SpiegelEye: noviembre 2014

Four fun facts about Ochsenfurt

By Unknown 4:11 p.m. Europe

Wurzburg, the pearl of the Main river

By Unknown 1:32 p.m. Europe

All you need is Láska, Láska is all you need

By Unknown 3:11 p.m. Europe

Perhaps you've already seen in the news that the John Lennon Wall in Prague's Malá Strana district (The Lesser Town, in English) was painted over in pure white on 17 November by a group of art students who only left the text "wall is over".

I have to admit that the news of this action shocked me and I didn't understand it at the beginning. After I assimilated the idea, I now reflect on the message that this wall is supposed to send to the world.

The John Lennon Wall.

But let us talk a bit on how this piece of concrete became the John Lennon Wall. During the 80's, the wall was increasingly covered with graffiti and Beatles' lyrics by the youth of the city, who saw in it a perfect way of communicating their grievances of the communist regime.

In 1988, the wall was the reason of clashes between the security police and hundreds of students in the nearby Charles Bridge. It became a symbol for ideals such as peace and love.

Owned by the Knights of Malta, the wall was constantly repainted over the years, which made the first graffitis almost invisible under the many layers of paint.

---

This year is indeed a year of anniversaries. On 17 November, Czechs marked 25 years from the Velvet Revolution, which was a peaceful transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia. Popular demonstrations paved the way to the end of a 41 year long communist rule and the conversion to a parliamentary republic. Hence, the reason why the art students painted the wall in white.

Initial thoughts about the wall's new color were that it was vandalised. Even the Knights of Malta filed a criminal complaint, but have now retracted it.

Personally, I do not agree with the wall being painted over in white. Perhaps if I read more about the reasons why these students made such a decision, I would change my mind.

The truth is, maybe the graffitis weren't the most important feature of the wall at all, but rather the message of freedom that this piece of concrete signifies for the youth of the city and to the rest of the world.

At the John Lennon Wall in Malá Strana, Prague.

Láska is the Czech word for Love. And as the Beatles song goes, love is all you need.

Have a nice weekend!

Astrid

Follow @spiegeleyetravel (instagram) for more travel pics
Follow SpiegelEye travel blog (facebook) for more updates!

Masr Gamila and the promise of a return

By Unknown 2:16 p.m. Africa, Special posts

During the rally in support of the then presidential candidate al-Sisi, a young boy came up to me. He was carrying in his hand three small buckets of paint: one white, the other one black and a red one. He reached out for my left arm and started painting in my wrist the pronoun 'I', a little heart and last but not least, the Egyptian flag.

We tipped him for his gesture and I walked away with a cute design on my arm. Later on that evening we dined together; my uncle Ulises, his wife Lauren, their kids Adrian and Sophia and grandma Francia.

We ate at my cousins' favorite restaurant in the 6 of October City. While dining, I witnessed yet another unexpected event: there was an electricity blackout and power didn't come back until we got home. According to what my uncle explained, the government regulates the electricity supply in many parts of town to save energy when the summer approaches.

'I love Egypt'

Back home, I had time to pack and reflect on the wonderful experiences I lived during my time in the country. In spite of having to wake up early the next day, I stayed up and chatted a bit with my uncle and Lauren. I said goodbye to my cousins and got ready for bed.

I knew I would only have time to really think about my experiences sitting on the airplane on my way back to Germany. The next day everything went so fast. We had many inconvenients that Sunday morning like Cairo traffic jam (Sunday is the first workable day of the week), a delay because of a quick stop at my uncle's office and the fact that I still had to check-in at the airport.

I could almost not say goodbye correctly, but this post will help me do so. I had the absolute most amazing time in a country I never thought I would visit. I think we take the most pleasure out of those experiences we never expect to live.

Meeting new people, discovering mausoleums that are not even on a city map, visiting the most impressive monuments of Antiquity, strolling through a bazaar and listening to all the new sounds, gazing at the new faces you'll never see again and understanding that the new city you're in teaches you one of the most valuable lessons that isn't contained in books: we enrich our lives so much in learning about the diversity of the world and listening to the different points of view.

My trip to Egypt taught me that there isn't a formula for explaining the world and its problems. I also learned that not everything we know about a place is true and that there's so much more that we ignore. Sometimes you have to go there and experience it on your own. I'm therefore really thankful that I got to see it with my eyes.

I also learned that sometimes it's not where you are, but the people you are with. I will forever cherish the time I spent with Ulises and his family. So here are my best memories of Egypt in pictures:

My uncle Ulises and me pose with the Pyramids in the background.

Lauren and me posing with the impressive Sultan Hassan mosque and Cairo in the background.

My little cousin Adrian and me at the Roman ruins of Kom al-Dikka in Alexandria.

My little cousin Sophia and me in the Citadel of Qaitbay, Alexandria.

My great-aunt Francia and me at the Lescure home in Cairo.

Naguet and me. She's the nanny and cook in the house. The best meals were prepared by her talented hands.

Remembering the Pyramids.

Cairo as seen from the Citadel of Saladin.

The sunsets reveal the most impressive shades of red and beige in Cairo.

Before finishing this post, I wanted to bring back a conversation I had before leaving the Lescure house and heading to the airport.

Naguet, the kid's nanny and the cook of the house (which by the way cooked the best egyptian meals during my stay, because she said I had to absolutely try them all), went to my room and gave me a bracelet that belonged to her.

I was speechless. I looked at her and gave her one of my bracelets, in an exchange that I will never forget. I said shokran (thanks in arabic) and she laughed. "You should stay longer, so you can learn Arabic. You look like you learn really fast", she said, in her basic spanish.

I giggled. She told me to come back very soon. I said I would love to, because I really liked it there. She said, "Repeat after me: Masr Gamila".
-"What's that? I asked dubiously.
-"It means: Egypt is beautiful".
My soul smiled when I spoke those words.

Sitting on the plane, I repeated continously to myself "Masr Gamila, Masr Gamila,Masr Gamila..."

This is how I remember Egypt.