you are on may not let you go there. Its like Metroid (video game reference, Mom).
Okay, enough blog. Enjoy the songbirds, wherever you are.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
A new language to get lost in
I was sad to leave Budapest. Its a beautiful city, and my experience at the Collegium Budapest was amazing. The dinner with Eors was good. We had chicken stuffed potato pancakes (kind of like a crepe) in paprika sauce (of coarse), and a porkchop coated in walnuts. So that covered two of the main Hungarian food groups: pork and paprika. All in all, I am a fan of the Hungarian cuisine. Not a lot of fiber, but good amounts of salt and spices. And the wine is great. In fact, after work on my last day, I went to this "House of Hungarian Wines", near the Budapest Castle. Its a large wine cellar, and a small cover charge allows you to taste wines for up to two hours. Its organized like a wine museum, where each region of wine has its own area in the cellar with a map showing where the wines are from, and describing the climate and soil. They grow mostly white wines, but Pinot Noirs are doing very well. Lets just say I feel I got my money's worth.
From Budapest, I flew into Dortmund on Easyjet. Easyjet offers really cheep airfares all over Europe, but there are no assigned seating, so its first come first served, and every man for himself. It made for a fairly exhausting day. Then when I arrived in Dortmund, I took a shuttle to the train station. Except I got on the wrong shuttle, and therefore ended up at the wrong train station. In fact it wasn't really a station, but simply a train stop, with a machine to purchase a ticket. There was a schedule, but none of them mentioned going to Bochum. Eventually, I figured out I was in the wrong place, waited for a shuttle back to the airport, and got to the right train station. The whole thing set me back close to two hours. The secretary of Gunter von Kiedrowski (my research adviser here in Germany) was supposed to pick me up at the train station in Bochum after I called her upon arrival. Later I saw that she had sent me an email titled "urgent" that said (and I quote):
From Budapest, I flew into Dortmund on Easyjet. Easyjet offers really cheep airfares all over Europe, but there are no assigned seating, so its first come first served, and every man for himself. It made for a fairly exhausting day. Then when I arrived in Dortmund, I took a shuttle to the train station. Except I got on the wrong shuttle, and therefore ended up at the wrong train station. In fact it wasn't really a station, but simply a train stop, with a machine to purchase a ticket. There was a schedule, but none of them mentioned going to Bochum. Eventually, I figured out I was in the wrong place, waited for a shuttle back to the airport, and got to the right train station. The whole thing set me back close to two hours. The secretary of Gunter von Kiedrowski (my research adviser here in Germany) was supposed to pick me up at the train station in Bochum after I called her upon arrival. Later I saw that she had sent me an email titled "urgent" that said (and I quote):
Dear Eric,
I am waiting for you at Bochum Station. What is the matter with you??? Please contact me at: 01775673221!!!!!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Intellectual ferment
Two other fellows here at the Collegium Budapest, Sergio and Walter, also do work similar to mine. They are working on computer simulations of the types of reactions I do in the lab. We are finding a lot of similarities in our ideas about the origins of life, and we are all learning things form each other. The energy and excitement is great. We went out for beers last night, and we kept talking about science. We also discussed politics, culture, movies, and music. Although we have covered a lot of gaps in our knowledge of science, none of us fully understand the popularity of George Michael. He sells out here in Budapest, at 60 Euro a ticket. We think it is some sort of Wham-nostalgia syndrome. Sergio is Italian, so he doesn't handle his beer so well. After a few, he broke down and admitted that he really enjoys Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and has all the seasons on dvd. We also all like Tom Waits, but don't understand what he is singing about. So, all in all it was a very productive night.
The weather has cooled off some, and I actually needed a jacket last night for the first time. Lightening storms continue to blow by, quickly, each afternoon.
Tonight, Eors has invited me to a big fancy dinner a the Collegium. These only happen once every other month, so I came at the right time. With the dinner, the other scholars that are here right now, and the fact that this is the only week Eors will be here all summer, I think the planets are aligning for me. It is too bad I will have to leave Saturday but,
Eric Travels
The weather has cooled off some, and I actually needed a jacket last night for the first time. Lightening storms continue to blow by, quickly, each afternoon.
Tonight, Eors has invited me to a big fancy dinner a the Collegium. These only happen once every other month, so I came at the right time. With the dinner, the other scholars that are here right now, and the fact that this is the only week Eors will be here all summer, I think the planets are aligning for me. It is too bad I will have to leave Saturday but,
Eric Travels
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Science, at last
I finally met Eors Szathmary today! It was brief, because he had a bunch of meetings. He was very nice, and insisted that I refer to him by his first name, which, I have learned, is pronounced Ursh. His last name is pronounced Sat-mayree with the second syllable kind of elongated, but the emphasis still on the first (Its a little tricky for us Angolul). I also met Adam Kun who published a paper with Eors recently. After a little ice breaker small talk, we got down to it, and talked science. I explained to him my research project, and we talked about what he found interesting from his perspective. He and Eors do a lot of theoretical biology, which they test using computer simulations. So he suggested simulation type experiments I could do, or try to do, or have somebody with some simulation experience do. I gave him a copy of my recent paper, and he found it very interesting. It all went pretty smooth. He's a good dude. Tomorrow, I will find out what he and Eors are up to.
