Donald Trump: Not A Friend Of Veterans

2/9

My friend David Reese has written about the use of veterans, specifically physically disabled ones, as political props.  He’s also written on the problems associated with empty statements of support for veterans.  It’s insightful stuff and I have been thinking of it a lot as the election season has kicked off.  Politicians love to use veterans to achieve their goals.  Like a lot of politicking, it can be painful to watch, but in most cases it is just the way the game is played.  However, Donald Trump has crossed into new territory in using veterans as political tools with his “fundraiser” after he decided his feelings were too hurt for the Iowa debate.  Trump’s event was an egregious attempt at parlaying the broad support in society for veterans into political gain once Trump realized he had made a strategic mistake in the Iowa campaign.  Of all the candidates this cycle, Trump has demonstrated the worst understanding of veterans and veterans’ issues.  Let’s dispel once and for all with this fiction that Donald Trump is an ally of veterans.

“I always felt like I was in the military.”
-Donald J. Trump

I don’t hold it against Trump that he didn’t serve in the military.  Most Americans have not served in the military.  It does not make them lesser Americans.  Veterans do not hold a special class of citizenship, nor should we.  My generation of veterans made a choice to serve.  For me it was the right choice and I am proud of it.  A lack of military service is not something to be ashamed of, however claiming that you were pretty much in the military is demeaning to those of us who actually wore the uniform.  I don’t care that you didn’t serve, just don’t act as if you did.

Further, Trump has degraded the actual military service of others for political gain.  Mocking John McCain for having been a prisoner of war shows a casual disregard for the realities of combat service.  At least the Swift Boat Vets were actually in Vietnam.  His understanding of the effects of roadside bombs is also distorted.  IEDs were a signature feature of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  If all they brought about was a “little ride” when a Humvee struck them the death toll in those conflicts would have been significantly lower and countless cases of traumatic brain injury, amputation, mutilation, and other maladies would have been avoided.

In his capacity as a businessman Trump also has a history of being not so friendly to veterans.

Trump’s event in Iowa was a hasty attempt to use a politically sympathetic group as cover once it became clear that Fox News was not going to give in to his bullying.  His record shows his cluelessness towards military service and veterans issues.  The event itself had very little substance with regards to veterans’ issues and was just another chance for Trump to brag about how great a guy he is.  In the events wake Trump has attempted to use veterans as props and thankfully they have declined.  Trying to assist charities for veterans should be an apolitical act and groups are right to refuse to be dragged into campaigning.

Stating you support veterans does not make it so, especially if you have a tendency to distort and misunderstand service in the ways Trump has.  I would say that this stunt lowered my respect for Trump, but that is simply not possible at this point.

Voicing faux concern couched in anti-immigrant rhetoric does nothing to help struggling veterans.  Spreading misinformation about the VA does not fix its problems.  Writing what surely must be the classiest, most sophisticated check ever written for veterans’ groups does not make you a great American.  If you want to make America great for veterans use your platform to actually identify problems facing them and put forward intelligent policy prescriptions.  Bombing the “shit out of” ISIS or Iraq or any other group or country for that matter is not a serious foreign policy plan and it does not lead me to believe that service members, future veterans, under Commander-in-Chief Trump would be valued.  Valuing veterans begins with valuing service members and not blindly planning to place them in danger because it gets applause at a campaign event.

Donald Trump is not a friend to veterans.  He’s a child contemptuously parading as a serious candidate.  His support of veterans is superficial, opportunistic, and dismaying.  America’s veterans deserve better.

Donald, feel free to let me know how much of a loser I am for not properly appreciating cynical rhetoric and theater.

Leadership Fails Separating Service Members

“Military leaders and commands regularly fail to provide the right climate for transition and offer little support once service members decide to separate rather than reenlist.”

I have a new piece published at Task & Purpose looking at the ways military leaders fail their subordinates when it comes time for those subordinates to separate from the military.  Rather than being assets, many leaders are roadblocks to a successful transition.

Northern Ireland Links (Plus More Photos)

12/30

I realize that Northern Ireland and the conflict around it gets quite convoluted at times.  In my last post I probably employed certain phrases and discussed certain issues that I didn't bother to define.    To help your understanding here are a few links that can aid in enlightenment.

CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet): Probably the best one stop resource for information on the conflict in Northern Ireland.  Check it out for background.

Good Friday Agreement: Commonly viewed as the agreement to end the Troubles.  The process behind was drawn out and nearly totally derailed on several occasions.  It was not accepted by all paramilitaries leading to continued violence by some dissident groups.  If you have hours of free time consider watching the BBC-produced series "Endgame in Ireland" (available on YouTube).

