World Local: Conference

Showing posts with label Conference. Show all posts

19.4.13

Prague in early spring!

Visiting a familiar city, yet seeing a new Prague :-)..
Prague, here we come again!!!

View of the amazing Prague - the stone Charles Bridge is in the middle

The 'legendary' Charles Bridge (Czech: Karlův most) on an early April morning

"Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau) until 1841, the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the Old Town and adjacent areas. The bridge is 621 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by 3 bridge towers in an astonishing civil gothic-style. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas." (source: wikipedia)

Lesser Town Bridge Towers

"Lesser Town bank of the Vltava River is decorated with two bridge towers, which together form an entrance to the Lesser Town. The lower bridge tower is also called Judita's, since it was built in the context of the construction of the first stone bridge over the Vltava River, i.e. as early as in the 12th century. The higher tower is younger, it dates from the 15th century and was built at the expense of King Jiří z Poděbrad. The gate is decorated with provincial and municipal signs." If you notice, the both gates are not facing straightly the Charles Bridge, the story of this I will explain in later part of this entry.

View of the busy Charles Bridge from the Old Town Bridge Tower in April's chilling weather

Prague Castle in sunset... Prague - a magical city that 'has it all'!

"This magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes, has been mirrored in the surface of the swan-filled Vltava River for more than ten centuries. Almost undamaged by WWII, Prague's compact medieval centre remains a wonderful mixture of cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, cathedrals and countless church spires all in the shadow of her majestic 9th century castle that looks eastward as the sun sets behind her. Prague is also a modern and vibrant city full of energy, music, cultural art, fine dining and special events catering to the independent traveller's thirst for adventure. It is regarded by many as one of Europe's most charming and beautiful cities, Prague has become the most popular travel destination in Central Europe along with Budapest and Krakow. Millions of tourists visit the city every year." (source: wikitravel)

The swan-filled Vltava River

"The Vltava River runs through Prague, which is home to about 1.2 million people. The capital may be beautiful, but pollution often hovers over the city due to its location in the Vltava River basin." This might explain sometimes one cannot have a wide-spread panoramic view of the city.

View of the Prague Castle from the Strahov Monastery

Prague Castle (Czech: Pražský hrad), an ancient symbol of the Czech lands, is "the most significant Czech monument and one of the most important cultural institutions in the Czech Republic". (source: hrad.cz) The Castle was "where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it. According to Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. It occupies an area of almost 70000 m², at about 570 metres in length and an average of about 130 metres wide."

Towards the Old Town Square - Town Hall's Tower and Týn Church

The famous Astronomical Clock at the Town Hall's Tower

"Prague's old Town Hall was built in 1364. The Astronomical Clock at the Town Hall's Tower is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. Originally the building served only as the city hall of the old town, but later became the city hall for all of Prague. It is now only used for ceremonial functions."

Town Hall's Tower at the Old Town Square

Old Town Square viewed from the Town Hall's Tower
"Step into the Old Town Square in Prague and journey back in time, 600 or 700 years. As you stand in awe, the dramatic history of Prague permeates the air." (source: pragueexperience.com)

St. Nicholas Church at the Old Town Square

"St. Nicholas Church at the Old Town Square was completed in 1735. It replaced a parish church, mentioned in records dating back as early as 1273. St. Nicholas is a Baroque church, decorated with sculptures by Antonín Braun. The interior design was inspired by the chapel of St. Louis-des-invalides in Paris. From 1870-1914 St. Nicholas became Russian Orthodox. Then, during the second World War, Czech army units were stationed here and artists were set to work restoring the church. After the war, St. Nicholas was handed over to the Czech Hussite movement, with whom it remains today. It now serves as both a church and a magnificent venue for classical concerts." (source: pragueexperience.com)

Týn Church at the Old Town Square

"Church of Our Lady before Týn (Czech: Týnský chrám) is a dominant feature of the Old Town of Prague, Czech Republic, and has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. The church's towers are 80 m high and topped by four small spires." (source: wikipedia)

A view to the Lesser Town Bridge Towers and Charles Bridge on the side of the Malá Strana (Lesser Town)

"Malá Strana (German: Prager Kleinseite) is a district of Prague and one of its most historic regions. The name translated into English literally means "Little Side", though it is frequently referred to as "Lesser Town", "Lesser Quarter", or "Lesser Side". This name derives from its position on the left (west) bank of the river Vltava, on the slopes just below the Prague Castle, in opposition to the larger towns of Prague on the right bank, to which it is conjoined by the Charles Bridge. In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant centre of the ethnic German (and since 16th century also Italian) citizens of Prague. It also housed a large number of noble palaces while the right-bank towns were comparatively more bourgeois and more Bohemian Czech." (source: wikipedia)

Part of the Lesser Town viewed from the Bell Tower of the St. Nicholas Church (Malá Strana)

A view of the Mostecká towards Malostranské Náměstí with the St. Nicholas Church (Malá Strana) in the background

High view of the beautiful Prague - the St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle..

