Gellert Hill

On the 28th of October, I went to Gellert Hill. For those of you that have been keeping up know that this is the large hill on the Buda side of the city which has the Liberty monument. The monument commemorates the time when the Soviet troops left Budapest. Gellert Hill has a lot of history behind it. During World War II, the fortress on top was used as a bunker and during the time of Christian expansion into Hungary it was used as part of a torture device. The Pagans who refused to convert were placed in a large barrel with spikes and rolled down the hill. One of which was named Gellert, or so I'm told. On the Hill is the Citadel which is a fortress and use to house numerous canons, many of which were pointed directly at the city to remind the citizens of the power that the ruler had. Now the Citadel and Gellert Hill are tourist attractions, a church, a natural monument to the past, and an all around beautiful escape from the smog congested Pest side of the city.

I went up there to observe foliage changing colors and to look out over the city skyline from early dusk until early evening. I know you guys will love these pictures.

The Gellert Hotel and bath house at the base of the hill.

The beginnig of the trail. Oh so pretty.

A statue of a monk and his horse outside of the church which was once part of the Citadel fortress. Liberty bridge can be seen in the background.

Another beautiful path to the top.

A look at the city below. That is Elizabeth bridge.

A backlit Liberty Monument...

followed by a gorgeous sunset.

The Chain Bridge and Parliament bathes themselves in a warm glow as night approaches.

Completely surrounded by darkness the landmarks truly shine.

The Castle District after sunset.

A close up of the Palace at night.

This motion blur photo of Liberty Bridge was taken from a stone statue I climbed. The statue hangs over the side of the hill, so I was a sitting on the shoulder of a statue nonchalantly clicking away only inches from falling to a certain undesired result. Not the smartest thing I 've done, but that's what heppens when I get bored.

A quick snapshot of a hedgehog I found in the park on the walk home. Ahh how cute!

I'm planning on having some of these and other pictures developed and framed when I get home. I have the original files which are of a better quality. If anybody wants a print made all they have to do is ask and we can work something out.

I'm off to Italy now and I'll bring everyone a present when I get back.

Charles

Windmills, Tulips, and .... Prostitutes?

As some of you may know, I went to Amsterdam, Netherlands from the 19th through to the 23rd. All I can say about the country and the city is wow. The people are friendly, the country is gorgeous, and the city is busy but quiet at the same time.

My roommate and I spent the whole weekend in Amsterdam, so unfortunetly we did not have a chance to see anything outside of the city. However, that just give me a good reason to go back to, probably, one of my favorite countries.

Upon arriving at the airport we took a train to Central Station, which is located on the northern part of the city. From there we walked to the hostel we had made a reservation at. When we got there the MOTHER ******* were not even there. SCREW YOU RADIO INN YOUTH HOSTEL! Have no fear though. We decided to calm down by partaking in some local customs. After feeling a lot more relaxed and, well, giggley we wondered the streets of the city for hours on end. The city is absolutely gorgeous, and easy to get lost in since all of the roads are built around the canals. A couple of Dutch students told me that there are more canals in Amsterdam than there are in Venice.

We walked around and took in the beautiful city's Red Light District, coffee shops, canals, statues, people, and, my personal favorite, the whimsicle buildings. The buildings lean in all directions for a few reasons. First of all they are old, so time has taken its toll. Also, some of the building were built on a slight forward slant. This is beacause these old houses are narrow and therefor have very steep and narrow staircases. It's like climbing a freakin ladder. Naturally this makes it hard to move furniture around. So, there is a hook on the top of the building to use a pully system and hoist furniture up. By creating a forward slant you decrease the chances of having a piece of furniture get caught on someone elses balcony. There is your educational moment for the day. Now you can tell your parents you learned something today.

After wondering aimlessly, we found a cheap hotel for the night and then stayed in another hostel for the remainder of the trip.

The next day we went to the Rijks Museum and saw some of Rembrant's work. Absolutely spell binding paintings. From my understanding, he lived in Amsterdam. Then we walked around some more just to get a better sense of what the city is like. Oh and more coffee shops! Then the munchies hit us and a long and epic crusade for chocolate covered sugar waffles followed. Oh man they are delicous. I was introduced to them on the airplane ride and have been hooked on them ever since.

