Dachau

Today was very surreal, I spent most of the day at Dachau concentration camp. It was a fascinating experience seeing how it started as a small camp in 1933 by the Nazis and then grew over the next 12 years to become one of the largest and most-feared camps in all of Germany. It answered my largest question of how they were able to put such horror next to such a large city. There also was absolutely no freedom of the press in Germany in the Third Reich, so if it wasn't in the state press, Germans wouldn't know about it. There were actual tours of Dachau during the 1930s with concerts, and the prisoners were said to be people who wouldn't work (the homeless and mentally ill) even though this was not the truth. Thinking of a lot of people i have met, this type of explanation would work on a lot of people, and most people wouldn't investigate further. I saw the death chambers, which consisted of ovens and a gas chamber. I spent a good two hours in the museum and still didn't see all of the exhibits, and at a few points I felt like crying it was so overwhelming (which I don't do). That alone took most of the day. By the end of the existence of Dachau there was the beginning of a resistance forming, which had been difficult for most of the chance of existence because the prisoners were from so many different groups, which kept them divided and conquered (United we stand, divided we fall). The museum is really well designed and does an excellent job at explaining the history of Dachau and ties it in with the larger picture of what was happening in Germany at the same time. Standing in Dachau it is impossible to fully understand the complete horror that took place under Nazi rule and how a country so completely devestated by the Treaty of Versailles could fall so low. The massive depression that hit Germany and the blaming of minorities on the whole country's problems were the two major factors that led to the Nazis coming to power. John Maynard Keynes predicted that the Treaty of Versailles was a terrible misstep, and he was so very right. One thing for me that is particularly uncomfortable is that we often think of the second world war as the epitome of a "just war" if such a thing is possible, yet we really took our time in going into the second world war, and we didn't go into the concentration camps until 1945. One would think there would have been bombing raids on Nazi Germany in 1939 if the purpose of the second world war was to free the Jews et al, but the truth is that we didn't do that, and it wasn't until we ran in and found how extensive and overcrowded the concentration camps were. I also thought of today in North Korea at their numerous concentration camps on their territory and in Russia that are operating today. We have done nothing to end this and the reasons (Putin) help a modern observer understand past mistakes better. But are only part of a complete understanding. 

Dachau made me think of right now in North Korea which is so similar.
After Dachau Concentration Camp we drove back into the city of Dachau and had our lunch. We came home, I packed since I leave in two days and dinner. The evening was spent catching up on two weeks of news and learning how there will be new Star Wars games.

Munich and Starnberg

6 June 2013

On thursday I took the s-bahn to starnberg to see a friend and deliver one of her things. We first went for a bike ride around Munich and saw the English garden and walked around downtown. I found a few bookshops and bought a few. I found a beautiful map store that has literally every country in the world. I found a small antique book store but didn't buy anything. I then caught the train which took half an hour, which is very good for a city train at that distance. Her husband is a doctor in a hospital and when I arrived he pretended to not speak English like other Germans I have met which forced me to speak German which I appreciated. They live with their granddaughter who is my brother's age, and she was nice. We had a much needed quiet day.

7 June 2013

On Friday I went to a Biergarten south of Starnberg which was very big and had excellent food in German serving sizes (the largest I have ever seen) and then went back to Munich by the S-Bahn and got off at the wrong station because I didn't understand which station I had to get off at. Next time I come to Germany the first thing I am going to do is get a simple prepaid t-mobile SIM card that works with a small data   I went for a long bike ride in Munich to southwest Munich (we live in Ottobrunn) which was a beautiful bike ride to a Biergarten which had live music on the edge of the Isar.

The other German side

8 June 2013

Today we left Munich early in the morning around 8:30 and drove west to Swabia. My cousin who planned the gathering spent a few weeks exploring the Swabian alps (which are hills) where my uncle used to live and found the small hotel where we had our family gathering. My family is wonderful, but family politics between my uncle and two of his sons meant that my uncle chose not to come to his own party, so I will never meet him, and I'm not sure if that is a bad thing. I had a wonderful time talking with my wonderful cousins about our lives, playing with the younger cousins and having wonderful food. There was one young cousin who is less then a year old who was always happy when she saw me and my presence calmed her down. I went for a car ride around town in a convertible my cousin rented (because the rental company made a mistake, so he got an upgrade for free). Two of my Finnish cousins are entrepreneurs, one is hoping to start a bed and breakfast and one is getting close to starting a dance studio in Helsinki. It was interesting comparing starting businesses in the us and Northern Europe which is really similar. I got more information on our heritage and had a wonderful day.

9 June 2013

In the morning the remaining members of the family had breakfast together, consisting of those of us who live outside Germany, two of my uncle's sons, my cousin and fiancé who live in Switzerland, and the family with the five year old. We drove to Roetlingen and the Finns, Americans, one of my uncle's sons and I had a delicious lunch at a nice restaurant owned by family friends of my uncle. We then drove back to Munich and spent three hours with my aunt talking and having dinner. I was exhausted. My 2nd cousin I am staying with and I are plotting to get the family back together since the German side all lives so close to one another. 

4th and 5th of June

4 June
We went to the Altenpinapotek which has a lot of beautiful paintings from the late Medieval era to the early 1700s. It had works by many great artists and many were very large. I couldn't imagine what it was like to paint such large paintings, but I'm not an artist so that doesn't really mean anything. We then went to my aunt's house and her two older sons were there, and her second son's son. I talked with my second cousin for a couple hours, and he is an interesting guy. We came home and had dinner at a nearby Chinese buffet.

5 June
Today I went to Neuschwanstein with my cousin's partner, and it is a really amazing castle. It is a good hour and a half from Munich and a lot is between the two places. We stopped by Wieskirche on the way south which is a beautiful little church with wonderful paintings near Wies, Bavaria. We arrived at Neuschwanstein early, and took the bus up the mountain partway to the castle. We walked to a bridge and saw Neuschwanstein before going inside. The throne room is currently under construction so I didn't see that part, I guess I have to watch chitty chitty bang bang again. It was a beautiful castle and is a must see for a trip to southern Bavaria.

We then went to Füssen, and walked through the city which is beautiful. We got some bread and went back home.