Should Paramilitary Murals in Belfast Be Repainted? Questions of how to deal with one of the most widely known visible legacies of the Troubles.  I'd argue that they are integral for understanding how participants and community members understand the conflict and that eliminating them at this time would do little to heal the sectarian chasm.

The Siege of Derry as retold by a unionist website- centuries later the events still resonate.

Derry/Londonderry: The politics of the city's complicate even simple news coverage

 

Here are a few more photos of Belfast and Derry:

Hola from Spain (Part Two)

The Bogside in Derry viewed from the city walls

12/12

 

To pick up where Part One ended, my Ireland experience was not limited to simply the Republic of Ireland.  Northern Ireland is a constituent country of the United Kingdom, but if you were to travel between the Republic and the North without knowing better, you could easily fail to notice that you had made an international journey.  The landscape does not change, no significant geographic features demarcate the border as you travel along the highway to Belfast, and formal border checkpoints are not in place.  An inconspicuous road sign welcomes you to Northern Ireland and alerts you that speed limits are denominated in miles per hour rather than kilometers per hour.  Other subtle signals let travelers know which country they sit in.  Gone are the place names in both English and Irish, as in the Republic.  Northern Ireland’s signs feature only English.  Gone too are references to the Garda, law enforcement on this side of the border is handled by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.  The pound replaces the euro as the currency de jure.  All these differences, even when taken together, seem quite small.  It may be possible to experience Northern Ireland without feeling that it is all that different from the rest of the island.  However, it is the unique history of Northern Ireland, the events before and after the island’s partition in 1921, that were of particular interest to me.

I visited the two largest cities in the Northern Ireland, Belfast and Derry.  While a few days spent between the two cities was not enough to experience them fully, which is a truism for nearly every location, it was sufficient to get a glimpse of what interested me.

The three decades of regular political violence in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles left their mark in both cities.  In Belfast one of the areas that saw the most activity during the Troubles was in West Belfast where the Falls Road and the Shankill Road neighborhoods exist next to each other.  Though both are working class areas, the neighborhoods are divided by sectarian identities.  The Falls is a Catholic neighborhood, while the Shankill is Protestant.

I spent a day walking through both areas.  Though the two neighborhoods sit right next to each other, they are separated by a barrier, sunnily known as a “peace line,” which has remained in place longer than the Berlin Wall. Clues like murals and flags make it clear which side of the barrier a visitor is standing in.

The Cupar Way peace line separating the Falls and the Shankill

The Cupar Way peace line separating the Falls and the Shankill

Located around the Falls Road are a number of places with significance to the Irish republican movement.  A local Sinn Féin office, adorned with a widely reproduced mural of Bobby Sands, sits blocks from the Irish Republican History Museum.  The museum exhibits uniforms, weaponry, political art, and handicrafts relating to Irish republicanism and the Troubles.

Displays in the small, but dense, Irish Republican History Museum

Displays in the small, but dense, Irish Republican History Museum

Bobby Sands was an IRA member serving a prison term at the Maze Prison who died after 66 days on hunger strike.  During the strike he was elected to the British parliament.

At the other end of the Falls Road is Milltown Cemetery.  A number of significant Irish republicans are buried in a plot replete with memorials to their efforts.  The most well-known burial is Bobby Sands, but along with him are numerous political activists and Irish Republican Army volunteers.  In 1988 the cemetery gained attention when Michael Stone, a loyalist paramilitary volunteer, attacked mourners at the funerals of three IRA volunteers who were killed in Gibraltar.  Stone used hand grenades and hand guns in the attack to wound more than 60 people and kill three.  Stone was sentenced to life in prison, released in 2000 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, and is currently back in prison for plotting to kill two leading Sinn Féin politicians.  He has been celebrated in some quarters of the loyalist community.

A portion of the republican section at Milltown Cemetery

A portion of the republican section at Milltown Cemetery

On the other side of the peace wall are the same kinds of commemorations as in the Falls Road, but from the opposite perspective.  Like the Falls, the Shankill experienced a disproportionate share of violence during the Troubles.  IRA bombings and shootings targeting locations and residents of the neighborhood were common.  Loyalist paramilitaries, notably the Ulster Volunteer Forces and Ulster Defence Association, were based in the Shankill and are still celebrated on a number of murals.

The mural greeting visitors upon walking through the gate between the Falls and the Shankill

UVF memorial mural utilizing poppy imagery typically associated with World War I remembrance.

A memorial to the First World War along the Shankill Road.  Symbolism and rhetoric related to the war is often used by loyalists.

Mural commemorating the Ulster Covenant, a 1912 oath signed by nearly 240,000 men opposing Irish Home Rule.

