6 de Agosto 2009:

El tren de Delhi a Agra salio bien temprano. Le estacion de trenes de Delhi es como el resto de la India: Un gran caos. Mucha gente sentada o tumbada en el piso de la entrada hasta los andenes.

El primer susto nos dio un tipo del control de seguridad que se nego a reconocer nuestros e-tickets. Sabiamos con seguridad que estaban confirmados, salio de una pagina del internet. Sin embargo nos mando a alguna taquilla para turistas donde nos enviaron a una oficina turistica al otro lado de la calle. Solo faltaban unos 30-40min. El encargado de esta oficina nos confirmo que si estaba confirmado. De hecho no quiso escucharme cuando dije que el tipo de la seguridad nos habia negado la entrada.

De cualquier manera regresamos a la estacion y ya no habia control asi que fuimos directamente a los andenes.

Nuestro primer viaje en tren alla resulto bien entretenido. Nos dieron un curry de desayuno y un pequeño termos con agua mas un “té-kit”. Chido. Qué triste era el deber ver como vivian muchos hindus al lado de las vias, muy cerca. Demasiado cerca. Las vias al parecer sirven de baño para todos. Pasan muchas personas con su botellita de agua (para limipiarse el trasero) por ahi.

Llegando a Agra casi nos asaltaron los choferes de rickshaws. Nuestro objetivo consistia en conseguir un taxi “oficial” y prepagado por el dia. Escogimos uno que incluia el Taj Mahal y el Fuerte. Lo malo es que los que nos parecian mas castrosos entre los choferes resultaron siendo “choferes oficiales” y tuvimos que ir con uno de ellos. Nos trajeron al Taj Mahal.Casi no puedes llevar nada a dentro. Ningun libro, ni pila de reserva para la camara, nni varios otros utensilios. En el control de la entrada se ponian unos franceses bien castrosos. No conocian estas reglas y se burlaban de los hombres de seguridad pensando que nadie los entendia. En algun momento estaba a punto de hacerles un comentario ya que dentenian a toda la fila.

El Taj Mahal era muy bonito. En el primer lugar donde queriamos sacar fotos molestaban otra vez estos franceses castrosos. Se me fue la paciencia y les dije en francés que esperaran 2min… Uuuuuhhh que sorpresa para él. Luego se puso mas quieto en nuestra presencia. Sacamos varias fotos. Yo frente al Taj en un pie:

Lo que me sorprendio era el ver a tan pocos turistas extranjeros y a tantos hindus. Y eso en una atraccion tan importante. Debe de ser la mas grande que tiene la India. Supongo que es la pobreza de la India que causa esta ausencia de mas extranjeros.

Del Taj Mahal nos querian hacer un tour por las tiendas para sacar comisiones. En la primera  nos hicieron visitar el taller donde producian pedacitos de piedras para pegarlos en huecos de objetos de marmol. Por pura cortesia visitamos la tienda por 5min. La siguiente era de joyeria. Pasamos 20seg dentro para anunciar que no nos intereso nada. Luego de decimos al guia que dejarara de llevarnos a lugares no planeados en el tour. Queria ir al restaurante con nosotros a las 11.30am. El restaurante estaba vacio y claro que nada economico como anunciado por el guia. Miramos el menu y nos fuimos.

El fuerte era gigante (arriba la parte de la entrada ya dentro). Con mucho el mas impresionante de todos. Después le pedimos al guia que nos dejara ya en la estacion de trenes. Como previsto se enojo bastante ya que rompimos todos su plan de llevarnos a mas tiendas. Los choferes de rickshaws de Agra son de los que mas friegan (que encontramos). La estacion de trenes estaba demasiado ocupada (piso) como para quedarse ahi mas rato. Por tanto caminamos con las mochilas alrededor. Segun guia habia una mezquita y un bazar. La mezquita era rodeada por puestos del bazar y ademas estaba cerrada. Aparte de un restaurante un poco cochino no encontramos nada para comer. Salio muy barata la comida, pero mejor no saber a que se veia la cocina.