Back to Munich

Today my friend had to leave at 5:30 so I woke up at 5 to see her off. I then went back to bed, but didn't sleep. Her boyfriend came back around 6:30 and we packed lunches and breakfasts before going to the u-bahn so I could go downtown and he could go to school. I walked around for about three hours seeing the city away from the tourist area. I walked across the bridge of love to the other station and it is clear that the west side is nicer. I found a nice used bookstore with good prices and got a few books, and the went back to the train station an hour early. My train was fifteen minutes late (which talking to the other passengers they assured me is unusual, one more difference between the us and Europe!) but when I couldn't make my connection in Mainz they allowed me to stop at Frankfurt and get a direct train to Munich, so I  came out ahead! I arrived in Munich on time when I remembered why I am never traveling without a SIM card again. I went home and had dinner with my cousins, after which I went to bed pretty quickly (since I was falling asleep at the dinner table). 

Köln day 2

Today I had a pretty quiet morning at home. My friend's boyfriend was at work so we stayed, watched tv and read some things having a quiet morning. His sister came with her daughter who is 18 months old and she played with my friend as I read different things (I have grown to like quiet mornings). He came home and we all went downtown where we walked around. Everything was closed so we didn't do anything. We went for a short walk in a park before coming back home for some Iranian food his parents made. It was delicious. We then went to walk around a German cemetery which was a really beautiful place. Families here have their family gravesite which they rent for a period of 25 years before it is given to someone else, and some gravesites can be very beautiful. You will usually have several people buried at the same gravesite. We then came home and watched the German-US football match, and it was fun to see the US beat one of the best teams in the world. A potential upset for the German team, which is currently ranked as the second best team in the world. The US is the 29th strongest according to the FIFA Ranking, so we might see the US grow in strength next year in Brazil.

I'm sure going to miss my friends, and can't wait to see them again.

Köln day 1, thoughts about cities

Today I had a quiet morning as my friend's boyfriend was working. He works at a German bakery and Northern German food is so delicious! It is also very similar to American, but slightly different. While in Southern Germany (or at least Bavaria) it is common to have a platter of different meats and cheeses next to a basket of bread, and then everyone takes as much bread and meats and cheese as you want. Northern Germany is more where everyone has their own dish and they are very similar to what is considered American food that you could get at a good restaurant. It is very clear that Northern Germany had a large influence on American cuisine. We went with the same friend we went with yesterday to downtown Köln and walked around for probably a good 5 hours. We took the U-bahn which is by far the most convenient way to get around and is the least expensive and most flexible option (since you could arrive let's say in north downtown, walk for a few hours to the other side of the river and catch a different train without ever having to back trace) and you don't have to waste time finding a parking spot. We went right downtown and I found a card store my friends had never found before. We went to a very nice chocolate factory where they show people how they make chocolate and have old chocolate dispensers and things like that. There were a lot from Dresden before the American military destroyed it. We went to the bridge of love. We then went to get our lunch at a Turkish section of Köln which was absolutely delicious. Köln is a huge city and as a huge city there are people from around the world here which I really like. We were then quite tired after a long day walking around this beautiful city and came home. I remembered that we were going to get a board game (Settlers of Catan in English, originally a German game) so we walked into the mall in Weiden where they live and got it. Our other friend went home at that point so I played Catan with my friend who I went to school with for a good three hours since her boyfriend was so exhausted.

I am surprised that Köln has free parking, it probably won't last because we saw our friend trying to park this morning and she had trouble finding a good spot, the Bahn is by far the best option, and goes everywhere in the city and to the neighboring cities. It is also very quick and pleasant, and for intercity travel you don't have to arrive several hours beforehand for a flight which wastes valuable time which I've grown to hate. That's my advice for travelers to Europe, since all cities here have excellent mass transit systems and the intercity mass transit system is very good, and has a lot of room to improve in the next ten years if they choose to. You also go to the center of downtown when you take the train into Köln which is right next to the second largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter's Basilica. It is a must see on a trip to Northwestern Germany.

Köln is currently the fourth largest city in Germany and the largest of the Rhine region (behind Berlin, Hamburg, and München) and I love this city as much as München and Tbilisi. I have liked most cities I have been to, the only ones I don't care for so much are Los Angeles (because of the god awful smog and lack of options to get around, there is very little freedom of movement in comparison to European cities or other American cities), Tri-Cities Washington (urban sprawl, three eyed fish, excellent apples you can get at home at your supermarket and not much else), and in the future there will be other cities I will not be so enthralled by. Cities I have really enjoyed are Seattle, Sydney, Brisbane (for the 3 hours I was there, and I need to explore this city more), Portland OR (which has a lot for its relatively small size), Vancouver (amazing people, amazing culture), Victoria Canada (for everything), München (wonderful city with amazing food, excellent museums, wonderful people and it is extremely easy to get around), Köln (for the same reasons as München), and I enjoyed Tbilisi (it takes a few days to get used to the differences which are quite extreme, but once you figure out how the city ticks it becomes quite pleasant.

In the future my list includes (but is in no way limited to): The Northeast coast of the USA from Boston to Canada. There is so much to see in my own country still! San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Northeast Brazil, Santiago, Bogota, Medellin, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and different places in South Africa along with Botswana and Namibia. Paris, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome, Venice, Milano, Istanbul, Berlin, Hamburg, Mainz, Hanover, Leipzig, Luxembourg, Nuremburg, Bern, Zurich, Vienna, Stockholm, Gotenburg, Copenhagen, Malmo, Oslo, Helsinki, Vasa, Nice, Monaco, Stuttgart, Strasbourg, Athens, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Seville, Granada, Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania, New Zealand, Singapore, Delhi, Calcutta, Dubai, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Chongqing, Beijing, Tianjin, Seoul, Pusan, Tokyo, Osaka, and so many places I haven't thought of yet!

A summary of my route yesterday:
I started in Munich, and passed through Ingolstadt, Nürnburg, Würzburg, Frankfurt, Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Köln. The most beautiful part of the trip was between Mainz and Bonn. I want to explore Mainz in the future, the home of Johannes Gutenburg, and a city that has been settled for over 300,000 years. http://www.germany.ru/images/germany-map.jpg is an excellent map of the German train system that is useful for people who plan a trip to Germany in the future.

München und Köln

29 May 2013

I climbed up a tower in the center of Munich with my cousin's partner which had a great view. We then went to my aunt's house for dinner and talked.

