April 30, 2008
European Reflections - Part IV - Who Was Nice, Who Was Mean
So we're all told Americans are loathed abroad, especially in Europe. With that said, I didn't find any blatant manifestations of said hatred, but like anywhere there were folks who were much nicer than others. Keeping in mind the subjectivity, I still feel confident enough to make a completely accurate judgment. Heh. But really, the Tavern Banter Power Rankings are just that, my opinion. With that said, let's see who was the least friendly:
8. Nice - There were a bunch of upsetting things in Nice, but even then nothing was terrible. What got me was at Carnival, their festivities were fun for them I'm sure, but their floats basically lampooned Americans. Thus our presence there was a liiiiiitle awkward. The waiters we had were rude, cursing at us in French as they walked away (This happened after a girl in our group was confused about the menu, asking questions in English, frazzling the waiter. Evidently he forgot I ordered in French or didn't care).
7. Rome - For being one of my favorite cities, Romans didn't do much to help their cause. Again, they weren't unfriendly in anyway, they were just nothing special towards us. We were just another tourist, one more customer depositing our Euros. Which is fine, just don't expect to top these rankings.
6. Paris - Surprise, surprise. The French were not mean, they were not rude, they were not arrogant in my experience. They just weren't very friendly, helpful, or level headed. Getting help would be impossible if one didn't speak English and even when one did, an American accent would betray us to a few rolls of the eyes. I'm high on the French, too. The competition was stiff, though, and the Parisians just didn't match up.
5. London - Eh. The English were remarkably like what I thought they would be before I got to London. Well, the English that I could find. London is very much an international city and there are many folks from many different countries. But I did find English and the ones I met were hit or miss. Again, no anti-Americanism, but if you didn't know their little social codes, tough luck pal. I guess with such an influx of immigrants and a reduction of English presence, what is held dear to them are guarded like the Holy Grail. Good luck with that.
4. Turkey - While no one in these rankings were particularly poor, there is still a large gap between the Turkish and the English. And even though we had our fair share of, uh, interesting experiences, we had some of our best moments on our educational field trip through Turkey. For the most part the Turks were quite friendly, and what made it was our time with the Turkish school children. Good time, good times.
3. Athens - I suppose my experience would be different from the girls, who had to contend with a VERY masculine society. So no, I did not get my butt pinched or invited to spend some time with a shop keeper in a back room. But these are my rankings, and even though Athens is admittedly overrun with tourists, we were all generally treated in a positive manner. Nothing mediocre about it. From everyone, too. While some may have been lost in our cultural divide, everything was meant in a good way.
2. Wales - Wales was just like home. The people I met were so down to Earth, so welcoming, that I felt guilty imposing on the family I stayed with and their friends. They couldn't be better at showing me the ropes and what it means to be Welsh (namely, beating the English in rugby). I didn't meet a mean soul in my entire stay there and I'm fairly certain anyone would be hard pressed to come across an unfriendly person.
1. Dublin - FINALLY! Dublin tops the list after not getting out of the gutter. Whereas Wales was just like home, Ireland was even better. The people there was so helpful, so courteous, so nice, I was beginning to think it was a conspiracy. In fact it was not, and perhaps that is why I enjoyed myself so much there.
Posted by Lambert on 4:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 28, 2008
European Reflections - Part III - Best Place to Dream
Have you ever seen the movie "Hostel"? Don't. But if you have, surprisingly not every low cost, cheapo place is a death trap in waiting, though some may seem like it. In this installment, we'll take a look at the cities with the best lodging. As always, these rankings are 100% subjective and I'd need more than a weekend to get a good gauge of what each place has to offer, but that won't stop me from waxing poetic or railing a city anyway. Seeing as I stayed in a home in Wales, I'll leave them out of the rankings. And no, Dublin will not get any love here either as it leads off with our worst place to spend the night...