Belfast is also home to the Ulster Museum.  As the largest museum in Northern Ireland, the Ulster Museum houses an impressive mixture of collections.  A large exhibit is dedicated to the history of Northern Ireland.  Other exhibits include natural history and art.

The facade of the Ulster Museum- notice the bizarre meshing of architectural styles.  The original building was constructed in the 1920s, while the brutalist extension was completed in the 1960s. 

The facade of the Ulster Museum- notice the bizarre meshing of architectural styles.  The original building was constructed in the 1920s, while the brutalist extension was completed in the 1960s. 

With a population of around 100,000, Derry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland.  The name of the city has been a point of controversy between the nationalist and loyalist communities.  Officially, the city is known as Londonderry.  This reflects the contribution of London guilds to the establishment of the modern city during the plantation of Ulster.  The area and an earlier settlement were originally known as Derry.  While both names are commonly used to refer to the area, the decision to use one versus the other was traditionally interpreted as a reflection of a speaker’s identity or sentiments.  Protestants or unionists would refer to the city as Londonderry, while Catholics or nationalists would refer to the city as Derry.  Today Derry is more widely used in the vernacular, regardless of sectarian identity, but the issue remains complicated.

Derry’s old city is contained within a walled area.  The city walls during the 17th century and are the only complete city walls within Ireland.  Historically, the Protestant population lived within the city walls, while Catholics lived beyond them in an area known as the Bogside.  With time the Catholic population has displaced the Protestant population within and around most of the walled city.  The majority of Derry’s Protestants now live on the opposite bank of the River Foyle.

Bloody Sunday Memorial

The 1960s Catholic civil rights movement was strong in Derry.  Among the leaders was future Nobel Peace Prize and Derry native John Hume.  This activism made Derry the setting of a number of the defining episodes in the preceding and early years of the Troubles.  Most notorious of these is Bloody Sunday, an incident in which 14 unarmed civilians were shot and killed by British Army soldiers during a demonstration protesting the practice of internment.  In popular culture this event was commemorated in the U2 song “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

As in Befast, a number of political murals exist in Derry.  The most visible of these are in the area known as Free Derry Corner in the Bogside.  From 1969 through 1972 this area was frequently barricaded off by nationalists and British security forces were prevented from entering. Bloody Sunday occurred in this area.

Iconic Free Derry Mural

A small protestant neighborhood, the Fountain estate, still exists just outside the old city walls.  The neighborhood is enclosed by peace walls on the sides not shielded by the city walls.  British flags, painted curbs, and unionist murals leave no room for doubt as to the neighborhood’s identity.

Loyalist mural in the Fountain.  This relies on several simple, but powerful tropes and historical references.  "No Surrender" is one of the most common loyalist refrains. In 1689, Protestant forces were besieged for three months by Catholic forces during the war between supporters of William of Orange and James II for control of the English throne.  Protestant forces eventually broke the siege.  The use of Londonderry as the place name plays to the language politics of the city.

Free Derry and the events of Bloody Sunday are documented in the Museum of Free Derry.  It is in a small (and quite cold) space within the walled city while the permanent location in the Bogside is being renovated.  The brother of one of the victims of Bloody Sunday guided visitors around the museum during my time at the museum.  His personal experience and stories added to the museum’s displays.

Displays in the Museum of Free Derry

Displays in the Museum of Free Derry

Those sites related to the recent conflicts in Derry are hardly the only things that make the city worth a visit.  As mentioned above, the city walls are a landmark themselves.  They form a one-mile loop.  Provided the weather is pleasant, which is asking a lot considering that it is still the island of Ireland, the walls make for a great walk and way to see both nearby and faraway areas of the city.

The Tower Museum, housed in a tall tower next to the city wall’s, gives the city’s history from early settlement to modern events.  Another exhibit displays finds from a Spanish Armada wreck discovered off the coast of Donegal, just across the border in the Republic.

Derry city walls and gate

Derry city walls and gate

Northern Ireland shares the beauty, allure, and availability of high quality alcohol of its neighbor to the south.  Beyond that, it has the tragic and muddled recent history that continues to shape it.  


Keep checking back for the final post in this series- the one where I actually talk about Spain.

Hola from Spain (Part One)

Lake Ägeri, Switzerland

12/11

I have been neglecting to keep up this blog for a while now.  With my days left in Europe numbering somewhere closer to the number of members of Five for Fighting than the Jackson Five, it seems that I should provide some updates. 

I am currently in Algeciras, Spain.  Morocco is the next destination and so my African adventure will begin with a few weeks in the land of Atlas Mountains, Berbers, the oldest American diplomatic property in the world, and the hash that contributed to Burroughs' state of mind as he wrote Naked Lunch.

