Notes, Totes and Billy Goats
The length of this post is gross, if you read it all I would be happily impressed.
Hello everyone,
I would like to start off this blog by wrapping up the events that took place while in Rome. Mainly I want to talk about our trip to Assisi a couple of weeks ago. Assisi was amazing. Built in to a hill overlooking a picturesque agricultural valley. We went in to the first Franciscan church and even went in to the crypt and saw the tomb of St. Francis. The Church was ornate and had natural light pouring in but my experience up there didn't hold a candle to what I experienced underneath the Church. Going in to the crypt was one of the most incredible things I have ever done. I went in to several in Rome, but here there was a reverence that was absent in Rome. Prior to this trip I didn't really see or relate to the importance of relics but I feel like this is changing perhaps slightly but changing nonetheless. Being in the crypt, I had the opportunity to sit in front of St. Francis's tomb and watched as people from all over the globe filed in. Just like every other religious site that we've visited, there was a wide range of reverence. Some came and went snapping a few pictures that might put in a collage of their trip or look back on in 10 years. And there were those who had been anticipating their visit and were struck as well as those (me) who had no expectations and were still heavily impacted by their visit. When I think back to my trip this will be one of the most valuable moments. We spent the rest of the day in Assisi, having lunch on a terrace overlooking miles of ideal farmland. At the end of the day, I ventured to the top of the hill where the castle is located. The sun, being low in the sky, was pouring lights through the cracks in the clouds. You could see these glowing beams all the way to the ground illuminating random areas all around the valley. A sight I will never forget.
In Rome we went to an awesome restaurant outside of "Touristville" which was so refreshing. 4:20 Bar sold local IPA's, most of which are brewed in-house. The area around the bar reminded me of East Austin, run down slightly industrial but full of cool almost secret places. 4:20 was one of those places. Also they had really good french fries. haha.
After leaving Rome we headed to Florence where we spent 8 days. While thinking about what to say about Florence, I'm reminded of something that many kids are told, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." So I'll say some nice things in order to give myself leeway for my negative remarks. Positively, coming from, when we drove in to the valley where Florence resides my first thoughts were "I could easily live here". Contrasting to Rome, trees surrounding the small urban center of Florence with the huge dome of the Florence Cathedral. We stayed in hotel 500ft from the Cathedral. We saw "David" by Michelangelo, which unlike some works of art, lives up to all of the hype. Narrow alleys and streets wind through the city. One of the first nights in Florence, several of the girls had caught wind of a huge 20's themed party happening at a bar across town. Josh and I were unsure of whether or not to attend as the 15 euro cover charge. Last minute we decided to join the women (and Drew) who were already there. After the long walk across town we finally arrived and the party was in full swing. A jazz band was rocking the house and tons of people dressed in 20's attire were dancing their hearts out. I was so glad I went. While there were bright moments during the week, Florence was the hardest place to live in on this trip so far. After the first day and my initial awe of the city was beginning to wear off, I began to realize the amount of wealth that surrounded me. Our hotel for the week was very central which meant that we were surrounded by stores like Gucci and Prada and lots of other brands I have never even heard of. It was so far removed from what I am used to and I struggled justifying the amount of money spent on things that seemed to matter so little to those who bought them. It's hard enough to see people spend 1,000's of euro on clothes or bags but to see these people walk out of the store less excited than I am when I walk out of Old Navy with a new pair of pants that mom had picked out scared me. This is probably coming across more pious than I intend. If I had grown up in a family or culture that had access to this amount of money, I would have less qualms about spending it. In fact I saw lots of shoes and watches that would've been hard to pass up if I had 10,000 or 15,000 spare euro. But I'm not from that culture and being surrounded by that culture left me sad and even angry. It was hard to practice kindness and understanding towards these people and I don't feel like I did a good job.
All things come to an end and on this trip the end usually comes quickly. We moved on from Florence and flew to Madrid. I had some big expectations for Madrid considering how little I knew about it. I LOVE MADRID. I'm a big tree guy and Madrid has a lot of trees. It maintains the European metropolitan city feel, but has incorporated tons of parks, trees and it just feels more familiar. The streets are littered with small exercise areas that are frequented by elderly Spaniards and other parks for kids that are always full. The Spanish lifestyle is so awesome. Wake up late, siestas and they eat dinner so late! Around 8p.m. the Spanish people begin "Paseo", which is where people just along the street and gather and talk about their day. And the best part is that it actually happens! It's not one of those things that you read in a culture book but you never see. They actually do this every night, unless Real Madrid is playing. Speaking of which we went to a Real Madrid game on 10/30 and they played Sevilla. It was such an amazing experience. We were at the very very top but were close to the midpoint of the field and had a great view. It was cold but the stadium has these heaters which made it so I could comfortably wear a T-shirt... or jersey. I bought myself a jersey. Last weekend several of us went to a huge nightclub in Madrid. Staying consistent with the Spanish theme of lateness, the club opened up at 1a.m. and it isn't uncommon to leave around 6 or 7a.m. We didn't stay that long. There are 7 floors each one with a different theme and environment. It was one of the most amazing places. It centers around a huge dance floor on the first floor. I got a haircut upon our arrival to Madrid. It was something that I was looking forward to since before the beginning of the trip. It was really fun. I tried so hard to communicate what I wanted and ended just laughing at how pathetic my attempt was. It worked out though and the lady did a great cut and was the nicest, most understanding person ever.
Wow this blog spans a wide period of time but I'll do my best to recall it all. The weekend of 11/1 we took a trip to southern Spain. We got to see Flamenco dancers in Cordoba and we ended up in La Linea which is just on the Spanish border next to Gibraltar. Both La Linea and Gibraltar were nothing much in terms of the towns. In fact they were eerily vacant. The rock of Gibraltar itself was incredible. It is so massive and imposing. I never would have guessed the scale of it. We went to the top and hung out with the monkeys. We explored a lot of the tunnels that had been dug through the mountain. One of which was a natural cavern that was used as a hospital during WWII. Now it's a concert venue. I would return just to go to a concert here. After a few days in Gibraltar we made our way back to Madrid. On the first stop of the 7 hour trip I walked out of a truck stop and was floored by what was in front of me. The sun was setting behind me and the hills acquired this soft glow to them. On this semester I have arguably some of the greatest works of art in history. From Michelangelo to Picasso, I've seen it. But this scene laid out in front of me was something that El Greco couldn't even capture in his painting. It took Michelangelo years to complete the Sistine Chapel but this landscape was made in seconds. Off in the distance mountains peaked over the horizon with a stark purple hue. I stood there dumbfounded for 10 minutes although it actually only felt like seconds. The sun set and just as quickly as it was created, the whole thing disappeared into darkness. As I turned to board the bus I noticed much our group standing right behind me, all of us in a stunned silence. That, that was a memory I hope to never forget.