And as I left the collegium, I felt less like a tourist. I wasn't walking around aimlessly, taking photos and thinking about where I would have my next meal. I was now a visiting scientist. In fact, if I may speak frankly, the tourists are a bit annoying to us Budapest scholars. They due help drive the economy, so I guess I will put up with them. Hmph.
Well, I should go, there are still some sites I want to take pictures of, and I'm not sure where I will have dinner tonight.
Eric travels
p.s. For Will in particular: I had the best Indian food of my life last night. The experience was similar to the first time I had really good Thai food (Kun Pic's in Portland). I couldn't believe all the flavors I was tasting, I didn't know my tongue could do that. It was like turning on a color tv for the fist time, but in my mouth.
And as I left the collegium, I felt less like a tourist. I wasn't walking around aimlessly, taking photos and thinking about where I would have my next meal. I was now a visiting scientist. In fact, if I may speak frankly, the tourists are a bit annoying to us Budapest scholars. They due help drive the economy, so I guess I will put up with them. Hmph.
Well, I should go, there are still some sites I want to take pictures of, and I'm not sure where I will have dinner tonight.
Eric travels
p.s. For Will in particular: I had the best Indian food of my life last night. The experience was similar to the first time I had really good Thai food (Kun Pic's in Portland). I couldn't believe all the flavors I was tasting, I didn't know my tongue could do that. It was like turning on a color tv for the fist time, but in my mouth.
Monday, May 28, 2007
The building
The building that houses the Collegium Budapest is beautiful. I put a picture up on my picassa page (see previous blog). Read more at
http://www.colbud.hu/site/building.shtml
http://www.colbud.hu/site/building.shtml
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Opera and Lake Balaton
I have seen a lot since my last post. We went to Bratislava in the Slovak Republic for a day. We went to the opera. And I got lost on a bicycle. You should be able to see some pictures at
http://picasaweb.google.com/autorec
The Opera: The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra performed Korsokov's "Sherezade", Musorgsky's "Night on Bare Mountain", and Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite". The conductor, a Japanese man named Kobayashi Ken-Ichiro, has had a long history in Budapest, and is very popular there. We were sitting in the front row, and got to watch this man work. He was so into the music that you could take away the sound, and follow the emotion of the music by his facial expressions. During one slow movement, he had his face turned to the ceiling of the opera house, eyes closed, and looked like he could cry at any moment. Then, when the music picked up, he would bow his head down, shake it from side to side, and make these sort of angry Donald Duck grunting noises. He stole the show, despite tremendous violin and chello soloists.
Lake Balaton: The orientation was over, and the group had split up to go to their placement universities. I was now on my own in Budapest. Since it was a three day weekend (Pentacost) I decided to go to the largest lake in Hungary: Balaton. I heard that the lake had a paved bike path all the way around, so I decided to rent a bicycle and explore the villages around the lake. I took the train to town of Siofok (s = sh in Hungarian). I walked immediately from the train, through a nice park, to the lake. The lake was enormous, and a beautiful light blue green color. I walked along the lake shore for a while, then got directions to a bicycle rental shop. I wasn't impressed with the quality of the bicycles, but I guess thats what I get for not planning. And, what the heck, I was in for an adventure. So I rented the bike suggested to me by the shop owner, a "Lucky Country" rainbow colored mountain bike. The woman next to me on the train had suggested that I go to the town of Tihany on the north side of the lake, which was about a 50 mile ride form the bike shop in Siofok. There was a ferry in Tihany, and I could take it back across the lake to complete the loop. The shop owner suggested that I take two days to get to Tihany since it was already 4:30pm, but I was pretty sure I could do it in one. So I took off on the bike path, to make it to Tihany before nightfall.
The bike path had signs posted at most key navigational points. There were a few times that I was sure I had gone off the path, only to see a nice sign of a bike with an arrow to reassure me. The path followed the lake shore through neighborhoods, along farmland, and through forested areas. It was about 90 degrees outside, and very humid. I enjoyed seeing the hungarian countryside. There was a large farm with a heard of white cows with long horns. There were a few vineyards on the hills on the north side of the lake.