Luego caminamos varias horas por el barrio. Fuimos los unicos turistas y por lo visto no vienen nunca hasta ahi. Era muy agradable que nadie nos molestara. Unos pocos niños nos pidieron dinero, pero aparte de eso no dejaron en paz de plano. Toda una experiencia. En cambio eramos la atracion numero 1. Todos nos miraban. Luego regresamos al mismo restaurante. Usé el “té-kit” del tren ahi. Me dieron agua caliente, un poco de leche y azucar. El café del que aseguraron que era disponible para David conseguieron en otra tienda. Chistoso!

My brother was in Italy and wanted to get to a railway station.  He communicated with some of the locals by making train sounds (Thomas the tank!)   It did the trick. They pointed in the direction of the local railway station.

I was also in Europe and into my third week. It was my first chance there to use the internet. At a hotel in Lourdes, France, I was given a computer to use for the purpose.  It was in the foyer and the lighting was very poor. I started to touch type and it came out all wrong.  This was my introduction to the French keyboard! I never knew that the French keyboard was laid out differently to the one I use.  My first internet session is Europe was a dismal one.

 Wenn in Augsburg von Architektur die Rede ist, haben fast alle den Namen Elias Holl (1573-1646) parat, der als Sohn von Hans Holl (1512-1594) und Stadtbaumeister mit dem Rathaus, dem Zeughaus und einigen Stadttoren das Erscheinungsbild der Stadt geprägt hat. Doch es gibt zahlreiche andere Architekten jüngeren Datums die das Erscheinungsbild der Stadt nicht minder geprägt haben, einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit aber zumindest namentlich nicht geläufig sind. Beispielsweise Stadtbauräte wie Franz Josef Kollmann (1800-1894), dessen in neogotischer Linie errichtetes Hauptwerk als ehemaliges Hauptkrankenhaus vielen Augsburgern zumindest noch bekannt ist oder Ludwig Leybold (1833-1891), Stadtbaurat ab 1866, dessen zahlreiche Privatbauten im Bereich zwischen Hauptbahnhof und Altstadt ein ganzes Stadtviertel prägten. Ganz eigentümliche Farbtupfer verdankt die Stadt jedoch den Architekten Georg Gollwitzer 1810-1890 und seinem kreativen Sohn Karl Albert Gollwitzer 1839-1917, die weltmännisches Flair und Denken an den Lech brachten.

Das erste Bauwerk des aus dem oberpfälzischen Altenhammer stammenden Georg Gollwitzer in Augsburg ist der bis 1840 errichtete alte Bahnhof der Stadt unweit der Freilichtbühne, der heute als verstecktes Straßenbahndepot ein eher unscheinbares Dasein führt. Das freilich ist neben der aktuellen Nutzung, unberechtigt, gilt das Bauwerk doch als das älteste noch existierende Bahnhofsgebäude der Welt und Endpunkt der ersten Überlandbahn in Bayern. Die von München nach Augsburg ab 1838 in vier Abschnitten wurde von der im Jahr zuvor gegründeten München-Augsburger Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft errichtet, zu deren Aktionären auch die Augsburger Bankiers der Obermayer gehörten. 1841 war Gollwitzer am Umbau des Alten Stadttheaters am Lauterlech beteiligt, dessen Anfänge in das Jahr 1665 zurückreichen. Weitere Werke Gollwitzers in Augsburg waren die Lotzbecksche Tabakfabrik, auf dessen Areal sich nach einigen Umbauten seit 1930 der Augsburger Stadtmarkt befindet, während im Frontgebäude zur Fuggerstraße hin das Augsburger Stadtarchiv beheimatet ist. Um 1850 entstand die Kammgarnspinnerei, das Stadtbachquartier um 1861. 1864 übergab Gollwitzer die Geschäfte der Firma seinem am 17.12.1839 geborenen Sohn Karl Albert Gollwitzer. Bekannt geworden sind in Augsburg zahlreiche Häuserensembles mit Risaliten und minarettartigen Türmen im maurisch-orientalischen Stil, der sich um die Wende zum 20. Jahrhundert allergrößter Beliebtheit erfreut während man heute darüber streitet ob ein Minarett ins Stadtbild passend könnte. Nur wenige dieser Häuser sind in der Volkhartstr. Unweit des Stadttheaters erhalten geblieben. In Vergessenheit geraten hingegen ist Gollwitzers Kurhotel Waldkuralpe Nervenheil ( http://www.nervenheil.de/ ), während sein nie realisierter Plan Augsburg am Oblatter Wall einen Industriehafen zu bauen, der über Kanäle Anschluss an Main und Donau erhalten sollte, ein kühne Gedankenspiel bleib.