30 May 2013

I went to the Deutsches Museum with my cousin's partner in the morning. It is a large science museum with some really interesting exhibits for all ages. We then went to my aunt's house where we spent a few hours. We talked about family and I told her how big our American family is. We had dinner and it was a good evening. After that we went home and I packed for my trip to Köln. I realized how much there is to do in Germany, and all of Europe. There is so much to do over here that I want to see and it is so diverse, it is a little overwhelming. It would be easier to spend more time with family if there fewer other attractions and it would be easier to see everything else if I didn't have so much family here.

31 May 2013

Today I went to the train station around 9:00 with my cousin's partner after dropping my cousin off at my aunt's house. The train system in Munich is extremely efficient and useful. If I lived in Munich I wouldn't bother getting a car until I had children. I met a nice man (about 32) and we talked about all sorts of things. He was a Political Science/Economics major like what I am looking at and we compared the systems of Germany and the United States. One thing I am a little surprised by is that the ICE train doesn't go full speed because the tracks are not maintained well enough for 300 km/h which they are designed for, except in a few areas. I hope that in the next 5 years the German government will seriously look at improving the tracks so that trains can go at the speed they should be going. I am a little worried that the creation of freeways will replace the great train system here in Europe, but since they are purchasing more trains along with building more motorways I think this is fortunately unlikely. It is a very smooth ride and very comfortable. On my way back on Monday I am going to go on the slower trains which will probably be similar to the AMTRAK trains back home. The German countryside is very beautiful, and I am enjoying everything about this trip. Mainz looks like a very beautiful city that I would like to explore someday. When we were between Mainz und Köln a man who is probably my age came through in a straw hat singing for people and selling postcards for 2 Euros each. Who says Germans have no sense of humor?

I arrived in Köln a few minutes late and met my friend, her boyfriend, and two of their friends at the train station. We went up into the Köln cathedral which is magnificent, the second largest cathedral in the world! We climbed to the top of a spire and looked out at Köln which is a great city. We took the train to where my friend lives with her boyfriend and then went to a restaurant in Frechen where we had some food. Northern German food and standard "American" food is almost identical. We came back home and talked about whether my friend and her boyfriend should move to the United States. I love my country, but given how they have inexpensive health care and education here, made sure they were aware of some changes they are not prepared for that Germany has set up. Would I ever say to a friend to move to the United States? If the person is European, probably not given the difference in distribution of wealth between Europe and the United States and how health care is statistically speaking of the same quality in the US but a lot more expensive, which when I explained the types of costs associated with health care at home they were shocked. When I explained how my university will cost $8000 for tuition alone and they pay €3600 a year for the same thing here, they need to keep it in comparison that raising a family might be easier in Germany. Of course this is comparing apples and oranges for the same career and one has to make careful planning to maintain his/her standard of living in a new country with a different set of rules. I hope in the future I won't have to be such a spoil sport, given how I have a good bit hanging on the fate of the USA. I shared some statistics with her boyfriend on distribution of wealth in relation to income so they can decide whether it will work for them and their particular situation. Only time will tell. It is really good to see her again.

A Farm

On Monday I spoke with an old friend who speaks German and Georgian, but not English for about an hour. I haven't seen her for 10 years. Her husband is ailing, and a really kind man. I told them how my family is doing and other things. At the end I went with their American granddaughter-in-law to have some ice cream and to an art show at the University of Georgia for her aunt. It was good art, and some pieces were quite striking. I then met my friend's (the one I am staying with) parents outside, picked up her mother-in-law and then drove up north of Tbilisi to see one of their friends who lives on a farm. He used to be a doctor, but three years ago had a revelation and now dresses in Orthodox priest clothing and is a very kind man who makes food for the refugees and other people who need help. He has a nice sized yard half an hour out of Tbilisi and will have people move in to the old structures on his property that are falling apart after years of not being used. When I come back I will visit him. I met a nice Georgian soldier who worked with the US Army in Afghanistan and we talked about things, since he was the only person there I didn't already know who spoke English. We got home at Midnight and I am finally rested!

A Birthday Party (#1)

On Sunday I had a quiet morning, and went to my friend's parent's house around noon. We got ready for the birthday party there and then went with the people who own the summer house in the hills above Tbilisi Georgian style (as in four people in the back seat that is designed for three). We got up around four and people came in over the next two hours. I talked with a number of people while I was there, one of whom is studying law at Yale, and a friend who is looking at investment banking and is an American like me, and danced with people in one room. It was a really great night. We left around 3 in the morning (way past my bedtime) and went to have some dinner of Khachapuri at a restaurant in Tbilisi. Getting home at 4 I collapsed as soon as I arrived. I woke up four hours later and hope I make it through Monday! My flight to Germany is tomorrow.

Gori

Today I went on a road trip to Gori with an old friend who moved to Georgia from my homestate about 10 years ago and her friends, a 6 year old girl and her parents. Gori is about one and a half hours west of Tbilisi. We left home around 11:00 and drove through Mtsketa and then onward to Gori. It was really beautiful seeing the Georgian countryside. We went to the Uplistsikhe Complex which is an ancient city (about 3000 years old) that was abandoned in the 19th century that was on the silk road. When I realized I was standing right on where the Silk Road passes I got goosebumps all over. It was an absolutely stupendous place that can only be described when you stand on the same spot where people had lived for thousands of years, longer than most cities exist regardless of location. King Tamar of Georgia was there, one of the greatest Georgian Kings (who was in fact a woman). We then went south to a church that was being rebuilt after an earthquake south of Gori. This church was pretty, and very crowded. The villages we went through were better off than the villages I saw a week ago going to Tavkavta fortress just 20 km west of Tbilisi. The road was well built, and the church was really crowded and extremely Orthodox. We went back into Gori and drove to the very center of the town where Gori fortress is. We walked to the top and the top was surprisingly empty. I could see evidence that there used to be buildings inside the walls (which were shorter than they used to be for sure) but got an amazing view to all directions. I could see South Ossetia and visualized the Russian invasion five years ago and imagined what it must have been like for Russian soldiers to be crawling through the city I was in. Gori is a nice place, and I hope to return someday.