I had been biking for hours, the sun was setting, and the bicycle seat was taking its toll. The trusty signs, however, told me that Tihany was near. So I pressed on. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to find a room before night fall. Finally, I cam to the Tihany exit. Tihany is located on a bulbous peninsula that juts out into lake Balaton. The bike path doesn't go down into the peninsula, so I had to leave the trusty signs. Tihany was about three miles away, on top of a hill. After a long day of biking, and no dinner yet, my legs didn't have much left. I kept peddling, and found myself riding past large fields of lavender. At the top of the hill, I found the Tihany city center. It was a bit touristy, and the hotels were more expensive than I had hoped, so I made the commitment to go down the other side of the hill. This was a commitment because there was no way I was going back up. At the bottom of the hill I found a very nice hotel. It was getting dark, so I went in looking for a room. The concierge looked at me like I was crazy. He explained to me, in a combination of Hungarian, German and a bit of English, that this weekend was a holiday, and there were no rooms available. He sent me down the road, where I found a kind of campground, which also had rooms available. Due to the tenacious mosquitoes, and the lightening storm that had just began, I chose a room instead of a campsite. I was just in time, as the lightning storm quickly escalated, and was getting very close. After trying to sleep through the thunder, I decided to open my curtains and look at the lightening. Just as I pulled back the curtains, the lightening struck a building right in front of me. There was no delay between the lightening and the thunder, and the sound was so shocking that I actually grabbed my chest in fear. The power was out.
The next day, I rode back up the hill to the town center. After site seeing, I had a huge three course Csarda style lunch with fish from the lake dressed in a lavender sauce. I also had three SMALL glasses of wine, you know, to taste the different wines made around the lake. Feeling pretty good, I managed to take the ferry back across the lake and return my bicycle in time. I swam the rest of the afternoon, and took the train back to Budapest that evening.
http://picasaweb.google.com/autorec
The Opera: The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra performed Korsokov's "Sherezade", Musorgsky's "Night on Bare Mountain", and Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite". The conductor, a Japanese man named Kobayashi Ken-Ichiro, has had a long history in Budapest, and is very popular there. We were sitting in the front row, and got to watch this man work. He was so into the music that you could take away the sound, and follow the emotion of the music by his facial expressions. During one slow movement, he had his face turned to the ceiling of the opera house, eyes closed, and looked like he could cry at any moment. Then, when the music picked up, he would bow his head down, shake it from side to side, and make these sort of angry Donald Duck grunting noises. He stole the show, despite tremendous violin and chello soloists.
Lake Balaton: The orientation was over, and the group had split up to go to their placement universities. I was now on my own in Budapest. Since it was a three day weekend (Pentacost) I decided to go to the largest lake in Hungary: Balaton. I heard that the lake had a paved bike path all the way around, so I decided to rent a bicycle and explore the villages around the lake. I took the train to town of Siofok (s = sh in Hungarian). I walked immediately from the train, through a nice park, to the lake. The lake was enormous, and a beautiful light blue green color. I walked along the lake shore for a while, then got directions to a bicycle rental shop. I wasn't impressed with the quality of the bicycles, but I guess thats what I get for not planning. And, what the heck, I was in for an adventure. So I rented the bike suggested to me by the shop owner, a "Lucky Country" rainbow colored mountain bike. The woman next to me on the train had suggested that I go to the town of Tihany on the north side of the lake, which was about a 50 mile ride form the bike shop in Siofok. There was a ferry in Tihany, and I could take it back across the lake to complete the loop. The shop owner suggested that I take two days to get to Tihany since it was already 4:30pm, but I was pretty sure I could do it in one. So I took off on the bike path, to make it to Tihany before nightfall.
The bike path had signs posted at most key navigational points. There were a few times that I was sure I had gone off the path, only to see a nice sign of a bike with an arrow to reassure me. The path followed the lake shore through neighborhoods, along farmland, and through forested areas. It was about 90 degrees outside, and very humid. I enjoyed seeing the hungarian countryside. There was a large farm with a heard of white cows with long horns. There were a few vineyards on the hills on the north side of the lake.