On Saturday, I went to the Van Gogh Museum, who is also Dutch, which was interesting. I like some of his work but really wanted to see Starry Night. I was dissapointed to find out it was in New York after searching for it for about an hour. I stumbled out of there a little disillusioned but the Heineken Experience cheered me right up! The old Heineken brewery was converted into an adult amusement park of sorts. You are educated on the history and brewing process of the Dutch beer, ride a few small rides, and then are treated to 3 free beers and a present. The beers were good and the gift was a pretty nice bottle opener. I love Holland ;)

Sunday was nondescript. We wondered around some more, revisted the Red Light District, and a few more coffee shops. We then made our way towards the Nemo which is a large science museum for kids, but we didn't go to be educated like a bunch of eight year olds. Although we did go into the lobby and played with stuff for about half an hour all messed up on... um... coffee, yeah coffee. Kids are fun when you drink coffee, and they speak another language. You just have to laugh. Anyway, we went to see the Nemo building because it was built to look like the bow of a ship sticking out of the ground as if a ship was sinking.

That's really it. I recommend the city to everyone whether or not you like prostitutes and coffee. The people and culture are amazing and there is a lot to see and experience. However, you better have a lot of money because this place is freakin expensive. NOW LOOK AT THE PICS!

Central Station

The first thing I saw coming out of Central Station

A canal taken from a bridge.

A canal with buildings on one of the many side streets.

The Rijks Museum

A park and building near the Rijks and Van Gogh museums

Me and a bike at the Heineken Experience

A wall of Heineken bottles. I just don't know where to start.

Ahhh. Free Heineken

Another free Heineken with the flatmate.

Bikes are huge in Amsterdam since the city is old and has a lot of narrow streets. So there are very few cars and that is why the city is relatively quiet.

A staue in Dam Square on one on of the main roads named Rokin.

A festival on the other side of Dam square.

One of the coffee shops we went to. looks like a seen from Harry Potter.

Sea life is very big in the Netherlands. This is a staue dedicated to that life style. In the backround is a ship that is part of a museum which examines the history of ships and the history of the Dutch.

A picture of the Nemo from underneath. Unfortunately I never got the chance to get a picture from afar.

A dog near the Nemo droping a deuce. I definitely had too much "coffee" at this point.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I will post some of Italy when I get back. I leave the 31st and get back on November 5th.

Cheers

Birthday beers and birthday riots

So Monday the 23rd was my birthday and the day I flew back in from Amsterdam (pictures to follow). As a result of having traveled and staying in another new area for the weekend I was not all that motivated to have a party or do much of anything. However, when I got back to Budapest the whole freakin city, in fact the whole country, was celebrating my birthday. There were parades and small concerts in once busy intersections. The citizens were out in mass with Hungarian flags. Unfortunately, noone had any pictures or gifts for me, but that's okay because this had to be the largest surprise party ever organized for anyone. So, I feel really appreciated, and I am glad that this country finally recognizes me as their future leader. It's always good to be acknowledged for how great I really am.

The truth of the matter is that the 23rd of October is a national holiday in this country. They take this day to remember the collapse and withdrawal of soviet forces and the revolutionaries within their culture and all of the fallen people. Some Hungarians also took this day to rally protestors, once again, in order to protest the Prime Minister's actions. Of course, this meant the resurgence of extremists and some riots broke out here and there. Nothing serious, in terms of damage or casualties, really occurred though, and once again I am okay.

After all, how can they hurt the person they are celebrating. j/k Thank you to my Dad and Annette, Grandma and Grandpa, Jane, James, my Mom and Stepfather for all of the birthday wishes, cards, and presents. I appreciate them and would like to say thank you so much for how much all of you care.

C.J.

Intermission

Hello again!

This is the 8th week of schooling here and marked the halfway point. So, to commemorate the moment the University of Corvinus decided to hand out... EXAMS! Yeah. I have exams by the bundle. If anyone wants me to bring some back for them I will be more than happy to oblige. If there is one thing I have learned from them though it's that tests suck monkey balls in any country. It should be the rallying call for world unification. I can see it now. People everywhere will unite, put aside their petty quarrels, and land disputes in order to achieve one uncomplicated goal. The abolishment of exams! Yeah, Charles J. Harrington for president in 2008.