We then drove back home and went to my friend's house. I saw her husband and two children who are quite young. We had dinner and then went to her husband's grandmother's house, who I hadn't seen for 8 years. I saw her, her husband (who I had never met before) and their son (who I also had never met). Her son and I had had an interesting conversation talking about economics (he is a stock broker) and talked about what makes America so different from Europe, which I blog about here. It was a great day.

Thursday and Friday

On Thursday I spent time with my friends Mom and brother. We walked around Tbilisi, had lunch and went home. For lunch we had kinkhali which are best described as Georgian dumplings that taste delicious. At home I learned some Georgian from my phrase book with his mother and great-aunt. I went to my friend's brother's English teacher who teaches in a way similar to Rosetta Stone  and had been doing it for about twenty years. An amazing person! I then went home and had a quiet evening.

On Friday I went to the phage therapy center with my friends grandmother and said bye to some patients who were leaving. We went to the Georgian national museum which is one of the best museums I have ever been to. The exhibitions of the great purge and ancient artifacts were stupendous. After that we went home to rest and then went back out to meet two Russian friends from Saint Petersburg I hadn't met before. They were here for a conference. We had dinner and they were really nice.

I leave on Wednesday night and I already miss Georgia.

Art and walking

Today was good, I talked to some Canadians who were here for phage therapy who are going home tomorrow, so I won't see them again, unless if they come to Washington or Oregon to talk to some naturopaths I put them in touch with. I went to see some Georgian treasures at the National Museum which were absolutely amazing. Some were as much as 800 years old, and mostly religious artifacts made of gold and ivory. My friend's grandmother and I walked through town and had lunch, and got home around 6:00. It was a good day.

20 May journal, Tbilisi

Today was a quieter day, I left to go to a museum (we forgot it was Monday, so they were closed) but instead went to a flea market. I saw some coins from different European countries that were reasonably priced for the contents and got them, and looked at some bookstores (small wooden cabinets next to the river) that were opening. I saw some books and didn't know how much they were worth so I didn't buy any, but checking now it appears that their prices were the same as on the internet. I went walking down the street and got a milkshake. In America at our local American food drive in near where I live the milk gets flavoring into it, which gives a large amount of options to choose. The restaurant I ate at put ice cream in the cup and then put milk in it and mixed it up. It was quite delicious (based on an Italian cake).

We then took the bus to where his grandmother was and he went off to school. His grandmother and I went to a gigantic church on the east side of the river (Tbilisi runs roughly north to south around downtown and the Mtkvari river defines and divides it into east and west) which was built three years ago funded by their Prime Minister. The first thing I noticed was they were selling candles (I immediately remembered Mark 11 but didn't say anything.) which were put in front of your favorite saints. We got five and I got two. I put them in front of Jesus since he was amazing. It has pictures around the church on walls which were very beautiful and in a medieval style. I found the pictures of different hard to distinguish who was who, since they were simply the saints with a halo standing up holding crosses or other things, but that was just my impression, which reminds me of old medieval paintings from across Europe. Anyways, it was a magnificent church with wonderful architecture which is quite impressive. It has generated a lot of controversy lately over here, because it took millions to build three years ago as refugees from across Abkhazia and South Ossetia looked on in poverty. The Prime Minister has been building housing apparently and given how he is reported to give millions to charity I find this very believable. Long story short, if you are in Tbilisi, it is free and quite impressive.

It started to hail just as we left, we grabbed a taxi and went home, had dinner, and then I spent the rest of my day educating myself about Georgian politics (I found http://www.econpolicyfact.ge/en the most informative on the differences between the parties) and reading other things online.

Georgia updates

On the 18th I spent the morning at Zemphira house while Giorgi was at a meeting. At 1:00 we left with his father and went to a mall in north Tbilisi, walked around a little bit and then met some friends there and got food for our overnight camping west of Tbilisi. We are in a valley south of tsinarhetki. We had diner and had a little vodka which had a depressing effect on me. I remembered that today was the two month anniversary of the house fire and took a nap. I woke up around 11:15 pm and then talked with my new friends.
This morning we got up and a few people stayed in bed really late (from my perspective) as we burned a fire and talked. (mostly in Georgian, so I just sat back and asked for translations, which happened a lot.) The people were friends of my friend who he has from school, and they are all really nice people. We had two older adults with us who guided us to the fortress. The vegetation below the trees is similar to that of home here, except while there are evergreen trees, it is mostly deciduous with a few evergreens mixed in. We walked deep into the valley and one part of it we had to walk over a rock wall basically because it was so narrow. This is extremely rural land, and completely beautiful. It is amazing how it is only about 30 kilometers from my friend's grandmother's house in Tbilisi and so completely different. We were the only group on the trail. Tavkavta fortress is a 900-1100 year old castle and church which is absolutely stunning. There is an old church in it (which is kept up with photos) and a fortress. There is very little information available online, which probably is a good thing because it is so remarkably undisturbed, and I personally want to keep it that way, so it is a gem for people who know the locals. Getting into Tavkavta Fortress is a real adventure, because the trail is extremely narrow (at some points maybe only 1 meter wide above a gigantic cliff, which if you are smart is not a problem) and windy. At parts you are going over sliding rock faces which is dangerous but helps make it so very few people can see the gem inside. There are caves opposite the valley from the large hill which Tavkavta stands (which is where some of the very narrow pathways are) are very beautiful and demonstrate the geological history of the area. It clearly shows how the land has been slanted as the Caucasus and Middle East Tectonic Plates meet, which is stunning to see it. There are medieval caves there with records of Orthodox monks that are to date undisturbed according to our guide. It is a hidden gem, a true backdoor as Rick Steves says you need to look for when you travel and today is a day I will never forget.
I had a great time getting to know new friends, and will definitely see them later in this trip.

Istanbul and Tbilisi, May 16th and 17th.

May 15th
My cousin's fiance and I had breakfast together and drove around Munich. The flight to Istanbul was pretty for the parts that I was awake for. The smaller Istanbul airport has a lot of alcohol and tobacco, this is a very liberal nation by Muslim standards. There are people here from around the world. I looked for Turkish food (I can have Burger King whenever I want at home, and I never want it anyways) and had a simit, and instantly fell in love with Turkish culture at the first bite. It had a delicious cheese and the bread was great. A simit is like a bagel, but with a larger hole in the middle and has a different texture to the bread.

