Last of London, Day 1

2008, 4.13 Sunday, Mom arrives in London

This morning, I picked my mom up from Heathrow Airport in the morning. After exchanging some American dollars for GB pounds and getting her set up with an Oyster card for transport, we rode the Picadilly line from Heathrow to Russell Square in Central London.

At the time, it was pouring rain, but we made our way from the Russell Square tube station to the nearby Brunswick Square to get brunch at one of my favorite breakfast restaurants in London, Giraffe. Thankfully, by the time we were done with catching up (though honestly, we kept in touch really well for the time I was gone, so it didn't seem like I hadn't seen her for as long as it was) and enjoying our food, the rain had mostly stopped.

From there, we made our way to the BUNAC Hostel so I could pick up my bags and then we went to check into our room at the Arran Hotel off of Gower Street and Store Street--just around the corner from the hostel. We got settled into our very small but comfortable room and relaxed for a bit of the afternoon--Mom needed some travel recovery time from her flight and journey. I appreciated the down time, too.

Later in the afternoon, Mom and I headed out of the hotel to explore London. We went for a very long and winding walk through different areas of Central London and eventually ended up walking along the Thames by Embankment and seeing the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and other famous London landmarks. Here are some photographs from the journey...

Telephone Booths

Street Sign for the Embankment area

Big Ben and Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament



Charing Cross Road Underground (The 'Tube') Station Sign

After getting our fill of admiring London landmarks for the day, Mom and I stopped for dinner at a very charming and comfortable pub called Garrick's. It was a very English dining experience, which was the perfect way for mom to begin her English adventure. She ordered the Steak pie with mashed potatoes and green peas and I ordered a Greek salad with lettuce and sun- dried tomatoes, olives, tomatoes, and served with wholemeal pita bread. It was a good meal and overall pleasant dining experience.

From Garrick's Pub, Mom and I went towards Trafalgar Square and then headed back to the hotel to relax and get some rest for the next adventurous day in London.

Latest update and catch up.

Dear friends,

First of all, thank you so much for the birthday wishes. I was in southern Spain with two of my friends, Wes and Nate, on my birthday who spoiled me with kindness and fun. With that and the messages from all of you, I had a really great birthday. Thank you!!

It really means a lot to me to hear from friends and family back home, especially being so far away and not always being able to be in contact with everyone I care about. Please know that I think of you, though I may not write or call as much as I would like.

I also wanted to give you an update of what I've been doing for the past few months. It's been quite a busy time, so there's a lot, but I'll try to keep it somewhat short.

Since last September, when I moved to London, I have been mostly working and traveling. I started out working as a child protection social worker. This was a great opportunity in many ways--for growth, work experience, earning money (of course), and for me to realize that this was not my kind of work. With that, I decided in December that I would do something else and I quit my job as a CP social worker. For me, it just did not fit.

After Christmas and New Years, I started looking for a job. I was referred to World Class Teachers, an agency who places teachers and teachers assistants (TAs) in schools. With the agency's help, I found temporary work as a TA in a couple of different schools-a day or two in each school. Then, in early February, I was fortunate enough to be placed in a school where I ended up staying for the rest of my working time in London. I was working with children who have special needs, mostly autism and learning disabilities. I did one on one work with the children, supporting them in the classroom and also working with them on their IEPs (Individual Education Plans designed to focus on that child's particular educational needs). My co-workers were great and the work felt like it was really making a difference in the children's lives. I really enjoyed the work and was sad to leave. However, in early March, my work visa expired and so I had to go.

With my work visa, I was required to leave the UK on the day the visa expired. So, on March 13th, I started traveling.

My first stop was a road trip in Ireland with three friends I met in London, Nate, Ami, and Steve. Think rental car, driving on the left side of the road, lots of green Irish countryside, sleeping in the car in a parking lot one night, lots of pictures and lots of rain. It was quite the experience, and a lot of fun. We covered a lot of ground starting in Shannon, going north to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, down to Dingle Bay, over to Blarney Castle near Cork, headed up to Kilkenny. We ended the trip in Dublin just in time for St. Patty's Day where we met up with some other friends for the weekend, which was an experience in itself and tons of fun. All in all, Ireland was beautiful, despite all the rain, and the trip was a lot of fun. I put up all kinds of pictures, if you care to take a peek.