Der Geburtstag des Vaters Georg Gollwitzers jährt sich am 26. November zum 199. Mal und vielleicht ist dies anderen ein Anreiz des 200. Geburtstag im Jahre 2010 ausführlicher zu gedenken.

Usually architecture in Augsburg is associated with Elias Holl (1573-1646) the Stadtbaumeister who was architect of Augsburg’s most distinctive landmarks, the city hall and Perlach tower. But there are some other architects who shaped the appearance of the City. Among them are father and son Gollwitzer. George Gollwitzer whose 199th birthday we want to commemorate, is the architect of the oldest surviving train station building in the world, while a former tobacco factory in the heart of the city now is the setting for the city market and the cities archive as well. His son Karl Georg however left some remarkable buildings in Moorish style with minarets – towers which were very popular at the turn of the 20th century while today little minds argue whether a single tower may fit into the view of the city or urban image. Unfortunately only few of these ensembles survived in Augsburg. Gollwitzer spa and health resort “Nervenheil” however did not, while his bold plan to build an industrial harbor next to the old city never was realized.

Esta é a estação de trens de Basel, Suiça. Aqui, as bicicletas são bemvindas, não apenas para serem transportadas em trens, mas no estacionamento exclusivo para bicicletas, no subsolo:

Uma das rampas de acesso

Lockers e vendedor automático de câmara: vários tamanhos e tipos de bico

A rapaziada realmente pedala

The photo is fairly good though could have been much better. The perspective lines make the photo. Most architectural photographs have some groups of lines that visually lead away and guide the eye. The walkway lines lead straight to the farthest possible point. They are in the middle of the photo and the parallel walkway repeats the effect but is shadowed. The shadow contrasts with the sunlighted walkway but leads the eyes to the same spot. On the left side we have the overhead structure also leading away and complementing the walkway lines. At the same time, the right side is open to the street and the sky. The sky part works quite well and the clouds make the sky look good for the background. The structure at the end of the walkway with the pointy ledge makes a nice subject at the end of the lines. The pointy cover guides the eye to the building with the streetlamp across the street. That is about the extent of the effectiveness. The street with the parked cars and the distance buildings is clutter and serve no real purpose in the message of this photo. I cannot tell how they could have been avoided. One possibility is by moving into the shade walkway and letting the handrails cover the street. That would make a completely different photograph but would work well.

The source for this photograph is: http://archinect.com/features/article.php?id=92393_0_23_0_C

*This post belongs to this week’s edition of Photo Reviews by Cush blog and published early in World of Cush also.

Una mujer por poco muere arrollada por un tren por culpa del alcohol

Before I came to Stony Brook University, I was considering living on-campus because it’s more convenient and safer especially in the situation when everything is completely new to you. But then, I got a list of payments from the school and surprised by the price of on-campus housing. It was $3,776 for West Apartment single room. Even considering Long Island and some school areas are expensive to live in, I thought it was too expensive. But there seemed like no other options I can choose. Actually, there is: living off-campus.

(For your information: International Student Office assigns a room to exchange students, which is mostly West Apartment, the most expensive dormitory)

 If you are deciding between living on or off-campus, here are some pros and cons of living off-campus.

Advantages

1. Cheaper: The biggest advantage! Where I live now costs me $300 + utilities. I save about $2,000 dollar per semester.
2. Independent life
3. Something else to see other than campus

Disadvantages

1. Annoying to get on campus everyday
2. Must worry about parking
3. Would need a car for more convenience

And here’s how I found a room where I’m staying now. First, I started searching the web. If you want the room to be found before you get to Stony Brook, this might be the only way you can find one.