In the last month I’ve seen the ancestral homeland of the Nussbaumers in Switzerland, looped around the coast of Ireland, and cast my eyes upon the continent of Africa from the southern extremities of Europe.  In each of these places I’ve had unique experiences that join the long list of highlights of a journey that I can fortunately say has been consistently pleasant, stimulating, and varied.

 

In my last post I left off with my wild adventures at the unmissable Räbechilbi Richterswil.  I have not attended any turnip festivals since then.  That is probably for the best, as any other would likely pale in comparison.  To recover from the excitement of turnips I headed to tranquil Zug.  Zug is a welcoming place to people of all walks of life, particularly those that have luck to be corporations.  (Need I remind you that corporations are people too?)  As a particularly low tax locale, Zug is home to more corporations than humans.

 My main draw to Zug, other than exploring if it was possible to start living as a corporation and save on my tax bill, was to see the land that my great-great-grandparents abandoned for America. Oberägeri on tranquil Lake Ägeri has grown in the 125 years since Benedict and Adelheid packed up and left.  Yet, with a population of around 6000, it still feels sleepy and insulated from the outside.

Views like this are surely what convinced Transocean to move from Houston to Zug

One of the excitements of being in Oberägeri is the chance to see the Nussbaumer name plastered on more buildings, buses, and (in a morbid turn) gravestones than I have encountered in all my life.  It’s enough to see why the orange haired wizard of Chapter 11 likes to put his name on the classiest steaks, board games, and bottled water ever seen in his commercial crusade to Make America Great Again.

Roughly translated it means something along the lines of "Nussbaumer- Holla Atcha Boy"

Oberägeri and Zug, being surrounded by hills and situated at the lakeside, benefit from surpluses of verdant natural beauty simply unmatched by most of the earth.  It could lead one to question why anyone would choose to leave.  Then again, 19th century Switzerland was not the land of bankers and corporate mailboxes that it is now.  I won’t complain, for as Lee Greenwood sang in that sweetly jingoistic jingle, I’m proud to be an American.

Oberägeri: Blue skies, green fields, and plenty of Nussbaumers

Ducks on Lake Ägeri- perhaps we were destined to be a UO family

German beer: financing not needed to afford

From Zug I made a brief stopover in Basel.  At this point my rail pass had only a single day left on it. Determined to make the most of this, in an act of exuberance I made the decision to make the 45 minute trip to Freiburg, Germany, where I could enjoy one last German kebab and more than one German beers for a price that would not treat my wallet to a bit of monetary liposuction.  Sure, Switzerland is gorgeous, but at least Germany feels affordable.

 The next day I took my first flight of this trip since landing in Istanbul more than four months earlier, this time to Dublin.  Considering that Ireland’s climate is fairly similar to that of Oregon, but a tad wetter, commonsense would dictate that November is not the ideal time to visit.  However, considering that I was in Europe and that flights to and from the island cost less than a used textbook, commonsense went out that window and I have no regrets.  In my two weeks on the Emerald Isle I managed to make a tour around the island, absorb the beauty of the land, and enjoy the local tipples

 

In Dublin I visited two local ethanol producers for tours and product familiarization.  The first, a quaint operation known as the Arthur Guinness Brewing Company, is one of the icons of Ireland.  Few things are more associated with this country than the dark stuff coming from the St. James’s Gate Brewery.  Having checked out my share of breweries, this one is definitely the largest brewery I have toured. Much of the tour is the same as any other brewery, though it caters to a broader audience than the craft brewery tours I'm used to.  You can’t expect much variation when a product only has four ingredients.  However, being a large operation the Guinness Experience also covers the unique aspects of the company’s history, including their distinctive marketing efforts.  The tour culminates with the opportunity to learn how to properly pour a pint.  They insist it takes 119.5 seconds to do right.  While pouring Guinness might be more involving than pouring standard swill like PBR, moving a handle and holding a glass at an angle is not rocket appliances.  Whatever the marketing may be, the product is good and brand’s longevity is understandable.

A portion of the Guinness Brewery as viewed from the River Liffey

When Barack "O'Bama" Obama drinks from your keg you better put it in your company archives

The other producer of sweet liquid intoxicants I visited was the Teeling Whiskey Distillery, a relatively young enterprise and the only active distillery in the city of Dublin.  Personally, I prefer beer to whiskey, but I appreciate a bit of diversity in my drinking portfolio and you won’t find me complaining if I have a well made Old Fashioned in my hand.  Teeling was my first experience seeing the inner workings of a whiskey distillery and I did learn more about the process than I knew before.  Like any proper tour, this one ended with the chance to try the product.  I’m no expert, but, in short, I approve of Teeling Whiskey.