From Ireland, Nate and I flew from Dublin to Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa. This was an amazing experience. Briefly, we stayed in Marrakech one night, went on a two day tour down to Zagora in the Draa Valley. This involved several hours riding in a van surrounded by people from all over Europe, many of whom did not speak English, including our tour guide, but best of all, riding camels and sleeping in tents in the desert under a full moon. It was truly one of the most incredible experiences I have had and so much fun. After our adventures in Draa Valley, we returned to Marrakech and then moved on to Fes.

After our adventures in Morocco, Nate and I headed to Spain. Nate's family has a timeshare condo in Nueva Andalucia, Marbella, Spain and he was kind enough to let me and our friend Wes come and hang out with him for a week and enjoy the condo, including the surrounding beautiful sunshine and beaches (This was where I was when I celebrated my 23rd birthday). After hanging out with these guys for the past six months, it was nice to have one last week together relaxing and having fun. It was sad to have it end and I miss them all ready. I also miss the sunshine and beaches. ; )

After saying goodbye to Wes at the condo and later to Nate in Malaga, I headed on my own from Malaga to Barcelona via night train. I spent one day in Barcelona, bumming around, but I had been there all ready with Kate in January, so just kind of hung out wandering a bit and spending a lot of the afternoon in the park. (Spain is wonderful, by the way, one of my favorite places.)

From Barcelona, I traveled to Switzerland (beautiful!!), then moved on to Germany, stopping in Munich and Berlin (both very cool and each in their own ways), then stopped in Stockholm, Sweden on my way towards Norway. I didn't have much time in Stockholm, but from what I gathered, it is a pretty neat place.

From Stockholm, I took a night train up to Narvik, Norway--the farthest north you can go on a train in that area--and then took a bus from Narvik to Tromso to visit my dear old friend Brian and his lovely wife Linn. I went to school with Brian in Winsted from 3rd grade through high school and hadn't seen him in about two years, so it was really nice to catch up with him and also to see the life that he and Linn have created for themselves in Tromso. Linn grew up in Tromso, so I got to meet her family and a few of their friends, who were all wonderful. Brian and Linn also let me stay at their beautiful and comfortable home free of charge (you can probably imagine how nice this was after having been on the go and sleeping in trains and hostels for the past week, so a million thanks to them!). While I was staying there, they spoiled me with treats and showed me around the beautiful Norwegian city of Tromso. It was definitely too short a visit, but I had such a good time and was really happy to spend time with Brian and Linn.

From Tromso, I flew to Oslo, Norway, took a train from the airport to a smaller international airport near Torp, Norway, and then flew from there to Glasgow, Scotland. Unfortunately, time and schedules did not allow for me to meet up with my friend Kellie who lives in Glasgow (sorry Kellie!) and I headed to Edinburgh. I spent the last two nights in Edinburgh meeting some really fun people and checking out the Castle, Mary King's Close, St. Giles Church, a neat and creepy graveyard, and a few other Scottish treats. Edinburgh is, as everyone had told me, an amazing city with tons of history and a great feel to it.

At the moment, I am headed on a train (my favorite way to travel!) from Edinburgh to London. I will meet up with some friends tonight and then my mom arrives in the morning, which I am very excited about. My mom and I are going to be exploring London and some of England for the next week and then we will be flying back together to the good ol' US of A next Sunday. I am really going to miss Europe and all the fun I have had here. At the same time, I am so excited to see my family and friends!!!

I'm not sure what the next step will be on my life's journey. I will be moving home to Winsted to live with my mom for an undetermined amount of time. My little sister graduates in May/June and my Uncle Tim with whom I am very close, is getting married in mid-June, so I will definitely be in Minnesota for that. And, after that, we shall see. One thing I have learned with my travels is that things work out the way that do and you may have to plan a little bit, but life will throw at you what it wants to. Embrace it and make the most of it.

