Author: James Brosher

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The “Handy” Bum

Graz Protesters

Today my hosts took me into the city to show me where my classes will be held. I will have to take the bus to school everyday, but it isn’t a big problem because they seem to be very simple to use.

My route will take about 15 minutes to the city center with bus No. 31. Then I can walk or take “die Straßenbahn” (street car) a few blocks to the building. My classes are actually held right around the corner from the “Rathaus” (city hall).

After finding my classes, we walked around town for a few hours. In front of the city hall building there was a street festival with tents and food vendors.

We took a small side trip to a small supermarket located not far from the city square. When we entered the building my host, Heide, pointed out a bum who was begging for change next to the entrance of the building.

When we left the building I started to feel sorry for the guy because he got up from his spot next to the supermarket entrance and appeared to be moving to another location. Then he pulled out his “Handy” (cell phone) and answered a call. Nonetheless I did not feel as sorry for him as we headed back to the city square.

We also saw a group protesting in front of an expensive clothing store. The group was upset with the store because they sell clothing that is made of animal fur. They weren’t dumping paint on people wearing fur coats, but rather wearing gas masks and holding a large sign that read, “Stop the sell of fur.”

We also visited the “Murinsel.” It is a man-made floating structure located in the middle of the Mur river in the heart of the city. It has a small area for people to sit and picknick, a cafe and a small play area for children.

The structure was built in 2003 after Graz was named the European Capital of Culture.

Our last major stop was the Schloßberg. It is a fortress built in the 1700s that sets on a hill overlooking the city. (The banner for this website has a photo of it.) Luckily, we took an evavator to the top. It is about a 30 minute walk to the top.

The top of the Schlossberg has some great views of the city below, but I was unable to get any spectacular photos because it was very overcast and rainy today.

I will definitely return there again, but perhaps on day when the sun is out.

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Graz!

I’m here finally!

I arrived around 10 a.m. local time today after around 10 hours of in-air flight time. Right now I am so tired I could fall over and die right now. To avoid the dreaded jet lag (only six hours here) I am trying to stay up as late as possible so I won’t wake up at 4 a.m. fully rested.

My initial take of the city is that it is very busy. In fact, Graz reminds be of Japan because of the intense traffic, billboards everywhere and the foothills geography. In addition, it reminds be of Germany because of the language and culture.

Tomorrow my host is taking me downtown to show me around a bit, so I will hopefully post some photos afterwards.

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Stuck in D.C.

Okay, I’m not literally stuck in Washington D.C. My flight has not been cancelled or delayed, but it sure feels like I have been here for eternity.

Right now I am waiting for my 4:20 p.m. flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I have been here (Dulles International Airport) since 11 a.m.

My first flight this morning was at 10:11 a.m. from Dayton, Ohio (a.k.a. Middle of Nowhere International). The flight was only 50 minutes, and now I am basically looking for something to do for another couple hours.

I am very tempted to light up the iPod right now, but I am afraid that if I start too early, I won’t have battery life for the seven-hour flight to Frankfurt.

So far I have hit up a coffee shop, Fuddruckers and a newspaper stand to pick up a copy of today’s New York Times. I am currently squeezed into a very uncomfortable “internet kiosk” thing that is draining my bank account by the second.

Crap, looks as though I have been on this kiosk thing for over 13 minutes now … got to go. The next time I post, I should be in either Germany or Austria.

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Musik!

Wir haben Musik!

Today I finalized my iPod playlist for the trip to Graz. This will be the list for seven and a half weeks since I will not have my computer with me to change it.

Quite frankly, this is kind of scary because I am the type of person who often changes musical tastes. One day I will be jamming non-stop to The Doors, and the next day I will be rocking out to Rammstein.

Since this playlist will have to endure such a long period without changes, I took a longer than usual time to weed out songs that I am constantly skipping over, and add a few that I always manually find by looking up the album or the artist.