The last two weeks of Madrid went past in a blur. A creeping sadness has come over me as I realize the finitude of the trip. This semester has been so different from anything I've ever experienced and I've gotten so close to this group that it'll be hard to remove myself and reintegrate into reality.
After Madrid, our group split up and we went on our individual pilgrimages. I had decided to go to Prague, since I had such a good time in Budapest. CJ also went to Prague and we spent much of our time together. The day we flew in CJ and I trekked up to a hill overlooking the city where a statue of Stalin used to watch over the city. I've done this in every city as it gives a vantage point to locate things and usually gives you a great view. Looking over Prague I felt as though I had made a mistake in going. It was a typical Eastern European day, bleak and cold. The city was honestly ugly, grey and dead. After spending half an hour up there we decided to trek back down. The city we walked back in to was seemingly not the same one we were just looking at. As you look over the city from a distance you can see the lasting communist influence but as you get inside the city the beauty of each building, park and square is revealed. You don't see the grey blob, you set the colorful apartments, the intricate graffiti and many other things that make Prague unique. Things like my pilgrimage site The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn or the astronomical clock just across the square. This was kind of a theme for my pilgrimage, as I came in to it with huge overarching life questions and I realized that my realization of Prague applied to my questions. I had to take the small realizations and formulate them into a perspective that I can use for answering or at least beginning to answer the bigger life questions. Coming out of my pilgrimage I still had lots of questions left unanswered but I was now equipped with the tools to begin to answer them. And really the struggle to coming to a good conclusion is as valuable as the answer itself. My pilgrimage came to a true conclusion as we reunited in London and attended a service at Westminster abbey. It was an emotional end as so many things hit me at once. It was a brief but beautiful service.
If you've read this far I applaud you. I apologize for the long gap between posts. As always I love you all and I will see you soon.
Happy Guy,
Chris Costenbader
Monday, November 18, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Drugs, Hugs and Banana Slugs
It has been 3 weeks since my last post. The bigger this gap increases the more paralyzed I feel because there are so many things happening and my terrible memory cannot recall them all or even the majority. But I need to write now even if I omit things because then we will just be a pilgrim with no progress or a touch with no down or a headless horseman with a head. To say it like a normal person, we would be between a rock and another harder rock.
Currently I am living in Florence and will be here for 5 more days before continuing on to Madrid. But when we last conversed I was still in Rome so lets start there. 3 weeks ago I began to study for my midterms and have been extra busy since. After midterms, we took a break from the 3 classes that we have been doing (politcal thought, film, pilgrimage) and we are currently in the middle of our three week art course.
Looking back on Rome there are several things that stand out. The first is my experience at the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. We went to the Vatican museum on one of our last days in Rome. The museum is brimming with historical paintings and sculptures. I don't think there is another place in the world with this amount of religiously significant art pieces. There are too many in fact. Whole rooms are filled with sculptures but they won't let you walk in to them. The thought of "spreading the wealth" came in to my head mulitple times. Walking in the Vatican museum is intersting because that pretty much all you do for 99% of the time. The Pope must really be in to hall ways because the hall ways of the Vatican are unmatched anywhere in the world. It's hard to describe but if you imagine herding cattle through a tiny canyon, but the canyon is covered in paintings, statues and gold so the cattle keep wanting to stop to take pictures or at least absorb what they are seeing but they can't. Everyone is so set on getting to the Sistine Chapel (which is conveniently at the end) that they stampede through the rest of the museum passing countless pieces of art that would be revered in any other museum. Thankfully I was warned of this ahead of time and made sure that this cow took his time and really took in what the Vatican museum had to offer. One of my favorite pieces that I saw was the "School of Athens" by Raphael. It was so big that I could see detail in it that I never had seen before. The Sistine Chapel was amazing and very impressive, but the atmosphere detracted from the experience slightly. First it was packed with people who were trying to sneak pictures because apparently you can't do that. The quiet murming gets louder and louder in the room until someone on a mic and says "Shushhhhh. No photo. No video. Shushhhh." This cycle happens about every 5 minutes. I spent about 45 minutes altogether in the chapel just looking at the ceiling and in that short of time my neck hurt the next day. I can't imagine how Michelangelo could do that for 4 years.
I have wandered through my fair share of chapels in these past 2 months and I have noticed that people are always looking up. I mean it makes sense. Part (or most) of the beauty of these buildings comes from how the space is used and how much is there. Valted ceilings that rise hundreds of feet above are hard to ignore and even harder to look away from once you've seen them. As I sat and watched other tourists go through St. Peter's basilica, I noticed their craned necks and all of their camera lenses pointed upward. No one looked down to see what they were walking on. Beautiful mosaics covered the floor alongside frescos and reliefs of past Pope's or saints. One by one these visitors tread on these precious items without giving a second thought of anything at ground level. I understand this as I did it myself the first time I visited, but there is so more and it's so much closer and relatable than the massive statues clinging to the ceiling. Perhaps this is analogous to how we live our lives. I am fortuante enough to have participated in this and do not want to downplay the impact that it has on my life. However there is so much to be gained within the city limits of Austin and Santa Barbara. Part of why this trip has been so special and so impactful is because I have approached each day with intention, knowing that my time is limited and I must take advantage of it now. What would my life look like if I took that same approach with my relationships in the U.S.? I understand that this can be overwhelming. Much like when I go in to a museum and feel lost in all of the art around me. When this happens I just pick one piece of art per room and look at it, analyze it, really see it. That should be applied to being intentional. You're not going to succeed in doing this with every aspect of your life but pick one person or one thing that you will approach as if your time with them/it is limited and you want to make what time you have count the most.
