Just a Little Idea

Spain: La Mancha, Cordoba

The begin of the tour from hell. Do not be deceived, the beauty of the surroundings did nothing to make up for the horrible organization, accusatory tour guides, and hours upon hours spent in a bus only to rush through a 3 hour tour in 30 minutes. If any organization promises La Mancha, Cordoba, Seville, Granada, and Toledo in four days (ahem, Viator!), DO NOT BELIEVE THEM!!

La Mancha
September 26, 2011

Apparently small-town taggers have limited creative skillz...

Watcha lookin' at, Man from La Mancha?

Cordoba

Jewish Quarter

The strangest tour guide I've ever had...

Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba

Bye-Bye Cordoba! I'll never forget the two hours we spend together!

Spain: Madrid

I took a week trip to Spain. If you go, NEVER EVER take a tour with Viator Tours or their affiliates. They're the worst.

Madrid!
September 25, 2011

Reina Sofia Art Museum

Retiro Park

When the Pope comes to visit...

...the Parliament offices in Berlin.

Seminar I: Proschwitz

One afternoon we went to visit the winery, vinyards, and palace belonging to Dr. Georg Prinz zur Lippe in Proschwitz. His family were nobles in the region prior to WWII but were forced out when Germany was divided in two. After German reunification, Prinz zur Lippe worked to slowly buy their property back and restore them to their original condition. He could legally demand his property back but decided instead to purchase property when he could, and to only buy property that was not being used for some other purpose (like residences or a school).

What was striking during our entire visit was that he was enthusiastic about his wine and wanted to discuss the renovation of the winery but rarely spoke about his family. They did so much they could have bragged about - including protecting a school, renovating buildings around the area, and opening the family palace for community events - but he didn't unless. We kept asking more questions about his family like their escape to western Germany, their decision to come back, etc., because we found it so fascinating to hear about history from such a personal perspective. It was really cool and nice to meet such an open and genuine person.

The renovated winery

The family palace, which was being set up for a Meissner Porcelein Fair. We go to get close-up looks of Meissner Porcelein pieces, some of which were worth millions.

Seminar I: Dresden Museum of Military History

We got an exclusive tour of the new Museum of MIlitary History (run by the German Bundeswehr) prior to its opening on October 15th, 2011. One of the Project Directors, Gorch Pieken, took us around and it was unbelievably fascinating to see a museum in the process of being completed.

The new design was created by Daniel Liebeskind and the exhibits within his addition take a modern approach to exploring war and its effects, whereas the remainder of the building has the traditional approach with pictures, uniforms and other paraphernalia presented behind glass doors. This article from LA Times provides a good summary of the discussions swirling around the museum. If you are ever in the area, I *highly* recommend a visit. http://www.mhmbundeswehr.de/

The "v" shape on the escape map is the architectural addition of Liebeskind, although his firm also did some interior design (including a restaurant and kitchen) as well.