Here is my finalized playlist:

“The Road I’m On” – 3 Doors Down
“Loser” – 3 Doors Down
“Hells Bells” – AC/DC
“For Those About To Rock” – AC/DC
“Thunderstruck” – AC/DC
“Sweet Emotion” – Aerosmith
“Walk This Way” – Aerosmith
“Ventura Highway” – America
“Something” – The Beatles
“Octopus’s Garden” – The Beatles
“Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles
“I Am The Walrus” – The Beatles
“Glass Onion” – The Beatles
“The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill” – The Beatles
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – The Beatles
“I’m Only Sleeping” – The Beatles
“Drive My Car” – The Beatles
“Girl” – The Beatles
“I’m Looking Through You” – The Beatles
“If I Needed Someone” – The Beatles
“Lovely Rita” – The Beatles
“A Day In The Life” – The Beatles
“Godzilla” – Blue Öyster Cult
“Glycerine” – Bush
“Crossroads” – Cream
“Tales of Brave Ulysses” – Cream
“Swlabr” – Cream
“Strange Brew” – Cream
“I Feel Free” – Cream
“White Room” – Cream
“Ziggy Stardust” – David Bowie
“Misirlou” – Dick Dale
“Yer Blues” – The Dirty Mac
“Light My Fire” – The Doors
“People Are Strange” – The Doors
“Riders On The Storm” – The Doors
“Hello, I Love You” – The Doors
“Layla” – Eric Clapton
“Cocaine” – Eric Clapton
“Wonderful Tonight” – Eric Clapton
“Blues Before Sunrise” – Eric Clapton
“Tears In Heaven” – Eric Clapton
“Times Like These” – Foo Fighters
“Learn To Fly” – Foo Fighters
“The Best I’ve Ever Had” – Gary Allan
“Mad World” – Gary Jules
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – George Harrison
“When I Come Around” – Green Day
“Good Riddance” – Green Day
“Sweet Child O’ Mine” – Guns N’ Roses
“November Rain” – Guns N’ Roses
“Don’t Cry” – Guns N’ Roses
“Knockin’ on Heavens Doors” – Guns N’ Roses
“Let Her Cry” – Hootie & The Blowfish
“Summertime” – Janis Joplin
“Look What You’ve Done” – Jet
“Spanish Castle Magic” – Jimi Hendrix
“Purple Haze” – Jimi Hendrix
“Hey Joe” – Jimi Hendrix
“All Along The Watchtower” – Jimi Hendrix
“Little Wing” – Jimi Hendrix
“Angel” – Jimi Hendrix
“Cocaine Blues” – Johnny Cash
“Wheel in the Sky” – Journey
“Carry On My Wayward Son” – Kansas
“You Really Got Me” – The Kinks
“All Day And All Of The Night” – The Kinks
“Lola” – The Kinks
“Where Have All The Good Times Gone” – The Kinks
“Dazed and Confused” – Led Zeppelin
“Whole Lotta Love” – Led Zeppelin
“When The Levee Breaks” – Led Zeppelin
“Stairway To Heaven” – Led Zeppelin
“The Ocean” – Led Zeppelin
“Kashmir” – Led Zeppelin
“In The Evening” – Led Zeppelin
“Ramble On” – Led Zeppelin
“Lonely World” – Limp Bizkit
“No Sex” – Limp Bizkit
“One Step Closer” – Linkin Park
“In The End” – Linkin Park
“A Place For My Head” – Linkin Park
“Papercut [Live] ” – Linkin Park
“Runaway [Live] ” – Linkin Park
“From The Inside [Live] ” – Linkin Park
“Don’t Stay” – Linkin Park
“Krwlng” – Linkin Park
“Free Bird” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Sex and Candy” – Marcy Playground
“3 AM” – Matchbox Twenty
“Push” – Matchbox Twenty
“Back 2 Good” – Matchbox Twenty
“Nothing Else Matters” – Metallica
“Wherever I May Roam” – Metallica
“The Unforgiven” – Metallica
“Shout At The Devil” – Mötley Crüe
“Home Sweet Home” – Mötley Crüe
“Afraid”- Mötley Crüe
“99 Luftballons” – Nena
“Savin’ Me” – Nickelback
“Heart Shaped Box” – Nirvana
“Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam” – Nirvana
“Dumb” – Nirvana
“Plateau” – Nirvana
“Lake Of Fire” – Nirvana
“All Apologies” – Nirvana
“Come As You Are” – Nirvana
“Lithium” – Nirvana
“Rape Me” – Nirvana
“Another Brick In The Wall” – Pink Floyd
“Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd
“Message In A Bottle” – The Police
“Level” – The Raconteurs
“Ohne Dich” – Rammstein
“Amerika” – Rammstein
“The Zephyr Song” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Scar Tissue” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Otherside” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Stadium Arcadium” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Torture Me” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Especially In Michigan” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – The Rolling Stones
“Fine Again” – Seether
“Broken” – Seether
“Closing Time” – Semisonic
“Outside” – Staind
“Texas Flood” – Stevie Ray Vaughan
“Interstate Love Song” – Stone Temple Pilots
“Come Sail Away” – Styx
“Jumper” – Third Eye Blind
“How’s It Going To Be” – Third Eye Blind
“Fragments” – The Who
“My Generation” – The Who
“Behind Blue Eyes” – The Who
“Who Are You” – The Who