• Useful websites

- Craigslist:

LI Craigslist

-Stony Brook Off-Campus Housing website:

School Website

Craiglist sometimes has spam and strange housing ads, so be careful when you visit the house to take a look at. Good thing is it shows approximate distance to school and location of the house with Google map. Also you can check pictures of the house if attached. Usually you will find it more secure and reliable to get information from school website since ads are uploaded by Stony Brook students who are looking for a roommate or house owners.

• School bulletin board: During vacation when many students leave for their home, you will find a lot of sublet ads on the board in the main library.

Small tip: Students who have a car can live a little far from campus like Centereach or Coram. If you don’t have a vehicle, however, choose a house near train station or south parking lot, where can be a little more expensive than the one in Centereach and Coram but more convenient to get to school by walk.

Cesky Krumlov – July 20th 2009.

After a few fond farewells. I make my way to the bus station, thinking I can get a ticket there (as is usually the case) however I am sent off to another bus station. And instead of there, I just hop on the train.

The train is a small 2 carriager with hardly anyone on the train, so I get a whole carriage to myself and lay down for a sleep and get up to poke my head out through the window when the scenery is pretty. It takes 2 hours to get to Ceske Bundevice (home of the true budweiser, not that crap the yanks drink). A quick change and I’m on the train to Cesky krumlov. It only takes about half an hour.

Upon arriving, it looks like any normal town. Kind of disappointing really. That is, til you start to walk towards the Old Town. You have to climb down a hill to get there and the views looking down over the Castle and town are phenomenal and I realise I have made an awesome choice to come here.

I pull up to the hostel (Hostel 99) which has a cool patio, table tennis table and a bar next to it. Not bad at all. The guy who runs it shows me a map and points me in the direction of some cool eateries (more about that shortly) and shows me around the hostel.

I meet a guy named Tom at the hostel and tell him about this meat lovers heaven of a meal and he’s keen for a wander to get to it. Its a short 5 minute walk into the town and we end up at this Argintinean bar where there was no one there. So we pull up a seat and order the mixed grill steak. It cost us about 190 Czech Crowns. And when it came it, we basically wet ourselfs in excitement.

3 steak meal. Chicken, Pork and Beef steaks.

A ridiculous amount of meat on that plate. But my god was it the best meal I have had. We polish of the majority of our steak and then basically undo our buttons as we are that full.

We head up back to the hostel for a few beers outside on the patio overlooking the town. The bar is cheap and its right next door. I mingle with the other travellers – most are all solo which is cool. Before winding up to watch Into The Wild which is by far one of my favourite movies, however I am that tired I just fall asleep during most of it. Shame.

Within any culture, there are sub-cultures.  One of which, in these first days in Cameroon, has stood out.  For lack of a better term, I’ll call this one “the Yaoundé train station culture”.

A porter’s job is to ensure that he not only carries his client’s luggage from the vehicle to the station to the train, but also get you settled in “first” so as to use as much of the available storage space as possible.  He has to manoeuvre around all the other porters looking for passenger’s business.  This requires being louder, faster, and more aggressive.

The train attendant is responsible for guaranteeing that only ticket holders are admitted into the train car for which they paid for:  first class, second class, etc.  This requires formality, a no-nonsense attitude and an ability to verbally push back anyone who will not obey their rule of law – which is, admittedly, what they are there to enforce.

In the moment where our porter clashed with the train attendant – shouting back and forth, trying to plough through both the formalities of boarding the train and getting through the masses of people looking to do the same – something entirely unexpected happened.

A man, in casual yet clean-cut clothing, wearing an official-looking badge arrived on the scene.  In the calmest of voices, demeanour and attitude, he asked quite simply “what is the problem?”  The porter pleaded his case in his “job-required” aggressiveness, the train attendant indicating in response that he wasn’t letting him (or us) on because he hadn’t checked the passengers’ tickets, and so on.

“Ah yes, I see.  Then let’s see those tickets please” he said still in his serene tone and stature.  Then he slowly, methodically, inspected each ticket, smiling to each of us in between.  Then declared solemnly that we could board the train.  Have a good trip, he was indicating – a nice, tranquil, relaxed trip.

