Paris-Versailles

I saved the trip to Paris for last not through some well thought-out process, but just that it simply worked out that way. I am glad Paris was my last cultural-learning travel for two reasons: 1. It is the most expensive place (after London), had I come earlier it would have made me worry about the budget for other travels; and 2. What a great way to end my Euro tour?
The first day I arrived to Paris I settled in my modest hotel in the Gare de l'Est part of the city. I say modest and mean it. I was looking for a room in a hostel somewhere and everything was booked. So I settled for the next best thing, which is the cheapest hotel one can find. It is not that bad I guess, but I've stayed in nicer ones that's for sure.
Right after checking in, I found a map at the reception and headed towards the city center. My goal was to do some sightseeing on the go the first evening in Paris and wait in the long line to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I walked all the way from Gare de l'Est to the Eiffel Tower. If you look at the map of Paris you'll see that it is quite a hike. It was nice to walk by the Louvre, and many other spots on the way. I made mental notes on my way as I was coming back the next day to see other places.
The line to the Eiffel Tower was long as expected. It did move somewhat fast considering how many tourists were roaming the area. I believe it took me 2 hours to get in and out; not the best but it could have been worse. The view from atop is breathtaking; it is cliche to say that but words really cannot describe seing this beautiful city sprawling across and filling the landscape. It was cloudy for most of the time I was up there but for a brief moment a few rays broke through the sky and created a bit of magic. In fact, while looking out of the south end of the tower I noticed this huge shadow spreading across the city. Not sure that this picture can really do it justice but I tried to capture it as best as I could.
After the Eiffel Tower tour I headed back to the hotel. I had to, of course, stop for a nice, freshly made crepe with Nutella. Watching the guy dishing out spoonfuls of Nutella on the crepe and it melting on top of it was almost more exciting than seeing Paris from top of the Eiffel Tower. Those of you who know my love for Nutella know that I am not exaggerating.
The next day started the way the previous one ended. Yes, I did have another crepe with Nutella, for breakfast. Good thing I was in Paris for 3 days. I figured I needed some calories for the action packed day. I started off with the tour of the Louvre. Now, I knew that this museum was big, but not until I got to see the courtyards and the whole compound did I understand why people say that to visit all the exhibits one would need a week or two.
I did more than most people do at Louvre. Yes, I did see Mona Lisa, and she smiled at me. But I also went through the entire painting section and then to Napoleon apartments, which were extraordinary.
From the Louvre, I walked to Champs Elysees and to L'Arc de Triomphe. I also stopped at the Louis Vuiton store on the way. It is unbelievable what people are willing to spend on purses; but nonetheless, the store was like a designer museum and worth a look.
From there, I made my way to the Eiffel Tower again, through the yards adjacent to it to the Ecole Militaire. Down the road I stumbled upon Hotel des Invalides, which is a beautiful looking compound with a gold plated cupola and a well kept garden, probably best known as the place that houses Napoleon's Tomb. Even though my legs were starting to get tired I decided to walk the rest of the way to Notre Dame.
A lot is said about this Church, and it is truly a nice looking Gothic style building. However, after having seen the Köln Dom, Notre Dame doesn't quite live up to its potential. Nothing wrong with Notre Dame, it is just that Cologne's Cathedral is so great and mighty that one cannot help but admire it more.
From Notre Dame I finally made it to the Pantheon, which is also a pleasing sight. I picked out a cafe a block away, sat down and had an espresso while enjoying the view. My legs were telling me that it was time to relax and call it a day. After having walked God only knows how many miles, I opted to take the subway back to the hotel. To reach the closest station, I walked through the Latin Quarters. This is a pedestrian only area filled with cafes and restaurants. Paris certainly grew on me fast; everything about it was great.
On my last day I took a train to Versailles, which is about 30 minute ride from Paris. The main purpose for visiting Versailles is the castle (Chateau du Versailles). This is by far the most popular attraction in and around Paris as the line to get into the castle was humongous. I opted for not going into the building itself due to the long wait and instead went straight into the gardens.
The scenery as you can imagine was very nice. To enhance the visual experience, classical music is played throughout the gardens. The area is composed of interestingly trimmed trees and bushes, fountains, ponds, trees and statues. I walked around the whole campground, which took me about two hours. It was a workout. The end of the long pond (man made lake) seemed to never come to an end and once I reached ¾ length one way I realized that the darn thing expands sideways as well making it into a shape of a cross. People were all over, picnicking and enjoying the scenery. Some rented boats and were rowing away in this huge pond. The entire palace and its yard were very impressive indeed.
After having spent a few hours in Versailles I headed back to Paris. Once I was back in town, I took the subway to Pere Lachaise station and went to the most famous Parisian cemetery. Quite a few famous people are buried here, including Jim Morrison. Interestingly enough, his grave is the most visited of all. It took me a while to find it but when I did I was taken aback at how simple it was. There used to be a small monument on top of his tomb that was vandalized and removed. Having listened to The Doors music and watched Oliver Stone’s movie a few times, it made the experience a bit more fulfilling. Even though Jim Morrison’s life was doomed by drug and alcohol abuse, one cannot help but notice the impact he is still having on our culture, whether is good or bad…
So that was my last trip among many that I have undertaken while studying in Cologne. One more night in Cologne remains to say good-bye to friends. Look for it in the next post.

