Czech Republic

One Year Ago: Photo Time Capsule, Part III

The last month (of travel last year) was an interesting collection of friends from half a world away. I was with Charlie by this point (beginning of July) in Italy where we met up with his friend Andy, who’s from Germany but Charlie actually meet in Ecuador.

While in Italy, we also met up with James, who know both Charlie and me from Seattle, and Mark — who James knows from his time at Occidental.

I left Charlie in Italy and continued on to Switzerland where I met up with Quinn, a best friend from Seattle, at L’Abri. We then continued north and to hang out with Remo and Gunther, who first stayed with my family over 13 years ago in Seattle when Remo was in school.

After traveling with Quinn a bit, Charlie met back up with us in Prague (just in time for the tour). We finished touring together in Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany: Three great friends half a world away.

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18.0 mm || 1/8000 || f/3.5 || ISO800 || NIKON D70
Firenze, Toscana, Italia


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18.0 mm || 1/60 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Firenze, Toscana, Italia


DSC_2559
18.0 mm || 1/200 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Aigle, Canton de Vaud, Schweiz


DSC_2654
18.0 mm || 1/13 || f/9.0 || ISO1600 || NIKON D70


DSC_2683
29.0 mm || 1/60 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70


DSC_3186
18.0 mm || 1/3200 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


DSC_3248
18.0 mm || 1/15 || f/3.5 || ISO1600 || NIKON D70
Kraków, Małopolskie, Polska


Halt! Stou!
70.0 mm || 1/500 || f/4.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Gmina Oświęcim, Małopolskie, Polska


DSC_3414
18.0 mm || 1/125 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Kraków, Małopolskie, Polska


DSC_3509
18.0 mm || 1/1000 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Berlin, Bundesland Berlin, Deutschland

via the Photojojo Time Capsule

This weekend is going to be ridiculously awesome! This evening, Carly and I are going Buzz Putting1 with a bunch of friends to celebrate Beth’s birthday. Then tomorrow we’re going to have breakfast and enjoy the Blue Angles — whom I haven’t been in town to see for the last two years — then a Polish wedding, a bachelor party2, all topped off with lunch with Jon and Kristen — who are getting married in less than a month — on Sunday!

Pyramid Formation Turn
190.0 mm || 1/2000 || f/6.3 || ISO400 || NIKON D70


Pyramid Formation
190.0 mm || 1/2000 || f/5.6 || ISO400 || NIKON D70


Bottom Side Pyramid Formation
70.0 mm || 1/2500 || f/9.0 || ISO400 || NIKON D70

Anyway, that wraps up the Photo Time Capsule series; hope you enjoyed the tour!

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  1. “combining the best of childhood and being 21+” ↩

  2. sans Le GF ↩

Dateline: Prauge, Day 5 — Random Sights

Prauge, Czech Republic
24 July 2009

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18.0 mm || 1/60 || f/22.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/2000 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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31.0 mm || 1/2500 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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70.0 mm || 1/800 || f/4.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/3200 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika

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Dateline: Prauge, Day 3 — Sandeman’s Tour, Part 2

Prauge, Czech Republic
22 July 2009

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18.0 mm || 1/640 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/640 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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34.0 mm || 1/320 || f/4.2 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/2000 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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38.0 mm || 1/1600 || f/5.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/25 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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24.0 mm || 1/25 || f/3.8 || ISO800 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/3200 || f/3.5 || ISO400 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/2000 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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50.0 mm || 1/1000 || f/4.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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52.0 mm || 1/320 || f/4.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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31.0 mm || 1/800 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/500 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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40.0 mm || 1/250 || f/4.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/200 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika

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Dateline: Prauge, Day 2 — Sandeman’s Tour

Prauge, Czech Republic
21 July 2009

Justin from Sandeman’s New Prague Free Tour took us on a 3-hour walking tour that covered things such as:

  • Old Town Square
  • St. Nicolas’ Church
  • Church of Our Lady before Tyn
  • Kinsky Palace
  • Statue of Jan Hus
  • House of the Black Madonna & Museum of Cubisim
  • Powder Tower
  • Art Nouveau Municipal House
  • Czech National Bank
  • Wenceslas Square
  • Estates Theatre (First Mozart Performance)
  • Astronomical Clock
  • Kafka Statue
  • Maiselova Street & Old Jewish Quarter
  • Rudolfinum – Czech Philharmonic
  • Prague Castle & St. Vitus
  • Karlov Most – Charles Bridge
  • WWII – Prague Uprising

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18.0 mm || 1/800 || f/3.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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27.0 mm || 1/400 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/500 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/50 || f/4.0 || ISO1600 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/800 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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18.0 mm || 1/1000 || f/4.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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34.0 mm || 1/640 || f/4.2 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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52.0 mm || 2.5 sec || f/4.5 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika


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34.0 mm || 0.6 || f/4.2 || ISO200 || NIKON D70
Praha, Hlavní město Praha, Česká republika

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Dateline: Prauge, Day 1 — Getting There

Prauge, Czech Republic
20 July 2009

The thing that sucks the most about traveling by train is that it can take all..