A simple story really – but an important one in inter-cultural observations.  Everyone had a role to play.  But each role also required a particular attitude, mode of operation and force of personality to be executed so that the “train station dance” could take place.

The official’s entire sense and outpouring of calm in the chaotic atmosphere that is the Yaoundé train station was a lesson in itself:  one must take a step back and look at the situation for what it is.  Looking beyond the roles, beyond the emotions that sometimes cloud a rather simple interaction.

In developing the skills of calmness in chaos, something magical can happen.  A new dance can be created.

The Maastricht train station is such an important landmark that I probably should have written about it first. Unless you come by car, the train station will probably be your first and last impression of Maastricht. Fortunately, it cuts quite the memorable figure from its centuries-old stone construction to its brilliant stain glass windows. In addition to the station itself, there is also a bus station, mini-Albert Heijns, café, bookstore, and information desks for both the trains and buses.

Of course a train station is really only as good as the service it provides and, like most places in the Netherlands, the Maastricht station is more than adequate. We can typically show up 10 minutes before our train arrives, pick up tickets, and be settled into our seats with a bit of time to spare. There are only 8 tracks and they are all handicap accessible, so it is unlikely that you’ll miss a quick switch over. Outside is the main bus station with easy to read signs and both free (open) and paid (protected at Fietspecialist “Aon De Stasie”) bike parks.

Local train entering the station.

Bangkok, Tajlandia. W Cesarstwie Rzymskim wszystkie drogi prowadziły do Rzymu, w Tajlandii wszystkie tory prowadzą na dworzec kolejowy Hualampong. Jeśli gdziekolwiek w Tajlandii znajdziemy jadący pociąg i wsiądziemy w dobrym kierunku, możemy być na 100% pewni, że ostatnią stacją będzie Bangkok.
———
Bangkok, Thailand. In the Roman Empire all roads used to lead to Rome. In Thailand all railway tracks lead to Hualamphong train station. If you enter any train in Thailand, choosing the right direction, you may be sure, the last station would be Bangkok.

(photo © kiwidutch)

We drive over the Canadian border into the State of New Brunswick and just ten kilometers down the road we come  to a small town. On the very outskirts we spot some unusual street signs and  pull over so that I can get a closer look with the camera… we muse… someone must really like trains here ?!

All is explained around the very next corner … before us is  an amazing sight… in a small town with an amazingly wide main street, and on the right hand side, standing alone and magnificent, a huge imposing stone train station!

Surrounded by forest the small town of Mc Adam is 43 miles south west of Fredericton. Why on earth is such a massive station doing in what looks like, the middle of nowhere? The answer is simple, Mc Adam was a very important junction in the Canadian Pacific Railway System, especially in the second half of the 19^th century when rail was the foremost method of travel in Canada.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

In this region there were two very important rail networks, the first: the north-south route made by the St. Andrews & Quebec Railway and the second, the east-west route made by the European & North American Railway, that crossed the border into neighbouring Maine.

The place where these two lines crossed was first called “City Camp” due to the many logging camps in the area, but was later renamed for local lumberman, John Mc Adam.

(photo © kiwidutch)

In 1889 the Canadian Pacific Railway absorbed the other earlier railways and completed a line between Saint John and Montreal through Maine. For the next 40 years Mc Adam was a bustling station with as many as 16 passenger trains passing through each day. In 1900 it was decided that the  town needed a new station to handle the increased traffic.

(photo © kiwidutch)

Edward Maxwell was the station’s  architect and his vision was this imposing building in the Chateau style. Additions to the building in 1910-11 made it’s completed length 285 feet and 45 feet wide. The stone was quarried from nearby quarries and then, as today, it’s an imposing sight alongside this small New Brunswick village.