 In the time I wasn’t learning about the transformation of sugar into sweet, sweet ethanol, I also sought out some of the city’s other attractions.

The National Museum of Ireland's Decorative Arts and History branch had an exhibit on the Irish at war.  This focused both on the military activities of Irish in Ireland as well as abroad over the last 500 years.  Considering the turbulent times on the island and the size of the Irish diaspora, a significant amount of information is covered.  The role of the Irish in America’s military is devoted a fair amount of space.  The museum building is also of interest because it was originally a military barracks and functioned in this capacity for over three hundred years before museum conversion in the 1990s.

The Fighting 69th, an infantry regiment that has served in conflicts from the US Civil War through Afghanistan, gets particular attention for its Irish roots.

The former Collins Barracks' parade deck

They got this display right

 Dublin is fairly unique in having two cathedrals, St. Patrick’s and Christ Church, in the city located within blocks of one another.  I walked around the exteriors of both, but only took the time to see the interior of Christ Church.  I think I can be forgiven for my impiety considering that both churches charge an entrance fee.  The interior of Christ Church is not outstanding, though still interesting, in light of the countless churches I’ve seen in the past months.   Fans of The Tudors may recognize it, as it has been used as a filming location in that series. Fans of Joyce may recall that in Finnegans Wake a reference is made to the cat and rat that were trapped in the cathedral’s organ and mummified.  Admittedly, I’m a fan of neither, but signs on displays provided these interesting bits.

Christ Church Cathedral with a surprising amount of blue sky in the background

Inside of Christ Church Cathedral

Cat and Mouse: Play it and you could end up mummified in a pipe organ.  You've been warned.

Ireland's oldest harp

Ireland's oldest harp

Trinity College Dublin has an impressive library which is most famously home to the Book of Kells.  This intricately crafted manuscript containing the Gospels is impressive with its beautiful calligraphy, colorful decorations, and Celtic styling.  Also impressive is the library’s Long Room.  Long, as implied by the name, and narrow, it is lined with the busts of philosophers and writers through the ages.  On display are an original copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic from the 1916 Easter Rising and the oldest harp in Ireland.  The olfactory senses are treated to the rich scents of mahogany and leather bound books.  Were it to be bottled, I might just start wearing cologne to increase my aura of sophistication.

Following Dublin made the journey to Cork, the third largest city on the island, with a night’s layover in Waterford.  The University College Cork campus is one of the main sights in the city and beautifully kept.  The city also has two quality brewpubs, Franciscan Well and Rising Sons, as well as the significantly larger scale Murphy’s Brewery.  I enjoyed beers from all three.  My motivation for visiting Cork extended beyond academia and fermentation and onto live music.  Titus Andronicus, one of favorite bands, was on tour and in town.  Considering that their album The Monitor was essentially the soundtrack to seven of the most frustrating, but character shaping, months of my life, I could not pass up this opportunity.  The concert was in an intimate venue with a small crowd.  Their sound lends itself well to a live environment where the richness of the music can assault the eardrums with full intensity.  Of all the ways I could be reminded of my tinnitus, this is one of the most preferable.

University College Cork Quad

University College Cork Quad

Galway was the next stop after Cork.  It was here that I got perhaps the best day of weather in my two weeks, though it was sandwiched between days of the typical wet and cold.  I took advantage of the situation to go for a walk along Galway Bay.  The sunny, windy, and brisk conditions call to mind more comparisons to Oregon while remaining distinct.  I found myself refreshed in walking around town in the sun and appreciating the island’s beauty even more.

The best weather observed in Ireland

I will continue my final update from Europe in another post to follow shortly after this one.  I still have my time in Northern Ireland and here in Spain to recount.

Grüetzi from Switzerland

11/15

I would say that the past few weeks have been among the best of my trip as I have had the chance to reunite with several of the friends I made while traveling.

I met up again with Paul in Berlin.  At this rate we should probably be hunting for an apartment and looking for pets together.

In Berlin we met up with my friend Sebastian, whom I met in Ukraine.  Being a Berliner, Sebastian was nice enough to show Paul and I around the city.  We got to see and do all the standard fare- the Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, and late night bars (though by Berlin standards we were done pretty early).

They're big fans of Taylor Swift in Berlin

It was easy to spend a week in Berlin.  It's also a surprisingly cheap city by European standards.  Museums tend not to be exorbitant,  a decent kebab can be had for under 4 euros, and relatively inexpensive beer from the market can be enjoyed on the street.