Bonny Scotland

2008, 4.10-12 Edinburgh, Scotland

The flight from Oslo Torp airport to Glasgow Prestwick, Scotland went smoothly. I tried calling my friend Kellie MacAlonan who lives in Glasgow to see if she wanted to meet up, but it didn't work out with our schedules. I took a train from the airport to downtown Glasgow and then on to Edinburgh, which was very easy. The Scottish countryside is very pretty, from what I saw, which, really, wasn't much. I can't imagine what the rest of the country is like, though I've heard wonderful things.

I made it to Edinburgh pretty late in the evening. It was dark, but there were still quite a few people out and about, so that was good, as I wasn't exactly sure where I was going in order to find my hostel and there were some areas that seemed kind of shady. I stayed at the Edinburgh Backpacker's Hostel. I shared my hostel room with five other people-4 American girls and a guy.

I went on a free tour led by an employee from the hostel to explore Edinburgh. On the tour, I learned about Greyfriar's Bobby.

Bobby's Bar dedicated to Greyfriar's Bobby

Burial site of the famous Greyfriar's Bobby, Bobby the dog who almost never left his owner's side, even when Greyfriar passed away

One of the most haunted places in the world

A window along The Royal Mile

Edinburgh Castle


The Princes Mall and the Train Station in Central Edinburgh

War Memorial


St. Giles Cathedral and the Royal Mile

Advocate's Close, one of the many historical passageways in Edinburgh


Stained glass window in St. Giles Cathedral

Edinburgh is a city in which it feels as though the history is still being made as you walk down the street. The history and the present culture are still very much alive in the every day life of the city. It is an incredible feeling. Despite the weather--spotty rain showers throughout the day intermingled with spots of sunshine--it is a very charming city with a lot to offer. I didn't have nearly enough time there--about two days, but I did get the chance within that time to see a lot of the city, make some new acquaintences, and even try the Haggis, which was surprisingly tasty.

It was a lovely place to end my post-London, month long travels. If only I'd have made it to Bonny Scotland earlier in my Journey Abroad, I'd have realized I should have made Scotland a top travel priority. Another day...

Visiting friends in Norway

2008, 4.7-10 Tromsø, Norway


From Stockholm, Sweden, I took a night train to Narvik, Norway--the farthest point north you can reach in Norway by train. It was a long, scenic ride. Along the way, I slept, relaxed, made notes of my travels so far.

I found that the farther I traveled north, the more I blended in with the locals with my blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Several times I had to try to say in Swedish or Norwegian, "I only speak English." Thankfully, many of the people I talked to also spoke English, and all of the train staff spoke English.

I tried reindeer stew served beside mashed potatoes and iceberg lettuce. The reindeer meat tasted much like roast beef, but the texture was more unique than the taste--a bit more chewy.

The ride to Narvik was especially beautiful towards the end where there were beautiful lakes reflecting the deep blue sky and the tall peaks of surrounding snow-capped mountains. Some of the lakes were frozen over, while others were wide open.

Once I reached Narvik, I figured out how to take the bus from Narvik to Tromsø and waited at the small train station. The bus ride was even more beautiful than what I had seen from the train. It took about four hours, but went quickly as I captured photographic memories of the breathtaking surroundings. I also discussed international politics with a young Swedish guy who was relocating to Tromsø to find work and take advantage of the strength of the krone (Norwegian currency) against the Swedish krona.

One view along the way from Narvik to Tromsø

Another breathtaking view along the way to Tromsø

When I arrived at the bus station in Tromsø, Brian and Linn were waiting for me. I felt so happy to see my old friend and his lovely Linn. They are such a nice couple and though I hadn't seen Brian for a couple of years, it seemed like we hadn't missed a beat. We greeted each other, then we hopped into their car and took a short drive around Tromsø on our way to dinner. After dinner, we stopped at the local grocery store--not dramatically different than the ones I'm used to back in the US, though quite a lot more fish products and, of course, everything was labeled in Norwegian.