I also added a few YouTube videos to my iPod including:

“Tales of Brave Ulysses” – Cream
“Misirlou” – Dick Dale
“The Star Spangled Banner” – Jimi Hendrix
“Little Wing” – Stevie Ray Vaughan

Finally, I added a few movies to watch during the plane ride in case the in-flight movies suck:

“Das Leben der Anderen” (known as “The Lives of Others” in America)
“Lola Rennt” (known as “Run Lola Run” in America)
“Cars“
“The Good Shepherd“

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Arnold Schwarzenegger

The other night while doing research for the trip I found out that Arnold Schwarzenegger grew up in the village of Thal, a suburb of Graz.

Gustav, Arnold’s father, was a Stormtrooper during WWII and later served as a police chief in Graz.

On July 9, 1997, the City of Graz named its soccer stadium Arnold Schwarzenegger-Stadion to commemorate its most famous citizen. However, the stadium was renamed in 2005 following street protests in Graz after the Stanley Tookie Williams execution.

Graz citizens were upset that Schwarzenegger denied clemency for Williams on December 12, 2005. (The death penalty is outlawed in Austria, and it is widely unpopular with Austrians.)

In the midst of the street protests, Schwarzenegger issued a statement to Graz officials saying, “to spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenauer Stadium.”

The metal letters spelling out “Arnold Schwarzenegger-Stadion” were removed in late December 2005. The stadium is now named UPC-Arena.

The fallout of this whole mess is that Schwarzenegger no longer associates himself with Graz. On December 19, 2005, Schwarzenegger returned an honorary ring that Graz had presented him in 1999.

Here is a YouTube video I found with footage of the Arnold Schwarzenegger-Stadion, and Schwarzenegger talking about growing up in Graz:

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Not ready

On Thursday I leave for Graz, and so far I am not ready.

Luggage
I still have boxes of stuff from college that have not yet been unpacked, and I still need to start packing for my trip. Luggage has been my biggest worry thus far. I still have not decided how many pieces of luggage I will be taking. Ideally I want to take only two bags: a backpack and my camera bag. However, it looks as though it will end up being three with an additional suitcase on rollers.

I would much rather not take the suitcase because I will be traveling after the trip, and the additional bag will be a pain to lug around everywhere.

Reservations
I really need to start making reservations for hotels and youth hostiles after the program … but I still have not done that. I am a little uneasy about chiseling my post-program itinerary into stone although I already know I have to make it to Berlin by a certain date to catch a plane home.

Gifts
The most worrying pre-exchange program activity is choosing gifts for the host family. During my last two exchange programs to Japan (Summer 2005) and Germany (Spring 2006) I spent countless hours looking for the perfect gift for the host family.

I always stress out on this because I feel like it should the perfect gift since the host family is putting up with me for an extended period usually at their own expense. I have a few gifts in mind for the family I will be staying with, but now I just need find them before Thursday.

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Die Polizei!

Another late night means more YouTube videos. This time the only thing I was able to find on Graz that is halfway interesting was a very random video on the Graz Police with techno music playing throughout the video.

Check it out:

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Post-program itinerary

After the Graz program is over on June 23, I plan to do a little traveling around Europe before I fly home. Here is my rough itinerary for after the program:

June 23: Graz to Venice, Italy
June 24: Venice, Italy
June 25: Venice, Italy to Kaufbeuren, Germany
June 26: Kaufbeuren
June 27: Kaufbeuren
June 28: Kaufbeuren to Munich / Munich / Munich to Berchtesgaden
June 29: Berchtesgaden
June 30: Berchtesgaden to Nuremberg / Nuremberg
July 1: Nuremberg/ Nuremberg to Berlin
July 2: Berlin
July 3: Fly home from Berlin

This isn’t definite yet, but this itinerary covers many of the places I want to see after the program in Graz is done. Here’s why I want to visit these places:

Venice, Italy
I do not know any Italian at all, so this leg of my trip may be interesting. Basically the reason I want to visit Venice is because it is one of the most famous cities in Europe.