As our time in Rome was coming to a close, I began to realize that I was doing "my lasts". My visit to Scholar's (the Irish bar we always went to), the last time I would talk to the szchizophrenic guy who would yell in our square, the last time I would hear the terrible band who only knew one song and would play every day for the tourists or my last trip to Forno where we went to get pizza usually twice a day, which was actually called Milvio (Forno just means "oven in Italina but we didn't know that). It was sad to leave these places and these people. It took a lot out of me to leave Rome because I left so much unseen and undone. The Sistine Chapel was a mircocosm for Rome. I could spend a year exploring it and still see new things.
To reference "Good Will Hunting", now I know what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel.
I Love you all,
Not Being but Becoming,
Chris Costenbader
P.S. The title has nothing to do with anything it just sounds cool.
Currently I am living in Florence and will be here for 5 more days before continuing on to Madrid. But when we last conversed I was still in Rome so lets start there. 3 weeks ago I began to study for my midterms and have been extra busy since. After midterms, we took a break from the 3 classes that we have been doing (politcal thought, film, pilgrimage) and we are currently in the middle of our three week art course.
Looking back on Rome there are several things that stand out. The first is my experience at the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. We went to the Vatican museum on one of our last days in Rome. The museum is brimming with historical paintings and sculptures. I don't think there is another place in the world with this amount of religiously significant art pieces. There are too many in fact. Whole rooms are filled with sculptures but they won't let you walk in to them. The thought of "spreading the wealth" came in to my head mulitple times. Walking in the Vatican museum is intersting because that pretty much all you do for 99% of the time. The Pope must really be in to hall ways because the hall ways of the Vatican are unmatched anywhere in the world. It's hard to describe but if you imagine herding cattle through a tiny canyon, but the canyon is covered in paintings, statues and gold so the cattle keep wanting to stop to take pictures or at least absorb what they are seeing but they can't. Everyone is so set on getting to the Sistine Chapel (which is conveniently at the end) that they stampede through the rest of the museum passing countless pieces of art that would be revered in any other museum. Thankfully I was warned of this ahead of time and made sure that this cow took his time and really took in what the Vatican museum had to offer. One of my favorite pieces that I saw was the "School of Athens" by Raphael. It was so big that I could see detail in it that I never had seen before. The Sistine Chapel was amazing and very impressive, but the atmosphere detracted from the experience slightly. First it was packed with people who were trying to sneak pictures because apparently you can't do that. The quiet murming gets louder and louder in the room until someone on a mic and says "Shushhhhh. No photo. No video. Shushhhh." This cycle happens about every 5 minutes. I spent about 45 minutes altogether in the chapel just looking at the ceiling and in that short of time my neck hurt the next day. I can't imagine how Michelangelo could do that for 4 years.
I have wandered through my fair share of chapels in these past 2 months and I have noticed that people are always looking up. I mean it makes sense. Part (or most) of the beauty of these buildings comes from how the space is used and how much is there. Valted ceilings that rise hundreds of feet above are hard to ignore and even harder to look away from once you've seen them. As I sat and watched other tourists go through St. Peter's basilica, I noticed their craned necks and all of their camera lenses pointed upward. No one looked down to see what they were walking on. Beautiful mosaics covered the floor alongside frescos and reliefs of past Pope's or saints. One by one these visitors tread on these precious items without giving a second thought of anything at ground level. I understand this as I did it myself the first time I visited, but there is so more and it's so much closer and relatable than the massive statues clinging to the ceiling. Perhaps this is analogous to how we live our lives. I am fortuante enough to have participated in this and do not want to downplay the impact that it has on my life. However there is so much to be gained within the city limits of Austin and Santa Barbara. Part of why this trip has been so special and so impactful is because I have approached each day with intention, knowing that my time is limited and I must take advantage of it now. What would my life look like if I took that same approach with my relationships in the U.S.? I understand that this can be overwhelming. Much like when I go in to a museum and feel lost in all of the art around me. When this happens I just pick one piece of art per room and look at it, analyze it, really see it. That should be applied to being intentional. You're not going to succeed in doing this with every aspect of your life but pick one person or one thing that you will approach as if your time with them/it is limited and you want to make what time you have count the most.
As our time in Rome was coming to a close, I began to realize that I was doing "my lasts". My visit to Scholar's (the Irish bar we always went to), the last time I would talk to the szchizophrenic guy who would yell in our square, the last time I would hear the terrible band who only knew one song and would play every day for the tourists or my last trip to Forno where we went to get pizza usually twice a day, which was actually called Milvio (Forno just means "oven in Italina but we didn't know that). It was sad to leave these places and these people. It took a lot out of me to leave Rome because I left so much unseen and undone. The Sistine Chapel was a mircocosm for Rome. I could spend a year exploring it and still see new things.
To reference "Good Will Hunting", now I know what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel.
I Love you all,
Not Being but Becoming,
Chris Costenbader
P.S. The title has nothing to do with anything it just sounds cool.
Monday, September 23, 2013
The one where I live in a Convent.
Hello I live in a convent.
Pretty blunt, which suggests a feeling of disgust or annoyance. But that is not the case! It is incredible. The building itself is very unassuming from the outside and our living quarters kind of look like an insane asylum, but connected to our building is their church and it's amazing. It could only fit about 30 people but it has vaulted ceilings and huge statues with ornate drawings covering every inch. I'm pretty sure I would be scolded if I tried to sneak some pics but I think I will anyway.
Rome so far is ridiculously outstanding. Right outside of the convent is one of the biggest hangout spots in Rome apparently and each night about 100 people gather around the fountain in the courtyard. It expands to about 300 or 400 on the weekends. All of this is about 2 blocks away from the Colosseum. We found a great Irish pub called "The Scholars Lounge" which has been frequented often since we got here. It also shows football games, but most don't start until about 2a.m. sooo.... We still watched them of course.
We've seen so much already. We toured the Colosseum and the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar (maybe another Caesar, I really should know but I don't) was stabbed in the back. Adjacent to this is a church which sits on the site where Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Whoa. Also there are so many buildings that you don't think of when you think of Rome. Their tomb for the unknown soldier is definitely the most impressive building I've ever seen (Over buildings like the Colosseum, Empire State and the Acropolis). A couple of days ago we went to Naples (the origin of pizza) and Pompeii. Pompeii was unreal. It was so well preserved because of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
For church I have been attending the Basilica of St. Maggiore. It's beauty is almost overwhelming to the senses. It's interest going to mass there because it is such a large tourist destination. Last Sunday I observed the contrast between the reverence of the service and those actually attending mass and the irreverence of the tourists who were filing in and out taking picture and being loud. It challenge me to think more about my impact on the environment around me as we go see sites as a group.