(photo © kiwidutch)

Because of the importance and location of this cross roads, this station has many ‘extras” not usually found in other stations. There are 17 rooms upstairs to accommodate travelers who needed to wait longer for their connecting train, a lunch counter, dining room, express office, baggage room separate ladies and gents waiting rooms and a customs and immigration booth since the Maine border was just a few kilometers west. There was even a police office. Rooms upstairs also provided accommodation for the 28 young women who worked in the hotel and dining room.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

Mc Adam became the service center for all the connecting trains: maintenance facilities, machine shops and rail car repairs were all carried out here, and with 650 rail employees Mc Adam became Canadian Pacific’s busiest junction east of Montreal.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

After road transportation became dominant and rail declined, the hotel facility closed in 1959, and the lunch counter followed in 1976 after 75 years of service. The last passenger train departed in December 17, 1994.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

The Mc Adam station is now designated as a national historic site.

(photo © kiwidutch)

Of course I didn’t know all of this information about the Mc Adam station myself… my text is inspired and  re-written from David Folster’s Canadian Geographic article, which is featured within the station as part of the museum display.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

This discovery just goes to show that taking smaller routes off the beaten track when traveling  can yield wonderful and unexpected things to see that you would never have known about if we had been on an impersonal motorway. It might cost more time, but discovering the gems  away from the crowds is truly delightful. What a wonderful  introduction to Canada !

Abandoned depot, Keokuk IA

Feeling abandoned?  Where-are-you-God-ish?  Feeling “… like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth….. desolation.” ? Isaiah 17:9

Well, I’ve been feeling that way.  Not for myself, but fretting that some loved ones are abandoned.

 Dying of cancer seems to be the newest fad.  Everybody’s doing it these days.

Why, Lord?

I pray that You would help them, Lord,  hold them — Why don’t You heal them?  That starts with an “h“, too…Why don’t You heal? 

How many have I seen die horrendous deaths?  So many prayers sent up…nothing, nada…no response…

Where’s the hope?  Where’s your honor?!!!!

Then, tenderly, these words from a movie I’ve seen recently, were whispered to my soul, “People pay attention at funerals.”  They pay attention to life and death.  They wake up to their own mortality, question more, are more open to answers.

Also read that in a book about a missionary in the Philippine rice terraces.

  More villagers were impacted for Christ at funerals than at any other time.

Someone once said to me, “We’re all going to die, Gloris.”, when I was lamenting the untimely death of a loved one.

“Thank you, Father, that I’ve lived long enough to have a better understanding of You.  That I’ve had the time to feel closer to You.  And when I die I will be closer still — no more drawing near,

no more need to grow…

                                                 just knowing…

                                                                                                being….

in Your presence…

                                               face-to-face…

Held. 

Do you know the Lord?  Click on the picture above to be introduced.