Plus, it seems as though this city shows up for a cameo appearance in most movies anymore. In fact, I was watching “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” last night when, surprise, there was a scene set in Venice.

The canal system and the fact that the city is sinking also adds to its charm. How cool would it be to take a small boat to work? While I am there I will definitely make sure to take a boat ride through the canal system.

Kaufbeuren, Germany
Last year I was an exchange student in this little Bavarian city so I am going back to visit the family that I stayed with. I have scheduled a few days here because I hope to be able to take a few strolls through the city and visit some of the shops that I missed during my last visit.

Munich, Germany
I have only allotted a few hours to Munich between trains because during my trip to Germany last spring I visited the city twice.

Two to three hours will be plenty of time to take a walk down to the Marienplatz to see the beautiful Rathaus (City Hall). Also, I will definitely be stopping in at the Hofbräuhaus again.

Berchtesgaden, Germany
Berchtesgaden is the home of the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest). The complex was built as a present for Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday on the top of Mt. Kehlstein in the Bavarian Alps. Ironically, Hitler was allegedly afraid of heights so he rarely vacationed at the home.

The house is now a restaurant and museum. From the house, visitors can see a stunning view of the valley and lake below.

Nuremberg, Germany
I wanted to visit Nuremberg because it is a very historical and beautiful city, plus it is between Berchtesgaden and Berlin.

Nuremberg is infamous because it is essentially the birthplace and death place of Nazism. During WWII, it was heavily bombed and much of the city today dates back to post-WWII reconstruction. That said, Nuremberg is still a very beautiful Bavarian city.

I plan on only staying one night before leaving for Berlin, but I hope to visit a few of the cities museums along with the Hauptmarkt and the St. Lorenz Kirche.

Berlin, Germany
There is so much to see in Berlin that I allotted extra time for sightseeing. I honestly do not know where to begin in Berlin.

The Reichstag? The Brandenburg Gate? The Berlin Wall? Tiergarten? Checkpoint Charlie?

This city is just a really awesome city, and I am very much looking forward to my visit.

Hiroshi Motomura summed up Berlin the best: “Berlin combines the culture of New York, the traffic system of Tokyo, the nature of Seattle, and the historical treasures of, well, Berlin.”

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My first Austrian experience

Reutte, Austria

When I arrive in Austria on May 11, it will not be the first time that I have set foot in the country.

Last March I was an exchange student in Germany for 10 days. During that time, I talked my friend from Germany into taking me to Austria on the last day of the trip. She reluctantly obliged after I insisted that I wanted to see another country. (I believe she wanted to take me to a castle near Munich.)

The weather at that point was mid-50s and constantly raining; it really felt like Seattle. There was a little snow left from where it had been piled up.

My friend chose to take me to Reutte, a small ski town south of Füssen, Germany. Unfortunately, we were in a ski town when there wasn’t any snow. To make matters worse, the city museum was closed because it was not ski season.

We had allotted four hours for our Austrian excursion, and there was not much to see or do. Luckily, however, several shops along the main road were open for business since it was a unusually warm day.

At this point I had grown accustomed to Germany so Austria was a new experience. As far as differences, there were a few things that caught my attention.

Buildings looked a lot cooler in Austria because they had painted shutters around the windows. I had seen this a few times in Bavaria, but not as much as I did in Austria. Most buildings in Reutte had painted shutters.

The second main difference that I noticed was the dialect. I was taught by a native Bavarian German speaker in high school so when I walked into the first shop in Austria and heard “Grüß Gott!” it really caught me off guard. In fact, I think I asked my friend what the shopkeeper had said. “Grüß Gott” is the preferred way to say “Hello” in Austrian German. Translated literally, it means “Greet God.” In Germany, I was accustomed to saying “Guten Tag” or “Hallo” when walking into a shop. When I exited the shop I heard “Servus!” which is a way of saying “Goodbye.”

But what amazed me the most about Austria was how easy it was to cross the Germany-Austria border both going to and coming from Austria. We took a bus into Austria, and there was merely a road sign that said, “Welcome to Austria.” It was literally as smooth as driving from Indiana into Ohio. Once in Austria, I didn’t have to worry about exchanging money because Austria, like Germany, uses the Euro. Say what you will about the European Union, but it sure makes travel a whole lot easier.