Re: 2 Days till Departure
It's been an interesting experience this week with uncertainty of not being able to leave looming over our trip as the result of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. There was an ash cloud that could have prevented us from even leaving Calgary. At times like these it’s definitely trying as something you can't control can prevent you from leaving on a trip you've looked forward to going on for a couple of months! The only thing I can do is to rely on God's sovereignty and pray that air travel resumes and our flight not cancelled!
This also marks the day before my graduation celebrations take place. I am definitely still feeling nostalgic about it all. One thing’s for sure though, these past 7 years in post-secondary were definitely the best years of my life and I won't trade this experience for anything! I guess it is time to close this chapter of my life and move on knowing that God has everything in control!
This also marks the day before my graduation celebrations take place. I am definitely still feeling nostalgic about it all. One thing’s for sure though, these past 7 years in post-secondary were definitely the best years of my life and I won't trade this experience for anything! I guess it is time to close this chapter of my life and move on knowing that God has everything in control!
Re: Safe and Sound in London!
Well, just so everyone knows, I'm safe and sound in London! The flight was quick after the snow delay but yeah, I'm here!!
Re: First Day!
Wow! What an eventful day! It is still sinking in ... The fact that we are actually in Europe! Landing an hour late due to a snowstorm in Calgary, it was a relief that our flight went smoothly and quickly. In London, we checked into our hotel and had a dinner of authentic English fish and chips! We then walked around some of the London suburbs, and took lots of amazing photographs. It was really cool to see Buckingham palace at night!
It is time to go to sleep though. I think I've had about 9h in the last 36-48 hours haha. G'nite Calgary!
It is time to go to sleep though. I think I've had about 9h in the last 36-48 hours haha. G'nite Calgary!
Re: On the Way to Brussels!
Our final day in London was certainly interesting. We started off with another brilliant breakfast (sometimes I think I would just to scrap the rest of the trip and just stay in London). We then embarked in more tours of London and surrounding areas. Even though we've visited some of the sights many times, it seems like there are always something new and intriguing about them. As we were riding along on the bus today, it meant that we were finally able to rest little after hoofing around yesterday.
In terms of business meetings, we had the chance to talk to an ex-pat that now works with BMO London. While I don’t think I am interested in becoming a banker, it was still interesting to listen to his experiences and the challenges he faces while working overseas. We also had the chance to talk to another ex-pat who told us how difficult it would be in terms of adjusting to a North American style of doing business if he were to move home after his term in London.
In terms of business meetings, we had the chance to talk to an ex-pat that now works with BMO London. While I don’t think I am interested in becoming a banker, it was still interesting to listen to his experiences and the challenges he faces while working overseas. We also had the chance to talk to another ex-pat who told us how difficult it would be in terms of adjusting to a North American style of doing business if he were to move home after his term in London.
We also celebrated a momentous occasion - the naming of our mascot..... Winston! Yes. After 3 days of deliberation, we finally decided on what we should call this mascot of ours! :)
I've written most if this as we were flying from London to Brussels. The flight itself was smooth and quick. It took us 40 minutes to fly from one place to the other!
Before I go sleep, I am just going to sum up my experience in London. While wasn't too much of a culture shock, there were definitely things that I wasn't used to. European pizza, transit system, and even mundane things like tipping at restaurants or crossing the street are just a few that come to mind.
All in all, I would say London was awesome. The sights, photography opportunities and even our business meetings were interesting and informative. Heck they even have a Tim Hortons, so that automatically makes it that much better :D
Also, one last London observation: it is true that Starbucks have taken over the world... They are EVERYWHERE!
I've written most if this as we were flying from London to Brussels. The flight itself was smooth and quick. It took us 40 minutes to fly from one place to the other!
Before I go sleep, I am just going to sum up my experience in London. While wasn't too much of a culture shock, there were definitely things that I wasn't used to. European pizza, transit system, and even mundane things like tipping at restaurants or crossing the street are just a few that come to mind.
All in all, I would say London was awesome. The sights, photography opportunities and even our business meetings were interesting and informative. Heck they even have a Tim Hortons, so that automatically makes it that much better :D
Also, one last London observation: it is true that Starbucks have taken over the world... They are EVERYWHERE!