The second day we were in Rome I went to the Vatican to see what's up and say hey to the Pope. I expected Vatican City to really stand out but I never really realized I had entered it. It blends in with Rome until you get to St. Peter's Basilica. The line to get in to the Sistine Chapel was close to 2 hours long so we passed (we are going as a group in a couple of weeks so don't worry). But we went in to St. Peter's Basilica... I was visually dumbfounded. There are a lot of things (everything) that I am struggling to express through words, but this? I can't even begin to describe it. But I will try anyway. First you walk through the huge courtyard (if you can call it that) that you see packed with people every time a new Pope is elected. On the right is the Sistine Chapel but if you walk straight you hit a staircase (right under the Pope window). Walk up these stairs and you enter through one of 3 huge wooden doors that must 20ft tall. The second that you enter the main Basilica I was immobilized by the size of it. The roof must have been well over 200ft. above me. Huge stone statues lean out over a 100ft off of the ground. Gold everywhere. A woman's choir singing hymns in Latin. The main room extends so far back that you can't see where it ends. Paintings cover every inch that statues and gold do not. Tourists file around like ants. And even funnier are the nuns, priests and monks who are with them equally equipped with nikons or cannons strapped around their necks and equally in awe. A statue made by Michael Angelo (I think... man this is bad. I need to get my facts straight before I write these) of Mary holding Jesus is in a room with a glass wall so everyone can see and take a picture of it for some reason. On the righthand side, about half way down the room is a prayer room that I went in to for about a half hour. I felt bad because I first I forgot about praying because I got lost in the beauty of the room. After I left that room, I finally approached the main alter. Gold everywhere with lights shining down and the choir playing, I felt like I have been in Heaven. There was so much.
I am struggling with the fact that the Church could be using that wealth in other ways and have not yet reached a conclusion about the morality of it or what Jesus would think if He walked in there. I did not grow up in a Church that was concerned with making the place of worship imposing or really all that beautiful, but I felt God when I walked in St Peter's. I knew that all of it had been made by man and therefore could not truly convey the beauty of God, but it was kind of a showcase of humanity for me. Like this is what we (humans) can do. God gave us the ability to make something as amazing and as imposing as this building.
I love and miss you all so much. I think of you often and wish you were here.
Not being, but becoming
Chris Costenbader
Pretty blunt, which suggests a feeling of disgust or annoyance. But that is not the case! It is incredible. The building itself is very unassuming from the outside and our living quarters kind of look like an insane asylum, but connected to our building is their church and it's amazing. It could only fit about 30 people but it has vaulted ceilings and huge statues with ornate drawings covering every inch. I'm pretty sure I would be scolded if I tried to sneak some pics but I think I will anyway.
Rome so far is ridiculously outstanding. Right outside of the convent is one of the biggest hangout spots in Rome apparently and each night about 100 people gather around the fountain in the courtyard. It expands to about 300 or 400 on the weekends. All of this is about 2 blocks away from the Colosseum. We found a great Irish pub called "The Scholars Lounge" which has been frequented often since we got here. It also shows football games, but most don't start until about 2a.m. sooo.... We still watched them of course.
We've seen so much already. We toured the Colosseum and the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar (maybe another Caesar, I really should know but I don't) was stabbed in the back. Adjacent to this is a church which sits on the site where Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Whoa. Also there are so many buildings that you don't think of when you think of Rome. Their tomb for the unknown soldier is definitely the most impressive building I've ever seen (Over buildings like the Colosseum, Empire State and the Acropolis). A couple of days ago we went to Naples (the origin of pizza) and Pompeii. Pompeii was unreal. It was so well preserved because of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
For church I have been attending the Basilica of St. Maggiore. It's beauty is almost overwhelming to the senses. It's interest going to mass there because it is such a large tourist destination. Last Sunday I observed the contrast between the reverence of the service and those actually attending mass and the irreverence of the tourists who were filing in and out taking picture and being loud. It challenge me to think more about my impact on the environment around me as we go see sites as a group.
The second day we were in Rome I went to the Vatican to see what's up and say hey to the Pope. I expected Vatican City to really stand out but I never really realized I had entered it. It blends in with Rome until you get to St. Peter's Basilica. The line to get in to the Sistine Chapel was close to 2 hours long so we passed (we are going as a group in a couple of weeks so don't worry). But we went in to St. Peter's Basilica... I was visually dumbfounded. There are a lot of things (everything) that I am struggling to express through words, but this? I can't even begin to describe it. But I will try anyway. First you walk through the huge courtyard (if you can call it that) that you see packed with people every time a new Pope is elected. On the right is the Sistine Chapel but if you walk straight you hit a staircase (right under the Pope window). Walk up these stairs and you enter through one of 3 huge wooden doors that must 20ft tall. The second that you enter the main Basilica I was immobilized by the size of it. The roof must have been well over 200ft. above me. Huge stone statues lean out over a 100ft off of the ground. Gold everywhere. A woman's choir singing hymns in Latin. The main room extends so far back that you can't see where it ends. Paintings cover every inch that statues and gold do not. Tourists file around like ants. And even funnier are the nuns, priests and monks who are with them equally equipped with nikons or cannons strapped around their necks and equally in awe. A statue made by Michael Angelo (I think... man this is bad. I need to get my facts straight before I write these) of Mary holding Jesus is in a room with a glass wall so everyone can see and take a picture of it for some reason. On the righthand side, about half way down the room is a prayer room that I went in to for about a half hour. I felt bad because I first I forgot about praying because I got lost in the beauty of the room. After I left that room, I finally approached the main alter. Gold everywhere with lights shining down and the choir playing, I felt like I have been in Heaven. There was so much.
I am struggling with the fact that the Church could be using that wealth in other ways and have not yet reached a conclusion about the morality of it or what Jesus would think if He walked in there. I did not grow up in a Church that was concerned with making the place of worship imposing or really all that beautiful, but I felt God when I walked in St Peter's. I knew that all of it had been made by man and therefore could not truly convey the beauty of God, but it was kind of a showcase of humanity for me. Like this is what we (humans) can do. God gave us the ability to make something as amazing and as imposing as this building.