7. Dublin - I spent much time qualifying my love for Ireland before putting Dublin at the bottom of the other two rankings, but in terms of its accommodations, there can be no softening of the blow. If you ever go to Dublin, do not stay at Mt. Eccles Court. Ever. Find a comfy street corner or bus station. Whether it was the roving gangs from 3-4 AM or the 4:30 AM fire alarm, the lack of clean linen on our beds upon arrival, or the open access of the rooms, the place was the worst hostel I ever experienced. Seeing as that was my first hostel, it was like a baptism by fire. Luckily I survived.
6. Nice - It was safe I guess, but eight beds in a space that at best could be considered a walk-in closet and a lack of clean linen made our stay uncomfortable. One of the bunks collapsed during our stay. The staff didn't really know what was going on at the Hotel Mayerbeer and oftentimes contradicted each other. It wasn't terrible, but we'd find a new place if we had to do it all over again. At least it had a convenient location for the rest of the city.
5. Paris - I would stay in the Hotel Bastille again, as the entire Bastille area was nice and we were a stone's throw from the Metro and dining establishments. I just wouldn't go with the expectations that we could come and go as we pleased, something that was advertised to us when we booked. What was supposed to be 24 hour entry ended up being lockout after Midnight and the source of much consternation with the proprietor. Oh yeah, and for some reason the doors are impossible to open. Must be a French thing.
4. Rome - Positives of the Hotel Mosaic: Great location, affordable price, friendly staff to go along with a clean bed. I think points come off for a disgusting bathroom, expensive internet, and I had my sunglasses nicked while there. See, i told you these were subjective rankings. I did meet some cool people while there with my roommate and they have a lax checkout policy. It seemed to me like a very worldly place as it catered to folks of all ages from all over.
3. Athens - The Hotel Philippos was a nice, welcoming, and conveniently located place in which we stayed for a month after being relocated from London. It was not Hotel Herodion, its sister hotel a block away we were originally supposed to stay in until we got bumped due to availability. The internet was sub-standard and well below what we needed as students working and researching our assignments. But overall the experience was pleasurable and I was impressed by the facilities and the staff.
2. Turkey - Whether it was the Golden Horn Hotel in Istanbul or the Pine Bay Hotel in Kusadasi, each were luxurious beyond our need for our week long Educational Field Trip to Turkey. But don't tell Pepperdine; seeing as this was all on their dime, lucky students who get to experience this trip would benefit by not having their accommodations to something more our speed. After all, we like being pampered. I honestly have nothing to complain about as the view, room, staff and buffet were great at each location. So why isn't Turkey #1?
1. London - Because our house in London was a home. Sure, it wasn't a luxury hotel with a staff to make our beds and all encompassing buffet, but it was a community in every sense of the word. Much of it was literally falling apart and the remodeling that displaced our program couldn't come soon enough, but the intangible feeling that passed between the walls was nothing short of that of a family. And from what we were told (for better or for worse), when the remodeling is done in time for next fall, the place is going to be STUNNING. I may just have to go back.
Posted by Lambert on 3:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 25, 2008
European Reflections - Part II - Night Scene
Alright, now that we have food out of the way, let's talk about the night life. Obviously while we were abroad, alcohol was legal part of the culture and there were different venues to offer the forbidden substance. Some places were very fun and offer fond memories, others... not so much. I will also take into account price in these rankings, hurting some of the bigger cities, but hey, you charge me a 20 Pound cover and I'm going to get upset. That's how we roll in the Tavern Banter Power Rankings, which may I reminder you are all according to my personal experience, nothing else. Starting off with last place...
8. Dublin - I swear, I loved Ireland, but Dublin was just not that great (you'll see this later with the accommodations rankings). The Temple Bar area had the potential to be pretty awesome, especially considering the... uh... fun nature of the Irish. But what we were to soon realize was that, to keep us riff-raff out, you had to be 23 years of age to get some admittance. Of course we found a local pub that served our needs and got us out of the cold outside. But the damage was done and our minds made up.
7. Wales - Man, these are looking like the food rankings. Wales was decidedly cheaper and more welcoming than London. Had I lived there, I'm sure I would do fine. As it is, I'm more of a pub guy than a night club guy anyway. But there just wasn't much to go out and do at night as compared to other cities. Sorry.