I went to Brussels for a few days after Berlin.  There I had the good luck to run into Sebastian again.  We checked out the Atomium (Brussels' overpriced vestige of the 1958 World's Fair), the European quarter, and met up with local friends of his to tipple.  Belgium is worth the trip for the beer alone.  The diversity of beers breaks up weeks of German lagers.  As any enthusiast knows, they are also deceptively strong.  It doesn't take many to feel their effects.

Being in Brussels also provided me the opportunity for a day trip to Flanders and few sites related to First World War.  Ypres (Ieper in Dutch) was the site of some of the worst fighting of the war.  The trench warfare and use of gas that typifies the Western Front was in full effect here.  The fighting has been immortalized in the poem "In Flanders Fields" by the Canadian soldier John McCrae.

I visited the In Flanders Fields Museum and Menin Gate in Ypres and the Flanders Field American War Cemetery in Waregem.  The museum occupies part of the Cloth Hall, an old Gothic building destroyed during the war and only completely restored in 1967.  The Menin Gate commemorates all those British and Commonwealth soldiers killed around Ypres and whose bodies were never recovered, a staggering 54,896 names in total.

The Cloth Hall in Ypres, home to the In Flanders Field Museum.

The American cemetery is the least visited of the three sites and the smallest American war cemetery on European soil.  It's a tranquil and exceedingly tidy place.

The Netherlands was my next stop after Belgium.  Taking the train between Brussels and Zwolle leads to an appreciation of just how flat the Netherlands is.  The fertile green fields attest the country's role as one of the world's largest agricultural exporters.

It's not a serious post about the Netherlands if you omit windmills.

Zwolle is off the normal tourist route.  I spent three days staying with Anton, an incredibly hospitable, fun, and well traveled Dutchman I met earlier in Turkey.  I was lucky enough to have Anton show me around town and introduce me to several typical Dutch foods.  The best of these was stroopwafel, a delicious sweet made with two layers a dough and a syrupy filling.  They are undoubtedly my favorite snack that I have discovered in Europe.  Anton says that I am not alone in my affections.

Even in the Netherlands it's hard to escape the reach of home.

Following Zwolle came the obligatory stop in Amsterdam.  It's a very pretty city.  Yes, the prostitutes and pot that fuel popular conceptions are easily found.  However, by being sanctioned they lose a bit of their edginess.  Amsterdam's red light district feels like a more honest, explicit, and paradoxically clean version of Vegas than the grimy red light districts to be found elsewhere with their local crackheads and heavy odors of despair.

De Wallen during the day.  Roxanne has yet to put out her red light on this day.

Amsterdam offers more than sensual stimulation with its many museums.  The downside is their consistently high admission prices.  For a budget traveler like myself this means the need to be discerning.  Following my interest in World War II and the Holocaust that has shaped much of travels so far, I visited the Anne Frank House and the Resistance Museum.  The Anne Frank House is one of Amsterdam's most visited sites and incredibly moving.  The individual story of Anne Frank is well-known and the feelings the house provides are visceral.  What is most powerful though is the realization that the story of hiding, destruction, and dehumanization is one repeated millions of times across Europe.  The Resistance Museum details the varied nature of Dutch reaction to Nazi rule.  While focusing on the ways, big and small, that the citizenry resisted occupation, it also documents collaboration and complicity during the period.  The museum seeks to present the moral, ethical, and practical questions that arise in the circumstances.  It's an overlooked museum.  The absence of crowds allows for more quiet reflection on the questions presented.

This all brings me to where I am now, Switzerland.  After a brief stop in Luxembourg, I arrived via train yesterday.  A few curious things occurred in the course of this transit that are worth mentioning.  Some of the larger French train stations had a presence of uniformed and armed military personnel that I have not generally observed elsewhere.  Upon arrival in Switzerland I had to pass through passport controls.  This is not usual, being that France and Switzerland are in the Schengen area.  I assume that this is all in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris the night before.  These were fairly small things, but noticeable.  The attacks otherwise have not seemed to impact daily routines in these parts.  Though the sense of shock with what has occurred is obvious. 

Turnip for what?

Here in Switzerland I had the chance to reunite with yet more friends.  In Brussels I met two fellow Americans, Bianca and Emily.  We realized in the course of discussing our travels that we would be in Switzerland at the same time.  Further, they informed me that would be attending Europe's largest turnip festival in Richterswil.  First of all, yes, there is such a thing as a turnip festival.  For all I know, Räbechilbi Richterswil may be the only turnip festival in Europe.  It is just the type of odd thing that makes traveling worthwhile.   For the festival the town's residents hollow out turnips, carving designs in them, and place tea lights inside.  With these spread everywhere, the town seems as if it's celebrating Lilliputian Halloween.  What makes it great though is the parade through the main street of town.  Floats covered with these turnip lanterns accompanied by bands provide entertainment for crowds squeezing to fit into the small town.  My friends may have Sasquatch or Coachella to remember (or not remember), but I've got Räbechilbi Richterswil 2015 and that's pretty hard to top.