Re: Belgian Chocolate
The rumours I've have heard about the wonders of Belgian chocolate is definitely not exaggerated. They are brilliant! (say it with a British accent for maximum effect!) I tried this one the Belgians call "seduction" - a raspberry crème filled confection with a wafer bottom surrounded by milk chocolate .... Soooo good. I don't think it's helping me with the ladies though haha. (inside joke .. bahaha) I was also able to try Belgian hot chocolate. The extra smooth, and creamy hot chocolate with a variety of flavours. I tried an Ecuadorian dark hot chocolate. It definitely puts powdered or even Starbucks hot chocolates to shame!
Our walk though the old city of Brussels also gave me a glimpse of life in a continental European city. It was a different sight to see the many restaurants with tables set right onto public sidewalks. I have definitely noticed the language barrier more and more as we've left London. English is something I take for granted as I've realized how hard it is for us to communicate without. It might be European culture, but going to restaurants here in Belgium feels like going to a Chinese restaurant as someone that isn't Chinese - the poor service definitely is something you don't expect! Thankfully the food was decent enough!
While traversing through Brussels, we had the opportunity to check out some of the EU's institutions. Our visit to the EU Council was a very good experience as we were able to pick the brains of someone who worked within the institutions. We also had the experience of meeting with a Canadian national that was in charge of bridging the gaps between the EU and Canada. As a group it was definitely an experience as we were able to get a glimpse about the complexities and challenges of negotiating a massive trade pact that is second only to NAFTA in size (from a Canadian perspective)!
Our walk though the old city of Brussels also gave me a glimpse of life in a continental European city. It was a different sight to see the many restaurants with tables set right onto public sidewalks. I have definitely noticed the language barrier more and more as we've left London. English is something I take for granted as I've realized how hard it is for us to communicate without. It might be European culture, but going to restaurants here in Belgium feels like going to a Chinese restaurant as someone that isn't Chinese - the poor service definitely is something you don't expect! Thankfully the food was decent enough!
While traversing through Brussels, we had the opportunity to check out some of the EU's institutions. Our visit to the EU Council was a very good experience as we were able to pick the brains of someone who worked within the institutions. We also had the experience of meeting with a Canadian national that was in charge of bridging the gaps between the EU and Canada. As a group it was definitely an experience as we were able to get a glimpse about the complexities and challenges of negotiating a massive trade pact that is second only to NAFTA in size (from a Canadian perspective)!
Re: Frankfurt
Our arrival into Frankfurt via train was 250km/h of goodness. Stopping at about 9:45pm, we arrived at a train station that makes anything in Calgary look silly.
Unlike our hotel in Brussels, the hotel we are staying at in Frankfurt is actually liveable. Clean rooms, bathrooms, beds & air conditioning (for the privileged) were all a welcome sight to see! I also was finally able to get an Internet connection that allowed me to post some updates and check my facebook (yes, I'm a junkie ... It was hard being without FB for a couple of days..)!
The ruins in Frankfurt make for a sombre reminder of the events in WW II. I had a chance to see them first hand and see the ruins left behind by massive bombing campaigns.
There is a common theme among all the cities I've visited so far - the history. Being from a fairly young country, the buildings definitely don't have as much meaning behind them as some of the locations here. The architecture is intricate and the story behind their existence is immaculate.. It makes for good pictures at least! :)
Unlike our hotel in Brussels, the hotel we are staying at in Frankfurt is actually liveable. Clean rooms, bathrooms, beds & air conditioning (for the privileged) were all a welcome sight to see! I also was finally able to get an Internet connection that allowed me to post some updates and check my facebook (yes, I'm a junkie ... It was hard being without FB for a couple of days..)!
The ruins in Frankfurt make for a sombre reminder of the events in WW II. I had a chance to see them first hand and see the ruins left behind by massive bombing campaigns.
There is a common theme among all the cities I've visited so far - the history. Being from a fairly young country, the buildings definitely don't have as much meaning behind them as some of the locations here. The architecture is intricate and the story behind their existence is immaculate.. It makes for good pictures at least! :)
In Frankfurt, we were able to check out the European Central Bank. During our meeting, we were able to learn from someone who is on the inside looking out at the issues that were affecting the Euro – especially the Greek crisis and how it will affect the Eurozone should Greece withdraw or the impact of a bailout package. It was a very interesting experience to get a candid opinion on such topics that we’ve been discussing over the last semester.
Re: Oestrich-Winkel
Our stay in Oestrich-Winkel is amazing. Beautiful hotel, wonderful food, and good company our hosts are also gracious and have been able to help us with our transportation and translations as well. Our hosts also own a wine business. They grow and produce an assortment of wines and even own the title of the top sparkling wine in Germany. We also had the opportunity to taste their wine and also to tour their production facilities. I didn't try the wine here, but that is another story for another time. I think the thing that gets to me is the smell, although it is a little grape-py, there is this odour to it that I do not like.