6. Athens - Eh. It was a fun place, and some of my fondest memories are from there, but on any given weekend it wasn't guaranteed you could find a good place. There were no clubs, which is fine by me, but the bars were expensive and very touristy and aside from the fun nights, which were really fun, the majority of the nights involved some creativity in finding decent places, which wouldn't always be a sure thing.
5. Rome - This is where the weekend disclaimer comes into play. Again, I was only there a weekend, and Rome probably has a boatload of stuff to do at night. I just didn't get to experience it. Rome is one of my favorite cities, as you'll see in the overall rankings later on, but most of the fun was to be had during the day. Nothing really at night, and taking that metro at night was scary beyond belief.
4. Nice - In season, I'm sure this would be at the top of the list or at least close. But alas, we were not in season and a lot of the places our guidebooks told us were the hot spots boasted nothing but boarded up windows. We were there for Carnival, which turned out to be more fun than we thought and overall had a good time, but it was a little disappointing.
3. Turkey - The installment's surprise, Turkey really had a lot to offer, both in Istanbul and Kusadasi. Perhaps most surprising is the progressive nature of this predominantly Muslim country. We all went into Europe and its various countries with stereotypes, but none shattered them quite like Turkey. It was affordable, fun, and unique. While not quite in season on the Aegean Sea, it was still vibrant, especially when Fenerbache was playing Chelsea in soccer. Kudos.
2. London - Honestly, London, you had it all going for you. An exciting, diverse city with plenty of offerings. Pubs that harkened back to a revered tradition, bars that would make you any drink you could want. And clubs. Now, London is an expensive city, I get that. The Pound is pretty much double the Dollar and such so its tough but you go with it. But clubs where they have a 20 Pound cover charge and nine pound drinks (their cheapest) on top of that. Nope, sorry, not for me. So sure, London would make sense at number one, but man, I had to put it a slot behind...
1. Paris - And I didn't even go in the Moulan Rouge. Naturally, Paris has much to offer, and if you can work around the language barrier as I was able to, you can avoid the long lines at tourist traps and have just as good or even better a time at a hole in the wall joint. Had I not been able to speak the language, who knows what would have happened. But with a plethora of opportunities and good prices to be found, Paris gets the nod. Hey we even found an Irish pub there. And we didn't need to be 23 to get in. Point, Paris.
Posted by Lambert on 2:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 23, 2008
European Reflections - Part I - Lean Cuisine
OK, so here come my final thoughts on Europe. Let's start off with the food, keeping in mind I was there for a hardly enough time to consider my opinion all encompassing. Who had the best eats? Starting off with the worst...
8. Dublin - I liked Ireland, I really did. It's just the food was... eh? There was hardly a native dish that captured my palate's attention. And the imitation food was food. I wish I had experienced more in the way of food in the countryside.
7. Wales - I'm not including the home cooked meals I got and instead am judging solely on what was offered to the common traveler. Maybe they were saving all their good food for after the Six Nations Rugby tournament?
6. Turkey - Eh. We mostly ate as a group and the restaurants we ate at, if not buffets, had very generic dishes that catered more towards Western tastes. Something other than a cursory scan of the Turkish offerings would have yielded more positive results, or maybe not. What I did get to experiencing was nothing to write home about. That won't earn you points in these rankings.
5. Nice - This is where the big gap is. There was nothing particularly wrong with the food in Nice, some of it was quite good. But nothing was as outstanding as the other cities offered. A poor man's Rome would be the best way to describe it, except it doesn't come cheap.
4. London - Personally, my second biggest surprise going against conventional wisdom. I thought Dublin and London would be two peas in a pod in last place. Perhaps its just because I got to explore, investigate, and enjoy London more, but I dug the food there. The fish 'n' chips alone carried this city. Sure, I'm still weary at best of traditional English cuisine, but everything else there was great. London gets a bad rap, and undeservedly so.
3. Paris - You can't go wrong in Paris, that's for sure. French food, on the whole, is not as foreign as some have made it out to be. And with the incredible dishes, some even for a decent price (though not on the Champs-Elysees), Paris gets the nod ahead of London. Service may be poor, but the food still tastes great. C'est magnifique.