Au revoir

Ich bin mit den Klausuren fertig!!!

As of July 16th, I am officially on vacation. I had my last two exams that day. Even though I've been working on my MBA for the past couple of years, I had completely forgotten the excitement following the end of finals as a full-time student. I must admit that having been removed from college since 2002, I had underestimated the amount of work and stress that comes with it, having to study for several exams within days of one another.
Now, at Carlson, I have been taking two, maybe three courses at the time, but the American system is much more practical in terms of dividing workload throughout the semester. In Germany, well at least at the University of Cologne, the final exam accounts for 100% of your grade. In fact, it was pretty interesting to see the class size increase by 50% on the day of the final. It is a common occurrence that students sign up for exams but never attend any lectures. Now the obvious questions is then: what do these people do for 3 and a half months then if they don't go to class? I'll let you figure that one on your own(Hint: most don't work and if they do it's max of 20hrs/week).
Over the last month I became friends with a few German students. It is very interesting to hear their opinions about the school system. Those who have studied in the US agree with me that the German system is inefficient and students memorize entire tests to only forget everything 5 minutes after the exams are over with. Others really believe in the system, and apparently the University of Cologne's strategy is to fail a lot of students. It is generally accepted that a high fail rate means that the school is offering a high quality education. Obviously, this is the complete opposite of the US. Our screening is conducted by the admission process, and students who fail are kicked out of school.
Needless to say I am glad majority of my MBA degree comes from taking classes at Carlson; this experience has thought me a lot about the German system and the mentality of German grads. Also, I think we take too many things for granted in the US. Here, the professors are hard to reach (each lecture starts with: "please don't email me directly, but contact the TA"). In the US, the professors are rated on the level of customer service they provide, and most are eager to establish a good rapport with students. But again, we're comparing apples and oranges here: German students pay 500 Euros/semester (about 800 USD), while I pay about $1000/credit.
Anyway, my semester in Cologne is over. Next for me is 3 days in Paris and then 10 days in the sun in Naples. The real life is about to resume.

Eighteen Days Remaining

I am in the midst of my last finals here in Cologne and need a break from studying; a random post on the blog I am hoping will help me recharge.

According to the calendar my days on this European sabbatical are counted; only 18 days separate me from this wonderful experience and real life. I am actually looking forward to coming back, going back to work and enjoying the rest of the summer in Minnesota. Besides the obvious reasons like seeing my girlfriend, family and friends, I am a bit homesick for other parts of my life in Minnesota as well. Here are some:

1) My mistress Jessica - calm down, it's just the name I've given to my Ducati Monster. Since summers in Minnesota are short, riding my bike is definitely something I'd like to take advantage of once I am back.

2) The lakes - Cologne has a river and nice parks, but running or roller-blading around the lakes in Minneapolis is so much more fun.

3) Dinner at Pancho Villa (or El Loro). I am craving good Mexican food, who would have thought about it? I mean I am about to go to Paris for a few days and eat at nice cafes and then go to Italy for 10 days of awesome cuisine; but I do like my fajitas and quesedillas.