German food is definitely an experience. I think one of the hardest things is to order food in a country that does not have English menus... For good reason. I definitely went out on a limb and tried a fish dish. I'm not really sure how I should describe his dish, but it was definitely very fishy. The taste was stronger than what I normally have in Canada and it was prepared cold and in a way that made the meat's texture very slimy. It was almost like eating a jello of sorts. Although I think I'm going to stay away from fish as much as possible, I think it is definitely an acquired taste. However, I actually tasted alcohol for the first time while on our Rhine river cruise. We were in a shop at St. Goar where a shop keep offered us some homemade peach brandy. I must say I tasted like an Italian soda that burned a little on the way down! We also had a chance to check out Marksburg castle during our cruise. One of the oldest original castles in Germany, it was restored and turned into an exhibit of life in pre-modern Germany.
Our last day in Oestrich-Winkel was spent going to a German church. I thought this was a very intriguing experience as the language barrier caused some problems, but in the end, we were still worshipping the same God, no matter the language. Church is also definitely interesting culturally. After the service the congregation gathered and fellowshipped with wine.
Our stay in this town ended with a tour of Kloster Eberbach. This was a memorable event as we witnessed Eric Boldt busting out a dance move...albeit quick. Eberbach was once a monastery with centuries of history. It's an amazing thing to observe the craftsmanship and architectural expertise of these minks as they built these monasteries.
Oh yes, Dave and Jeff, I didn't manage to get Julia's Facebook.
German food is definitely an experience. I think one of the hardest things is to order food in a country that does not have English menus... For good reason. I definitely went out on a limb and tried a fish dish. I'm not really sure how I should describe his dish, but it was definitely very fishy. The taste was stronger than what I normally have in Canada and it was prepared cold and in a way that made the meat's texture very slimy. It was almost like eating a jello of sorts. Although I think I'm going to stay away from fish as much as possible, I think it is definitely an acquired taste. However, I actually tasted alcohol for the first time while on our Rhine river cruise. We were in a shop at St. Goar where a shop keep offered us some homemade peach brandy. I must say I tasted like an Italian soda that burned a little on the way down! We also had a chance to check out Marksburg castle during our cruise. One of the oldest original castles in Germany, it was restored and turned into an exhibit of life in pre-modern Germany.
Our last day in Oestrich-Winkel was spent going to a German church. I thought this was a very intriguing experience as the language barrier caused some problems, but in the end, we were still worshipping the same God, no matter the language. Church is also definitely interesting culturally. After the service the congregation gathered and fellowshipped with wine.
Our stay in this town ended with a tour of Kloster Eberbach. This was a memorable event as we witnessed Eric Boldt busting out a dance move...albeit quick. Eberbach was once a monastery with centuries of history. It's an amazing thing to observe the craftsmanship and architectural expertise of these minks as they built these monasteries.
Oh yes, Dave and Jeff, I didn't manage to get Julia's Facebook.
Re: Leipzig
Our trip to Leipzig was an insane dash to catch trains. Due to our first train from Oestrich-Winkel being delayed, we missed our connector to Frankfurt by a minute. Compounding this was having to sprint across platforms in hopes of not missing our connection to Leipzig. Thank God we made it. I can just imagine the locals just laughing at us trying to haul all our luggage across a daunting distance... including running up and down stair cases and escalators.
The hospitality we have experienced is unparalleled at during our stay in Oestrich-Winkel. They even provided us with an amazing bag lunch/dinner that was extremely delicious and filling.
Leipzig is actually quite a little city. We definitely checked out a MacDonald’s for a late night snack! I was surprised at the fact that they serve curly fries! However the burgers do taste quite similar.
We spent most of day touring the BMW plant in Leipzig. This state of the art facility was an amazing work of art. We had a chance to see each stage of how BMW produces several of its models.
One of the coolest things I have experienced is meeting random people on the trains. Sometimes we run into expats that tell us their stories about living away from Canada. While on our rush from train to train, we even met a couple that were from Calgary!
The hospitality we have experienced is unparalleled at during our stay in Oestrich-Winkel. They even provided us with an amazing bag lunch/dinner that was extremely delicious and filling.
Leipzig is actually quite a little city. We definitely checked out a MacDonald’s for a late night snack! I was surprised at the fact that they serve curly fries! However the burgers do taste quite similar.
We spent most of day touring the BMW plant in Leipzig. This state of the art facility was an amazing work of art. We had a chance to see each stage of how BMW produces several of its models.