2. Athens - Bracket buster! Athens is really hit or miss, in my opinion, and if you took a poll of our group, Athens would be somewhere in the middle by virtue of being so high on some people's list and low on others. But man, did I love what Greece had to offer. Sure, suvlaki and gyros are pretty much the same thing... but it's gooooood. Don't be alarmed by the over aggressive restaurant owners that try to lasso you into their joint... chances are the more hole-in-the-wall-ish it is, the better they can cook.
1. Rome - Was there any doubt? Rome lived up to the expectations and more, from big restaurant to a small pizza joint. If you want to go to the culinary capital of Europe, you'll find it in Rome. And you know, it's pretty self-explanatory. You go to Rome to eat.
Posted by Lambert on 2:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 21, 2008
Benedict the Rock Star
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Benedict the Rock Star
It's not everyday, nay decade, that the Pope visits America. But when any Pontiff crosses the pond to tend to his American flock, one can expect the reaction to top any visitors this country has seen. Yes, I'm looking at you, Beatles. Today was no different.
My family and I arrived at our Fairfield, Connecticut meeting point bright and early this morning, though I confess to have only gotten an hour of sleep the night before as my body clock is still adjusting to East Coast time. I go to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California although this past semester I've been studying abroad in London and Greece. In my travels across Europe, I traveled to Rome and had the opportunity to see the Pope live in St. Peter's Square. While such an experience would have been unforgettable, I knew my family had been given tickets to see the Holy Father in Yankee Stadium. I made the conscious decision to forgo a mass in the Vatican and instead make my first encounter a shared experience with my family instead of by myself. I was not disappointed.
We were bused straight to Yankee Stadium, normally home of my most despised sports team but today the house in which a nation of Roman Catholics was to celebrate the Easter Season with our Supreme Shepherd. The problem, though, arose when we realized it was just 8:30 AM when we arrived, a full six hours before the Mass was to begin. One would think that's a long time to brave the bitter cold and other elements that I am now convinced left me on the brink of pneumonia, but our excitement and fervor to see Pope Benedict XVI put any such displeasures to the back of my mind. Well, the crooning of Harry Connick Jr. and the spirit of the Harlem Gospel Choir didn't hurt either. Before we knew it, the Popemobile had emerged from the Yankees bullpen area and... the... place... went... bananas...
People who are assuredly much smarter than I tell me that the American church is in trouble. Apparently we're not good Catholics, nor do we house an enthusiasm or vigor possessed in other more pious nations. Well thats news to the masses who could help themselves but chant for the Pontiff to emerge from the Yankee dugout (where he had taken refuge for a few moments of quiet reflection of prayer before Mass began). It certainly was not an accurate indictment of the youth present at the Mass who could be seen, for lack of a better expression, screaming there heads off after just the humblest of greetings from Pope Benedict XVI. The white and yellow towels provided in a sort of Papal goodie-bag upon entrance to the stadium were constantly waved in a manner that would put even the most Jock Jam-amped sports fans to shame. For a awe-struck, wide-eyed bloke like me, the whole scene was moving beyond the description of words. Never have I experienced, nor do I expect to in the future, such a rush stemming from the spiritual frenzy today.
But while nearly everyone was caught up in the importance and energy of the moment, the message from the Holy Father was not lost, either. Pope Benedict XVI was supposed to be an arch-conservative, bookworm of Canon law. But his message of hope and peace, of unity and strength, of compassion and inspiration, don't lend themselves to any of the convenient boxes we like to put our leaders in, as per our nature. What was on display today in Yankee Stadium was an exemplary figure who had become a Pastor of our church. So from the moment he took the stage to the moment he departed, it was impossible for me not to grin and put my hand on my brother's shoulder, as we cast looks towards each other that captured the importance of the occasion. What we witnessed was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm ecstatic I got to be there to hear the Holy Father in person with my family. That's what made it all worth it for me.
Posted by Lambert on 4:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