Before continuing to Brian and Linn's home, we stopped to explore an old shipwreck on the ocean shore as the sun set. We delighted in the scenery as the snow covered mountains across the bay transformed into a dark silhouette while the twinkling lights of houses grew brighter and the slivered moon rose in the rainbow sky fading to black.


In the morning, Brian and I went to explore more of Tromsø, stopping at the Sandnessund Bridge to take in more natural beauty of the area, and then later at the Tromsø Museum.

One of the exhibits at the Tromsø Museum was called a "wake hammer," which was a long-handled metal hammer used during church ceremonies to tap and wake people who would fall asleep during homilies. There were lots of other interesting historical artefacts and exhibits at the museum, including the Vikings (they didn't actually wear horns!) and the Sami people, the indigenous tribes of Norway and other Nordic countries.

More of beautiful Norway near Tromsø

Brian standing in a former Nazi bunker from WWII

One of the road tunnels that go underneath the ocean connecting different parts of the city and the islands that make up Tromsø--there were several of these tunnels and they were surprising long, but very handy.

Brian, Linn, and I took the Fjellheisen, or mountain lift to the top of a surrounding mountain. This is the view from the top of the mountain overlooking Tromsø.

The Fjellheisen

Another view of the city and surrounding ocean waters, including one of the ships that travel along the Norwegian coast transporting people and goods

View from the downtown area

The Arctic Cathedral


Store bought lefse and dried fish

The few days I had in Tromsø were lovely. Brian and Linn spoiled me with their wonderful hospitality. I met Linn's family, absolutely wonderful people. We played soccer, caught up on life, relaxed, celebrated Brian's 23rd birthday, and explored a bit of the beautiful city of Tromsø. Brian dropped me off at the airport in Tromso so that I could catch a plane to Oslo, from where I took a train to a smaller city to catch another plane back to the United Kingdom. The train ride to Oslo, Torp felt a lot like I could be traveling through part of Minnesota, which was interesting.

Another connection to Minnesota I noticed was that the MinneSOtan accents that we are famous for sound a lot like the way some of the Norwegian words are spelled or pronounced, such as their word for yes is pronounced "yah" (think 'oh, yah, you betchya'). I thought it was kind of cute and fun.

Norway was a wonderful experience. I hope to make it back some day...maybe next time to see the infamous fjords, the aurora borealis (Northern Lights), and the midnight sun.

Sweden

2008, 4.6 Stockholm, Sweden

From Berlin, I took a night train to Malmo, Sweden, and then continued on to Stockholm. I only had a few hours in the city, during which I had to shower and eat. I did get a brief chance to explore the city on foot. Below are a few photos I snapped along the way.

Berlin, Deutschland

2008, 4.5 Berlin, Germany

I spent my day in Berlin on a walking tour hosted by The Original Insiders Tour that was well worth the time and money. Berlin has a fascinating history, about which I learned all kinds of information and stories as I explored the city.

My Berlin experience began with a short ride on the S train (which was free with my rail pass--very convenient) to the Zoo Garden where I had breakfast and then met up with my tour. The name of the tour was the "Original Famous Walk" which is a general Berlin tour and covered a vast array of interesting historical sights and landmarks. Because there were so many sights along the way, I will touch on some highlights of the tour:

-Unter den Linden: the avenue of old Berlin
-Babelplatz: sight of the first major Nazi book-burning in May 1933
-Humboldt University: Einstein taught here, Marx developed many of his ideas there, and alma mater of 29 Nobel Prize winners

-Museumsinsel (Museum Island)
-Neue Synagogue

-Fernsehturm (TV Tower): an architectural structure with an interesting story—it was built by the communist East government to show their power and advanced technological abilities during the Cold War in 1969. At the time, it was the second tallest structure in Europe, the tallest was in Moscow-it was built second, but they did not want to out-do the building constructed by their Soviet superiors in Moscow

-Siegessäule: a golden angel built to commemorate 19th-century Prussian military victories

-Hitler's Bunker: a parking lot now sits at the location, a legend and map stand off to one side showing the layout of the bunker, this is the location where Hitler is said to have committed suicide by ingesting cyanide. The parking lot is an attempt at covering up the history there, possibly to prevent neo-Nazis from creating a memorial site.


-Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche or Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. This is a church that was bombed during WWII and remains standing as a reminder of the destruction of war and as a symbol of Berlin's determination to rebuild itself after the war had ended. Just next to this church stands a new hexagonal shaped tower that was erected in 1961.


-The Royal Cathedral on Museum Island

-Checkpoint Charlie--the United States Army post after WWII during the Cold War

The Berlin Wall
-The Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery: the wall was built by the Communist German government in response to the 'brain drain' that was happening, meaning the well-educated, skilled, and professionals were moving from East to West Germany as a result of the Cold War and its effects. A wall was never part of the original plans when borders were drawn. Troops put up a barbed wire fence surrounding the entirety of the area within several hours of one night—the first physical border put into place. Later, the permanent wall structure was erected.


-Black and white photo of the Berlin Wall in front of a building that served as Nazi Headquarters during WWII and was later used during the Cold War

-Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe or the Holocaust Memorial)

The Brandenburg Gate
-Brandenburg Gate Area: Brandenburg Tor (City gates). Nearby is also Hotel Adlon Kempinski, a very famous hotel where celebrities and powerful politicians, including the US President has stayed before (also the hotel where Michael Jackson held his baby up over the balcony in 2002).


Reichstag building, the home of German Parliament
-Richstaggedbäude (Parliament Building) and the Wall Victims Memorial: commemorates the 191 people who tried to cross from the East to the West side of the Berlin wall

Berlin was one of the most interesting places I visited. I find history and politics extremely intriguing and it was amazing to have the opportunity to explore the city of Berlin where so much important history has happened, learn more about it, and see firsthand where so many important historical events occurred. I would love to go back sometime and even do the same tour again, as well as learn more about other aspects of the city. Being I only had an afternoon there, I missed out on a lot of the other wonderful aspects of the modern culture. I hope to make it back to Berlin someday and spend more time there.

Article about Gordon Hogan, Tour Guide of Dachau Concentration Camp

The following article found at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20080316/ai_n24936952/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1
Accessed on 12/01/2008

FindArticles > Sunday Mirror > Mar 16, 2008 > Article > Print friendly

Genocide, the stench of death and eating lunch in a gas chamber..

LISA O'CONNOR

YOU could forgive Gordon Hogan for feeling depressed about going to work. After all, the Monday morning blues affect the best of us sometimes.

But the rest of us don't have to spend four hours every day in a concentration camp, walking through a gas chamber.

For Gordon's work day takes him by train from Munich to the site where the holocaust began.

He travels along the same railway line which transported hundreds of thousands of prisoners during the Second World War, and gets off the train at the stop which marked the end of freedom for Jews, gypsies, priests and homosexuals.

He walks beneath the infamous entrance sign, still cruelly marked "Arbeit macht frei", which means "Work makes you free".

Then he gathers tourists from all over the world around him, and guides them through the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.

For Gordon, who is a self-confessed history junkie, has one of the least desirable jobs in the world.

He is one of the leading tour guides at the Nazi death camp of Dachau. But the irony is, he loves his work!

Showing people around a former torture enclosure in which more than 25,000 people perished might not be everyone's ideal career choice.

But for Tipperary man Gordon Hogan it simply doesn't get any better.

Gordon, 29, who lives in Munich, knows everything there is to know about the dark history of the horrific Dachau concentration camp.

So who better to show the camp to the huge number of visitors who come to see it annually than the Templemore artist?

The Nazi death camp held 200,000 prisoners between 1933 and its liberation by American soldiers in April 1945.

But while many people find visiting a site where such horrors took place to be depressing, Gordon says they are inspirational.