I flew then to Tbilisi and slept on the overnight flight, I got to my friend's house around 3 in the morning and after a snack fell asleep immediately. I woke up about half an hour before I arrived in Tbilisi and watched the lights of the city of over a million people as I woke up. Customs was easy, and I went home with my friend and his father. We drove home and had some really good bread and cheese. The bread was baked with the cheese inside it. Georgian cheese (at least the one I tried) is salty and tasty.

May 16th
The next day (waking up around 12:30 in the afternoon, as opposed to 2:30 my overnight in München) we drove around the city. It is CRAZY! Georgian driving has people doing basically whatever they want.

May 17th
I just got home and had some dinner and it was a partially wonderful and partially eye opening day. I went with my friend's aunt and his brother (who is 8 and has just started to learn English, so he isn't comfortable with it yet) to a Georgian arts in the old city which is both beautiful and somewhat sad. There was some Armenian food, a wrap with what I think was beef inside and some bread very similar to what is made in Western European culture, wonderful people, and beautiful Georgian music. We walked to the top of the mountain on the south side of Tbilisi where there is a large statue that is less than 100 years old made of steel (coordinates: ) which gave Ilia some much needed exercise.When we were done we went to get some food, and then some ice cream. As we were there a small boy came up and asked me for change, I politely said no and he went away. It shook me a bit because I have never had a small child (maybe 8, the same age as Ilia) come up to me and ask for money, we don't have that in the United States. We took a taxi home (there are taxis and buses which are usually vans everywhere in Tbilisi, which is really convenient) and I had some dinner while talking to my friend's grandmother about my day. She explained what I heard a while back, but I didn't realize when the child came to me, that the 2008 war in Abkhazia and South Ossetia has displaced tens of thousands of people of all ages which is a huge crisis right here in Tbilisi. The Georgian government is doing everything they can, giving them 28 Lari (about $4) a month as a stipend, With over 280,000 refugees, this becomes a large price tag for such a small country. That is over 4% of Georgia's population. I see people of all ages on the streets. It's downright heartbreaking. I wish there was something I could do. I feel like this is truly life changing and that once I have got my life together this is one issue I would be willing to take on a part of, maybe a monthly donation of $100 or something like that to a charity to help these people. All in all, it was a very educational day with great music, great food, and a depressing realization.

I try not to publish politics on this blog, but this is not just a political issue, this is a moral issue.

First day in Germany

May 13-14, 2013

I got up at 6:00 in the morning and got my bags ready after worrying that I lost my passport. My mom and i drove to the airport and had a bite to eat. I went through customs easily by myself for the first time and went to my plane. I talked with a nice woman who was going to Sweden (I myself am in Munich as I write this entry) to see family, cousins, and an elderly aunt and her nearly centenarian brother. Something one just cannot miss. I boarded the airplane and found my seat. Amazingly I was in between two other twenty year olds on the same flight. I talked with the woman to my right (who is my age) about our different countries politics and other things (she is Canadian, I am American). She is in Ghana now as I write this on may 14th starting to teach English. The woman to my left lives about an hour away from me and is visiting family. I couldn't sleep which frustrated me, but talking to my 1st cousin's fiancé (twice removed) he explained that isn't unusual given how I was gaining hours by going east. The sun didn't set for me for over 24 hours because I was going over Greenland. I watched game of thrones and listened to podcasts and music.

I arrived in Amsterdam Schippol on time and found it to be a really well designed airport I had no trouble navigating for the first time. I sat next to a nice English student who teaches in Austria (a few years older than me). I was amazed at how very flat Europe is,  and stunningly beautiful. I arrived at Munich on time and found my 1st cousin twice removed's fiancé and one of my 2nd cousin once removeds who I am staying the night with. We went to a small Biergarten in a small town about 10 minutes west of Munich and had great food and great conversation about what we are planning to do when I get back from Tbilisi. We drove into Munich where they live and I talked with my second cousin for a few hours about her grandmother and family. There are a lot of stories still to share. We had a nice snack with my second cousin's fiancé as we continued to talk about my plans when I come home. It was a great day.

Canada Trip

I forgot to blog about this when it happened, so here I go. Over Thanksgiving Break I visited Vancouver, Canada to see The Vinyl Cafe by Stewart McLean on Saturday November 28.
Trip to Canada with Grandmere and Grandpere
November 26-29, 2009
Destinations:
Vancouver, Langley, Tsawassen, Canada
Point Roberts, United States of America
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Olympia, Washington, United States of America to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
I went to school and did my two classes of the day after an hour break of walking around the school. We then started to drive up I-5 towards Canada. I had packed everything the night before with Grandmere. It was an easy drive up, quick and speedy, even through Seattle there was no delay. We went up past Bellingham, the furthest north I had been in Washington, and through the farmland to Blaine. We went to the border. We waited about 5 minutes, and went through. The farthest north I had ever been. It is White Rock, and lots of farms in the lower Fraser river valley. We went up easily, and went to our hotel in Vancouver. We went shopping at the Burrard Street mall to get some things for my grandfather. We went back to our hotel and watched a special on the geology of the Great Lakes. I went swimming in the hotel.

Thanksgiving, Thursday, 26 November 2009
Vancouver, Stanley Park, and University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
We started our day with a nice breakfast at our hotel. We then went to Stanley Park where we drove around the perimeter of the park. We first stopped at the totem poles, of course, where we took pictures and got some souvenirs. We continued to drive along the perimeter of the park and took pictures of Burrard Inlet. For an inlet surrounded by city it is very pretty. We went to the northernmost part where there is the lighthouse where we read the signs on its history. We finished going around the park and then came back to our hotel where we saw an escort of police cars going past our hotel. We then went out to the University of British Columbia. It is a very big campus. We went to their museum on First Peoples. An excellent museum, smaller than but definitely as good as the Royal BC Museum. We went around the campus looking at what was happening. There was a graduation happening, so the place was very crowded. We went back into Vancouver where we had dinner on Robson Street, which has a lot of restaurants as I discovered through Google Maps. We walked there and ate a delicious dinner of lamb, and when we were coming back we looked in some shops. I stopped in a bookstore where I saw a book my science teacher has, Pocket Reference by Thomas J. Glover, which is now going to go with me when I go overseas. When we came back to the hotel I drafted a letter concerning the lack of economics in high school and the excess of PE. I went swimming in the pool.