One of the coolest things I have experienced is meeting random people on the trains. Sometimes we run into expats that tell us their stories about living away from Canada. While on our rush from train to train, we even met a couple that were from Calgary!
Re: Dresden
Our arrival and stay in Dresden was short and eventful. I was stunned the moment we got off the taxi on the doorstep of a enormous church. Let's just say the camera got a good workout right away! Our hotel was quite the nice place. One of the comparisons that we, as a group, constantly made was the quality of hotel as compared with formulae 1 in Brussels. In the end nothing compares with the unsatisfactory conditions in Brussels haha.
After settling in, I quickly went for a walk with my camera. We were staying in the old city and had easy access to many of the historical sites and buildings ... All within walking distance. I was definitely awed like I was with every other city I have visited. Calgary definitely doesn't compare with the historical masterpieces, or architectural masterpieces. I definitely felt a sense of wonder just standing there marvelling at the sights.
Wally and I also had an amazing dinner experience on the streets of Europe. Perhaps it is the warmer climate or just their culture, but it is definitely nice to sit outside in a heated patio enjoying very well cooked food!
After settling in, I quickly went for a walk with my camera. We were staying in the old city and had easy access to many of the historical sites and buildings ... All within walking distance. I was definitely awed like I was with every other city I have visited. Calgary definitely doesn't compare with the historical masterpieces, or architectural masterpieces. I definitely felt a sense of wonder just standing there marvelling at the sights.
Wally and I also had an amazing dinner experience on the streets of Europe. Perhaps it is the warmer climate or just their culture, but it is definitely nice to sit outside in a heated patio enjoying very well cooked food!
Re: Prague
Our next stop after Dresden was Prague. One of the biggest surprises to me, as we travelled from Western Europe and deeper into Eastern Europe, were the amount of English that is spoken. This helped me a lot as I am able to communicate somewhat with storekeepers and waiters. While many spoke brokenly, it is made life easy for us as tourists. One of the lessons I have learned is the importance of learning even a couple of words in their language. It was a much nicer experience if I said hello or thank you in their native tongue.
After our arrival in Prague, we toured the beautiful Prague castle. Being on top of a hill, we had quite the climb up! I think we managed to drag our exhausted bodies up a couple hundred steps! Haha. I think I am definitely out of shape! Also, I really hate climbing long stair cases now! The castle itself, once we arrived, was amazing. I am definitely still amazed at all the different architecture that we’ve come across since our arrival in London. It is also amazing to learn about all the history that each building has and our tour guide was able to show us and tell us some of the stories and legends that were an integral part of each sight. I can just imagine stumbling around a foreign city not knowing directions, language, or the stories behind these buildings. We also had a chance to attend a classical concert in one of the stone concert halls. It was really amazing, except for the fact we were all exhausted and feel asleep at different times throughout! haha
Another interesting experience was cooking food in our apartment hotel. Going for a taste of home, we had bacon and eggs for 8 people for a cost of $10 – even if we had to buy pretty much everything! This was an awesome start to the day, but it only got better. That afternoon I had my first chance to attend a professional football game. Even though it was raining and we were completely soaked, the experience was extraordinary. It’s been a LONG time since I have been sooo excited for something! I definitely loved the cheering. The stadium was only a 1/3 full, but the diehards definitely made the atmosphere amazing. I don’t think they stopped cheering throughout the 90minunte match! At one point, they even lit flares! It was definitely an experience of a lifetime.. although I can just imagine being at a game for a bigger team with a stadium of over 70000 in capacity! Our day ended with another home cooked dinner. I love cooking in Prague... I think it cost me about $23 Canadian to make two meals that fed 15 people!
Re: Warsaw
Warsaw is the last stop on the trip. It is hard to believe that 2 weeks is almost over! =( I am definitely going to miss being with some of my best friends here on this trip and am glad they convinced me to go! Definitely the trip of a life time! Arrival in Warsaw was definitely interesting. LOT airlines definitely was interesting to fly on.. hopefully not so much in the future! Haha. After the flight, we checked into an amazing hotel that I am definitely looking forward to staying in! (5 stars w00t!)