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18.0 mm || 1/50 || f/5.0 || ISO200 || NIKON D70


…day…

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18.0 mm || 1/8 || f/3.5 || ISO1600 || NIKON D70


…long.

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18.0 mm || 1/15 || f/3.5 || ISO1600 || NIKON D70

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Updated Itinerary

Progess is being made! I’m calling this Itinerary v0.2. It appears that the only country that will need a visa is Russia. Thus, I’m going to going to start my travels there since it will have to be the most planned part of this trip. I talked with Jeff last night, as he had traveled to Russia several years ago, and got some good information on places to go. I’m hoping to have trip start and end dates locked down and reserved by the end of March, along with all the Russian parts locked down and reserved. 

I also talked with Quinn and Charlie, both of whom have indicated they would at least be interested in doing some traveling with me as well. I have calls in to Katelyn and Erin, both of whom have been and are currently in Turkey, respecitvely.

Below is a list of places that I think I would like to visit, in roughtly the order that I would visit them. I’ve also added notes (mostly to myself) about things I’d like to do there. I think this seems like a more managable list than previously. I’m also trying to setup a framework of things to do, however still allow the trip to progress organically.

  • Day 1: 
    Seattle, Washington 
    Dulles, Washington, DC
  • Airplane/10 hrs/UA964
  • Day 2: Moscow, Russia12
    • Red Square
    • The Kremlin
    • GUM
  • Airplane/1.25 hrs/$60 USD/Rossiya – Russian Airlines3
  • Day 6: St. Petersburg, Russia45
  • Bus/6 hrs/€30 ($40 USD)/EuroLines
  • Day 10: Tallin, Estonia6
  • France:
    • Paris, France (Paris Air Show – 15 to 21 June 2009)
    • Toulouse, France7
    • La Barre, France8
    • Vélizy, France9
    • Bidos, France 10
  • Italy:
    • Rome, Italy
    • Venice, Italy
    • Grottaglie, Italy11
    • Agnone, Italy12
  • Switzerland
    • Arbon, Switzerland
    • Interlaken, Switzerland13
  • Austria
  • Czech Republic
  • Poland
  • Ukraine
    • I’ve heard you can visit Chernobyl…could be cool.
  • Hungary
  • Turkey
  • Germany -> Seattle (UA8718)

Alternates:

  • Sweden14
  • Denmark->Seattle (UA9394)
  • Romania
  • Macedonia
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  1. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/east/moscow.htm ↩

  2. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/moscow/sights ↩

  3. http://www.anywayanyday.ru/en/ ↩

  4. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/east/petersbu.htm ↩

  5. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/st-petersburg/sights ↩

  6. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/scan/tallinn.htm ↩

  7. 787 Production Stop: Groupe Latécoère ↩

  8. Birthplace of Jean-Luc Picard ↩

  9. 787 Production Stop: Messier-Dowty ↩

  10. 787 Production Stop: Messier-Dowty ↩

  11. 787 Production Stop: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/275606_italy28.html ↩

  12. We visited Agnone a couple of years, it’s where my maternal great-grandfather was born, and  I’ve wanted to return here to just spend a few days hanging out ↩

  13. I’ve heard this is a must ↩

  14. 787 Production Stop: Saab ↩

Possible Itinerary

After months of plotting, I think I have a possible itinerary. I’m going to call it Itinerary v0.1. It’s basically a version of The Lonely Planet’s Behind The Old Iron Curtain in reverse.

  • Seattle, Washington
  • Paris, France
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Moscow, Russia
  • St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Tallinn, Estonia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Belarus
  • Ukraine
  • Poland
  • Hungry
  • Romania
  • Bulgaria
  • Macedonia
  • Albania
  • Serbia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Croatia
  • Slovenia
  • Austria
  • Czech Republic
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Seattle, Washington

A quick glance at the math yields 21 countries in 60 days, or about three days per a country. I still think this is a little fast, so I will be whittling this down to hopefully 15 countries or less (4 days per a country is a bit better, I think). The entire Behind The Old Iron Curtain trip is supposed to take 2-3 months, according to The Lonely Planet, with a budget of €30-50 per day. Currently, this would be $38-63 per day. Or up to $3,800 for 60 days. This is definitely within my budget. Although I don’t think that includes transportation. Still, I think things are looking pretty good.

I also checked United and A) I definitely have enough frequent flier miles; and B) it will only cost about $60 to book the US to Europe part of the flight.

Now, at this point you may be wondering why I want to tour former Eastern Bloc countries. Two words: Cold. War.

A little know fact about me, if I had to be a history major, my area of expertise (I’m assuming history majors have these) would be the Cold War. I think the Cold War was amazing for a variety of reasons. Two super powers on the brink of self-annihilation. Covert operations. Incredible leaps in technology that we’re still taking advantage of today. The list goes on.

There’s a still a lot to figure out though, including, but not limited, to: A shorter list of countries I’d like to visit. Medical Insurance. Theft Insurance. Visa for Russia (and possibly other countries). A travel partner (for at least some of the trip).

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