One thing that happened was my grandfather while talking to the person at the front desk said, “Oh, you Canadians,” in a sneering voice. I was embarrassed.

Friday, 27 November 2009
Vancouver, Ladner, Tsawassen, British Columbia, Canada, and Point Roberts, Washington, United States of America
We started today by going south to Ladner, where my grandfather and I looked at a boat he was interested in. It had some problems which he didn't want to fix, so he said he wouldn't buy it. However, that boat could go around the world, is comfortable, and the cabin is about 5' 5” tall. It would have been a nice boat to work on, but he didn't want to repair something he just bought. We then went south to Point Roberts. We started by going to the Tsawassen Ferry Docks, but we realized when we were on a narrow spit of land that we were in the wrong place, so we turned around. When we were driving down, we realized that we didn't have the papers allowing me to go overseas with my grandparents. However, we decided to try it anyways, a bit risky in my opinion. We got onto the right road and drove to the 49th parallel, the longest unfortified border in the world, where we showed our passports to the American and he said he didn't know if we would be able to get back across without them, but we decided to go anyways. We went to the marina. It is a nice little place. We drove around the western shore and drove back to Canadian customs. We got through easily despite not having the papers. We were lucky the customs official understood it was a simple mistake. We ate at an excellent restaurant in Tsawassen where they served Fish and Chips. They were inexpensive, were prompt, and had excellent food. I will go there every time I am in Tsawassen. We drove back to highway 99 and back to Vancouver. We went back to our hotel and dropped our stuff off. We walked to the art museum that is a short walk away which had an exhibit on American and Canadian landscape paintings on the first floor. We saw the entire museum and then went back to our hotel where we had some drinks in the coffee shop. We spent the rest of our day in our hotel room, and I went swimming a little bit too quickly because I had some tummy trouble.

During that day there was a group of girls from Kootenay on a school field trip that arrived.

Saturday, November 28, 2009
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
We woke up and I finished my Thanksgiving dinner. We then went down to the restaurant where we had our breakfast. We went to the room, got our materials, and then drove across False Creek to the Maritime Museum where we went to see the first ship that circumnavigated North America. It was a great exhibit, I got some flag pins for me and my brother, and we then went to Granville Island. It is a very nice market, and we got lunch and some items of course. While talking to a person who worked at a stand, he said some hateful things against the president. It is okay to speak out against someone in power, I personally have some concerns with the fiscal issues. But he talked of him as if he was talking of Satan, and I was so embarrassed to be related to him that I walked to another stall. We went through Granville Island and bought some more things, and we then went to the hotel. We had our dinner in the hotel, got showered, and dressed. The theater where the Vinyl Cafe was was sold out. Stewart McLean uses his arms and voice very well, and the musicians were really good. There were three stories, one having to do with punch and alcohol, bicycles, and one other.

Sunday, November 29, 2009
We ate breakfast at the hotel. We ate breakfast at the hotel, got out of the hotel quickly, and were leaving at the same time as the girls from Kootenay. We got down to the 541 border crossing promptly and waited about 15 minutes. We got through with no problems, the customs official was nice, and we drove to a rest stop. While there I suggested that we go to Bellingham so that I could share Western with Grandmere and Grandpere. We ate a snackat a local bagel shop, which felt a lot like Bagel brothers. While in Bellingham Grandpere made snide comments about some High schoolers labeling them as Western Students. That was the last straw. We drove through the campus, but didn't stop anywhere. I will go back with Grandmere and Mom at some point, but Grandpere will not come along. The drive back to Olympia was easy, and the conversations were small. I was quiet in the back seat until we reached Tacoma where I took out my little black book. When we got home I talked to Grandpa, and put my things away before taking my math test.

I have told Grandmere and Mom how much Grandpere embarrassed me through myself, my family, of my nationality, and intelligence. This is the last time I go outside Washington with him willingly.

Remarks on destinations
Vancouver is very pretty for being such a large city. It is clean, most of the people are young, athletic, and there are few people on the corners. There are some, but not nearly as much as Los Angeles. However, there are a good number of sirens through the city from police cars because it is such a large city. About 2 blocks from our hotel there is a garden where people grow food, which gives a nice feel to the downtown area.

Stanley Park is a truly amazing park because of the foresight the people who created it had when it was created.

The Canadians of southwestern British Columbia are so excited about hosting the Olympics. This is wonderful, and the pride of their country I have seen from them is wonderful.

Point Roberts is a really nice little peninsula, it is very unique, having a fair sized amount of people and being a practical exclave of the United States while being so close to Bellingham by boat. As we were driving through Tsawassen going down I wondered why you would live there. We assumed that they probably wouldn't be working because of the long border waits on some days, so I thought that it would probably be a retirement community. It is sheltered from Tsunamis by the Gulf/San Juan Islands, and gets cool breezes being on the Strait of Georgia. It is a nice little community with a nice marina and a little park. My grandparents were thinking that it is a wonderful place to retire. After being there, the border is best left how it is because the Americans who live there live there because it is somewhat isolated yet close to large cities, and people haven't moved there who still work because you have to cross the border twice in order to get to the rest of Washington by car.

The University of British Columbia is an excellent school with a very wide variety of coursework they offer. It is one of the school I am considering going to, mainly because they have a phage lab I learned about a while back.

Other remarks

I will definately go with my grandmother on many trips in the future. She is one of four people I will travel with, the others being my father, and my other two grandparents who live in Chicago. She is fun to be with and I love her dearly. I hope the two of us can travel the world together, with no one else to darken the trip. That would be wonderful.

Australia trip

This summer, I went to Australia. It was a trip with People to People, which is an American organization founded by President Eisenhower, designed to culture understanding between cultures, and allow American students from 6th grade to adults travel the world in organized, well planned out trips. They travel to every continent on the globe.