The first meeting we had was with Bob Patterson. His talk on international banking was interesting and I definitely gleaned a lot of interesting bits of information about the banking in Poland as well as living as a Canadian expat working in Poland without being fluent in the language. Along with our other contacts here in Warsaw, Bob helped to shed insight on our misconceptions of Poland. I think I have definitely misconceived how Poland is just another eastern European country that is still lagging behind what we are used to here in North America. I was amazed at how modern the city is. While retaining some of the historic buildings in the Old City, Poland also boasted some amazing malls and other amenities that I found equal to that of North America. Our second meeting was with Wolfgang, a VP within the Empic organization. This company is something Wolfgang would compare with Barnes & Noble. Throughout the morning, we spent 2h listening to Wolfgang talking about his company and how Poland is growing so quickly. These two meetings were very informative, and I was amazed at how two individuals that had such busy lives took the time out to talk to a bunch of students from Canada. Their time was definitely much appreciated!
Our first dinner in Poland was also memorable. We were entertained by Stash, an individual that ran an affluent cafe and was part of Radio Free Europe during the Cold War and the existence of the iron curtain. Throughout the dinner, we were able to listen to stories about his life during communism in Eastern Europe. It was an amazing experience to listen to stories from someone that experienced many of the hardships firsthand.
In terms of random ramblings, I also watched Iron Man 2 in Warsaw. The movie itself costs only $7 CDN and even included assigned seating! While the movie was good, I am definitely looking forward to being back in Canada and watching Robin Hood.
Re: Final Thoughts
My first highlight has got to be landing at Heathrow. This has officially been the farthest I have on my own. Getting off the plane with some of my closest friends and spending the next two weeks experiencing new and exciting things is definitely one of the biggest highlights of my trip. Even though there were some long days, long walks, and massive staircases to climb, being with my friends made it that much easier.
Another highlight is definitely the beautiful scenery, architecture and just the overall atmosphere all throughout the trip. I remember checking into our hotel and immediately going out for a walk around the sights of London. After eating the at a local pub and tasting some authentic fish and chips, we spent hours wandering and shooting pictures of Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and Big Ben. It was amazing to see these sights during night time and see them the very next day while it was still light! While each city that we visited had its moments, my favourites are definitely Grand Plaz in Brussels, Dresden, and London.
The cuisine over in Europe is definitely something else to talk about. As Canada doesn’t have a specifically Canadian dish, it was nice to experience some of the culturally specific dishes during our travels. While I’ve definitely tried some interesting dishes like German sushi in Oestrich-Winkel (definitely not one of my favourites), there were some amazing foods that I loved – gelato, the Flemish Beef Stew, the Schnitzel, and the Chicken in crème sauce over rice were all sooooooooo good. Personally, I think what adds to the experience is the ability to sit outside and enjoy your food. Often times in Calgary, the weather is so temperamental that we rarely get to enjoy food while sitting on a patio at 10pm!
Last, but definitely not least is the Sparta Prague football game. While hockey in Canada is full of rabid fans that mostly show up during the playoffs, this regular season tilt had an atmosphere that rivals game 7 of a Stanley Cup final! I can’t believe how an outdoor stadium that was a third full can be so noisy! I definitely enjoyed the different sections of fans chanting in response to each other or the constant singing and dancing for 90 minutes of the game. I can just imagine how much more it will be to attend a match between premiere teams!
While the trip has brought about lots of highlight-reel worthy moments, I’ve definitely also learned lots as well. Throughout the trip, we had the chance to meet business people from a variety of industries. Whether ex-pat or not, they each had many insights that they shared with me about working in Europe as well as life and culture in Europe as well. I remember listening to bankers talking about the style of business and how different Canada when put in comparison. In Brussels, we also had the chance to meet with individuals that worked within the EU. While it is easy to study the EU from an outside perspective, it is different when you listen to those that are closest to the treaties itself. It was interesting listening to some candid opinions on big issues like the Greek crisis that we’ve discussed over the semester.
Another interesting thing that I learned/experienced is the amount of English that was actually spoken by locals. While not completely fluent, the people that we’ve met and interacted with at restaurants knew enough English words to help us with directions, with ordering and other daily activities. This has been a blessing as we could have easily faced a bigger barrier in communication. One thing that really made the difference for me is how learning simple words in their native tongue helps with communication. I think everyone that we’ve met instantly knows we are tourists. I felt that even saying hello and thank you in their language helped create a warmer environment than if I were to walk in and just use English.
Business aside, some of our interactions with people were very interesting and informative. I remember going out for dinner in Warsaw at the Radio Cafe. The owner, Stas, joined us and we listened to his stories about the Cold War and Iron Curtain era. This experience, to me, was one to remember. Often, our accounts of this era might possible be second-hand information that our textbooks tell us of, but to listen to stories from one that experienced it was another thing in itself.
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