There's a fantasy that grows within every hipster once they hit their twenties. That fantasy is bumming it around Europe. So, for reading week, being the good, muted color-wearing, LCD Soundystem-listening, New Yorker-reading, caricature of a person that I am, I bummed it around Europe for a week. Of course, it was only five days, but I managed to hit three cities--Prague, Berlin, and Amsterdam--in that time.
I took the trip with a friend, whose criteria for a week-long European excursion were the same as mine, which were the trip had to be cheap and low-maintenance. And, on the other side of that week, I think we were somewhat successful.
I have never been particularly drawn to Europe. I've thought very little about actually exploring Europe prior to this semester. As an Asian American, my roots have always been in Asia, and most of my foreign trips have involved going to Asia to see family members. This general apathy towards Europe led to a somewhat profound ignorance of the general vibe of Europe. For example, before I arrived in London, I genuinely had no idea how much of the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe still bears the scars of the second world war. This was probably an obvious characteristic of Europe to others, but it was a genuine culture shock to me. And, traveling through all three of those cities last week, you could hardly go anywhere without seeing some sort of WWII landmark. The evident scars of war have never occurred to me as a characteristic of a city or a country--I guess that's the benefit of living in a nation in which an international war has never been fought within its borders.
It's an annoying thing to realize while studying abroad in Europe, but it's what I have gained from my experience here regardless: I really, really love being an American. As the son of immigrants, I've always been once-removed from all the cultures and customs. We celebrate Thanksgiving, but we don't eat traditional "Thanksgiving food." We watch the fireworks on the fourth of July, but my parents don't really know why we do it. We don't watch the Super Bowl. This trip abroad has helped me put my American experience into perspective, and it's allowed me to take a step back and examine why I'll probably always choose to go back to America. My American experience is not Americana applied pie, but it's rooted in some kind of uniquely American beauty nonetheless.
But, I digress. What about that super cool week-long European trip, Austin? Well, it was a lot of fun! It really was a lot of fun. But, being the homebody that I am, I found myself yearning for my London flat about five hours into exploring Prague. The trip also reaffirmed that I am profoundly ignorant of all things European. For example, I loved Berlin, but it was so cold. A kind of cold I have not felt since I was maybe six. A kind of cold that made me truly believe that my fingers could have snapped off like a graham cracker. I've seen movies set in Berlin, too. I've seen Bridge of Spies. I knew Berlin had a reputation for being frigidly cold! But, my God, is Berlin cold in November.
Some other things I learned:
- Prague is beautiful. It's such a weirdly sinister but also enchanting city. One minute you can be taking a nice stroll across the Charles Bridge, taking in the beautiful view of the city, and the next minute you'll turn around and see a horrifying-looking man dressed up as a clown. Also, Prague has the best sausage and bread that I have ever had.
- I understand why Bowie and so many others took refuge in Berlin. Berlin is amazing. I have made some friends in London who are originally from Berlin, and they all told me that I would fit into the culture there. And they were right. I loved Berlin. It feels as if NYC's East Village and parts of Chelsea were extrapolated into a whole city. Also, my friend and I stumbled upon what was billed as a "psychedelic puppet show a la Jim Henson" that we decided to go to. It was really great. Also, if you ever go to Berlin, be sure to bike. A bunch of people in Berlin bike and it's not just to be cute. It's because Berlin's landscape is painfully flat and consists of a lot of straight roads. Walking is absolutely painful in Berlin. It's like you're walking on an endless road at all times. So, for your own sake, bike in Berlin. Also, bring a thick coat.
- Amsterdam was the last city we hit and, at that point, we had endured exploring two cities by foot, an early flight, a nine hour bus ride, an aforementioned psychedelic puppet show, and the brutal Berlin weather, so we were really tired. But Amsterdam is beautiful. However, no one told me that it was so expensive, and there's no real way to get around it. Riding the metro system in Amsterdam is incredibly expensive. It's about 16 euros for a day pass and about 3 euros for a one way pass. Also, the museums are expensive, but absolutely worth it. We were on a budget, so we nixed the Anne Frank museum and opted for the Van Gough museum. The Van Gough museum turned out to be one of the best museums I've ever been to. So, if you have the budget, go to the Van Gough museum.