Thanks again to all the people I've met here in Europe who have made this such a memorable time.

Hallo (again) from Germany

10/26

It has been a while since I've made any updates to the blog, more than anything that reflects the hurried pace I've been traveling at, as usual.  As I write this I am on a three hour train ride from Trier to Cologne, meaning that I finally have a block of time to string together a few sentences.

Since my last update I've moved considerably far north and west.  My travels have gone from Zagreb, Croatia, to Budapest, Hungary, to Bratislava, Slovakia, to Vienna, Austria, to Mauren, Liechtenstein, to Konstanz, Germany, to Heidelberg, to Frankfurt.  It's slightly overwhelming to think about all these places I've been in such a short amount of time.  The reason for this pace is twofold, I'm maximizing my use of my rail pass before it expires in the middle of November and I want to be in Spain at that time so that I can hop a ferry to Morocco when my visa expires.

The places I've been to in this time have varied in so many ways, but there wasn't one that I failed to enjoy (I might have appreciated if Bratislava had been less heavy on the rain).

The time in Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna was particularly fun because I managed to reunite with my Turkey travel mate Paul.  As I've said before, he's a lot of fun and a lot help.  He provides great entertainment on the road. 

My rail pass has been of real use lately as I've explored this part of Germany.  Most days I don't know where exactly I'm going to head until I'm on a train.  It also makes it possible to squeeze a lot into a day and do otherwise frivolous things like heading to Cologne just to grab a Kölsch.  

Venice: Lagoon City

Venice viewed from the Campanile di San Marco

The city at night

 

Gondola's floating down one of Venice's canals

Venice is easily one of the most touristed cities in Europe, especially once you consider its relatively small size.  The typical tourist fare from gondolas to the Piazza San Marco exists just as presented in guidebooks.  As a visitor it is hard to be disappointed by the city.  It draws nearly 10 million tourists a year for a reason.

Being on a lagoon, the city feels like it violates common sense for siting a human community.  This is part of its magnetism and thankfully it does exist to be visited.  You would be hard pressed to find another city that offers everything you find in Venice.

In keeping with a trend of other cities I've visited, Venice has appeared in three James Bond movies, making it one of the most frequented locales in the franchise.  From Russia With Love, Moonraker, and Casino Royale all contain scenes in Venice.  For what it's worth, my personal favorite is probably Moonraker's boat chase.

Despite all the museums, galleries, and churches in Venice, the best activity is exploring the city on foot and getting lost along its canals.  The walkways are a labyrinth with seemingly endless permutations for getting from one location to another.  For backpacker with limited means, getting lost is the most budget friendly activity in pricey Venice.

Exploring the city on foot can lead to some pleasantly surprising discoveries.  Not all parts of the city are consumed with masses of people.  It's also possible to find some green spaces.  The Giardini Pubblici is the largest of these.  The greenhouse along this park area is great spot to enjoy some wine and some shade.

Statue at the edge of the Giardini Pubblici

A tranquil street devoid of both canals and crowds

 

Piazza San Marco during a relatively quiet moment

The Piazza San Marco is the buzzing hive of tourist activity.  Here can be found the Basilica di San Marco, the Palazzo Ducale, and more cafes and restaurants than can be counted.

The Clock Tower in the Piazza di San Marco

At one time Venice was a true power.  Just in my travels I have seen where this little city built fortresses in Montenegro and fought the Turks in Athens.  Even though tourists flock to Venice today, the city’s glory has actually been on the decline for centuries.  These days Venice is no longer a powerful republic in its own right, but another city in big Italy.  The decline in power is not all that bad of thing though.  As a visitor one of the benefits of this is the ability to visit the grand buildings from the height of Venetian prestige.  

Palazzo Ducale courtyard

The most noteworthy civic building is the Palazzo Ducale.  The palace, tucked next to Basilica di San Marco was home to the rulers of Venice (doges) starting in the 9th century.  It also housed numerous government chambers and a jail.  Inside and out, Palazzo Ducale is appropriately ornate.  Statues, paintings, and all measure of small details are to be observed.  Permanent exhibits provide an overview of the goings on of the Venetian government when the palace still served its original function.  A temporary exhibition on the role the Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s financial police, during World War I was on display during my visit and was fascinating.