July 14 - I went to Seattle Tacoma International Airport where I met with my fellow delegates and boarded a plane for Los Angeles International Airport. It was a nice flight on a Virgin aircraft. We landed in Los Angeles and hung around the airport for a number of hours. I didn't find LAX very well laid out, and it is hugemongos, so on a first glimpse, I thought it was a little confusing. We boarded V Australia late at night and took off. It was pretty smooth to the Australian coast, but a ways off of the Australian coast there was a thunderstorm, and our plane was hit. But it was barely a scratch and we landed as expected in Sydney at 7:10 am on July 16th. But since there were thunderstorms, we didn't depart from Cairns as expected. We stayed at the airport for many hours until about 4:00 PM. Before we got to leave, I saw an American show like Oprah playing in the airport, which was interesting in how much American media dominates the world. We then took off to Cairns in Queensland. We landed at 6:00 where we met Peeta, our delegation manager, and Hayden, our bus driver. We went to dinner first, and I had a tropical fish that was really tasty, followed by going to the hotel. It is in the tropics, so the sun set at 6:30, and we were at the hotel. We went to bed after writing in our journals.

July 17 - We started, after a continental breakfast at the resort, going to the reef. We went to a touristy place where they bring you out on a boat on the ocean to a dock that is in the reef. The sea was very rough. We docked with a dock that is in the ocean on the reef. It has a restaurant, and swimming equipment. I got into a wetsuit, which covers my entire body keeping me warm, and learned how to snorkel. I have swum all my life, and to put your face into the water and be able to breath took a minute to get used to. I swum in the small swimming area next to the dock, and then went back up. I went on a boat further out on the reef where I snorkeled with a group of people to people people. I saw amazing fish and the unique coral, which forms valleys, and is amazing. Coming from Washington, I am used to ocean water being freezing cold, but the tropical water was nice and warm. It is very pleasant to swim in. We went back to land and went straight to a night market where I bought a few things. It was a lot like a farmers' market, with many booths and many items for sale. I got some shirts.

July 18 - The next day we headed north to the rain forest. We went up the mountain to the top where there was a store and tourist gifts. We went into a little gondola and went down the mountain. It is a beautiful area, similar to the Hoh rainforest in the density of life, but different in the types of trees that are there. We went down the mountain stopping several times to walk around, and at the end were at the main place with a store and a few other things. I might have got something, and we then went to the Aboriginal cultural park. The first thing that we did was learn how to throw a boomerang. You throw it with it upright, but slanted towards your body a little, bringing it back, and then throwing it. We then threw spears at hay bails using a small stick that gives us better leverage. We then went to learn about a leaf that smells like lemons that also makes noses clear of goo, followed by face painting, and going to see a play. Some boys from our delegation got their chests painted and they danced with the Aborigines which was really fun. We finished the day by going on the road to the farm stay. We arrived, unpacked, had dinner, and then went star gazing. We saw the southern cross, and I now know how to find north, and south, a very useful skill.

July 19 - We started the day by learning how to milk a cow, something I hadn't done before, and seeing how they make meat out of livestock. I now know that I do not want to be a farmer. We then went to the freezing river where some people swimmed. I chose to stay out of the below 10 degree water. We then had free time, and I asked the farm owner about what sports they play in Australia. The sports they play the most are Australian football, American football, rugby, and soccer. We then went in groups to the old homestead, which is where the old farm owner Jack lived. He was not a very kind man, having hung some boys up by their toes for not doing a job correctly. It had many antiques, which was interesting to see. We ended the day by going around Woodley station in a truck. It is a very big farm, with many pastures that are all larger than my property. During that night, their son brought a very confused goat into both of our delegation's tents, which woke us up, and I've been told is a joke. I don't think it is very funny though.

July 20 - We left the homestead and went across the mountains back to the coast. We went south to the billabong wildlife sanctuary outside Townsville. We learned about different fauna of Australia including koalas, wombats, and crocodiles. We then kept going south until we got to Ayr, which is where we heard how Australian local government works. It is very similar to America's counties. We walked around Ayr and then went to our hotel. I relaxed in the hot tub a bit with people from our delegation and the Montana delegation which would be at the same hotels for a number of days.

July 21 - We drove a lot, and had a stop at a shopping mall in Mackay. We watched a lot of crocodile hunter on the bus. I got a nice shirt. We landed in Yeppoon, which is supposedly a very posh resort.

July 22 - The first thing we did was go to Capricorn caves. We learned a little about fruit bats and then climbed through the caves. There then were three cave hikes we could do, and I chose the intermediate one. It was really cool, with a couple places where the cave got really closed in. The front of my shirt, unlike a lot of other people's, was clean. We then made our way back to the resort after lunch. I found that their washer and dryer were very old, and I wasn't allowed in the weight room even though I am old enough. We then went to the crocodile farm which is where we saw how powerful crocodiles are once again and got to eat crocodile soup. It was a cool activity. They are extremely powerful creatures.

July 23 - Another driving day, though for lunch we stopped at a little christian school in Gin Gin. the kids were nice, and

July 24 - We drove again, down all the way to Brisbane. We went to Queen Street Mall where we shopped for several hours. We then went to where the ferry was going to take us to Moreton island, and saw some cricket. We crossed the bay and fed dolphins on the island. My phone got soaked when I walked into the water, and is completely ruined.

July 25 - We spent the day on Moreton Island. We fed pelicans. They are really big birds with yellow eyes. We went further into the island to the sand dunes through the rainforest in coaches. The trail is very bumpy. The sand was wet, and because of that we couldn't go sand tobogganing on a large dune in the island, which was disappointing because the other delegation did. The island is mainly rainforest and has great trees. We had lunch back at the lodge and went snorkeling at the wrecks. We were out of the tropics and the water was really cold, and I decided to come in. We were supposed to hold onto a line in the water too, and because people were sitting on it I couldn't reach it, so I went back on the boat. When we got back we got changed and after resting heard some lectures about the local dolphins and how much damage is being done to them by people. After hanging out in my hotel room after dinner, my friend Brian dragged me down to where people were dancing. I hung out and danced a little. It was cool. The first dance since 8th grade.

July 26 - We drove down to the Gold Coast. It is filled with amusement park rides and malls, a very preppy place. I got a couple things, but not much, and then we were in New South Wales after going back to the mainland. We drove into New South Wales, I missed the sign, and took on the coastal route through a rural area to Byron bay where we ate lunch. There is a local college that is probably like Evergreen and there was a music festival with hundreds of hippies. It was amazing what clothing they were wearing!!!! We went to a pizza restaurant and had lunch. I now know that Olympia is not the hippie capital of the world, that is Byron Bay. The streets looked like arts walk on steroids, and it wasn't even a parade! We went to the easternmost point of Australia too, which is Cape Byron. I got almost to the tip before it was time to go back. We drove south some more until we hit Ballina. We all met our families and I was with Mickey at Barb and Jordan's. They showed me some of their coins, from about 7 countries. Mickey and I gave them some USD to help with their collection. Before going to bed I played Battlefront II with Jordan on his Playstation.