I love and miss you all so much. I think of you often and wish you were here.
Not being, but becoming
Chris Costenbader
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Buda is the pest
Consistently inconsistent... and I'm sorry for it.
Well in the past week, I have been in four countries, taken 5 flights and got stuck in metro under Budapest. Busy I know. So busy in fact that I'm writing this a couple days late but was determined not to miss a week because so much has happened. We left Athens two Friday's ago and I went with Josh, Cj, Zoe and Emily to Budapest. Flying in to Budapest we saw so many colorful farms of what I am assuming was lavender. It was raining when we got there of course. We took a 30min bus to get to the metro which we took for another 30ish minutes to our destination. We stayed in an apartment about 200ft from the Basilica. To get to our apartment we had to enter a code for the main gate of off one of the main streets in Budapest. From there you walked across an open courtyard to our cozy yet elegant apartment. No one else was staying in that building. Of the 50 or so apartments that must have been in that building only 4 or 5 were occupied including ours.
Budapest was a whirlwind of action and looking back on it, it kind of blurs together. I chose Budapest because I thought that the likely hood of me going back to Eastern Europe was very unlikely and when I left I was looking up housing prices for district 5 in Pest. So yeah I loved it. It's hard to communicate through writing how a city or a culture impacts you, but Budapest had that "it" factor that left floored after every steps (trust me there were a lot steps, we walked a lot, on our feet, it hurt). The Hungarian people are so tall! The average height for the men must have been over 6'2". Also the people in Budapest were so fashionable. Even the little kids had matching clothes or even sport coats.
We went to the public baths in Budapest which was incredible. It's pretty much a water park exclusively for adults. It far exceeded any expectations that I had going in to it. While I was there I got my first message. The other days were spent exploring both the Pest and Buda sides of the Danube. There was one bar in Pest that was insane. In Budapest there are garden bars that convert empty courtyards in to bars. The one we went to was huge. It had 8 different bar counters and held over 600 people. The vibe of the bar really reminded me of Austin. It was very grungy with weird art but really fun with really nice people. The next night we went to the old castle on the opposite side of the Danube and looked out from the castely walls over the Pest side of the city. It was very picturesque. and sis something that I will remember for the rest of my life. We also went to a wine tasting festival held at the old palace. It was a very classy affair and kept anticipating a run in with James Bond.
Currently I am in Italy but all of those details will come this weekend (Lord willing). I love and miss you all.
Continually blessed,
Chris Costenbader
Well in the past week, I have been in four countries, taken 5 flights and got stuck in metro under Budapest. Busy I know. So busy in fact that I'm writing this a couple days late but was determined not to miss a week because so much has happened. We left Athens two Friday's ago and I went with Josh, Cj, Zoe and Emily to Budapest. Flying in to Budapest we saw so many colorful farms of what I am assuming was lavender. It was raining when we got there of course. We took a 30min bus to get to the metro which we took for another 30ish minutes to our destination. We stayed in an apartment about 200ft from the Basilica. To get to our apartment we had to enter a code for the main gate of off one of the main streets in Budapest. From there you walked across an open courtyard to our cozy yet elegant apartment. No one else was staying in that building. Of the 50 or so apartments that must have been in that building only 4 or 5 were occupied including ours.
Budapest was a whirlwind of action and looking back on it, it kind of blurs together. I chose Budapest because I thought that the likely hood of me going back to Eastern Europe was very unlikely and when I left I was looking up housing prices for district 5 in Pest. So yeah I loved it. It's hard to communicate through writing how a city or a culture impacts you, but Budapest had that "it" factor that left floored after every steps (trust me there were a lot steps, we walked a lot, on our feet, it hurt). The Hungarian people are so tall! The average height for the men must have been over 6'2". Also the people in Budapest were so fashionable. Even the little kids had matching clothes or even sport coats.
We went to the public baths in Budapest which was incredible. It's pretty much a water park exclusively for adults. It far exceeded any expectations that I had going in to it. While I was there I got my first message. The other days were spent exploring both the Pest and Buda sides of the Danube. There was one bar in Pest that was insane. In Budapest there are garden bars that convert empty courtyards in to bars. The one we went to was huge. It had 8 different bar counters and held over 600 people. The vibe of the bar really reminded me of Austin. It was very grungy with weird art but really fun with really nice people. The next night we went to the old castle on the opposite side of the Danube and looked out from the castely walls over the Pest side of the city. It was very picturesque. and sis something that I will remember for the rest of my life. We also went to a wine tasting festival held at the old palace. It was a very classy affair and kept anticipating a run in with James Bond.
Currently I am in Italy but all of those details will come this weekend (Lord willing). I love and miss you all.
Continually blessed,
Chris Costenbader
Sunday, September 8, 2013
The Last One In Greece...
Well you can't put a price on consistency, even when it's rooted in inconsistency. I believe I said that I was going to be doing my blogs on Fridays and yet not one blog has been posted on a Friday... Well here's the dealio. Fridays are our "Let's pack as much as possible in to 24 hours and see how it goes" days. If we're honest, all of our days are like that. EXCEPT for Sunday, which is devoted to homework and now blogging. "Chris, I'm confused what are you trying to say?" BLOGS ARE NOW GOING TO BE POSTED ON SUNDAYS. "Why couldn't you just say that?" I don't know... I'm sorry.
Last week I informed you that I was sick. Well I'm still sick so that's a thing. It's barely worth mentioning because it has little effect on my daily routine, but it's there. Kind of like a shadow, or another analogy that's cooler than that one.
Another jam packed week of excitement. Last Monday we traveled to Corinth and Mycenae. Our tour at Corinth started with our guide telling us an old Greek myth about a King who had left his wife and married another woman. The ex-wife put an accelerant on the bride's dress. During her wedding her dress caught fire and she ran and jumped in a spring fed fountain, which saved her life. Crazy right? Well then the tour guide turns around and points to one of the many old buildings near us. "That's the fountain right there." One after another, our jaws fell to the ground. This is a good example of how it keeps reoccurring to me that we are HERE. All of the myths, all of the stories and historical events happened where we are actually standing! Our tour continued to what was the main town square in Corinth where Paul came to preach to the Corinthians. A few members of our group lingered behind and read multiple portions of first and second Corinthians aloud to each other. This was a very surreal experience (On the same note, the rock that I talked about going to the first night was actually Mars hill, where Paul preached to the athenians. We didn't even know it!).