4) Sports. Now I know I am a huge soccer fan and when I am in the US I do everything possible to find live broadcasts of the Italian Serie A and the Champions League; but I really cannot wait for the NFL season to begin and the 2nd half of the MLB...hopefully Twinkies will keep up the good play when I get back.

5) $4/gallon gas...I am obviously joking, not really looking forward to that but it could be worse; I think it's about 1.5 Euros/liter here in Germany which would amount to about $9/gallon.

Before I can get back home, two exams separate me from enjoying the rest of my time on the old continent. They are both retailing classes, which have been very interesting especially since now I can finally understand when Tricia says: "our instocks are green this week and there were no major issues at the DCs, plus all the classes are running well against planned..."...it was all Greek to me before :).
I am going to be officially done with school on Wednesday, July 16th at 3:30pm. Then I am off to Paris on Friday till Monday. A quick return to Cologne (one day) and then it's 10 days in sunny (as opposed to garbage filled) Naples with family and childhood friends.

Köln Lichter

Last night I took a well-deserved break from studying and went to one of the biggest summer events in Cologne: Köln Lichter. It is a fireworks show on the Rhein river that draws roughly a million visitors each summer. The fireworks are launched from a barge between Deutzer Brücke (bridge) and another bridge that leads to the central station and the Dom.
Unlike other fireworks shows I've attended in the past, each year Köln Lichter has a theme. This year was the evolution of fireworks, from the early stages in China to further development in Italy. To accompany the theme, several large speakers are placed on each river bank and music enhances the show. Furthermore, music is strategically chosen to fit the firework display and somehow enhance the entire experience.
Besides the barge launching the fireworks, numerous other larger boats are anchored in the background and adorned with all sorts of colorful lights. Then the railroad bridge is used as a prop and it's basically lit up with lights first and falling sparkles later making it look like a golden waterfall. Very spectacular, I must admit.
The item that impressed me the most is the ability to somehow light up the Rhein river and launch smaller fireworks from the water. This made it for a great scene; one that I will certainly remember for years to come.

GUT GEMACTH KÖLN!!!!

Europameisterschaft 2008

I have been so caught up narrating my travel experiences on this blog that I almost forgot to write about probably the biggest event in Europe this summer, which was of course the European Soccer Championships.
The final was played last Sunday and Spain beat Germany to lift the cup; Spaniards won their first major competition event in 40+ years and were definitely the best team of the tournament. Germany, on the other hand, played well sporadically and made it to the final, which made it a really fun experience for me.
Once the group stage of the tournament was over and the quarterfinals started, the action got really interesting. Here in Cologne, for every Germany game there were a couple of options for people to watch the game among thousands other fans. One was at the Kölnarena, which is Cologne's version of the Xcel Energy Center, and the other was the Zülpicher Straße, which is the student part of town.
I followed the games at both places. It was crazy to see so many German fans chanting during the entire game and having fun. After each of their win, people gathered at Zülpicher Straße to celebrate their team's victory. The police closed the street to traffic and the festivities went well into the wee hours of the night/morning. It would have been interesting to see how many people made it into work the following day; my guess would be, not that many.
One particular game of the tournament was unique. Turkey and Germany played each other in the semi-final. Now, I've heard from some friends from Minnesota that the US government had issued a warning to all American citizens living in Germany to be on high alert during and after this game. Everyone in Europe, too, assumed that this was a high risk game because there are 4 million Turks living in Germany. The night of the game I went to the Kölnarena to watch the match with 20,000 people. A lot of people here actually feared violence and stayed at home. I am glad I went because the way both the Turkish and the German fans behaved is something I am sure many governments would like to see emulated. German fans were clad wearing their national colors (black, red, yellow) but many also painted small Turkish flags on their faces to show their respect to their neighbors. Turkish fans that came to the arena waved both Turkish and German flags.
The game was won by Germany, but in reality Turkey deserved to win. It was one of the best games of the tournament with 3 goals scored in the last 20 minutes. After the game the celebration started. Interestingly enough, many Turkish fans showed up to celebrate as well. They were proud they played tremendously well against a more talented German team, but also very proud that their team made it so far into the tournament.
Another compliment goes to the German people after losing the final game. If you had walked through the streets of Cologne that night, you would have thought Germany had won the title. I can only imagine how great of a celebration it would have been had they actually won.

Here is a video I took in the arena as the final whistle blew.