I once had a job working as a member of the Cabin Crew on the trains. I hadn’t actually applied for the job; my father had applied for me, without telling me first or asking if I’d like the job. The first I knew about it was when he told me they’d written back to offer me an interview. I didn’t see how I could get there, as the train station was not in my hometown and at that time I hadn’t passed my driving test. However, my dad said he or my mother would drive me in for my shifts or I could get the bus, and in need of a job at the time I agreed to go for the interview. The company’s office was down one platform and inside the station wall itself. I didn’t want the job from the start and I remember even asking the woman at the interview what kind of notice I’d have to give if I wanted to leave. However, despite all this they offered me the job and I didn’t turn it down. The job itself wasn’t badly paid as I remember, much higher than minimum wage was at that time, I’m pretty sure it was £5 an hour, or thereabouts. I started on the Monday after my interview of the week before. A typical shift went like this: I would get to the station 15-20 mins before my shift was due to start and go to the office. If I was on the earliest shift, which would be the 6.05am to the destination, I used to get there about 5.40-5.50am. With no buses running at that time in the morning it meant one of my parents getting up in the middle of the night to take me in and I think my dad soon started to regret applying for me. Anyway, once I’d let myself into the office, I’d then retrieve a fully stocked trolley from one of the trolley bays, which were a bit like they have in supermarkets like Morrisons. I’d do a quick check of the trolley and make sure it had everything I’d need. I’d look to see there were crisps, chocolate, cans of fizzy drink, wine, beers, sandwiches, nuts etc money in the till, a calculator for me to work out the totals as I was, and still am, hopeless at maths. Then I’d grab a hot water urn so that I could make all my freeze dried drinks, tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc. I’d wheel the trolley down to the platform where I was to get on the train and wait for it to arrive. Once it did I’d stand at the entrance to the train, dressed in my full suit uniform, and ‘meet and greet’ the passengers with ‘Hello, Good Morning’ etc. Once they were all onboard I’d use the train’s portable wheelchair ramp to get my trolley on and was off. I’d sit until just after we reached the first stop, about 10 mins away and I’d then start wheeling my trolley down the train carriages asking each customer if they’d like anything. The prices then were high I felt, even for the railways. I remember charging 80p for a 330ml can of soft drink, cans of lager were about £2 each, tea or coffee were £1.05 a cup and hot chocolate was £1.25. No one complained though, probably because they recognised me as the monkey and not the organ grinder. Anyway, once I’d got to the other end of the train I’d sit again until just after we’d left the next station and then repeat the cycle. I did this all the way to my final destination when I’d leave the train altogether, say goodbye to the passengers etc and go and get on the next train going back. I only did the job for two weeks but the memories that stayed with me are quite vivid. I liked all the people I worked with I just didn’t like the job. I always suspected this was who had got my colleague into trouble over the tea bag affair. A lot of the time, particularly at night the train would be quiet, except for when we got near to a big city and a raucous group of revellers going for a night out would usually get on. Anything I didn’t sell would be taken back to the office to be put onto another trolley with the exception of the sandwiches that had to be thrown away after a single shift. I always felt this was a needless waste, especially as we weren’t allowed to take them home and it was a sacking offence if you’d been found to have done so. I think I handed my notice in at the end of the first week, my last day to be Christmas Eve. I arrived for work in the morning as usual to find a few boxes of mince pies waiting for me with a note which said: ‘Hand one of these out to everyone who buys something’. Naturally as this was Christmas Eve and I wanted to increase the Christmas spirit, I just went up and down the train, which was nearly empty anyway, offering each person a free mince pie. Most of them refused with some giving me a look as if to say ‘why are you giving these away?’ I don’t remember when I got back to the office if there was someone there or not, but I do remember the feeling of relief when it was all over and my days as Railway Cabin Crew were behind me. Thanks for reading.

Talvez eu nem goste deste jogo quando for lançado, mas a verdade é que eu gosto da publicidade que se faz em cima da personagem no Japão. É muito legal!

Bayonetta é uma bruxa do tipo “professorinha gostosa” em inglês fala com sotaque britânico, em japonês fala com autoridade, tem uma música tema dançante cantada pela Michi, diz  que gosta de tabús e tem propagandas muito maneiras e um marketing extremamente agressivo no Japão. Isso sem falar que a roupa da mulher é o próprio cabelo. Putz!

Eu vi uma entrevista no blog de Bayonetta onde Hideki Kamiya, o criador, diz que a atriz que ele gostaria que interpretasse a Bayonetta no cinema fosse a Elizabeth Hurley.  E você, qual é a sua Bayonetta?

A Bayonetta foi colocada na estação de trem japonesa cheia de adesivos!

Poucos dias depois ela já estava bem a vontade!

A SEGA criou a fundação Bayonetta que tem a função de transformar as garotas em bruxas fazendo Cosplay de Bayonetta no Halloween. O que você acha? http://www.bayonettahalloween.com/

Escute abaixo a música de Bayonetta chamada Something Missing interpretada pela cantora Michi.

Since I am a poor photographer and film maker, I have to borrow from others. In our family we have a few digital cameras, digital HD video cam, and all computers have built in… cameras. But having the gadgets doesn’t fill up the gap between the user and its gadgets.

This is a short movie from the streets of Seoul and the areas around Seoul Station.

Praha hlavní nádraží, is the main train station in Prague. Opened in 1871, it was extended several times, in 1901, 1909 and in the 1970’s. Depending on which side of the station you are entering the building, the impressions can be radically different. I eventually had the opportunity to discover the station and its three main historical layers from the oldest to the newer ones.