We traveled to Mycenae next. We saw the honeycomb tombs that the kings (possibly Agamemnon) were buried. Next we walked up to the Acropolis (just means fortress on a hill) of Mycenae. It was naturally well protected and had an incredible view. You could see for miles, toward Corinth and the coast as well as inland. The museum there wasn't much to look at though because most of the interesting artifacts were just duplicates.
Last Friday we went to an island for the day!!! We took a 2 hour ferry to the island of Agistri. Oh man. It was incredible. Agistri is not one of the main touristy islands but it is a popular destination for Greeks to travel to for a day or two. Only 1200 people live there permanently so the island is crazy quiet. The water is crystal clear so Josh and I bought of pair of the cheapest goggles we could find (Mine are pink...) and we swam around looking at fish for most of the day. My sinuses still hurt so I could only dive down 3ft or so. Most of the group ended up meeting up at some rocks by accident and we jumped off of them up until our ferry was ready to depart. Nothing but good things to say about Agistri except the excess of sea urchins...
This week I met a professor from Izmir. We have talked twice, both times for more than two hours. I've learned so much from him. I won't even try to spell his name because I'll just make a fool out of myself. But we've discussed so many things and have helped each other better understand Turkey and the U.S. Currently he's doing research in Athens about the dispute between Greece and Turkey surrounding the island of Cyprus. I knew very little about this conflict prior to our conversations, but listened and quickly learned. I ended up finding out that he actually was born in Cyprus. I asked him lots of questions about keeping a neutral stance on the issue since he and his family were so intimately involved. I think I will cherish these conversations the most out of any that I've had in Greece.
Since we live above a sports bar, I have been watching a lot of soccer, rugby and Australian football. I still don't like cricket or rugby really, but Australian football is awesome. I'm a big fan.
Yesterday we had our first free day of the trip. Some people tried to travel to other islands but it was crazy expensive and they could only be there for a day. So Josh, CJ and I took some people down to the beach (two days straight at the beach and I didn't even get sunburned Mom). After the beach we went to a super-yacht marina that was built for the 2004 olympics. We ended up eating a TGI Friday's hahaha. We actually spent over 3 hours there. It was so nice to not need to run off to some other activity. After our lengthy meal, we went to see the movie "Blue Jasmine" in an outdoor theater in the marina. For our film class we had to go out and see a movie in the city so it worked out well.
That about brings us to the present. I will be leaving for Budapest early Wednesday morning. I am beyond excited for Budapest and have heard great things from travelers that I've met.
Not being, but becoming
Chris Costenbader
Last week I informed you that I was sick. Well I'm still sick so that's a thing. It's barely worth mentioning because it has little effect on my daily routine, but it's there. Kind of like a shadow, or another analogy that's cooler than that one.
Another jam packed week of excitement. Last Monday we traveled to Corinth and Mycenae. Our tour at Corinth started with our guide telling us an old Greek myth about a King who had left his wife and married another woman. The ex-wife put an accelerant on the bride's dress. During her wedding her dress caught fire and she ran and jumped in a spring fed fountain, which saved her life. Crazy right? Well then the tour guide turns around and points to one of the many old buildings near us. "That's the fountain right there." One after another, our jaws fell to the ground. This is a good example of how it keeps reoccurring to me that we are HERE. All of the myths, all of the stories and historical events happened where we are actually standing! Our tour continued to what was the main town square in Corinth where Paul came to preach to the Corinthians. A few members of our group lingered behind and read multiple portions of first and second Corinthians aloud to each other. This was a very surreal experience (On the same note, the rock that I talked about going to the first night was actually Mars hill, where Paul preached to the athenians. We didn't even know it!).
We traveled to Mycenae next. We saw the honeycomb tombs that the kings (possibly Agamemnon) were buried. Next we walked up to the Acropolis (just means fortress on a hill) of Mycenae. It was naturally well protected and had an incredible view. You could see for miles, toward Corinth and the coast as well as inland. The museum there wasn't much to look at though because most of the interesting artifacts were just duplicates.
Last Friday we went to an island for the day!!! We took a 2 hour ferry to the island of Agistri. Oh man. It was incredible. Agistri is not one of the main touristy islands but it is a popular destination for Greeks to travel to for a day or two. Only 1200 people live there permanently so the island is crazy quiet. The water is crystal clear so Josh and I bought of pair of the cheapest goggles we could find (Mine are pink...) and we swam around looking at fish for most of the day. My sinuses still hurt so I could only dive down 3ft or so. Most of the group ended up meeting up at some rocks by accident and we jumped off of them up until our ferry was ready to depart. Nothing but good things to say about Agistri except the excess of sea urchins...
This week I met a professor from Izmir. We have talked twice, both times for more than two hours. I've learned so much from him. I won't even try to spell his name because I'll just make a fool out of myself. But we've discussed so many things and have helped each other better understand Turkey and the U.S. Currently he's doing research in Athens about the dispute between Greece and Turkey surrounding the island of Cyprus. I knew very little about this conflict prior to our conversations, but listened and quickly learned. I ended up finding out that he actually was born in Cyprus. I asked him lots of questions about keeping a neutral stance on the issue since he and his family were so intimately involved. I think I will cherish these conversations the most out of any that I've had in Greece.
Since we live above a sports bar, I have been watching a lot of soccer, rugby and Australian football. I still don't like cricket or rugby really, but Australian football is awesome. I'm a big fan.
Yesterday we had our first free day of the trip. Some people tried to travel to other islands but it was crazy expensive and they could only be there for a day. So Josh, CJ and I took some people down to the beach (two days straight at the beach and I didn't even get sunburned Mom). After the beach we went to a super-yacht marina that was built for the 2004 olympics. We ended up eating a TGI Friday's hahaha. We actually spent over 3 hours there. It was so nice to not need to run off to some other activity. After our lengthy meal, we went to see the movie "Blue Jasmine" in an outdoor theater in the marina. For our film class we had to go out and see a movie in the city so it worked out well.