"Dachau was the first of 2,000 concentration camps. So working here is a heavy job. sometimes I have to take four or five days off, the work is so intense. I'm going to keep doing it until my passion for it runs out."

But even an eternally optimistic person like Gordon is forced to admit that his job can take its toll.

"It probably takes a certain type of personality to do this job," he admits.

"But I'm not an average Joe. My own personal journey is to face my fears.

But when you walk through a gas chamber every day, it can get very intense.

"I take people on three to four hour tours of Dachau. But there is so much I could say about the place, I could do a three day tour if necessary."

Gordon first moved to Germany nine years ago in order to study at the prestigious art school in Munich.

Having began his studies at Limerick School of Art and Design, he got the opportunity to spend three months abroad at a foreign university.

He always was fascinated by Germany, so he chose to study in Munich. Before his three months were up, he had fallen in love with the city, and persuaded a professor to let him finish his studies at the prestigious German art school.

"I always had an interest in Germany, so when I had the chance to take a three-month Erasmus course abroad, I picked Munich," he said.

"I spent six months working at odd jobs, and the Irish community here looked after me. I first started working in that community, serving beer in Irish bars to Germans."

But his interest in history and politics led him to the unlikely job of becoming a Dachau tour guide.

"I suppose the history of the Third Reich was always an interest or a hobby for me," he explains.

"I had to do a three month course at Dachau before they'd let me be a tour guide because it is such a sensitive subject," he says. "They don't want any old person coming here to take the mickey.

"After that, I became a fully qualified guide to the camp. So I set up my own little business with the permission of Dachau, and now I take people around the camp, talking about the politics and history of the place.

He added: "They have their own educational centre at Dachau and I do work for them too. It pays the rent and fills the belly, but it is really inspirational for me too, and inspires my art."

And the bilingual Irishman is so popular at his job that even Germans ask him to show them around this dark heart of their nation's history. "Most of the people I show around Dachau are tourists," he says.

"Germans tend to visit while they are still at school. But I've been living here for nine years and I do speak fluent German, so I do take Germans to Dachau too.

"Some people like the fact that they can ask me controversial questions that they mightn't feel comfortable asking a German guide. Germans still can feel guilty about what happened 70 years ago.

"But I explain the history so that we all share the guilt. What happened at Dachau goes on in different ways around the world today. It's a positive place now, where people leave feeling more informed about the world."

Gordon's tours are so moving that people who he has shown around the death camp often remain in touch with him afterwards, writing and emailing him.

"People often contact me after their holidays are over. They write to me to tell me things about their lives or world politics. The experience of visiting Dachau really moves them."

Gordon loves his gloomy day job but still harbours ambitions to become a successful artist. He graduated from art college two years ago and has since exhibited his video and photographic work, partly influenced by Dachau, in Germany.

But his ambition is to bring his art back home to Ireland, and he hopes that an Irish gallery will invite him to exhibit his photography and video installations in his native land.

"My last exhibition was before Christmas and my work focused on Dachau and was inspired by the place. I spent half of last year going to Dachau daily," he says. "I love history and politics, and they influence my work. But it's still very accessible for people.

"I do miss home sometimes," he admits. "I read Irish newspapers and listen to Irish radio on the internet. Today, I had an Irish couple on my tour of Dachau. Being Irish, they were surprised to have an Irish tour guide and I was very happy to have them on the tour.

"I'm living the artist's life, but I am so fulfilled. My aim is to be a successful artist, and I'd love to take my work home to show the people of Ireland either next year or the year after. In fact, I'm planning to bring my work home either next year or the year after. I'm just waiting for a gallery to invite me!"

Gordon's art work, which features images of Dachau's watch towers and pictures of little children with Hitlerstyle toothbrush moustaches could be considered controversial.

But he believes that his work is as optimistic and positive as the former death camp which partly inspired the images he creates.

"People are really moved by visiting Dachau," he insists. "These days, it is a life camp not a death camp. People respond to the information I give them, and it often changes their lives. They come out realising the importance of celebrating life."

Copyright 2008 MGN LTD
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