First an old art nouveau building, with the famous Fanta cafe and a second-hand clothes hall in one of the tall galleries. An old century remains, the atmosphere may be weird for some visitors, or completely charming, as I thought. Moving further, some stairs going down offer a view a long, dark and partly destroyed 1970’s corridor going under the tracks the hall on the other side of the station. On the opposite entry of this hall, fancy walls, glasses and electronic displays suddenly appear. A completely new hall, renovated, still in construction on some parts. It reminded me some airports, or the main station in Berlin. Shops, everywhere. And some signs, explaining that there is a “modernization” of the station, still in progress.

After some researches, I found out that the railway systems in Czech Republic is concerned by an European operational program, “co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund under the Convergence Objective “.

According to the European Commission website, this program “ aims to improve accessibility by focusing on constructing and upgrading the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) network, introducing modern management methods and setting up advanced transport technologies. The completion of the backbone network will enhance the overall transport networks and improve accessibility for the individual regions and their connections. Improving the transport networks, building additional facilities, reducing their environmental impact (e.g. noise barriers) and improving transport quality for users will facilitate the development of transport connections among and within regions, thereby contributing to worker mobility and employment, improved competitiveness and increased quality of life for citizens.”

Some sections of these “renovation and modernization” of the station are financed by the Czech State, and this European Fund. An other, larger part, because it concerns the entire station, is financed through a lease to Grandi Stazioni, an Italian company owned at 60% by the Italian public railways. Grandi Stazioni is in charge of the 13^th biggest station in Italy, and ran the Roma Termini station “modernization” as well. For Prague’s main station, Grandi Stazioni finances the renovation in exchange of a 30 years lease, it expects to get its investment back thanks to the commercial activities in this renovated station. As was explaining the architect Patrik Kotas, in charge of this project, to Radio Praha :

“The main purpose is that there won’t be groups of people that expect the same services as at a street market. What we want are clients similar to those at an airport. And for sure there should not be stands with sausages, bread and mustard served on plastic plates and beer in plastic cups.” And also to say, about the architects of the previous building, who have to give their prior agreement for some changes, “I think that the main worry is the aim of Grandi Stazioni, which is to bring commercial elements to the main station. It might give rise to a fear that it will be turned into a shopping mall. But that is not going to happen. As long as I am a part of the project it isn’t going to happen.”

As the station was apparently insecure, the aim was also to prevent the homeless from staying in the station: Changing the environment at the main train station, changing its character and surrounding, is going to push away those groups – they will not feel comfortable there anymore.”

These statements go back to 2006. When I entered the new part of the station I had a feeling confirmed by these design principles supported by the architect:

Homeless are not in the station’s new part which is indeed too fancy. But they are just outside the building, in front of it. When you can’t fight poverty and homelessness, you hide it. Design is a way to do it.

Private-Public partnership works, but the fears of a new shopping mall, were right I guess. No public space, many shops. Maybe the “modernization” still in progress is about to improve this aspect. The architect was indeed underlining that it wouldn’t be only about these 11,000 square meters of retail spaces : “It’s also about creating space for social interaction. No one would want this station to simply become a shopping mall. A train station should be a meeting place.“

However, if we look again to the goals of the European Transport Programs, it is to improve infrastructures “contributing to worker mobility and employment, improved competitiveness and increased quality of life for citizens”. But here citizens aren’t the homeless; citizens are workers, expected to be good consumers as well.

References

http://www.szdc.cz/en/pro-media/tiskove-zpravy/praha-hlavni-nadrazi.html

http://www.thepraguepost.com/articles/2008/12/10/main-train-station-facelift-unveiled.php

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/country/prordn/details_new.cfm?gv_PAY=CZ&gv_reg=ALL&gv_PGM=1023&LAN=7&gv_per=2&gv_defL=7

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/country/prordn/details_new.cfm?gv_PAY=CZ&gv_reg=ALL&gv_PGM=1023&LAN=7&gv_per=2&gv_defL=7

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/47368

http://www.sydos.cz/cs/rocenka-2005/yearbook/htm_uk/uvod.html

http://www.grandistazioni.it/

http://www.ebrd.com/new/stories/2006/060502.htm

http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/main-train-station.html

http://old.radio.cz/en/article/80599