Il Paradiso by Tintoretto is the focal point of the Great Council Chamber and the largest canvas painting in the world

The Palazzo also includes a prison that once housed Giacomo Casanova

My travel companion Adam reliving moments from the Charlie Company armory

The Golden Staircase leading to the upper floors of the palace

Display from the exhibit on the Guardia di Finanza during World War I

 

Basilica di San Marco

Basilica di San Marco is one the symbols of Venice.  The Byzantine architecture is eye catching and stands out from other Italian cathedrals.  Construction of the church began at the end of the 11th century.  The centerpiece of the interior is the altar containing the relics of Mark the Evangelist.  Photography is not permitted inside so you will have to settle for a shot of the exterior.  Photos of the inside can be viewed here.

The Venetian Arsenal was once a major source of the city's power

"Bok" from Croatia

Zagreb

10/10

 

It's the second night of what was supposed to be a one night stopover in Zagreb.  I decided to land here after two days in Belgrade and three days in Veliko Tarnovo before that.  The plan was for me to spend just enough time in Zagreb to walk around the city, check out the Museum of Broken Relationships, and then skirt on to Budapest.  I accomplished the first parts and failed on the last.  It seems that I misread the departures board at the train station and got on the wrong train.  The Budapest-bound train had left the station before I realized my mistake.  Fortunately, I was able to hop off the other train before it left.  I'm still unsure where exactly it was headed, but I do know that it certainly wasn't stopping in Budapest.  

Because of my rail pass, missing this train cost me nothing more than another day here in Zagreb.  It's a pleasant city to spend time in, so I have no complaints.  The city has attractive architecture and is easy to walk around.  It's a quiet place and I enjoyed just relaxing, it is the weekend after all.

St. Mark's Church

I will be catching the early train to Budapest tomorrow and you better believe that I will hop on the right one this time.

As I referenced above, the one thing I really wanted to see while in Zagreb was the Museum of Broken Relationships.  I checked it out this morning and it delivered as I had hoped.  Unique, funny, heartbreaking, tender, and very well curated are all words to describe this small museum housed in an old baroque palace.  It's a museum that is easy (perhaps painfully so) to connect to and I have never seen anything quite like it.

Mementos range from a basketball jersey to an old checkbook to an axe used to smash an ex's furniture.  The stories and types of relationships are as varied as the objects on display.  Some are of brief encounters or unrequited love, others detail the loss of a parent, others still are decades long marriages fallen apart.  In the course of one string of displays your feelings can be pulled a dozen directions.

Objects on display come from across the world.  The museum accepts donations of items associated with broken relationships without imposing any real parameters.  They are displayed with a basic description including the donor's location, the period of the relationship, and some description provided by the donor.  The shortest description I saw on display was for a Linksys router from a donor in San Francisco- "We tried. Not compatible."  That's a failed relationship I can understand.

The longest descriptions were several paragraphs and tended to detail relationships that were more involved than one with a piece of networking technology, like the woman who donated olive pits from the man with whom she carried on a years long emotionally draining affair.

One of the museum's exhibition rooms

"Florida lake where I skipped school with my boyfriend.  The arrow indicates where I first saw a penis in the sunshine."

The Museum of Broken Relationships is a concept that seems so odd yet universal.  It is worth visiting if in Zagreb.  I love weird museums and this is one done right.

"Здравейте" (Zdravejte) from Bulgaria

10/6

I came to Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, three days ago with one goal- visiting the Buzludzha Monument.  Opened in 1981, the monument was built by the communists to serve as their party headquarters.  With the fall of communism a decade later the building was abandoned and has sat decaying ever since.  It is just so odd on so many levels that I was completely drawn to it when I first discovered it online.

No matter what you words you describe it with, it certainly is striking.

Buzludzha is in a somewhat isolated area and getting there is a challenge, as there are no means of public transportation to the area.  As a visitor this means either going on a tour there or renting a car and driving.  Finding other guests at my hostel with an interest in going there was not hard and as a group we arranged to rent cars to get there.  Seeing as how I was one of only two people out of nine with a driver's license and of the age to actually sign for a car, I became one of the drivers by default.

Inside the Marxist UFO

Here's a confession: I never properly learned how to drive a manual transmission car.  My experience with a stick was mostly limited to the 1994 Suzuki Swift I owned with my neighbors which functioned as a glorified go kart.  This is best displayed in this video.

Turns out the rental car was a manual.  I had to figure out how to drive a stick real quick or at least figure out to how to fake the funk.  I managed to get us there and back with only two near death experiences and stalling the car just once in town.  The group survived and Buzludzha was an incredible place to explore and climb around.  It was worth the trip to Bulgaria to see.

I'll enjoy climbing on its remains