I had been biking for hours, the sun was setting, and the bicycle seat was taking its toll. The trusty signs, however, told me that Tihany was near. So I pressed on. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to find a room before night fall. Finally, I cam to the Tihany exit. Tihany is located on a bulbous peninsula that juts out into lake Balaton. The bike path doesn't go down into the peninsula, so I had to leave the trusty signs. Tihany was about three miles away, on top of a hill. After a long day of biking, and no dinner yet, my legs didn't have much left. I kept peddling, and found myself riding past large fields of lavender. At the top of the hill, I found the Tihany city center. It was a bit touristy, and the hotels were more expensive than I had hoped, so I made the commitment to go down the other side of the hill. This was a commitment because there was no way I was going back up. At the bottom of the hill I found a very nice hotel. It was getting dark, so I went in looking for a room. The concierge looked at me like I was crazy. He explained to me, in a combination of Hungarian, German and a bit of English, that this weekend was a holiday, and there were no rooms available. He sent me down the road, where I found a kind of campground, which also had rooms available. Due to the tenacious mosquitoes, and the lightening storm that had just began, I chose a room instead of a campsite. I was just in time, as the lightning storm quickly escalated, and was getting very close. After trying to sleep through the thunder, I decided to open my curtains and look at the lightening. Just as I pulled back the curtains, the lightening struck a building right in front of me. There was no delay between the lightening and the thunder, and the sound was so shocking that I actually grabbed my chest in fear. The power was out.
The next day, I rode back up the hill to the town center. After site seeing, I had a huge three course Csarda style lunch with fish from the lake dressed in a lavender sauce. I also had three SMALL glasses of wine, you know, to taste the different wines made around the lake. Feeling pretty good, I managed to take the ferry back across the lake and return my bicycle in time. I swam the rest of the afternoon, and took the train back to Budapest that evening.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
quick post
Not much time but I'm going to try to put up some pictures.
Budapset is beautiful. An entire city of turn of the century architecture. We went to the opera house, to see a symphony, and it was incredible. I had goosebumps.
Budapset is beautiful. An entire city of turn of the century architecture. We went to the opera house, to see a symphony, and it was incredible. I had goosebumps.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Jet lag and first impression
Wow. I think relativity states that if you travel to outer space, you actually come back younger than if you hadn't gone. But I don't think that takes into account time zones. I have jet lag. The mixtures of free beer and coffee during the flight didn't help much either. I arrived in Franfurt for a three hour layover, and since I hadn't eaten since early in the 10 hour flight, I was pretty hungry. I decided to get a bite to eat at the bar in the airport. So I ordered some Nurenburg sausage with kraut, mashed potatos and a stein of weissbier. I was halfway through the hearty German meal when I looked at the clock and realized it was 8:30. . . in the morning. The funny thing is that the waitress didn't even bat an eye. Clearly, I was in the fatherland.
After another hour and a half flight, I was in Budapest. At least that's what the signs in the Airport said. But airports all look basically the same. My first impression of the city was from the backseat of an airport minibus. Coming from the airport side of town, Budapest wasn't as striking as I had expected. The airport is situated away from down town, and you have to travel a way to see the city castle and beautiful architecture. Then again, I was half asleep, and we were traveling near the speed of sound, so I may have missed a few things.
The hotel Fortuna, where I am staying, is in a boat on the Pest side of the Danube. It looked a little shady from the outside, but the inside was very nice. We all get our own cabin which is named after some long past mariner. I am in the Ernest Shackelton room. The interior is covered in rich oak sidings and there are very nice chandeliers in the hallways. Its a lot like the Titanic. There is also only one small life boat, so, its a lot like the Titanic.
We had a long day today of orientation and a walking tours, so I have pictures which I will put up soon. Until then,
Eric travels
After another hour and a half flight, I was in Budapest. At least that's what the signs in the Airport said. But airports all look basically the same. My first impression of the city was from the backseat of an airport minibus. Coming from the airport side of town, Budapest wasn't as striking as I had expected. The airport is situated away from down town, and you have to travel a way to see the city castle and beautiful architecture. Then again, I was half asleep, and we were traveling near the speed of sound, so I may have missed a few things.
The hotel Fortuna, where I am staying, is in a boat on the Pest side of the Danube. It looked a little shady from the outside, but the inside was very nice. We all get our own cabin which is named after some long past mariner. I am in the Ernest Shackelton room. The interior is covered in rich oak sidings and there are very nice chandeliers in the hallways. Its a lot like the Titanic. There is also only one small life boat, so, its a lot like the Titanic.
We had a long day today of orientation and a walking tours, so I have pictures which I will put up soon. Until then,
Eric travels
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Test Drive
Test one two. . . is this thing on?
Well, I'm still in Portland, but I leave in . . . 48 hours and 25 minutes!
So, I will be studying in Central Europe for the next 8 weeks, and will use this blog to, well, blog I guess. I'm new to this type of thing, but I thought it would be nice for friends and family to be able to keep up with what I am doing. Hopefully I can put up pictures and describe my adventures.
So until next time,
Eric travels
Well, I'm still in Portland, but I leave in . . . 48 hours and 25 minutes!
So, I will be studying in Central Europe for the next 8 weeks, and will use this blog to, well, blog I guess. I'm new to this type of thing, but I thought it would be nice for friends and family to be able to keep up with what I am doing. Hopefully I can put up pictures and describe my adventures.
So until next time,
Eric travels
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