That about brings us to the present. I will be leaving for Budapest early Wednesday morning. I am beyond excited for Budapest and have heard great things from travelers that I've met.
Not being, but becoming
Chris Costenbader
Sunday, September 1, 2013
The (hopefully last) one where I'm sick
Whoa.
So this past week has been a whirlwind of action. First of all, I apologize to you and to myself for writing this two days late but this is when I could do it.
Flights went very smoothly and by the time we landed in Athens I was so tired but we gathered ourselves and went out as a group to get some food. Myself and the other five guys are sharing an apartment and we got so lucky. We all are definitely individuals but get along so well. It's so easy to do stuff with the guys and the first week was definitely defined by our growing friendships. Inside jokes and nicknames established, we are now branching out and getting the ladies involved. Our apartment is cozy but not uncomfortable except that there are five seats and six guys. We overlook a busy street and the people that run our apartment also run a sports bar on the first floor which is frequented often for homework, drinks, soccer and especially karaoke.
We are about a five minute walk from the Acropolis and despite being trashed from flying for 20 something hours, we found the strength to walk to it on the first night. After eating a small group of us went to an outcrop beneath the Acropolis (which is lit up at night). We stayed there until 1 or 2a.m. with a lot of the locals and just looked across the city. We were talking about how pretty the ocean looked at night when an Athenian kindly pointed out that we were looking north and the ocean was behind us. Whoops! Athens doesn't sleep I'm convinced. Walking back from the rock we ran in to a man playing a trumpet. He was killing it. His dog accompanied him and would howl when he hit certain notes. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
But as the title betrays, I got sick fairly early on. Fever, congestion and headaches haunted my every move. Sunday was spent wallowing in semi-misery. Being sick internationally is a unique experience. I went to the pharmacy and struggled to communicate what I desperately needed. I ended up being handed TUMS...? So after I exhausted that option I began to beg. Thankfully one of our wonderful ladies had enough medicine for a small army and had just what the doctor would've ordered (hehe jokes). Despite taking this miracle medicine, my sickness still lingers however I'm fully functional and thankful that it wasn't worse.
Our week saw little relaxation time. We've traveled all around Greece. Last Sunday we saw a play at an Ancient Greek theater (Epidaurus) built in 200BCE. The play was all in Greek but it was incredible to imagine who sat in the same seats we occupied. We also went to Poseidon's temple which sits at the bottom of the peninsula of Greece. Wow wow wow... WOW. It was incredible. We got to spend most of the afternoon swimming in a cove beneath the temple and then walked up and watched the sun set over the Aegean sea. The next day the group went to the Acropolis but I wasn't feeling well and the temperature was well over 100 (Fahrenheit), but I heard that it wasn't too incredible. Without a doubt Apollo's temple was the coolest Greek ruin that we've visited. Went spent a whole day in Delphi which is a great town by itself with a view that I would expect in Austria or Switzerland not Greece. We had a tour guide take us through the museum which was interesting, but when we went to the actual temple I was dumbfounded. If you know me well you know how much I love exploring and how I have a special affinity for natural springs. Well Apollo's temple is on three springs, all of which are under the temple itself and we couldn't access but I was giddy just knowing it was there. Apparently the oracle of Delphi would inhale natural gas that was spewing out of the rock and then give her predictions (inaudible rambling) which were "translated" by the head priest. We walked the same steps that Alexander the took when he consulted the wisdom of the oracle. There was also a stadium at the temple and the guys were tempted to race in the traditional Greek style (naked), but the guards stationed around it deterred us.
It hasn't been all travel and fun. We also started class this week. We (as a group) are pretty overwhelmed with the amount of work combined with traveling and wanting to explore a new city. A couple of days ago we were told to go to Plato's academy, which is now just a park in the north of Athens. We sat where Plato used teach and read "The Republic" and wrote a reflection. This is a good example of how most of our academic work is still adding to the experience of the trip.
Shout out to Mother,
Happy birthday, I love and miss you.
Not being but becoming,
Chris Csotenbader
So this past week has been a whirlwind of action. First of all, I apologize to you and to myself for writing this two days late but this is when I could do it.
Flights went very smoothly and by the time we landed in Athens I was so tired but we gathered ourselves and went out as a group to get some food. Myself and the other five guys are sharing an apartment and we got so lucky. We all are definitely individuals but get along so well. It's so easy to do stuff with the guys and the first week was definitely defined by our growing friendships. Inside jokes and nicknames established, we are now branching out and getting the ladies involved. Our apartment is cozy but not uncomfortable except that there are five seats and six guys. We overlook a busy street and the people that run our apartment also run a sports bar on the first floor which is frequented often for homework, drinks, soccer and especially karaoke.
We are about a five minute walk from the Acropolis and despite being trashed from flying for 20 something hours, we found the strength to walk to it on the first night. After eating a small group of us went to an outcrop beneath the Acropolis (which is lit up at night). We stayed there until 1 or 2a.m. with a lot of the locals and just looked across the city. We were talking about how pretty the ocean looked at night when an Athenian kindly pointed out that we were looking north and the ocean was behind us. Whoops! Athens doesn't sleep I'm convinced. Walking back from the rock we ran in to a man playing a trumpet. He was killing it. His dog accompanied him and would howl when he hit certain notes. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
But as the title betrays, I got sick fairly early on. Fever, congestion and headaches haunted my every move. Sunday was spent wallowing in semi-misery. Being sick internationally is a unique experience. I went to the pharmacy and struggled to communicate what I desperately needed. I ended up being handed TUMS...? So after I exhausted that option I began to beg. Thankfully one of our wonderful ladies had enough medicine for a small army and had just what the doctor would've ordered (hehe jokes). Despite taking this miracle medicine, my sickness still lingers however I'm fully functional and thankful that it wasn't worse.