"Prague was founded in the later 9th century, and soon became the seat of Bohemian kings, some of whom ruled as emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. The city thrived under the rule of Charles IV, who ordered the building of the New Town in the 14th century - many of the city's most important attractions date back to that age. The city also went under Habsburg rule and became the capital of a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1918, after World War I, the city became the capital of Czechoslovakia. After 1989 many foreigners, especially young people, moved to Prague. In 1992, its historic centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 1993, Czechoslovakia split into two countries and Prague became capital city of the new Czech Republic." (source: wikitravel)

2012 - A review of a year of experiences

The Berliner Dome lighting up in the Berlin Festival of Lights - October 2012

Another year has passed. Time flies - Die Zeit verliert wie im Flug. Looking back at the year, I will focus in this entry about the major events and journeys that have happened.

2012 has been an eventful year! From the beginning of the year, I have set for myself a number of goals. Although not all have been accomplished, or strickly speaking, still little has been achieved to the level that I have truly aimed for, but there has probably never been a year that I have got that many experiences. When I think experiences can be also considered as a reward, as they always re-shape the person who I am today and contribute to my self-improvement, I allow myself to be a little proud of the year 2012 - a year of experiences!

Heringsdorf - the Baltic Sea in late Autumn and the BuFAS prize

This is the second time that I visit the Baltic Sea in Heringsdorf in North of Germany, about one and a half hour by train from Berlin. Last year 2011, I accompanied Dustin as he received the BuFAS young research award for his Master's thesis in Portugal. After that, with his help during the translation of my Master's thesis from English to German, this year I am the person who got the BuFAS prize. How wonderful!

Die schöne Ostsee, i.e. the Baltic Sea in North Germany

Some basic information about the Baltic Sea: "a brackish mediterranean sea located between Central and Northern Europe (Brackish/briny water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater). The Baltic Sea is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe and the Danish islands; and connected by man-made waterways to the White Sea (via the White Sea Canal) and to the North Sea (via the Kiel Canal). It might be bordered by the Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga. On long-term average, it is ice-covered at the annual maximum for 45% of its surface area." [source: wikipedia].
The Baltic Sea is one of the fascinating areas in the world – with a rich history and beautiful nature!

Me and the swans

Wroclaw on a second visit - the SAHC 2012

The one and only Wroclaw Town Hall - 14.10.12

One of Poland's largest and most awe-inspiring town halls, it was originally built in the late 13th century and has been renovated again over the centuries. Surprisingly, it survived World War II and now lends an immense amount of character to the town square, serves a mostly decorative role - with a huge tower and an astronomical clock. The city museum inside is worth a quick peek. It also worths to have a meal and a cold drink at one of the city's best beer halls, conveniently located in the Town Hall basement. (source: google+)

The Wroclaw market square Rynek

A thousand-year history: It is true that once you have been to Wroclaw, you want to come back again. To know the city, appreciate its magic and find personal favourite sights, streets, buildings and squares, one has to return here!

Wroclaw, here we are again!!! The city looks even more beautiful to me compared to it was two years ago. It fascinated me on my second return visit. Much can be said this time, much can be felt when walking around the town market square: things seem to be familiar but on another level of magic. Two years ago, I have felt a beautiful Wroclaw with colours and dwarfs. This time, everything seemed to be on place to fulfill my expectation of seeing the city's beauty again. Anyway, I will probably write about that more later. For this entry, my focus is on the reason that I visited again Wroclaw: the SAHC conference 2012. As an alumni of the SAHC Masters, I was excited to see again some of my Professors (Prof. Lourenco, Prof. Ramos, Prof. Ddacky, Prof. Kabele, Mr. Biggs, some Professors from the Belgian universities that I have met during the CH.ESS summer school this July), colleagues and friends after my graduation two years ago. Moreover, the venue of the conference was the Centennial Hall Complex, a very interesting historic building that I have also visited before. In addition, I made contribution to the Erasmus Mundus Alumni magazine by reporting about the conference. Below is my short report, which will be published soon on the Erasmus Mundus Alumni website (http://www.em-a.eu):