July 27 - After dropping by a friend's house we went over to Jordan's school, which is a nice little Christian school in Ballina. We started by playing volleyball, basketball, and rugby, which was interesting. I was terrible at volleyball. We then had a snack, and I sat with some 6th/7th grade girls telling them about America. They were all interested and want to come here someday. I then tried rugby some more. We then had a detour to a tea tree oil plantation 500 meters from their school. We did a scavenger hunt through a maze and a small rainforest. The entire area around Ballina before the Europeans came was covered by rainforest. We watched a video about the farm and then walked back to the school. We were divided into groups and went into individual classrooms where my group did a quiz. I was in a 4th grade class. A lot of the questions were about words, and most of us Americans didn't know the answers, and then did some art. We took a piece of wood which we painted and put a long string at one end. It makes a loud whooshing noise when you spin it in the air. We then went back to the house on the bus. Barb came in right after we got home and we played soccer on the PS2. They offered to give us some of their coins and gave them some more USD. We went to dinner with the other Americans. I hung around and didn't do too much. we came home and got ready to leave after we gave our gifts. Mine was a book about Washington and a bag with Native American art on it, and 4 pens.

July 28 - We then went back on the coach and went south. We stopped at our final destination in Coffs harbor, where we saw the "big banana" which is a plantation with lots of banana things. We then went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was a good movie, but the end stopped 5 minutes too early and didn't include Dumbledore's funeral, which wouldn't take long to get the scene in, and it left out some important scenes that set up the Deathly Hallows.

July 29 - We drove all day and got to Sydney at 6:00. We ate and then went to the hotel, where I yet again couldn't get Internet.

July 30 - We spent the whole day in the Blue Mountains at a site managed by Full On which is a company that works with people to people only. We started the day by rappelling down a cliff. We started by practicing a little and then my half of the group did a maze first, which was on a checkerboard and you are supposed to go through without making any mistakes. We then went to the cliff which is a short walk away. I was near the back of the group and people went down in front of me. I went down, and saw the valley. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Once I was down it was easy and really cool. The fear you feel before you do it goes away once you start rappelling. We went back to the full on lodge. We started by breaking boards after lunch. I did a simple hand break, and made it on the third attempt. We spent the rest of the day doing other activities and hearing about a part in the back of your brain that helps you focus on what you want to focus on. We went back to Sydney after dinner.

31 July - Today was really cool. We went out to the waterfront where the opera house is. We looked around and saw the amazing architecture. We also went into the symphony hall where we heard the Sydney Symphony Orchestra rehearse for that night's performance. It was music to an old Russian movie about the Russian Revolution. We finished that and I got a few more souvenirs. We went then further into Sydney where we went to the top of Sydney tower. In it you can see boats coming to Australia 2 hours before you can in the harbor. We also walked outside of it tethered to the tower, and there were always barriers, so we couldn't fall. We went shopping at a mall, ate and then went back to the hotel, I went to the pool.

1 August - We went out first to the Sydney Cricket grounds. We met our guides and then went to the Football field. It is small by American standards, but fits the population of footballers in Sydney. We then went a little further to the cricket ground. It is one of the most important cricket grounds in the world and the field has been used for over a hundred years. I got to walk out on it. We all went to the practice cages and while there we played some. I unfortunately didn't get a chance to bat, which was disappointing, and I was bad at bowling too. We then went to Port Jackson. We went around on a boat where we ate lunch. We got to see the different inlets of it and it was a lot like Puget Sound, only smaller. After that, we went to an opal store where we learned about how rare opals are and how they are mined. We went shopping one last time at the Queen Victoria building. I was pretty shopped out by then, and I got a few pins for my landyard. We ate dinner and went back to the hotel for the last time.

2 August - Our last day in Australia. We started by driving to Bondi Beach. It is a nice beach and would be crowded in the summer time. I looked in a market which was right next to it, and couldn't decide which Harry Potter book to buy, so I didn't get any. We went back to Sydney for lunch and then went to the aquarium. They have a wonderful collection of fish from the southern Indian Ocean which is really cool. They also have marine mammals. We had an early dinner and then went back to the airport. Some of the people in my delegation put down their "race" for their nationality which upset one of the customs officials. We all got through and we were on our way back to America. 14 hours later we were in LAX. We had to go outside unfortunately to go to the other terminal. It was extremely humid outside. We got onto our flight home and there was Mom, Dad, and Giorgi waiting for me at the airport.

All in all, Australia is a really nice country and I will go again someday to share the sights with my family.

The Past Year

High school has been interesting. I am going into my junior year and I am in two clubs, Environmental club, where we recycle for the school, and debate, where I compete with debaters mainly from King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. It was pretty steady, with Jesse following me around while I'm sitting with my friends from Environmental club at lunch, and going through six classes, biology, history, geometry, wind ensemble (the advanced band), boring typing or simple weight lifting, both where all brain functions minus breathing, blinking and heart beat are turned off (not my choice. Wasn't even on the radar.), and then the pre-IB Honors English where we read Dickens. A very bizarre schedule for anyone, especially a scientist, 3-year knowledge bowler, and debater.

I went in August of 2008 to visit my grandparents in the Tri-cities. It was a good chance to get to know them as a teenager with more experience from the last time I had an extended visit, which was 2004 in Hillsboro.

I travelled to Victoria, Canada in December with my Mom, which was a fun trip. Lots of snow in the great white north.

On July 14, I board a plane to Los Angeles enroute to Sydney, Australia enroute to Cairns, Australia. It is going to be 7:45 PM July 15 PDT, or 12:45 PM July 16 local time when I finally land. I am going to go be excited for the whole thing, from aborigonees, to dolphin feeding, to home stays, and to the Sydney harbor bridge. Their money is nice because you can tell denominations quickly because their length is different.

Running Start starts in late September with cheap college credit and getting an associates degree in my senior year.