Our week saw little relaxation time. We've traveled all around Greece. Last Sunday we saw a play at an Ancient Greek theater (Epidaurus) built in 200BCE. The play was all in Greek but it was incredible to imagine who sat in the same seats we occupied. We also went to Poseidon's temple which sits at the bottom of the peninsula of Greece. Wow wow wow... WOW. It was incredible. We got to spend most of the afternoon swimming in a cove beneath the temple and then walked up and watched the sun set over the Aegean sea. The next day the group went to the Acropolis but I wasn't feeling well and the temperature was well over 100 (Fahrenheit), but I heard that it wasn't too incredible. Without a doubt Apollo's temple was the coolest Greek ruin that we've visited. Went spent a whole day in Delphi which is a great town by itself with a view that I would expect in Austria or Switzerland not Greece. We had a tour guide take us through the museum which was interesting, but when we went to the actual temple I was dumbfounded. If you know me well you know how much I love exploring and how I have a special affinity for natural springs. Well Apollo's temple is on three springs, all of which are under the temple itself and we couldn't access but I was giddy just knowing it was there. Apparently the oracle of Delphi would inhale natural gas that was spewing out of the rock and then give her predictions (inaudible rambling) which were "translated" by the head priest. We walked the same steps that Alexander the took when he consulted the wisdom of the oracle. There was also a stadium at the temple and the guys were tempted to race in the traditional Greek style (naked), but the guards stationed around it deterred us.
It hasn't been all travel and fun. We also started class this week. We (as a group) are pretty overwhelmed with the amount of work combined with traveling and wanting to explore a new city. A couple of days ago we were told to go to Plato's academy, which is now just a park in the north of Athens. We sat where Plato used teach and read "The Republic" and wrote a reflection. This is a good example of how most of our academic work is still adding to the experience of the trip.
Shout out to Mother,
Happy birthday, I love and miss you.
Not being but becoming,
Chris Csotenbader
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Day 0 "The one where he leaves"
True to my style and despite promises to myself, I am writing this at midnight, 6 hours before my final departure. The idea of this blog has been bouncing around inside my head and I have already visualized many future posts throughout the summer. Let me tell you that if I can follow through with my radical vision for this blog it will be spectacular. Like National Geographic worthy.
Before writing, any author must first think about who his audience is. I also had this thought and came to the realization that I have no idea who my audience is. You may be family, friends, the President, enemies (hello enemies) or even strangers somehow. Because you (the reader) could be just about anyone, I have decided to write to myself, even though I address "you" a lot it's pretty much just me talking to myself, which I do all the time. Do not however take this as a raw glimpse into my subconscious as that is way more disorganized and illegible. Yet this blog may reveal sides to me that you may be unfamiliar with and that's ok. If you decided (remember) to follow these ramblings then your view of me may change (hopefully for the better but who knows really) and I want to assure you as the reader that this change is ok. If your view of someone is not morphing and changing (even if you know them as well as anyone could) I would say that you are not expanding your relationship with this person to the fullest. (I know the continuation of this expansion would be impossible to keep up forever but if your view of a person hasn't changed in a while I would challenge you to be more intentional with that person). But let's try and not be too controversial or confrontational on the first blog shall we.
Let's go back to something that I touched on earlier and that's you following this blog. As I previously stated, I am not writing this blog for you (sorry), but that does not mean that I would not enjoy you reading this. In fact I probably place too much importance on you reading this but I promise I will try and care less ;). In order to keep you reading I wanted this introduction to be like a movie trailer. I want to give you a glimpse but not the whole show so that you will still fork over $10 to go see my creation. I tried to make some hype videos for this but couldn't get YouTube to come film them. So I'm stuck with this introduction. But I want to make this at least a little interactive so if there are "European things" that you want me to try like food, places, traditions, etc. you can post them on here or on the GoodBook (FaceBook) and I will try to fulfill them and post about it.
Other things that I hope to do on this blog are: take a lot of photographs (Most will be on instagram which I will post a link to), reflect on things that are occurring to me (no promises of anything revelational), funny stories obviously as well as the "darker" side of travel. I don't want to create this mirage of everything is great blah blah blah nonsense. If I hate something you will know, if I get depressed you will probably figure it out, if I get a tattoo... you will have no idea mom. I initially wanted to do an entire film project on the "darker side of travel" but that will have to wait till later.
That's about it for tonight. I'm learning with you and as this blog goes along I'm sure I will figure out some of the bells and whistles and really impress you. Just wait you'll be sooo impressed with me.
Not being but becoming,
Chris Costenbader
Before writing, any author must first think about who his audience is. I also had this thought and came to the realization that I have no idea who my audience is. You may be family, friends, the President, enemies (hello enemies) or even strangers somehow. Because you (the reader) could be just about anyone, I have decided to write to myself, even though I address "you" a lot it's pretty much just me talking to myself, which I do all the time. Do not however take this as a raw glimpse into my subconscious as that is way more disorganized and illegible. Yet this blog may reveal sides to me that you may be unfamiliar with and that's ok. If you decided (remember) to follow these ramblings then your view of me may change (hopefully for the better but who knows really) and I want to assure you as the reader that this change is ok. If your view of someone is not morphing and changing (even if you know them as well as anyone could) I would say that you are not expanding your relationship with this person to the fullest. (I know the continuation of this expansion would be impossible to keep up forever but if your view of a person hasn't changed in a while I would challenge you to be more intentional with that person). But let's try and not be too controversial or confrontational on the first blog shall we.
Let's go back to something that I touched on earlier and that's you following this blog. As I previously stated, I am not writing this blog for you (sorry), but that does not mean that I would not enjoy you reading this. In fact I probably place too much importance on you reading this but I promise I will try and care less ;). In order to keep you reading I wanted this introduction to be like a movie trailer. I want to give you a glimpse but not the whole show so that you will still fork over $10 to go see my creation. I tried to make some hype videos for this but couldn't get YouTube to come film them. So I'm stuck with this introduction. But I want to make this at least a little interactive so if there are "European things" that you want me to try like food, places, traditions, etc. you can post them on here or on the GoodBook (FaceBook) and I will try to fulfill them and post about it.
Other things that I hope to do on this blog are: take a lot of photographs (Most will be on instagram which I will post a link to), reflect on things that are occurring to me (no promises of anything revelational), funny stories obviously as well as the "darker" side of travel. I don't want to create this mirage of everything is great blah blah blah nonsense. If I hate something you will know, if I get depressed you will probably figure it out, if I get a tattoo... you will have no idea mom. I initially wanted to do an entire film project on the "darker side of travel" but that will have to wait till later.
That's about it for tonight. I'm learning with you and as this blog goes along I'm sure I will figure out some of the bells and whistles and really impress you. Just wait you'll be sooo impressed with me.
Not being but becoming,
Chris Costenbader
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