Where to start? Where to continue? Where to end?
When to start? When to continue? When to end?
How to start? How to continue? How to end?
Why to start? Why to continue? Why to end?
Start? Continue? End?
Aspirations
There is that which I have penned.
There is that which I wish I had penned.
There is that which I wish to pen.
There is that which I wish I could pen.
There is that which I want to pen.
How do I reconcile it all with a pencil? Or with a keyboard?
Tough Questions
Who knows where evil lurks?
Who knows why evil lurks?
Who knows when evil lurks?
Who knows how evil lurks?
Who knows if evil lurks
Prague and Berlin
Berlin is a short distance from Prague: only four and a half hours on a standard train. Yet, the two cities could not be more different. Languages are as those from different planets. one still looks as it did a thousand years ago, World War II and communism notwithstanding, and the other is a great cultural mecca slowly mending the severe wounds it sustained at the hands of fascism and communism. The pictures show only part of the story. A great deal of European history is told in these two cities. A scant 6 days are not enough to capture any significant fraction of this history, but they are just enough to instill an appreciation of the stories.
San Sebastian, Spain
The two most valuable commodities in life are good friends and free time to spend with friends. This weekend in San Sebastian had the added bonuses of a spectacular setting, and great music. Miguel brought Camilla and me to this amazing city on the north coast Spain (not too far from the French border) for the start of the annual jazz festival. The music was superb, the weather was perfect, and the cuisine was even better.
It is difficult to imagine a more spectacular setting for a jazz festival. The placement of a modern form of music in an old city made for a combination of sights and sounds that cannot be easily erased from one’s memory.
The sights of Bilbao, the gorgeous city one usually traverses en route to San Sebastian, were equally pleasing, though decidedly more modern. Returning to Germany (or the US, or Sweden) one is inclined to wonder why one is embarking on the return journey. It is an experience like this that makes one grateful for possessing the two crucial commodities: good friends and free time. Miguel, maybe I’ll repay the debt in Iran sometime?
Cologne: Dom City
What makes Münster tolerable is the great access it offers to so many European cities. Düsseldorf and Köln (Cologne) are two very nice cities in Germany. Cologne is the largest city in this region of Germany, and it is by far the most fun to visit for a weekend because one can go to many museums, walk along the river, have great food, listen to great, cutting-edge music, and drink until morning every night. The proximity to Cologne has helped a great deal in preserving my sanity.
The biggest highlight of the city is the famous cathedral (the Dom). It is massive, gigantic and detailed beyond description. Click here for the pictures. Cologne need not be your primary destination in Germany, but it is such a nice place to visit and live.
Boat Ride in Amsterdam
It’s a rondvaart. You ride a boat around the city in the canals. The familiar places look completely different. The city takes on a new character. It’s just another way the city transforms itself into a completely different place. This is why Amsterdam is impossible to resist. When you are here, you are everywhere.
Amsterdam in White
So, in the first week of March (2005), Amsterdam received heavy snow for every day over a week. According to many, it happens once every few years. It was, therefore, a privilege of sorts to see the city covered in so much white snow. The energy of the city changed, as did the entire complexion. Public transit was shut down for part of a day, and car traffic was reduced dramatically, as some cars could not even get out of their parking spots.
So, I trekked out with two good friends, walked about Amsterdam on a cold March night, and caught some memorable images on disk. It was a wonderful time.
Belgium: Mons and Brussels
I was sent to a small city in Belgium called Mons to work for a week. The experience was a blast. I worked with extremely nice people in a very famous computational chemistry group in one of the most charming little towns in the world. Of course, it helped that in this francophone part of Belgium it is customary to kiss everyone hello and goodbye. I just made sure I was available when it came time to greet and to bid farewell to the babes.
It is hard to describe just how beautiful this small town is. It is striking in daytime, but it is even more impressive at night. The complete set of pictures is here.
In Mons and in Belgium in general food is simply terrific. The French influence is everywhere, and one notices it immediately after coming from, say, either the US or Amsterdam where one is generally served overpriced tripe with an attitude. Restaurants are often the owner’s home. Hospitality is a highly prized commodity. Therefore, one is treated incredibly well when walking into a restaurant. And, boy, is the food good. Especially the mussels.
I spent the weekend in Brussels on the way back from Mons (which is a half hour by train from Brussels) in hotel exactly 30 seconds from Grand Place, thanks to Expedia. It’s been 26 years since my first visit to Brussels. My memories are extremely vague, but this time around was quite nice. Brussels has a lot of culture. It’s very laid back. It’s a great place to live. Alas, after being designated one of the EU capital cities, Brussels has become somewhat overpriced and a bit crowded. Nevertheless, it’s more manageable than most European big cities.
Barcelona
What is nice about Europe is the stark difference between northern Europe and southern Europe. The former is populated by stoic people and has poor weather in summertime and even worse weather in wintertime. The latter has temperamental people, much better food, and a much warmer climate. So, if a cold February in Amsterdam has you down, then all you have to do is board a plane to any one of the destinations in Southern Europe for a warm, relaxing weekend. The other nice thing about Europe is that it’s tiny. Everything is very close. As a result, this flight does not take long, and thanks to a slew of cheap airlines, it does not cost much, either.
Barcelona is one popular and warm destination, but on the particular weekend over which this visit to Barcelona took place, it was damn cold. Nevertheless, the city was sunny and inviting enough to entice one to hit the pavement and see the virtually infinity of sites the city has to offer: parks, museums, architectural gems both modern and ancient, churches, beaches and much, much more. Click here to see the picture gallery. This is about a fifth of the sites. The rest perhaps you should see for yourself.