Anyway, this week is just exams. However on Friday the 20th, the video game that I have been working on with other DU students, with the sponsorship of the University of Denver and Music Television University (MTV University) will be released. To my knowledge that is still the current release date. The game may not be the next blockbuster when it comes to technological advances in the game industry but still marks several important achievements in different areas. This will be the first game that I have helped to created that will, hopefully, be released to the public. So, it will mark an important part in the beginning of my career. At least I will be able to add it to my resume. Also, this is another socially conscious game to add to the short list of those that exist especially those that are in 3D. Since the game has yet to be released I will not try to put to much hype into it as of yet, but I will create a separate blog post about it, with a link to the game where you download it for free, when it is released that will hilight the features of the game, my specific contributions, awards received, and just general ranting about it in general.

However, if you are kind of curious about it you can read this Newsweek article about it. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13818063/site/Newsweek/
The concept and some of the features have changed a little.

Back to what I'm doing in Europe. Ummm, oh right exams. Although this Thursday I leave for Amsterdam. WOOT! I will post pictures, of certain parts of the trip, when I get back. The naughtier pics I will have to save for myself and a few other close people.

Thanks again to all of the friends and family who are posting comments. I really appreciate it.

Laters

Welcome to Cyprus

What an amazing weekend! From the 6th of October through the 8th I was in an amazing little country that goes by the name of Cyprus. It is it's own governing body and country but was once part of Greece. The northern quarter of the island is actually occupied by Turkey. As a result there is a United Nations buffer zone between the two parts; however, the island is peaceful and part of the EU.

My room mate and I arrived on the 6th at about 3:30 in the morning and proceeded to walk a little over 5 miles to our resort. I can't say that I minded since there are only 3 main roads, so it's really hard to get lost. Also, I got to see the sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea! (see the picture below) Then we spent the rest of the day sleeping and lounging by the pool and the sea. Saturday was pretty much the same process, but we also explored the old town part of Larnaca.

Sunday was amazing in itself. In the morning we, along with 2 other people, chartered an 80 foot boat for about 4 hours. The captain and his crew took us along the shore. We then went to a spot that was directly over an old Swedish ship wreck and snorkeled all around it. The water is really salty but very warm, and the fish alongside the ship wreck are absolutely beautiful. The crew then made us a traditional Greek lunch which was followed by more swimming, lounging, and tanning. The rest of Sunday was relaxing as well, but it was really nondescript wandering around and hanging out on the beach and the Palm Tree Promenade.

Go ahead and look at the pictures below, but prepare to feel extremely jealous.

The beautiful Mediterranean sunrise.

Here is our resort, complete with pool and swim up bar!

This is a fort that was on the beach.

This is the spot to be seen in Larnaca. It's named Palm Tree Promenade, and it follows the shore line but is lined with cafes, restaurants, and little stores.

Here I am floating in the sea after a hard day of relaxing and tanning.

I felt that floating in the sea was not productive enough so here I am working very diligently at relaxing by the pool at the resort.

This is a church in the center of Old Town, in Larnaca, known as the Lazarus Church.

Here I am outside the entrance to the church wearing the latest fashion, a man skirt! Ooh, sooo sexy! It's actually a little tunic you have to wear in the church if you have a skirt or shorts on so that you're decently dressed to enter the church.

Shenanigans again in a church? I'm in the tomb of Lazarus Church all the while sporting my man skirt.

The helm of the boat we chartered.

Here I am posing at the front of the boat. It's called the bow for you land lubbers.

This is the area where the Zanobia ship wreck is located.

After scouting the surrounding waters I figure it's safe to get all geared up to go snorkeling. Man I look hot even in snorkeling gear. Yes, that is a life vest. I'M A WEAK SWIMMER! Lay off, I normally live in the freakin mountains.

After working so hard at snorkeling and tanning on an 80 foot boat, I decide to jump off the top of that boat in to the sea!

The shore of Larnaca Bay from the boat.

Oh my! Are those tears of jealousy I see in your eyes? Oh please save them for me so that I can remind myself of the Mediterranean. Until then.

P.S. I miss you too Jane, and everyone else back in the States.